Beyond FANTASTIC: My American Meltingpot Blog by Lori Tharps

I’ve been meaning to write about the My American Meltingpot blog written by author LoriTharps since author Carleen Brice mentioned it to me years ago. As soon as I read Lori’s heartfelt post about the movie 12 Years a Slave I knew I couldn’t put this post off any longer.  

Presented as “A Multi-Culti Mix of Identity Politics, Parenting & Pop Culture,” My American Meltingpot was founded by Lori in 2006 on Blogger and moved to its present URL last year. As Lori puts it, My American Meltingpot is “not the cyber host for post-racial supporters of the colorblind, nor do we negate a person’s right to choose… their own identity. No, we appreciate differences and revel in contrasting colors. Culture clashes and cross-pollination is what makes life interesting.”

My American Meltingpot categories range from identity politics to family and parenting, from books to food (or both! Love this post on Denver author AdrianMiller’s great book Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time), and from authors (Chimamanda Adichie is one of my favorites, too) to all there is to know about black hair. As co-author of Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair, Lori considers herself a hairstorian and embraces her love of the history of hair. Another great reason to feature Lori’s blog right now: an updated edition of Hair Story (with a gorgeous cover) is available for preorder in anticipation of its release in January.

Lori’s books also include her novel, Substitute Me, and her memoir, Kinky Gazpacho, about her travels in Spain as a young woman and how they led her to not only learn a lot about herself, but to meet her husband. And, yes, a movie is in the works!

Lori also happens to be a mom to three kiddos and a journalism professor at Temple University (Go, Owls!) in Philadelphia. My American Meltingpot features great resources such as the Multicultural Familia blog and the website of AP race and ethnicity reporter Jesse Washington, as well as a sample list of recommended titles (all of which I’m adding, along with Lori’s books, to my to-read list).

I’m so glad I finally took the time to get to know (and subscribe to) My American Meltingpot! Thanks, Lori, for continuing to shine a spotlight on all things multi-culti, including the increasingly dynamic mixed-race experience.