Our Princess Has Come
Hi All!
I know it may feel like I’ve been MIA for a spell, but rest assured that I’ve been busily writing at some of my other camps online. Be sure to check out my latest review of Disney’s new film The Princess and the Frog, out in theaters this weekend. Here’s a sneak peek, but be sure to head over to UrbanFaith.com to read the full review:
Months before the film officially hit theaters, black women everywhere were already referring to Princess Tiana of Disney’s The Princess and the Frog like her last name was Obama. That’s how momentous the arrival of Disney’s first black princess felt to us. And while we could compare this landmark animated character to the decade’s other cultural trailblazer, I think Tiana is less President Barack Obama and more Will Smith. I imagine that somewhere in the land of happily ever after, she’s saying to Cinderella, tiara fully cocked to the side while sliding on a pair of black Ray Bans like Smith in Men in Black, “You know the difference between you and me? I make this look good.”
I’ll admit I went to The Princess and the Frog fist-clenched, fully prepared to hate it based on the speculative criticism of multiple writers over the past year leading up to the film’s release and my own angst about the cartoon. I’ve waited 26 years to see myself reflected onscreen by Disney, longing to break through the negative self-image the lack of a black princess has reinforced in my life. With only Oprah and a few others to latch onto as a high-profile black woman in America who is the star of the show, I’ve often thrown myself into playing the role of strong, supportive best friend or faithful employee rather than the leading lady in my own life. Black women are never leading ladies; that plotline isn’t available to us. We don’t get the prince or live happily ever after; we don’t get swept up in fairytales. At least that’s the implied message Hollywood traditionally has sent to us.
Woman Thwarts Robber With Prayer
I’ve been so moved by this story of Angela Martez, the woman in Indiana who defended herself from an armed robber by praying. Her compassion and empathy for him, as well as her acknowledgment of his humanity despite her fear in the moment forced him to rethink his actions. The robber, Gregory Smith who is a former member of the military, said no one had ever spoken to him the way this woman had. Martez prayed over him and asked God to remind Smith that he didn’t need to stoop to this level.
On Friday, Gregory Smith appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show via satellite from jail to tell his side of the story and once again apologize to “Miss Angela.” The young man had this to say about the situation:
“I’ve always been a firm believer in God and Christ, but I’ve never walked that walk. And I felt like for the longest time I was in control of everything. Everything was supposed to go my way. And I feel like a lot of the things that I did have before I got into the situation I’m in now, I took for granted…and I lost it.”
What do you think of this story? Did you catch the news on Oprah?
Chynna Phillips Tells Mackenzie to ‘Get the Lord on Board’
On Wednesday’s episode of The Oprah Show, Mackenzie Phillips, daughter of The Mamas & The Papas front man John Phillips, unveiled a secret she’s kept hidden from the public for decades: she was involved in a consensual sexual relationship with her father for over 10 years. The actress, who made her film debut in “American Graffiti” at the age of 12, details this relationship and her battle to overcome drug addiction in her new book High on Arrival.
Steeped in the aftermath of Wednesday’s show, Mackenzie reappeared on the The Oprah Show via satellite from New York to discuss the public fallout from her allegations. Following the show, Mackenzie claims hundreds of friends have come forward on Facebook sharing their own stories of incest and applauding her for speaking her truth. Not everyone is happy, however, about the release of this private information. Michelle Phillips, stepmother to Mackenzie who is the last living original member of The Mamas & The Papas, adamantly denied the allegations to reporters and called Mackenzie mentally ill.
On Friday, Oprah sat down with Mackenzie’s sister Chynna Phillips, to see how she feels about the news and how her perspective is being shaped by her faith in God. Before a live studio audience, Chynna told Oprah,
Who among us has not done something that we are highly ashamed of in our lives? All of us have. So who’s going to cast the first stone? [...] In my faith, as a Christian, God has told me that I need to forgive,” she says. “I need to forgive and not return an eye for an eye. Am I happy that Mackenzie has put me in this position that now here I am having to discuss all these things? No, I’m not. But at the same time, I have to forgive. It’s a lifelong process. I’m not going to digest this information [overnight]. It’s 13 years later, and I still haven’t.
