With 2010 lurking closeby, waiting to kick us in the face, I've done much pondering on how I can improve this here webspace for the future. 2009 has been quite an interesting time for the staff of coloredboy.net (me, myself, and our glorious leader, I) and it's only fair that we attempt to betterize and magificate your humble existence on an even largerly, grandly-er scale going forward.

As much as I like to take sole credit for being the polished, uppity magical negro you have grown to obsess over love, much of my inspiration has come from external entities. Yes, folks, there are other people partly responsible for alllll this colored goodness right here. I've taken gems from several sources, finding my own use for their words and experiences, and plan to continue betterizing myself in years to come.

As far as this site is concerned, one of the projects I've begun is one that lets individuals I respect tell their personal tales of survival. I initially sought to share the coming out stories of other homogeighs, but decided to broaded my search to the topic of STRUGGLE.

Struggle is something we're all familiar with. We've all endured challenges, large and small, that have helped shape the people we are today. I've extensively documented my struggle on the path to becoming your favorite colored person, and wanted to provide a platform for others to do the same.

As I explained in my appeal to all featured storytellers, my goal is that some piece of each story speaks to you somehow, triggers something within, clicks on a lightbulb...anything! I personally can't wait to share the story of how I once successfully battled an army of Ashanti fans, sent from Hades with their sights set on stealing my soul, BET-style! Gitcho popcorn! It's gonna be a good one, kids! Whew!

Anywho, judging by the rate these submissions have been sliding in, this little public pity party will be kicking off in January. I will lead the pack with an as-yet-unwritten passage (that will later be turned into a biopic starring Whoopi Goldberg as Me). Each week will feature a new story by one of the dozen or so phenomenal individuals I've approached thus far. The submissions received thus far justify my initial excitement. I hope this turns out as brilliantly as it sounded in my head.

If you are interested in telling your story, inquire via email: chris.alexander3@gmail.com. I have a brief overview and some guiding questions to assist in crafting your tale.

love.peace.cheese grits.

*chris.alexander