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If you want to talk about “classic moments,” one of my favorites is a 1998 interview that writer Toni Morrison did with Charlie Rose. Like most journalists, Rose prodded at Morrison — with questions about race. Specifically, when would she stop writing about race, meaning, writing about Black culture and Black people?
Morrison answered, “The person who asks that question doesn’t understand he is also raced.”
I’ve watched the interview several times. Not only did Rose misunderstand what race meant, he didn’t realize that he’d brought a knife to a gunfight. He thought he was equipped to outwit THE Toni Morrison, a Black woman writer who’d won the Nobel Prize in Literature, in a debate about Blackness and its relevance in storytelling.
It is that brilliance she brings to Recitatif, her short story that was originally published in 1980 in different collections now being released for the first time as a stand-alone book. Recitatif tells the story of Twyla and Roberta — one white, one Black — who meet in a shelter when they are eight years old. The girls’ races are never revealed.
Morrison herself describes this story as “an experiment in the removal of all racial codes from a narrative about two characters of different races for whom racial identity is crucial.”
Twyla and Roberta are both wards of the state. They spend four months together in the St. Bonaventure shelter. We learn they are there for different reasons: Twyla’s mother danced all night and Roberta’s was sick. The story is told from Twyla’s point of view, which may lead you to believe she must be Black, since her author is Black. But then I realized that was too simpleminded towards Morrison’s complex experiment.
I read the book three times. Easy to do, as the story is a quick 38 pages. No matter how closely I read, I could not absolutely say which of these girls is Black and which is white. I kept going back and forth in my decision. In the story, we get to see them become adult women who sometimes run into each other. I paid attention to their language, description of their clothes, their husbands, their jobs, their children, their lives. It’s like a puzzle of a story, then I felt like I was playing a game. When she called Recitatif an “experiment” she meant it.
Like me, I know you’re probably wondering what recitatif means. It is derived from the word recitative.
recitative | noun
1: a rhythmically free vocal style that imitates the natural inflections of speech and that is used for dialogue and narrative in operas and oratorios also : a passage to be delivered in this style
Morrison is giving us the challenge of trying to decipher ordinary speech. We hear the words of Twyla and the words of Roberta, and although they are separate, we cannot differentiate them the way we need to. This is how she makes the experiment work — writing the story in such a way that every phrase straddles the fence between what we think is “Black” and “white” vernacular. Truth is, most of us think we can distinguish a Black or white speaker, based on the tone and rhythm. Morrison challenges that theory.
As readers, we visualize what characters look like and how they move through the world. In Recitatif, it’s impossible. For example, when Twyla says, “My mother danced all night and Roberta’s was sick.” What kind of mother tends to dance all night? A Black one or a white one? Whose mother is more likely to be sick? Even with their names — is one blacker than the other? The story challenges what you think you know, and forces out biases you have deep down inside.
As the story progresses, Roberta leaves St. Bonaventure first, and a few months after so does Twyla. The girls grow into women. Years later, Twyla is waiting tables at a Howard Johnson’s, when Roberta walks in with hair “so big and wild” that Twyla can barely see her face. She’s wearing a halter top and hot pants, sitting between two guys with big hair and beards. They are going to see Jimi Hendrix — and we can argue whether his music is Black or white. Then, in another twist, we learn that Twyla doesn’t even know who Hendrix is.
Morrison also addresses cruelty in the story but not the kind that typically divides Black and white. She focuses on the kind within the system. There is a woman who works in the kitchen at St. Bonaventure, Maggie, whose position is considered lower than the girls. Maggie is old and mute. Twyla mentions that she can’t remember whether she was nice or not but that she rocked when she walked because she had “legs like parentheses.”
Once, Maggie fell over in the school orchard. The older girls laughed and mocked her, while Twyla and Roberta stood there and did nothing. “She wore this really stupid little hat — a kid’s hat with earflaps — and she wasn’t much taller than we were.” In the social status of St. Bonaventure, it’s clear that Maggie is at the lowest of the low.
What’s interesting is that Maggie’s fall doesn’t go away. On another encounter between Twyla and Roberta, there is conversation about what happened to Maggie. At the beginning of the story, we learn that Maggie “fell” down. Roberta claims Maggie was Black and that Twyla pushed her down. This causes pain for Twyla because she does not remember anything about the event. This is another element to the story that we never learn the truth of.
I believe that Morrison wants us to feel embarrassed about how we treat the helpless, even if we too feel helpless. Even though Twyla and Roberta are in a shelter (seemingly helpless), Maggie is helpless as well, being old and unable to speak.
