you look beautiful. 
:)
and Hanifah, the hat is quite fly as well.

I wish you both well.  Love this vlog!

"Pessimism of the intellect must be accompanied by optimism of the will."
Angela Davis

I have to say, I loved this episode. Not only did it resound with me, but it was so positive and uplifting and in spite of the experience Ru had.

I have had similar experiences, and I really felt her pain! Hang in there sistah, we have to hold our heads high in spite of ignorance. 

OLIVE: you look so pretty!

"Do not judge, unless you want to be judged... "

Hope the move-in went well for you two. Olive, you look fantastic. I love the hair. Beautiful.

You are both so inspirational not only in the work that you both do, but as a couple. Thank you both for sharing your lives with us each week and letting us see such a loving beautiful relationship. You're both such role models for the lesbian community and beautiful, inspiring people.

Olive you look absolutely serene and beautiful. Welcome to the loc free movement!

before June 2007

After June 2007

Olive, you look very pretty with your new hair! 

I like this vlog a lot.  You two always find interesting, dynamic people to interview, and it's a great look into how we as people can all be made to feel so different while remaining at heart so similar.

Also, as a sidenote:  You guys are so freaking cute together!  All the couples on this site (Sarah and Lori, and the women from "She Got Me Pregnant") seem so right for one another, and it's nice to see in action.

*** 

EMILY:  You were on the phone.
RICHARD:  Long distance.
LORELAI:  God?
RICHARD:  London.
LORELAI:  God lives in London?
RICHARD:  My mother lives in London.
LORELAI:  Your mother is God?

Olive you are such a beautiful woman. Wow, you look great.

If only you could have donated those locs to me, lol. My locs are a little over a year old and I always admired yours. But no joke still, you lookin good mi fren.

Also, all I could say when you guys were talkin about how people try to pigeonhole music and creativity was "Speak the truth, sisters!"

I feel you guys on that soo much. I remember when I was in high school people would accuse me of liking "white music" and I thought that was the most idiotic thing I had ever heard. There's no such thing as white or black music. Music is music. It either moves you or it doesn't.

Anways, thanks for another great episode.

Hey everybody!

Doesn't she look great. Its like I get a chance at a whole new girlfriend. Change is a good thing for sure. Thanks for your comments. And FOr those of you that are coming out to the Queen's Daughter concert tonight. Say hi if you see me. Olive will be on stage shooting. There will be some footage seen in next week's episode of course.

Hanifah

For the love of life's design.

www.upeople-themovie.com

Great Vlog as usual, I specifically sympathized with Ru Johnson and what she went through, because that’s the kind of utter bullshit I have to endure on daily basis because of my middle eastern ethnicity .its disgusting how some people have a perceived opinion about you, even if it was as they like to refer to it as 'humorous', before they even know you for the simple reason of your color, name, or where you come from. We're in the 21'st century for god sake its time to leave this kind of nonsense behind.

I apologize for my unnecessary aggression, but things like that tend to tick me off.

And Olive hun, as much as I'll miss your hair, since I'm a sucker for girls with long hair, I think you look absolutely gorgeous.

And in my opinion of women who redefined the sound of Black, Remi Nicole. You guys can disagree if you want. :D

as a self-described Afro-Punk, I gotta say that when I heard Tamar's 'Boot' come on my heart skipped a beat! 

I, too, grew up being ridiculed for liking 'white' music.  When everyone else was playing Public Enemy I was playing Fishbone.  When other kids were playing Kriss Kross I was discovering Hendrix.  Music is music and it really disheartens me when I hear folks-to this day- say rock n' roll is 'white stuff.'  White folks may make a lot of rock but it was black folks that got this whole train moving.  therefore, why the hell should i feel guity about listening to an art form that we started?!! Uggh!!  ok- end of rant.

