BlackSilentMaj's JumboTweets
- “They had the same skin
and the same face as me.
“For the first time, I felt normal.”
Ariana Miyamoto after meeting her black father
and his relatives.
Miss Universe Japan
Black and Proud© 2015
The United States has its flaws, but if you’re African American or have some kind of biracial mix, be it Caucasian or Hispanic, you’re likely to encounter more discrimination in Japan. In Japan, biracial people are referred to as “hafu,” which is their word for half. They also have their own n-word, “kurombo.”
Japan may be a leader in consumer technology and automobiles, but it is light years behind in terms of racial tolerance.
Enter Ariana Miyamoto. She made history when she became the first biracial person to represent Japan in the Miss Universe contest. On the one hand, you can commend Japanese officials for choosing Miyamoto to represent the country. On the other hand, it is small consolation to someone who felt the sting of discrimination In Japan for most of her life.
Miyamoto is part African American and Japanese. Her father is African American and her mother is Japanese. They met while her father was stationed at a U.S. naval base in Japan.
In an interview, Miyamota recounted some of her earlier experiences in school. “In school, I had trash thrown at me and was laughed at, and everyone pretended not to notice. When I was talking to my friends in the classroom, both boys and girls would be told not to talk to me.”
She said that on field trips and in gym class, some students avoided holding hands with her because they feared her skin color would rub off on them.
Miyamota said things changed for her at age 13 when she reached out to her father, who invited her to his home in Jacksonville, Ark. She said she won’t forget when she first saw her father and his relatives. “They had the same skin and the same face as me,” she said. “For the first time, I felt normal.”
Miyamoto spent two years living with her father, but her limited English and communication skills doomed her social life, and she returned to live in Japan.
When she represented Japan in the Miss Universe contest, Miyamoto saw it as the perfect platform to expose Japan’s racial intolerance. “I want to change how people think about racial issues, and I entered the contest prepared to be criticized.”
She said, “Even today, I am usually seen not as Japanese but as a foreigner. At restaurants, people give me an English menu and praise me for being able to eat with chopsticks. I want to challenge the definition of being Japanese.”
Good for her. As Martin Luther King, Jr. would say, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
- BALLERINA LADY
Misty Copeland:
Living her dream
© 2015
Samuel K
TheBlackSilentMajority
African Americans have excelled in a number of careers, despite barriers, despite the isolation of being the only one in a given field. Colin Powell, Thurgood Marshall, Mae Jemison, Sidney Poitier, Jack Johnson, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, and Oprah are just a few who come to mind.
With hard work and determination, we can excel at anything. In the area of ballet, Misty Copeland is continuing that tradition.
Misty Copeland was promoted to the highest rank of the American Ballet Theatre. In so doing, she became the first African American woman principal dancer in the ballet company’s 75-year history.
Being named a principal carries a much clout in the world of dance. The principal is not just a soloist. She enjoys the most prominent role in a ballet company. In the world of ballet, principals are the stars.
“I had moments of doubting myself, and wanting to quit, because I didn’t know that there would be a future for an African-American woman to make it to this level,” Ms. Copeland said at a news conference at the Metropolitan Opera House. “At the same time it made me so hungry to push through, to carry the next generation.
So it’s not me up here — and I’m constantly saying that — it’s everyone that came before me that got me to this position.”
Misty was born in Kansas City, Missouri but was raised in San Pedro, California.
She started ballet at age 13--considered late by many people. Misty didn’t grow up in an affluent family. Hardly. She grew up poor and her family lived in a hotel. She was not exposed to ballet or classical music until much later in life. But she really loved ballet, and she was determined to pursue a career in the field.
Misty has been outspoken about her desire to become the first black woman to be named a principal ballet dancer. “My fears are that it could be another two decades before another black woman is in the position that I hold with an elite ballet company,” she wrote in her memoir titled, “Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina.”