This one-and-only short story by Toni Morrison does not disappoint. Her writing is brilliant, as always. You will devour it like I did and be well-satisfied. I found it impossible not to want to know the races of Twyla and Roberta. I wanted to sympathize with both, yet as the girls became adult women, I was annoyed at how they pushed each other’s buttons. I believe this is the angst Morrison wants us to feel. Recitatif reminds us that it is not Black or white to be poor, oppressed, ignored, or different.
The last line in the book is, “What the hell happened to Maggie?” Of course, it is not supposed to be clear. Whatever happened to Maggie was done by people — people like Twyla and Roberta, people like you and me.
Recitatif is available February 1, 2022.
If you want to talk about “classic moments,” one of my favorites is a 1998 interview that writer Toni Morrison did with Charlie Rose. Like most journalists, Rose prodded at Morrison — with questions about race. Specifically, when would she stop writing about race, meaning, writing about Black culture and Black people?
Morrison answered, “The person who asks that question doesn’t understand he is also raced.”
I’ve watched the interview several times. Not only did Rose misunderstand what race meant, he didn’t realize that he’d brought a knife to a gunfight. He thought he was equipped to outwit THE Toni Morrison, a Black woman writer who’d won the Nobel Prize in Literature, in a debate about Blackness and its relevance in storytelling.
It is that brilliance she brings to Recitatif, her short story that was originally published in 1980 in different collections now being released for the first time as a stand-alone book. Recitatif tells the story of Twyla and Roberta — one white, one Black — who meet in a shelter when they are eight years old. The girls’ races are never revealed.
Morrison herself describes this story as “an experiment in the removal of all racial codes from a narrative about two characters of different races for whom racial identity is crucial.”
Twyla and Roberta are both wards of the state. They spend four months together in the St. Bonaventure shelter. We learn they are there for different reasons: Twyla’s mother danced all night and Roberta’s was sick. The story is told from Twyla’s point of view, which may lead you to believe she must be Black, since her author is Black. But then I realized that was too simpleminded towards Morrison’s complex experiment.
I read the book three times. Easy to do, as the story is a quick 38 pages. No matter how closely I read, I could not absolutely say which of these girls is Black and which is white. I kept going back and forth in my decision. In the story, we get to see them become adult women who sometimes run into each other. I paid attention to their language, description of their clothes, their husbands, their jobs, their children, their lives. It’s like a puzzle of a story, then I felt like I was playing a game. When she called Recitatif an “experiment” she meant it.
Like me, I know you’re probably wondering what recitatif means. It is derived from the word recitative.
recitative | noun
1: a rhythmically free vocal style that imitates the natural inflections of speech and that is used for dialogue and narrative in operas and oratorios also : a passage to be delivered in this style
Morrison is giving us the challenge of trying to decipher ordinary speech. We hear the words of Twyla and the words of Roberta, and although they are separate, we cannot differentiate them the way we need to. This is how she makes the experiment work — writing the story in such a way that every phrase straddles the fence between what we think is “Black” and “white” vernacular. Truth is, most of us think we can distinguish a Black or white speaker, based on the tone and rhythm. Morrison challenges that theory.
As readers, we visualize what characters look like and how they move through the world. In Recitatif, it’s impossible. For example, when Twyla says, “My mother danced all night and Roberta’s was sick.” What kind of mother tends to dance all night? A Black one or a white one? Whose mother is more likely to be sick? Even with their names — is one blacker than the other? The story challenges what you think you know, and forces out biases you have deep down inside.
As the story progresses, Roberta leaves St. Bonaventure first, and a few months after so does Twyla. The girls grow into women. Years later, Twyla is waiting tables at a Howard Johnson’s, when Roberta walks in with hair “so big and wild” that Twyla can barely see her face. She’s wearing a halter top and hot pants, sitting between two guys with big hair and beards. They are going to see Jimi Hendrix — and we can argue whether his music is Black or white. Then, in another twist, we learn that Twyla doesn’t even know who Hendrix is.
Morrison also addresses cruelty in the story but not the kind that typically divides Black and white. She focuses on the kind within the system. There is a woman who works in the kitchen at St. Bonaventure, Maggie, whose position is considered lower than the girls. Maggie is old and mute. Twyla mentions that she can’t remember whether she was nice or not but that she rocked when she walked because she had “legs like parentheses.”
Once, Maggie fell over in the school orchard. The older girls laughed and mocked her, while Twyla and Roberta stood there and did nothing. “She wore this really stupid little hat — a kid’s hat with earflaps — and she wasn’t much taller than we were.” In the social status of St. Bonaventure, it’s clear that Maggie is at the lowest of the low.