Olive- you look absolutely stunning!  I have been shaving my head (all the way down) for about two years now.  althogh my parents may hate it, I remind them that I am a grown woman and this is how I feel comfortable, this is how I feel closest to my real, true self.  It's funny: it wasn't until after I started shaving my head that I felt truly connected to my femininity, that I felt like a true woman. I have never once regretted taking my hair off and I don't honestly know if I'll ever grow it back.

in short: youre stunning.  Don't let nobody tell you diff'rent!!

You look great Olive!

very very beautiful Olive. wow!

and Ru -  I'm truly sorry you had to go through that. sending some love your way.

Olive you look Gorgeous!!! Love the new look

You are so right about the whole "what does Black sound like", that's something that I struggled with a lot because in my neighborhood listening to anything outside of the "Black norm" what cause you to catch hell. I found myself still maintaining that for years to come. I know this may sound corny and like I'm sucking up, but I have the U People card and I LOVE IT! I really credit you guys and the U People card to really expanding my music library. I'm a lot more open to music, and I've discovered a whole new music world out there.

So everyone should definitely go and get one because its amazing.

"Power is never given back. When it's stolen, if you want it back, you have to take it." - M. Caballero

Journey2enlightenment.blogspot.com

Natural is the best way to be.  Wear your natural hair with pride!

 :-)

As for Ru's story:  it is amazing to me that a person who put herself in the postition of 'teacher' would stand in front of a group of people and say something rude and offensive to one of the class for no other reason than to amuse herself and embarrass the student.  I'm glad Ru feels better, but she should inform the directors of the conference that one of their speakers does not know how to comport herself in a civilized manner.

Thanks guys for another great episode.  Olive your hair looks great.  So beautiful.

Loved the U people clip.   Funny how that woman's few words, her tiny action had a consequence that she will never understand.  It's a shame that people just can't get pass their judgments. And then when you think about how often things like that have happened globally and certainly historically,  it's disheartening.  

All of the U people clips remind me of a question that I used to get asked often:"Why are black people still so angry with white people?"  My response was always that it was because there was always two consequences to the one action.   If someone made a racist comment or there was an event, they went home to their families happy and feeling justified and kind of like it was no big deal.  They told stories of a good day and their families continued to smile and were not significantly affected by it.  So even down to today, it is probable that a significant number of people still think that it's no big deal to say or do certain things based on race.

But then, on the other side, the families of the recipient of that racism listened to stories of pain and anger.  They felt that same feeling with and for their loved one.  2 separate reactions to the same issue.  So as the years pass by that pain continues as the stories continue to be told (I can still remember seeing the pain on my grandfather's face describing growing up in Alabama during certain times).  I was definitely upset.  So, it prepares you.  You go into situations with an open mind, but then you also know of the very real possibility of racism occurring.

And all of this seems to continue from generation to generation for both groups.

So it is no surprise. Her attitude is a result of this inherited feeling that it really is no big deal to treat certain people this way.  She probably thought nothing of her comment.  But we see the reaction it left for Ru.  Who I think handled the situation very well. 

Sorry for my ramblings... I guess this U people clip was all too familiar to me.... (smile).  I love the whole idea of filming this... so good... keep up the great work.

(Note:  This is not to say that some haven't learned from history's mistakes.  Some people take that information and change their way of thinking and work very hard not to pass it down to their families.  Which I certainly give kudos to anyone moving towards the positive)

your hairstyle only further accentuates your beauty. fabulous.

as for the stereotypes out of denver tale....racism is well and alive in the gay community, feminist circles, and activist/ non-profit milieus. the first thing people need to do before they say something is be cognizant of what they're saying and where it might be coming from, because it may be coming from an ignorant and biased place. ru reacted a lot better than i would've because i don't believe i would've been able to hold back whatever thoughts came into my head in response to that person's thoughtlessness. (just listening to the story, i was so pissed off, i was thinking of things to say to that woman that would make her toes curl) i commend ru for letting that woman know not to disrespect her or to openly stereotype people in dignified way.