I think Mackenzie’s on a healing path as well. I wouldn’t say that we’re polar opposites. I mean, we have two different stories. But Mackenzie’s on a very healing path and I’m hoping she’ll take everything out of this book and really go out there and try help to people who have similar experiences. I’m a Christian. I am singing for Jesus now. I’m truckin’ for Jesus. And you know, if I had one piece of advice for my sister it would be, get the Lord on board, ’cause you’re gonna need it.
Later in the show, Oprah asked Mackenzie what she thought of Chynna’s advice to get God on her side. She responded saying, “Well, first of all, God is on all of our sides’–even dad’s. ‘Forgiveness is mine,’ saith the Lord. Isn’t that it?”
Chynna is currently a singer-songwriter serving as one half of the Christian music group Chynna & Vaughan. The duo just released the album One Reason on Tuesday. For more information, please visit the official site for Chynna & Vaughan.
One Reason by Chynna & Vaughan, in stores now
Whitney Houston’s ‘Come-Through’
Whitney Houston appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show this week, giving her first tell-all interview in seven years. Over the course of two episodes, the singer, whom Oprah describes simply as “the voice,” explained how she let God’s gift slip away and how she got it back.
“I had done it all [...] I wasn’t remembering the gift that God had given me. I had the money. I had the cars. I had the house. I had the husband. I had the kid. And none of it was really that fulfilling. There was time [when] I was happy, but I needed my joy back–that peace that passeth all understanding. I needed that moment when I was three years old–that church thing; that thing that my mother gave me that I was born into. And I had thought it had gone…”
When Oprah asked Houston who she loved, the singer responded, saying
“The LORD. I do. I am so humbled and so thankful for His grace and His goodness. And for never giving up on me.”
Finding a Place of Peace
Several celebrities shared stories of “life after the diagnosis” on the The Oprah Winfrey Show this week. Having been diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses including HIV, cancer, and multiple sclerosis, guests divulged how they have coped with the emotional pain of devastating news.
It appears many of them have found peace primarily through some form of spirituality. Figure skater Scott Hamilton explained how his wife and faith in God have helped him to remain positive while battling his brain tumor. “Where am I getting my strength? From her [his wife] and from God. It’s all in his hands. Whatever happens with this, it’s meant to be. [...] I go to bed every night thanking God for everything.”
In-studio guest Montel Williams has also turned his disease into an opportunity for gratitude. “This is what God gave me. So rather than look at it as a pain, it’s gotta be a gift. So let me work it as a gift. [...] I go to that place of gratitude; I go to that place of fulfillment.”
“Let me tell you one of the things I think is so important: we cannot achieve a level of happiness period, until we start getting right within here [points to chest]. It doesn’t matter what you label it. You know we have a hard time with religion and labeling in religion. Everybody has to understand this–psychiatry has proven this–those people who consider themselves spiritually attuned are happier. They will identify themselves as happier than people who are not.”
The First Lady of Prayer
Everyone’s curious about the woman who has entranced President Barack Obama for nearly two decades. Whether praising her contemporary fashion sense (J.C. Crew is forever indebted to her for embracing their casual-chic design), investigating her workout routine (how’d she get those arms?), or circulating rumors of a possible pregnancy (for the record, she’s not), everyone’s talking about First Lady Michelle Obama.
In the April 2009 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine, Oprah Winfrey gets an exclusive peek behind the walls of the White House as she strolls the halls with America’s new First Lady Michelle Obama.
Though Oprah doesn’t delve too deeply into issues of faith in her interview (guess we still don’t know where the Obamas plan to settle in for church), she does ask Mrs. Obama what she prayed for the evening before that historic Inauguration in January. Her answer? Safety.
O: What was your prayer the night before you moved into the White House?
MO: That we stay whole as a family through this process. And when Barack and I talked, he said he wanted to get through the day with everyone intact, everyone who attended–he said he would feel good when every last visitor left safely. And fortunately that happened.
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