What’s interesting is that Maggie’s fall doesn’t go away. On another encounter between Twyla and Roberta, there is conversation about what happened to Maggie. At the beginning of the story, we learn that Maggie “fell” down. Roberta claims Maggie was Black and that Twyla pushed her down. This causes pain for Twyla because she does not remember anything about the event. This is another element to the story that we never learn the truth of.
I believe that Morrison wants us to feel embarrassed about how we treat the helpless, even if we too feel helpless. Even though Twyla and Roberta are in a shelter (seemingly helpless), Maggie is helpless as well, being old and unable to speak.
This one-and-only short story by Toni Morrison does not disappoint. Her writing is brilliant, as always. You will devour it like I did and be well-satisfied. I found it impossible not to want to know the races of Twyla and Roberta. I wanted to sympathize with both, yet as the girls became adult women, I was annoyed at how they pushed each other’s buttons. I believe this is the angst Morrison wants us to feel. Recitatif reminds us that it is not Black or white to be poor, oppressed, ignored, or different.
The last line in the book is, “What the hell happened to Maggie?” Of course, it is not supposed to be clear. Whatever happened to Maggie was done by people — people like Twyla and Roberta, people like you and me.
Recitatif is available February 1, 2022.
Classic board games, like Operation and Aggravation, are a fun way to bond with family and friends, so let’s get playing!
Hello all, today we’ll be discussing classic board games. When the topic of board games comes up, usually the first thing that comes to mind is a night with family and friends. It’s a fun way to unwind and spend time together. Unless, that is, you or someone you’re playing with is the overly competitive type. But hey, what’s a few games without smack talk? Personally, I find gentle ribbing and friendly taunting the funniest part of the night (your mileage may vary). No matter what happens though, remember to have fun and repeat to yourself, “It’s only a game.”
Real quick, if you’re looking for more modern, fantastical board game options, be sure to check out our list of fantasy board games that parents will enjoy playing with their kids!
Now then, gather everyone around the table. It’s time to play some classic board games!
We begin with one of the most frustrating, irritating, and anxiety inducing games that’ll have you screaming that you didn’t touch the sides. But we all heard the buzzer, and despite what anyone claims, you’ll wonder if you really did touch the sides or is the game just trying to make you look bad. That game, of course, is Operation. Listen, ignore my saltiness, it’s a fun game, just be patient.
The original, and the blueprint for creating the type of people who are most likely take board games way too seriously. But, I suppose, in Sorry that’s kind of the point. In this game, it’s genuinely okay to ruin your friends good time by being a jerk. I can only imagine the number lifelong beefs this game has created. But I mean, hey, you technically get to say, “Sorry.” Okay, wow, that was bad even for me.
I adored Candy Land as a kid, for a multitude of reasons. Real talk, the art on the 2005 version was my everything and after it changed, not gonna lie, part of my spirit faded. It was a trying time for my sister and I, since we both watched and adored the 2005 animated movie based on the game (oops, is my age showing?). Honestly, childhood nostalgia is kicking in pretty hard, right now, so I’m gonna go.
So, major reveal and utter disappointment, I’ve never actually played this game. Nor do I really know the rules. I’ve seen it around and in the attics of my family members, but I never learned how to play. So, I feel slightly bad, because I know this is probably someone’s favorite game, and I don’t understand it at all, like all I know is it contains some marbles. I do understand how to play marbles though, so there’s that.
Another game you can technically be a jerk in, but, I guess that depends on how you play and how you are as a person. I’ve played a handful of times but have never finished a single game. There’s something about this game that makes me want to play it, especially because as time goes on, the game gets cute new versions to match certain shows and fandoms. It’s not retro, but the Animal Crossing version certainly has my eye.
Another favorite from my childhood. Not going to lie, out of all the games on this list, this one was genuinely an obsession. I even played the computer version. Weird to think about it now, because real life turned out nothing like this cute board game. I’m supposed to be a doctor with four kids and a mansion by now, dang it! Sorry, that was personal.
The original murder mystery that’s actually kind of dark for kids if you think about it, but I digress. Also, not many other board games got an actual good movie based on it. Much as I love Liam Neeson, Battleship doesn’t count, people. It’s been a very long time since I’ve played this, but the concept was always so fun for me, especially the mystery aspect. It’s fun to solve mysteries!
Speaking of mysteries, this classic is one of the simplest games on our list, but that doesn’t make it any less interesting. Using your powers of observation and critical thinking to discover the truth! Just be careful not to play with cheater. I think we all know that one person who doesn’t want to be truthful and will lead you astray despite what the rules say. I may be speaking from personal experience, here.