In a Time magazine interview, former Olympic gymnast great, Nadia Comaneci, wrote that Copeland is someone who followed her dreams and refused to give up. "In that way, she is a model for all young girls," Comaneci wrote. "It doesn't matter where you're from. If you have the passion like Misty, you can be the best at what you do."
The New York Times reported that Copeland’s “performances became events, drawing large, diverse, enthusiastic crowds to cheer her on.” The paper added, "Her performances became events, drawing large, diverse, enthusiastic crowds to cheer her on."
Misty has been passionate about exposing black youngsters to ballet. She regularly speaks at schools, and students have been inspired by her. She has over 500,000 followers on Instagram.
Misty Copeland joined the American Ballet Company in 2001 and became a soloist in 2007. With hard work, persistence and a love for her people, she has reached her goal, and she has become an inspiration. You go Misty
25 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT MISTY
1. I’m a klutz.
2. I’ve fallen down the Great Wall of China.
3. I don’t like to wear makeup.
4. I sit down in the shower.
5. I always wear heels, even when I travel.
6. She’s engaged to Olu Evans, a cousin of Taye Diggs.
7. I’m the queen of Sudoku.
8. I’m a pescatarian, but sometimes I miss bacon.
9. I’m decked out in my Golden State Warriors tank top and wristband at every Warriors basketball game I go to.
10. I own five practice tutus.
11. I didn’t own a computer until I was 22 years old!
12. I’ve used Proactiv for more than 10 years.
13. The book The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle got me through this spring performance season at... <<<<<< N.B from Jumbotweet: auto-truncated at 4K characters on index page - Click here or on the "view" link to see entire jumbotweet! http://www.jumbotweet.com/ltweets/view/135582 - BALLERINA LADY
Misty Copeland:
Living her dream
© 2015
Samuel K
TheBlackSilentMajority
African Americans have excelled in a number of careers, despite barriers, despite the isolation of being the only one in a given field. Colin Powell, Thurgood Marshall, Mae Jemison, Sidney Poitier, Jack Johnson, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, and Oprah are just a few who come to mind. With hard work and determination, we can excel at anything. In the area of ballet, Misty Copeland is continuing that tradition.
Misty Copeland was promoted to the highest rank of the American Ballet Theatre. In so doing, she became the first African American woman principal dancer in the ballet company’s 75-year history.
Being named a principal carries a much clout in the world of dance. The principal is not just a soloist. She enjoys the most prominent role in a ballet company. In the world of ballet, principals are the stars.
“I had moments of doubting myself, and wanting to quit, because I didn’t know that there would be a future for an African-American woman to make it to this level,” Ms. Copeland said at a news conference at the Metropolitan Opera House. “At the same time it made me so hungry to push through, to carry the next generation.
So it’s not me up here — and I’m constantly saying that — it’s everyone that came before me that got me to this position.”
Misty was born in Kansas City, Missouri but was raised in San Pedro, California.
She started ballet at age 13--considered late by many people. Misty didn’t grow up in an affluent family. Hardly. She grew up poor and her family lived in a hotel. She was not exposed to ballet or classical music until much later in life. But she really loved ballet, and she was determined to pursue a career in the field.
Misty has been outspoken about her desire to become the first black woman to be named a principal ballet dancer. “My fears are that it could be another two decades before another black woman is in the position that I hold with an elite ballet company,” she wrote in her memoir titled, “Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina.”
In a Time magazine interview, former Olympic gymnast great, Nadia Comaneci, wrote that Copeland is someone who followed her dreams and refused to give up. "In that way, she is a model for all young girls," Comaneci wrote. "It doesn't matter where you're from. If you have the passion like Misty, you can be the best at what you do."
The New York Times reported that Copeland’s “performances became events, drawing large, diverse, enthusiastic crowds to cheer her on.” The paper added, "Her performances became events, drawing large, diverse, enthusiastic crowds to cheer her on."
Misty has been passionate about exposing black youngsters to ballet. She regularly speaks at schools, and students have been inspired by her. She has over 500,000 followers on Instagram.
