Hello all,
Especially during Black History Month, many of us joined in the effort to
circulate the "doll video" -- the here-and-now replication of the 1950 study
where black children chose the white doll over the black one.  Part of that
an email I sent to my networks along with the video clip read:

*Fifty years ago, a social experiment with Black children and the choices
they made between black and white dolls proved that our kids had
internalized a White concept of what was beautiful and good and nice.  I
expected that result fifty years ago.  But today, the same experiment shows
that our kids are still internalizing what the wider society is telling them
about beauty.  I was astonished -- I thought we had made better progress
than this..*

Well, I just got an email from a writer friend, Eisa Ulen, who's spreading
the word about the CosmoGirl magazine young women's filmmaking contest,
urging us to support Kiri Davis, the young black woman whose creativity
resulted in that new wake-up call about our kids and self-esteem.  Just
click on this link and vote, and if you haven't yet seen the video, you can
see it there as well:
http://www.cosmogirl.com/entertainment/film-contest

I just voted, it's very easy --  and Kiri's currently running a close
second.  Let's help get this issue out there beyond our own circles by
helping Kiri to win, not just because she deserves it but because of the
exposure the issue will get through the magazine if she does.
Please forward to all your networks.  Thanks for voting (and thanks to Eisa
for spreading the word, she's at www.eisaulen.com).
Best,
Marie-Elena
www.marie-elenajohn.com