In Praise of Natural Black Women

“Take It Off” – track 1 on his 1987 album “High Priest” – is a song sung by a White man (Alex Chilton) praising the beauty of a natural Black woman.

If you’ve given any attention to some of recent videos by Black female artists like Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, Doja Cat, Nicki Minaj, Armani Caesar, Bbymutha, et al, you’ll notice that (obviously fake) long, pointy fingernails are all the rage, as are fake eyelashes, and all the stuff Alex Chilton sings about in his 1987 version of the song… including

Beautiful Inside And Out

Saint Rose of Lima by Claudio Coello (1642–1693), in the Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain

Appearances rule in pop culture. The beautiful people occupy the covers of magazines and get all the buzz for their many sightings and multiple marriages. We are likewise bombarded with the externals of clothing and housing and vehicles, as if looking good will somehow increase our internal value. Saint Rose of Lima, born Isabel Flores de Oliva (1586-1617), a lay member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic in Lima, Peru, was by all accounts an exceedingly beautiful woman, and because she was

Pearls Come With A Price

Pearls are unlike other precious materials: Metals and gems are formed in the Earth; pearls come from a living creature. Also, pearls do not need to be cut or polished — they’re beautiful just the way they are. The actual science of how they are formed is profound: Pearls begin as a minor irritant inside the heart of the oyster, which in response to the irritant, secretes layer upon layer until the source of the irritation is encased in lustrous coatings. What a perfect Christian metaphor for the redemptive value of suffering — that trials leave one with beautiful treasure.

There’s no place like home

Don’t much follow a whole lot’a sports.

Not even the holy grail of NCAA Division I’s SEC – by many, the standard by which all other football teams are judged.

On occasion, however I will watch an Auburn game and make every diligent effort to tune into the Iron Bowl – THE gridiron rivalry to end all rivalries.

And, I confess to rooting for Auburn. Been that way for a long time… rooting for Auburn, that is.

You see, when you quite literally owe your life to Auburn, you know where your priorities are.

Yep, that’s owe my life to ’em, as in I-wouldn’t-be-here-if-it-weren’t-for-Auburn kind of owe my life to ’em.

So, flipping through the pages of the paper today, I happened upon an item that headlined a Crimson Tider. (For you medical folks, I refrained from titre… it’s just not that punny.)

Anyway, the article told about how MRI confirmed that Inside Linebacker Dont’a Hightower suffered ligament damage and would most likely be sidelined for the remainder of the season… for appropriate surgery and recuperative therapy.

I wish him a speedy recovery and the team well.

But what aroused my curiosity more than anything was this fellow’s name: Dont’a.

My fingers have a hard time wrapping around that apostrophe, so it seems. Because almost every time I type it out, I find myself needing to back up and correct.

Don’t.

No… Dont’a.

Just exactly what kind of name is Don’ta… er, I mean Dont’a?

And having never heard the fellow’s name pronounced, I’m unsure of the pronunciation. I mean, is it properly pronounced “dah-n-tay,” “doughnna,” or what?!

Then I thought again, who names their child something like that?

It’s definitely not an American name… at least I couldn’t find it anywhere I searched.

And what does it mean? Names have meaning… at least that’s what we’re taught when we begin learning to speak. We associate a word and sound with something. And eytmologists – that’s not the folks that study bugs, but the folks that study the origin and derivation of words – tell us that most of all language can be traced back to a common tongue.

That got me to thinking.

Dont’a you do that no mo! I’se gwine ta’ whip ‘yer arsicle if’n ya’ do!

The pleasing sounds of the varieties of our Southern dialects continues to amaze me, and hearing the sweet-as-honey sounds, and the tenor twangs of the many voices we’re blessed to have in ‘Bama is a rich cultural hearitage… er, I mean heritage, that rivals any place I’ve ever travelled.

From the mountain foothills of Northern Alabama’s cuCumberland Plateau, to our wiregrass fields and blackbelt forests, to the Mobile Bay’s oysters and shrimp, the vocal tonalities and rhythmic cadences of our speakers all contributes to our state’s mysterious and equally lovely appeal.

As many attest, her greatest appeal is her people.

For example, I’ve rarely ever heard of anyone moving to Alabama that moves out. I guess it’s the adage, ‘You’ve tried the rest, now stay with the best!’

Sure… what state or location doesn’t have their own idiosyncrasies? But we love our idios, to be certain! I mean, we love you, don’t we?

There’s no place like home… there’s no place like home… there’s no place like home.

Amen.