Bill D, I appreciate what you wrote in your 11 May 06 post, but I must take gentle exception to this sentence:

"You, Azizi, have managed to find a nice niche here and add a lot to various aspects of the tradions, bringing a unique perspective."
-snip-

When I came to Mudcat in August 2004, I wasn't looking for a "nice niche". I was looking for and found an online community with some kindred spirits who shared my interest in song origins, particularly children's rhymes and secular African American slave songs. One month after I lurked on this site, I was compelled to respond to a post on the [much maligned] African American religious song from the Gullah tradition, "Kumbayah". As a result of my post, on that same thread three Mudcat members encouraged me to join, and I immediately did.

Perhaps I brought or bring a "unique" perpective to this community, but that is my point. I speak from my experiences as an African American woman. I don't seek to hide or ignore or minimize those experiences as I feel that they may add context, and -sometimes-validity to the points I am making. Also, it seems to me that persons collecting contemporary songs & rhymes {including children's songs} should-when possible-include information about the informant's race/ethnicity. For instance, in the 10 years or so that I have been collecting children's rhymes [mainly in Pittsburgh, Pa area, but also through other direct collection, and through my website and through other websites],I have found that soemtimes there are differences in text and performance activities, and differences in preference for certain types of children's rhymes across racial lines. It seems to me that researchers might need that information that many people hesitate to collect in the name of "color blindness". I have said on other threads that to me -and I know to many other people of color-skin color blindness is not a goal. The lack of positive or negative valuation based on a person's skin color is the goal.

If there were more people who posted here who wrote posts or started threads which spoke to or responded to questions and issues from the multi-faceted and often opposing perspectives that at least in part a result of their lives as people of color, then when I did so, my comments or perspectives would likely not to be as unique.

I don't mind being unique....some people might say "eccentric"

;0)

But I absolutely don't want to be unique because I'm one of a few people who post here and acknowledge that they are of Black descent.
I don't want to be unique or have a nichee because sometimes I share experiences from and speak from the perspectives I've acquired partly because I am woman and I am an African American.

I very much believe that sometimes information on a poster's race/ethnicity provides context for their specific comments. I mention my race when I believe doing so adds a measure of validity to what I am saying {"validity" in the sense that I'm indicating that I speak from and as a result of direct experiences}.

And sometimes in my opinion mentioning my race isn't relevant to my comment, so I don't include that information with that post.

I hope to post more on this thread later this afternoon or evening, work and life permitting.

Thanks for the all the comments,


Azizi