Misty Copeland joined the American Ballet Company in 2001 and became a soloist in 2007. With hard work, persistence and a love for her people, she has reached her goal, and she has become an inspiration. You go Misty
25 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT MISTY
1. I’m a klutz.
2. I’ve fallen down the Great Wall of China.
3. I don’t like to wear makeup.
4. I sit down in the shower.
5. I always wear heels, even when I travel.
6. She’s engaged to Olu Evans, a cousin of Taye Diggs.
7. I’m the queen of Sudoku.
8. I’m a pescatarian, but sometimes I miss bacon.
9. I’m decked out in my Golden State Warriors tank top and wristband at every Warriors basketball game I go to.
10. I own five practice tutus.
11. I didn’t own a computer until I was 22 years old!
12. I’ve used Proactiv for more than 10 years.
13. The book The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle got me through this spring performance season at the... <<<<<< N.B from Jumbotweet: auto-truncated at 4K characters on index page - Click here or on the "view" link to see entire jumbotweet! http://www.jumbotweet.com/ltweets/view/135581 - The TRUMP APPEAL ©2015
A segment of Americans are angry. Really angry. They’re disgruntled about a immigration, ISIS, and they’re fed up with most politicians and their political correctness.
They want a presidential candidate who thinks like them and tells it like it is no matter who’s offended. No doubt, Donald Trump has tapped into that anger, and he has even pandered to it with his attack dog rhetoric.
Trump has been saying what many people are already thinking. Even so, I would not vote for this man. He would be an absolute disaster for this country. It's one thing to talk like that drunken bigot in a bar, but you certainly don't want the president of the United States behaving like that. Presidents don’t follow and pander to the prejudices of voters; they lead.
Trump may think of himself as unbiased, and unbiased, his rhetoric is envigorating white supremacist groups who are attributing new interest in their groups to Trump’s rhetoric.
Trump is seeking power by making impassioned appeals to the emotions and prejudices of voters. This is the very definition of a demagogue. Moreover, Trump's campaign is a very good indication of what kind of president he would be. He is an arrogant, thin-skinned, know it all.
Even when he’s wrong, he thinks he’s right. He reminds you of the spoiled brat whose parents never reined him in. What’s more, he has insulted nearly every group you can think of. Every week, it’s another insult. He insulted nearly every Republican presidential hopeful. He insulted media moderators.
He insulted his only Republican female candidate. He mocked a man with a disability. JEB Bush has his issues, too, but he nailed it when he told Trump, “You’re not going to insult your way to the presidency.”
You can fool some of the people some of the time, but most Americans will not buy what he’s selling. Just recently, he talked about banning all Muslims from entering the country and putting mosques under surveillance.
When Time magazine named Germany’s Angela Merkel as Person of the Year, Trump attacked her. You see, it’s all about him. The more people Trump insults, the greater the likelihood the Republicans will face a landslide in the presidential election.
But it is the Republicans who created this social and political Frankenstein and the Frankenstein wannabe, Cruz. Republicans will pay a price during the presidential election for spewing so much division.
The clues are obvious about Trump’s character, or lack thereof. As Americans, we should never, ever allow the rantings of a demagogue to lead us. America’s great presidents have demonstrated intelligence, character, self-control, wisdom, and sound judgment. I don’t see those qualities in Trump.
If Trump was president, in his mind, and in the minds of his supporters, all he would have to do is wave a wand, and POOF, ISIS would be wiped out on his first day in office. He would build a border fence and seal off America. He would tell China what to kiss. He would bomb Iran, and Putin would shake in his shoes at the thought of dealing with him.
But here’s a flash. There’s a difference between actual reality and reality TV. Trump promises Fantasyland. But It’s all talk. His supporters have fallen for the hype. Their support for Trump proof reality TV has made many Americans dumb and dumber.
But if you dislike Trump’s rhetoric, that appeals to the base emotions and prejudices of Americans, you can, in television parlance, cancel him with your VOTE!