My first introduction to Rube Goldberg machines, this game is another childhood favorite. It’s a very cute game and you get to handle cheese. I mean, who doesn’t love cheese?! Oh right, lactose intolerant people don’t. Anyways, I wish I got to play it more growing up because I always found building the mouse trap charming.
Okay, truth time. Which name do you prefer? “Chutes and Ladders” or “Snakes and Ladders”? I know there are no snakes on this box but I think we’ve all seen both variations of this game in some form. Maybe you’re like me and heard of Snakes and Ladders first and never got the image of slithering reptiles out of your head. Personally, lowkey, it’ll always be Snakes and Ladders to me, but hey, chutes are fun too.
If someone were to ask me years ago if I thought Connect 4 was a board game, I’d have said no. But honestly it counts, and that’s the shocking part of this story. Now as easy of a concept as this game is, I’ve only ever won a total of three times. In my defense, I never played much as a kid, but as an adult, I think I would dominate at this game. Anyone up for a game?
This game and I have history. See, much like Uno, the people I played with made up their own rules and I honestly just went with it. So, when researching, I learned the actual rules—honestly, tutorials really are magical. Turns out, it was nowhere near as complicated as what little kid me had to suffer through. Oh well. At least, I always had fun using the Pop-O-Matic.
I’m sure most of you have heard of Scrabble. Well, this simple word game that can get pretty competitive, and sometimes, it can even have some of us questioning if we ever knew actual words to begin with. I remembering reading dictionaries just so I could beat my grandma at this game. My favorite valid Scrabble word I discovered: “pyx.” Put that 15-point three-lettered word on a Triple word score and you’re golden!
When I think of this game, I get flashbacks to taking pop quizzes at school. Then, I curl up and cry because I hated pop quizzes. Also, whenever I played this, I’d get stomped. Maybe I need to make more dumb friends… I’m not bitter. Anyways, if you’re not like me and are actually good at trivia that isn’t limited to just cartoons, video games, and anime, then I’m sure you’ll always love seeing who’s the most trivial, I mean smartest, in the room. Okay, fine, I am bitter.
Okay, for really real, I love this game. There’s just something so satisfying about rattling dice around in a cup and rolling them. It’s almost therapeutic. That is, until you need one more six to make upper section bonus but you keep rolling fives. I already have my fives! Gimme a six, dang it! Sorry, I’m getting carried away again. Seriously, though, this game brings me joy.
Some of you may remember this as your first introduction into the world of Dungeons and Dragons. Others of you don’t remember this at all, and are probably wondering why it’s on this list. Well, this game has been around since the 70s (which qualifies it as a classic to me), and it’s a really fun family game too. If your family loves fantasy, check it out!
For even more fantasy fun, pop on over to our instructional article about how to plan your kid’s first D&D adventure.
Last, but certainly not least, is Uno. Now, I hear you, that’s not a game that comes with a board, and yes, you’re right, but my editor approved it nonetheless, so here we are. This simple, yet diabolical, card game is probably best known to have people causing fights because everyone wants to make up their own rules. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve never played Uno the same way twice, out of the multiple times I’ve played it. Good thing this deck comes with the official rules to settle all arguments.
The post Classic Board Games for Families, like Operation, Aggravation, & More appeared first on Nerdy With Children.
During Black History Month, Paramount+ is spotlighting its platform to celebrate shows and movies that celebrate Black women.
“Celebrate Women” is one of the categories that make up Paramount+’s Black Voices Collection, which features a wide range of movies, series, comedy specials, docs, dramas, and more to stream during Black History Month.
Here is a list below of what is available on the streaming app.
While patrolling Federation space, the U.S.S. Shenzhou encounters an object of unknown origin, putting First Officer Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) to her greatest test yet. Starring Sonequa Martin-Green, Michelle Yeoh, Doug Jones.
Based on Ms. Pat’s stand-up comedy and memoir, The Ms. Pat Show is the story of a former convicted felon turned suburban mom, whose hustle and resilient spirit were forged on the streets of Atlanta. To much reserve, she now finds herself in conservative middle America alongside her penny-pinching husband, a struggle of a sister, and two distinct sets of kids raised under very different circumstances.
Mary Jane Paul (Gabrielle Union) is part of a growing American statistic – the single, black female. A news anchor with style, class, and almost everything else a girl could want; she reports on the lives of others every night, but now we pull the curtain.
