MyBrownBaby Is A Babble Top 100 Mom Blog 2011—Plus Great Bloggers of Color You Should Know

Everybody has their own personal ideas on which mom blogs are awesome and which ones suck butt. And when mainstream parenting sites release their annual lists of blogs they think are the best on the web, there’s always a bunch of chatter about who should and shouldn’t be on the list, who was wrongfully left off, why Top Mom Blogs lists are irrelevant/dumb/cliquish/unfair. No one, it seems, is ever happy about them, and I’ve long counted myself a part of that group. My main beef? Top Mom Blogs lists from mainstream sites almost always are the exclusive domain of white mom bloggers. Hardly ever are there African American, Latina, Asian, Indian writers or other bloggers of color. Rarely do the recognized blogs speak to the experiences of single moms or working moms or moms raising children with disabilities or moms raising kids on a shoestring budget and a prayer. Basically, if you’re not white, wealthy, married and “perfect,” don’t look for yourself on those lists.

This year, though, one website actually listened to the Twitter chatter—some of it advanced by me and the incredible and outspoken Elita Kalma of Blacktating—and splashed some color on its list. I’m proud to share the news that MyBrownBaby was named #23 on Babble.com’s Top 100 Mom Blogs of 2011 and #7 on its Most Helpful Blogs list. But it’s not this honor that makes me giddy. It’s the company that MyBrownBaby is keeping on Babble’s list, which, for the first time since I started paying attention to it, includes some incredible bloggers of color that I’ve long loved and admired, but who have never gotten their due in the mainstream mom blogging world.

Today, I share with the MyBrownBaby audience these colorful jewels from Babble’s Top Mom Blogs of 2011 with the hope that you’ll stop by their sites, wish them hearty congratulations for this accomplishment, and add them to your reading list. Without further ado:

#29: KAREN WALROND OF CHOOKOOLOONKS

Babble says it’s “a gorgeous and captivating website that continues to awe us with its exquisite photography and to boost our spirits with its unflagging positivity…”

#35: KELLY WICKHAM OF MOCHA MOMMA

Babble says, “Whether she’s taking on the politics of race or the state of education or being part of the 99%, Kelly always demands that her readers think critically — but she also demands that they regularly enjoy a good belly laugh.”

#41: LAMAR AND RONNIE TYLER OF BLACK AND MARRIED WITH KIDS

Babble says, “The Tylers are upfront about their desire for BaMWK to promote a positive image for traditional married parenthood within the African-American community and beyond…”

#46: ANA FLORES AND ROXANA SOTO OF SPANGLISH BABY

Babble says, “Ana and Roxana are making mama blogueras a force to be reckoned with, and we can’t wait to see what they do next.”

#70: SHAY STEWART-BOULEY OF BLACK GIRL IN MAINE

Babble says, “Black Girl in Maine draws you in with direct and clear writing and wins you over with her smart and witty observations of today’s world and the struggles of raising a family far away from relatives.”
#80 CAROL CAIN OF NYCITY MAMA

Babble calls it “a very well-organized collection of her personal travel and food experiences, many of them taking place in the city that never sleeps. But this Brooklyn girl isn’t all travel all the time — she’s also prone to sneaking in a post or two about her wonderful family.

I encourage you, too, to check out #61 To Think Is To Create and #99 Vodka Mom, both blogs that I adore.

Happy reading—and have a fab weekend!