"Diversity Bake Sale"

The UC Berkeley Republicans made a bit of a scandal in the news today when they hosted an "increase diversity bake sale" to satirize affirmative action.

Current California state legislation, under the title SB 185, would legalize affirmative action in state university admissions. In an effort to protest the bill and show how "ridiculous" affirmative action is, the Berkeley Republicans priced their bake sale goods at various prices based on race and gender.

All baked goods were $2 for white males, $1.50 for Asian males, $1 for Latino males, $.75 for African American males and $.25 for Native American males. All women received $.25 off those prices.

Obviously, this event offended a lot of people and created a local controversy.

Supporters of the bake sale received threats and the group was denounced as offensive and racist. Responding to critics, Berkeley College Republicans President Shawn Lewis wrote "we agree that the event is inherently racist, but that is the point. It is no more racist than giving an individual advantage in college admissions based solely on their race (or) gender."

Berkeley Republicans said they were mostly trying to stir debate about affirmative action and its consequences. But their attempts were misguided and they didn't provoke the debate our country needs to have.

I'm not necessarily a believer in affirmative action. Even if affirmative action itself is misguided, at least it made some effort to counteract the centuries of racist inequalities that continue to have serious social and cultural consequences in the United States. Satirizing this effort as trivial and unfair did not help the situation nor the debate, and unfortunately I don't think the republicans learned either of those lessons.

The impression I got most from reading news outlets' coverage of the diversity bake sale is there needs to be more self-awareness surrounding our discussions and reflections on affirmative action.

Yes, I worked hard in high school in order to get into college. I worked hard in college so that (hopefully) I could get a decent job and support myself independently. I too would have been angry if I was denied admissions to my top college choice, in favor of a minority with lower grades, lower test scores, or whatever.

But I was born and raised in a stable middle class white family. I went to good schools, lived in safe neighborhoods and always had my parents to support me. We never struggled financially, and as much as my parents bitched about the cost of higher education, they could afford to pay for my studies so I didn't have to worry about massive student debt.

No one discriminated against or stereotyped me based on my race or ethnicity. No one's ever done that to my family either.

But how many minority communities in this country continue to deal with those problems? Archaic as it may seem in the 21st century, racial inequality continues to exist in the form of poverty levels, unemployment levels, elementary and high school education access, health care access, safe and affordable housing access, and so on. For some kids in this country, the cards are stacked against them before they are even born.

And that's not fair. That's not trivial either. In order to address the problems of affirmative action, we have to acknowledge that the problems affirmative action addresses continue to exist.

Until the Berkeley College Republicans are willing to accept and understand that, the only thing they're going to be trivializing is themselves.

Pumpkin Lattes

I love Fall and almost everything about it. The crisp, cool air, the brightly colored leaves, the cardigan sweaters and fashion scarves, Halloween, apple cider, apple pie, and of course we can't forget: pumpkin lattes.

Ever since the weather started getting cooler (sporadically) this September, I've been dreaming of pumpkin lattes: the little jolt of caffeine and milk paired with the amazing taste of warm pumpkin and spices. Mmmmm.

While these spicy concoctions are known primarily as an invention of Starbucks, there are lots of little cafes  that offer them for the same price and without the corporate tag. I most often think of Java House, the independent and student-popular coffeehouse in Iowa City where I was first introduced to them. Doing homework on a cold autumn night was always better with a big mug of pumpkin latte to warm you up.

But I'm not in Iowa City anymore, I'm in New York City, where there are probably 100 times more coffee shops. Oh, the possibilities!

After some review searching and map planning, I settled on trying a new little cafe in the West Village, whose unique gourmet espresso drinks and atmosphere were widely praised. Just a five-minute walk from the 8 avenue L train stop, it wasn't too far of a trek for me.

The place is called simply Grounded. They offer a wider variety of drinks than most other coffee shops I've been to, and they also sell lots of baked goods and sandwiches. With lots of table seating, lounge couches, artwork and light music, it actually reminds me a lot of my old favorite college haunt.

And to my delight they have the great pumpkin latte I was looking for. I won't even consider going to Starbucks now that I've had this one.

