Colour

One of the strangest things about where I live in Phoenix has been that I very rarely meet black people. I think I have met maybe three in the last eighteen months, including a Nigerian which is always fab (I think I've met Nigerians in every country I've visited. Not a big deal in the US. More interesting in a small town in New Zealand). Most of the time I choose not to think about it.

I think about it more now because of Tia and influences we'd like her to have as she grows up. So she listens to Baby Einstein and Anita Baker, classical music and Stevie Wonder, Coldplay and U2 - basically whatever her parents are into.Going back to England made me think about it again.

I still think men and women of colour have a far higher profile in the US than in the UK. It's not extraordinary to see people of colour reading the news, in TV shows or in positions of leadership and influence. And its good to see, you know? There's Oprah - who is just in a league of her own when it comes to TV, magazines and increasingly as a philanthropist.Oprah is not just a talk show anymore - she's a way of life. Then there's Condi, the consumate intellectual and politican. Whatever you think of her politics, you've gotta admire her poise. But there's lots of other high profiled people too and and glad I don't know all their names.It means that for a refreshing change, there are too many too remember.

Professors,policitians, millionaires, nurses, teachers, athletes, dancers, hip hop moguls, businesswomen, mums, dads, one way or another you see it all.

Even so, its still not straightforward. There are lots of inconsistencies in this brave new world. In the shadows of the land of the free and the home of the brave are 'isms' like you wouldn't believe. The aftermath of hurricane Katrina exposed how deeply issues of race and class, rich and poor still shape American life. And for all the diversity - there's still a lot of segregation. Diversity in a city does not automatically mean an integrated diverse community.

And the road twists again, because for all I've said, Phoenix has been good for us as a family. We don't get the stares or the aggression that we experienced in England. We've not had anyone holler racist comment at us. No one's told us we shouldn't be together simply because we live in different coloured skin. No one's pitied us or judged us for being irresponsible enough to bring a bi racial baby into this hostile world. Yet.

Another twist. In my time here I've been shocked by attitudes towards Mexican people, from churchy types to the general populous. People talk about "their" bad timekeeping, laziness, sexual promiscuity, immigration issues. It's all the same stuff the bigoted types said about black people when I was growing up in England. So you mean I am not on the bottom of the dung heap anymore? Funny, cos the comments are still offensive.