It was good meeting you at BlogHer sis—it took me a minute to figure it out, but the moment it clicked, it was on. ; }

My problem, as I stated at the BlogHer panel that Renee participated in and later on the Pepsico/BlogTalkRadio show interview, is that sites that proclaim to be for ALL moms RARELY, if ever, do very simple things to acknowledge that more than just white moms are reading and participating with them. Where are the pictures of black moms breastfeeding their kids? Where are the pictures of Latina moms playing with their children in the park? How about an Asian mom reading with her baby? When they're looking to review products, does it ever occur to them that I can't use the shampoos they're recommending? Or that it might be nice to feature a lipstick and a blush that isn't exclusive to white skin? Every once in a while?

Their blogs may not say "white" baby or "white" moms, but everything else about it screams such.

Still, I've seen plenty of moms of color participating on those sites (which shall remain nameless, but if the shoe fits, I hope they're paying attention) and breaking their necks to become a part of those communities, only to get the cold shoulder from the sites and the other women who participate on them. In other words, there is no RECIPROCATION. If I can get outside of MY lane and come to your 'hood, why on earth would you be too "intimidated" to come to mine? What's going to happen if they stop by our blogs? Are they expecting to get cursed out? Cyberslapped? What?

And WHY is it that when it comes to fostering diversity, we're the ones who ALWAYS have to take up the mantle, anyway? Again, my argument was that WE go to their sites, but they never seem to come to ours.

I named my blog MyBROWNBaby because A) that's what my kids are, and B) I wanted to create a space for MOC looking to participate in the national debate on motherhood. The only time we get invited to participate is when someone's looking for black folk to break down our pathologies—teen pregnancy, poverty, poor education, etc. But there's so much more to us—so much more. And we deserve a space where we can share and commiserate and bitch and advise and just, well, be.

But MyBrownBaby also seeks to teach—you know what I'm saying? I'm not talking preach to the choir. I'm talking about helping others who aren't familiar with us to see that we're not boogie(wo)men—that we diaper our babies, and breastfeed them, and want them to go to fine schools, and experience joy and pain and death, and do what we can to be the best moms we can be. A lot of who we are overlaps with who they are, but there are some instances where the issues will have a different tint to them. I would think that at a time when our country's first lady is Michelle Obama, you might want to get your hands on as much info as you can.

But that's just me.

Bottom line: I want the purveyors of these mainstream mommy blogs/websites to over and LEARN something. Don't be skerd.

Is that so tall an order?

Renee: i think you've got something there. before the conf i was sort of stuck in my blog lane. i read who i read. after BlogHer i'm starting to read outside of my own little box. i think, as you said, we all get some comfortable within our own thing that we don't venture out. i'm going to start venturing out!

I think my experience in the blogosphere has been a little different because initially most of the blogs I read were either by withe authors or written by women of color with a diverse audience.

I explored the blogs of those commenting and ended up initially having a readership that was largely white.

As I discovered more blogs written by women of color my audience expanded. I was able to find more and more people of color as I clicked on links.

Sometimes I think that people don't get out of their comfort zone (or neighborhood) because it takes time and effort.

However, I know that we all have interesting things to share and think that only by being open and receptive to others can we truly celebrate our diversity.

I wonder what we WOC go through so differently from other's that we are either intimidating, or not worth the pr. Don't a lot of people use huggies, breastfeed, use formula, deal with separation anxiety, ect. What could really be that different besides our skin.

I don't have answers. I still have questions. And I will continue to ask them.

Great post. Even if you did use the words (gag) "post-racial" (gag).

xoxo