Right now the blogosphere seems relatively quiet. Many people are watching the Olympics or they are preparing for the upcoming Democratic and Republican National Conventions. While the plethora of blog-worthy news items never seems to dissipate, what I will be doing in the little spare time I have during this quiet time is reviewing some of the Blogher members listed in the Race, Ethnicity & Culture section.

Simply by randomly selecting blogs from the list of approximately 400, I get a clear indication of some of the challenges to those of us who while having the desire to create and maintain our sites let real life get in the way. Perhaps I shouldn’t call people out – I won’t name names, but there are a number of blogs that have been abandoned, and bloggers whose purpose (based upon throwing up a random photo with no accompanying text) is simply to generate hits; and those who simply post a news article and link to a larger news site. Let me repeat: These are all in the Race, Ethnicity & Culture section even though many of them do not cover issues in that area.

To write about race, ethnicity & culture can be difficult because within that range of submet matter are issues that many feel uncomfortable talking about - especially with random strangers. Plus, despite the realization that when you post something online you are writing to a bunch of people who have a variance of opinions and experiencs, we still tend to write subjectively - when we write at all that is. But beside the occasional blacklash from writing about the above topics the difficulty really depends on what you want to write about, and how you structure your posts.

For me, I prefer blogs where the person either posts and essay-style type post, giving their opinion on a subject. Something a bit more ‘meaty’ instead of just posting something that I could find on a plethora of other sites. So for this first post in what I hope to be a series, I wanted to highlight some of the Blogher members who really dedicate themselves to providing their audience with some insightful and well-written content. They do not have to post on a daily basis, but their sites are so strong and relevant it will want you to bookmark them to check out their stuff on a regular basis:

Lisa from Black Women Blow the Trumpet not only has provided a blog that celebrates the strength of black women, she also discusses her experiences as a woman of faith who is reaching out to groups that are routinely marginalized in society. Lisa also actively supports other bloggers by routinely visiting and offering words of support. One recent post that I stood out for me was Investigating Our Differences where she talks about how people measure and judge others because of their own insecurities. By using the initial example of a video of an African-American gay man who discusses his experiences within the black community, she asserts that differences among people should be celebrated, not criticized:

We need to understand how our differences are going to be leveraged as assets. If we do not know, then we will continue to operate with a conspiracy of false unity. This is why it is important for us to discuss new methods of how "to investigate our differences," as Dr. hooks says, "in order to come together."

Recently, a friend of mine who emigrated from Moscow about five years ago questioned the media coverage of the recent Russian insurgence into Georgia. As she is originally from Georgia and still has relatives there, she was extremely stressed over the events. From talking to her sister on the phone, she was getting a far more accurate account of what was happening there than what the major media stations were saying, and she wished that there was more fair and balanced coverage. This blog, Global Voices Online, is a group blog of people from various countries and continents, sharing news that wouldn’t ordinarily reach the mainstream media outlets.

Jen from Kids of Queers started her blog in January of this year. According to her initial post, her father (now deceased) was gay and besides covering news events (politics, religion), she provides a space where people who have gay parents can come to find resources.

Los Angelista is of black / Irish ancestry and blogs about her life in guess where? Los Angeles. She also hosts a fabulous blog, Reading & Listening where she writes about her favorite books and music.

Barb’s blog, Lucky White Girl (yes, it’s satirical) has actually been a favorite of mine for awhile. A mix of commentaries on politics, religion and race, random musings and the occasional pop culture post ( she recently did something on one of my favorite shows, Mad Men, Barb is a fearless, excellent writer.

I’ll have more in the next post!