Academy Award nominee and multi-hyphenate Queen Latifah stars as Robyn McCall, an enigmatic former CIA operative who uses her extensive skills to help those with nowhere else to turn. As McCall acclimates to civilian life, she is compelled to use her considerable resources to help Jewel (Lorna Courtney), a teenager accused of murder and on the run from the criminals who framed her for the crime.
Picking up one year after the events of the final episode of The Good Wife, an enormous financial scam has destroyed the reputation of a young lawyer, Maia Rindell (Rose Leslie), while simultaneously wiping out her mentor and godmother Diane Lockhart’s (Christine Baranski) savings. Forced out of Lockhart & Lee, they join Lucca Quinn (Cush Jumbo) at one of Chicago’s preeminent law firms.
Wanda Sykes pulls no punches as she shares her thoughts on George W. Bush’s presidency, the insanity of airport security, and the real reason women fake orgasms.
Million Dollar American Princesses: Meghan Markle
How did Prince Harry and Meghan Markle meet? How is the actress changing the face of the Royal family? How will they change her? As another American princess enters the British aristocracy, compare Meghan’s story to other actresses and heiresses who crossed the Atlantic to marry into European nobility, such as Grace Kelly and Rita Hayworth. It’s a modern royal fairytale that is as much about love as it is about the monarchy’s new attitudes on class, race, acceptability, and tolerance.
Set in Atlanta’s fashion, music and celebrity circles, Single Ladies strives to find out what women really want in a relationship.
Black Ink Crew follows the daily goings-on and associated drama at a Harlem, N.Y., tattoo empire, where a tight yet dysfunctional staff of artists serve a growing celebrity clientele. The shop is a magnet for hip-hop stars as well as pro athletes, video vixens and a who’s who of urban elite. Ceaser, owner, and creator of the Black Ink brand, has made the business into a New York hotspot for fresh ink. Embarking on new journeys and business endeavors, Ceaser employs some close, very vocal friends who make up the “crew,” including quick-witted, fiery manager Sky and Cleveland-born tattooist Donna.
The best friends featured in this series have more than mutual companionship in common: They are either the wife, ex-wife or girlfriend of an NBA superstar. Though they drive expensive cars, live in mansions, and wear designer clothes and jewelry, life is not always glamorous. Protecting what they have takes a lot of work… like fending off groupies, dealing with the jealous kind, and trying to find stable ground in their often unstable world. Shaunie O’Neal, Shaquille’s ex-wife, is the show’s featured star and one of its executive producers.
Mimi Faust, Karlie Redd, Jessica Dime, and Rasheeda take their careers to the next level in the popular competition series for rap stardom in Atlanta. These fiery women won’t let any obstacle, personal or professional, stand in their way.
Tia and Tamera are twins who were separated at birth, with each being adopted by a different parent. One day, the teens have a chance encounter while shopping at a clothing store in the mall. After the families meet, Tamera’s adoptive father reluctantly allows Tia and her mother to move into his home so the girls can be together. But just because they’re twins doesn’t mean Tia and Tamera are identical in any way other than looks — Tia is intelligent and from inner-city Detroit while Tamera is the boy-crazy twin from the suburbs.
Half-sisters Mona and Dee Dee are virtual strangers who have grown up separately and suddenly become neighbors in the same San Francisco apartment building. Mona is a budding music executive raised by her single mother to be free-spirited and independent. By contrast, younger Dee Dee is a privileged honor-roll collegian who grew up in a two-parent home but seeks her identity out of the shadow of her overbearing mother.
Moesha Mitchell is a teenager juggling school, friendships and romance. Previously the female head of the household, she is learning to love and trust her father’s new wife. While at home, she does her best to be the “glue” that helps hold her family together.
Brandy Norwood stars in a multi-camera romantic comedy as newly single mom Zoe Moon, who’s in rebuild mode after divorcing her more famous husband, boxer Gemini Moon. Zoe attempts to be a positive role model to her smart, precocious 8-year-old son Xavier while trying to balance dating, a complicated relationship with Gemini, and her dream of starting a cosmetics line. Zoe’s confidantes include fashion-forward assistant Valenté, publicist and best friend Pearl, and hunky contractor Miguel.
A documentary film by award-winning director Dawn Porter looks at how the art world responded to the death of Breonna Taylor by using art not only as a form of protest, but as a space to heal.
With white Jewish lesbians for parents and two adopted brothers, Brooklyn teen Avery grew up in a unique household. But Avery’s curiosity about her roots compels her to contact her birth mother, thrusting her into an exploration of race and identity. A documentary film by filmmaker Nicole Opper.
Happy TV viewing!