Black bosoms,
bottoms and brains

I've relocated to another town, but every time I come home I try to get my hot little paws on a copy of the good ol' Montreal Mirror. Until now, I've never been so moved to write. This is in response to the guy who was looking for a black or East Indian lover [Sasha, May 19].

I just wanted to say thank you, thank you, thank you to Sasha for setting him straight.

I am a woman of colour and all too often have allowed myself to become prey for men looking to live out the jigaboo experience. These men troll the bars and chat rooms in search of the elusive and highly sexualized jungle bunny to turn it out in the bedroom. A stereotype started during the days of slavery, we witness its legacy today in movies, magazines, rap videos and wherever men congregate.

More often than not, these men are not interested in taking me home to their families, introducing me to their friends or pursuing honest-to-goodness relationships. They don't care about my artistic soul or educated mind. Their "casual" interest begins and ends with scoring my "black pussy."

Little do they know that beneath this mahogany skin beats the heart of a woman who deserves and desires to be prized for her inner and outer beauty. More than the sum of my pretty brown eyes, ample bosom and apple bottom. I hope that this letter will inpsire some young woman out there - be it a yellow, brown or black sister - to save herself. Take it from one who's been there!

» Tallblackchick

Most frequent
letter writer?

Howdy! I am not certain what I have done to incur the wrath of Helen Shapiro ["Best Campaigner?" Letters, May 19], but I would like to take this opportunity to publicly apologize, once again, for whatever I might have done in the past that has offended her.

From her letter last week, I inferred that she wasn't altogether happy with Zeke's Gallery [No. 1] placement in the Best Gallery category in the Mirror's Best of Montreal poll [May 12].

Zeke's Gallery exists solely to promote contemporary Canadian art and contemporary Canadian artists, and I try to do it as much and as passionately as possible. I am humbled and honoured that the Mirror's readers have voted it best gallery in Montreal for the past four years. If Ms. Shapiro believes that there are other galleries in Montreal that are better than Zeke's, I would love to have the opportunity to discuss it with her at the earliest opportunity.

If, on the other hand, Ms. Shapiro is solely impugning Zeke's Gallery as a means to see her name in the Montreal Mirror yet again, then I would respectfully request that she start an e-mail campaign to get the category of Most Frequent Letter Writer in next year's BOM. I am certain that she would have no difficulty winning that category.

» Chris Hand, Zeke's Gallery

Fatherly adversity

Thank you for covering the "Disobedient dads" story [The Front, May 12], however brief the article was. We need to send the message that men are fully involved in their children's lives.

If a woman decides to leave and take a child or, as in my case, children, 90 per cent of the time, the mother retains custody, regardless of the children's wishes.

It took me 16 months to win sole custody of my children, even though they wanted to stay with me. I forfeited two years of child support to speed up the court crap. Dads have to do this all the time. This is a real crisis affecting thousands of children daily with far-reaching consequences and untold social costs.

» Name withheld

Greenbacks for
green space

It is well-recognized that trees are the lungs of the planet ["Talking trees," The Front, May 12 and "Protecting our trees," Letters, May 19]. Because city air is filled with an inordinate amount of automotive exhaust, industrial emissions and other toxic pollutants, it is all the more important to increase the number of trees in the city.

Trees can help reduce the incidence of respiratory diseases as well as lung cancer. We could all benefit from more trees. Why not pay people $5 for every tree they plant in the city, for example, just to encourage tree planting, or offer people tax exemptions for every tree they preserve in their own backyard?

» Manish Patwari

WE WELCOME LETTERS TO THE EDITOR!

Send your comments, compliments or criticisms to:

Letters to the Editor,
c/o Montreal Mirror,
465 McGill, 3rd Floor
Montreal, Quebec
H2Y 4B4

You may also fax us at (514) 393-3173, or reach us by e-mail:

Letters to the Editor

All letters should include your name, address and daytime phone number.

If you wish to reach someone in particular, here's a list of people involved with the production of the newspaper and this site.