Vote Early, Vote Often!

George Kelly has announced that the polls have officially opened for a public referendum to decide the annual query, “Who are the best black bloggers?” Of course, I’ll basically be voting for my personal friends whenever I can, but even if you don’t have any black friends, or do but none of them blog, then here’s your chance to encounter some new voices. I, for one, am going to have my cursor poised over my “Subscribe to Bloglines” button while researching the candidates under consideration.

Like any other group that doesn’t have the demographic advantage white men like me do on the innerwebs, the community often empowers itself by consciously developing a niche community related to their identity, while simultaneously becoming a part of many other niches that have nothing to do with their cultural surroundings. I have friends who blog about wine, technology, journalism, music, politics, television, all of the above and among other interests, but few black bloggers I know don’t participate in, observe from silently and from afar, or otherwise study and contribute to the conversation amongst the black community online and at large.

I’d like to put in a good word for Mr. Kelly, who if I’m not mistaken is a previous award winner. Regardless, I didn’t even know what to call myself before I found his blog. “Wannabe” was the first label, later “Whigger” (which I’ll still cop to, because when tipsy and around other ‘folks,’ I’ll reveal my poor, activist, multi-culti patois from my youth spent in South Central daycare centers and South Seattle schoolyards). For a while, I just said, “I’m an Africana Studies minor,” figuring that sounded respectful and sophisticated.

But thanks to George, now I’m a proud “Negrophile,” which has all the class of loftier academic titles, with the added advantage of being both mellifluous and subversive if used as an sincere honorriffic (as opposed to its roots as a more genteel variant on “Nigger Lover,” which I’ll also accept, though very rarely is it contextually appropriate).

Also, George has participated on a panel I organized and moderated, was sincerely interested in my recommendation for the nearest good eats to the Brooklyn Museum (a now extinct place that served excellent curry goat over rice and peas), sang the falsetto to my cover for my lame attempt as the bass for our karaoke duet of “Walk on By,” and otherwise rocks on key all the time like only my favorite people can.