Grounded's pumpkin latte is quite strong on the spice (cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg?) and pumpkin flavor, a little weaker on the espresso. But that's just fine for me. I'd rather the spices were a little strong than a little weak.

The latte also has the dark orange and light brown color that reminds you not only of the drink's wonderful ingredients but also of the wonderful Autumn season it represents. With a drink that tastes good, looks good, and makes you feel good, how can I not fall in love with it?

Unfortunately every good thing tends to have a catch, as does this one. A regular pumpkin latte costs a little over $4. As a freelance journalist/ recent college grad, I'm sad to admit that these drinks cannot become a regular indulgence for me and my tight budget.

Luckily I don't always have to go to the coffee shop to get them- I can make them at home. With strong coffee and a one-time investment in canned pumpkin and spices, I have enough supplies to make a million pumpkin lattes at home for about $15 (if my estimates are correct).

I might not get the same ambiance at home in my tiny studio, but at least I'll have the spices to keep me warm :)



Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte 

2 cups half and half or milk (I'll use soy milk)
2 tbsp. canned pumpkin
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 tbsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee (or 1/4 cup espresso)

1) Heat milk, pumpkin and sugar in a pan until all ingredients are mixed thoroughly.
2) When heated through, remove milk from burner and add vanilla and spice. Whisk until foamy or blend in a blender.
3) Add 1 cup of milk to coffee mug. Add enough coffee to fill it up.
4) You can top it off with whipped cream and/or more spices- pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves.
5) Enjoy!!!

Urban Girl Squad Pink Bakooza Cocktail Party

Photo courtesy of Urban Girl Squad

Urban Girl Squad is an organization that offers young women in NYC a chance to socialize and network through various fun, interesting and unique events. From cocktail parties to beer tasting tours to volunteer opportunities, Urban Girl Squad is a great way to meet new people and try something new.

I was introduced to this organization through Socially Superlative, a social blog with whom I am a freelance writer. SS covers a lot of Urban Girl Squad events, and I have been fortunate enough to attend a couple of them.

Photo courtesy of Urban Girl Squad

Wednesday night was Urban Girl Squad's Pink Bakooza Cocktail Party at Co-op restaurant and bar. With a complementary glass of wine and a delicious cocktail, paired with yummy hors d’oeuvres and a cool club/lounge setting, the night was a big success.


Co-op, located on Rivington Street on the Lower East Side, is a cool and modern American brasserie and sushi bar. With a nightclub-type feel to it, I loved the dark leather furniture and the interesting art display of faceless photo profiles along one wall. Urban Girl Squad labeled it as “the new hot spot on the LES that has people buzzing about its vibe, clientele and cocktails.”

Photo courtesy of Urban Girl Squad

For the evening Urban Girl Squad was given a small reserved lounge section where we intermingled with other partygoers. Waiters took great care of us with the table-service hors d’oeuvres and drinks. While the music was too loud and it was often difficult to hear other people speaking, the atmosphere was generally laid back and very fun. Urban Girl Squad events tend to bring out a very wide mix of NYC women, and I once again had the opportunity to meet a lot of new and interesting people.


A wonderful part of the evening was getting to taste one of Co-op’s signature drinks, the Pink Bakooza: Grey Goose vodka, watermelon, basil, orange blossom and coco hibiscus. The mixture was delicious, unique and just sweet enough for my cocktail taste. I absolutely loved it.

Photo courtesy of Urban Girl Squad

The night also included an interesting and very difficult game: each attendee was given a sheet of paper with a listed cocktail ingredient- either a glass, a liquor, a mixer or a garnish. In order to encourage more intermingling, you had to find people with all the ingredients you didn’t have in order to make your own “cocktail.” Unfortunately the game was stacked, with a lot of glasses and garnishes, less liquors and almost no mixers. And when not all the partygoers stayed for the whole evening, the ability to find everything you needed became a lot harder. The game was fun though and served as a good icebreaker when speaking to new people, which is really what it was all about. 


Urban Girl Squad had yet another well-planned and well-executed social event for women in New York City, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to go. I will definitely keep myself updated on their future plans. 




* Some of this article was also published on Socially Superlative