When Sandra Bullock stepped on stage to thank the Academy for naming her best actress this year, she also gave a special shout out to “the moms that take care of the babies and the children, no matter where they come from.”

Now we know why. In January, Sandra Bullock and soon-to-be ex-husband, Jesse James, secretly adopted a baby. And yes - that baby’s a brother.

Three-and-a-half month old Louis Bardo Bullock was born in New Orleans. His adoptive parents chose to name him after jazz legend, Louis Armstrong. Although Bullock is going forward with divorcing James, she recently told People that she is enjoying every moment of her single mother status. "You wake up, you feed, you burp, you play, you do laundry," she said. "I'm still in that stage where I'm just amazed with him and at life."

As if surviving marital affairs and divorce proceedings isn’t enough already, Sandra Bullock now has the challenge of new motherhood in front of her. But the diapers will be the easy part. Being the real-life white mom of an adopted black child is much different than playing one on the large screen. When it comes to inter-racial adoption, many people feel that love isn’t enough.

Judging from that tearful acceptance speech, though, I have a feeling that little Louis Bullock will be just fine. His mommy has the next eighteen years – if not his whole life – to worry about race matters as they pertain to him anyway. For now, she should just enjoy these first months doing what any other new mom of a beautiful, brown baby boy would do: love on him. And just feel thankful she won’t have to do hair.

According to artist Sofia Maldonado, the stylized female figures on her 92’ x 12’ mural at Times Square (on view now until April 30, 2010) were meant to represent working women who are seldom seen in mainstream media. They are working class Latinas, the kind of women that Rosie Perez brought to the large screen in Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" more than twenty years ago. Beige and brown-skinned with hair colors that aren't usually found in nature, the women of Maldonado's imagination wear tight clothing, airbrushed fingernails nails and elaborate coiffures fit for a hair show. They skateboard and shake their hips to a distant dancehall beat. And although they're supposed to be enjoying themselves, the mural’s title, “Women Working to Get Ahead," explains why its subjects don’t exactly look happy.

Several African Americans, both male and female, took offense to the large-scale painting that was commissioned by the Times Square Alliance for Women’s History Month. In a recent video that features the painting, viewers stand before it, snapping photos and shouting in frustration. Speaking for the silent, somber figures behind them, the protesters voiced their fears that the mural might tarnish the reputation of dignified black women far and wide.

In response to the criticism, Sofia Maldonado, who was born in Puerto Rico and trained at Pratt Institute recently  issued a statement in defense of her work:

“[My mural] illustrates strong New York City women as a tribute to the Caribbean experience in America. Inspired by my heritage, it illustrates a female aesthetic that is not usually represented in media or fashion advertising in Times Square. It recognizes the beauty of underground cultures such as reggaeton, hip-hop and dancehall and incorporates trends such as nail art and Latina fashion.”

But to some, the statement wasn’t enough to heal psychological wounds that stem from the fact that for far too long, media images of women of color have failed to show the full scope of their humanity. For many, these wounds are healing, but they still hurt.  

It’s safe to say that the protesters wouldn't have had much say about larger than life sized painting of a wise Latina, like Sonia Sotomayor. But what about a streetwise Latina artist who uses vivid color to make people stop and take a good look at her people, for better or for worse? By giving viewers pause, Sofia Maldonado making them ask themselves questions they'd rather not answer. Is a Boricua popping gum any less worthy of visiblilty than a sister wearing pearls?