First off, Olive you're beautiful so beautiful. I really love your new look. You're so right on your passage of new beginnings. I wish more people would understand about life.   

I feel you Ru, on your experience. I would have let her have it though. I am an extremely bold person but I know how to craft my words right. I would've made her feel humilated that she said such a thing. You're right on keeping your cool, but at the same allow yourself to speak up. It's ok to be angry in that moment. You have a right to be angry. Own your angrinesss but don't allow it to chain you. I have listened and watched African-American people stay silent when an ignorant  white person insults them with their  tone of voice. It pisses me off. I had to hlod my tongue because I'm not the one experiencing the discrimination lesson. I beg all A-A silence kills so please do not allow ignorant people to get away with insulting you. If these ignorant folks cross my path, they will be burned.

Olive and Hanifah love your commercial of Queen's daughters. Olive, I wish you good luck and blessings on your film career.

I love the chops Olive, you look beautiful! I'm actually thinking about doing the reverse and getting loc'd. You two are simply wonderful! I've been watching your podcasts since the beginning and really appreciate the wealth of information you all have provided from music to art and the film. Can't wait to see your film soon, hopefully here in chicago!

"I speak my MIND because biting my tongue would cause my pride to bleed."

I love the new look, Olive. Not sure that I could take two dramatic changes--moving in together and cutting your hair--within such a short amount of time; you're stronger than me!

This week's U People story definitely hit home with me--are there women of color around who, at some point, haven't found themselves in a similar situation? I certainly have. It's been interesting to me to see, particularly in the wake of the divisive Democratic primary, to have "progressives" reveal themselves to not be as "post-racial" as they'd like to think they are. The non-profit world, in which I assume Ru is involved, seems to attract these types of "progressives" with their messiah complexes, en masse.

Thanks, as always, for sharing with us.

-----

Geoffrey: You fool! As if it matters how a man falls down.
Richard: When the fall is all that is left, it matters a great deal.

- The Lion in Winter

You are beautiful Ru!

As a young african american woman of 20..I already have at least a dozen U people stories to tell. No matter how resilient one tries to be Ignorance, Predjudice, & Racism still hurt. I think Ru's words did have power. I feel empowered just by hearing her opinion on racial relations.

I would reccomend that any woman interested in racial relations read the book Divided Sisters. It can be read online at http://condor.depaul.edu/~mwilson/divided/dsjack.htm.

It " In DIVIDED SISTERS, Midge Wilson and Kathy Russell, the acclaimed co-authors (with Ronald Hall) of The Color Complex, tackle the nature of relationships between Black and White women, and explore how women from different racial backgrounds do, and don't get along. Hard-hitting and filled with first-person accounts and illuminating anecdotes, ultimately hopeful and yet supremely uncompromising in its examination of the way women interact, DIVIDED SISTERS is nothing less than a landmark book that will open readers' eyes to the realities and challenges of bridging what is too frequently an unbreachable cultural divide."

There's even a chapter that addresses interracial lesbian relationships!

It is positively reinforcing to see you guys interact with each other, simply beautiful.

Wow wow I can’t believe the ras is gone.....why why why, I use to luv to see you flip back, aaahh those days are gone .....

Where is Gloria!!!! We’re not seeing her!!!!

Keep on vlogging :-)

Olive, you've always looked beautiful, and now, we get to see that the beauty wasn't from your long locs!

I've always found it very empowering when I cut all my hair off. Its like you're telling society that you don't buy their defective product which tries to tell us that the only way you can be considered beautiful, is if you have long hair. Bullocks! Can't say that when you see evidence like this! Take that, main-stream!

I also thank you for bringing us Ru's story - unfortunately, we're seeing that anytime you're in a situation where you are different in some way from the others around you, there is high probability that an ignorant person will say something negative.

I have to say that I've been feeling more and more like there really is no hope for growth and change, and that people will not learn to appreciate and celebrate other people's differences - instead, it'll be insulted, ridiculed and pre-judged. 

Love never loses its way home.