VIP List or Racism

I purposely didn't post anything regarding Black History Month in February because frankly, I don't celebrate or acknowledge it. I will, however, post something I've been meaning to address for a while now about the blatant racism that is exhibited at nightclubs all over the country. Countless times I've seen people of color being turned away from the petty tyrants who guard the velvet rope because they were "outside their element" and made the club look bad in terms of image. Why should anyone be made to feel sub-par just to listen to good music, have a couple of drinks, and dance? Either the bouncers make people they don't like wait for hours in line, or act like they don't exist. These people are trying to spend money in these establishments and are getting humiliated and turned away.

I refuse to let anyone treat me so horribly and only patronize venues where I don't have to feel humiliated. Until people realize their self-worth, these brutes will wield their "power" over them. Why give them such control? Not only is this behavior racist, discriminatory, and tyrannical, it's bad business. I have copied the following letter, written by a black woman last year, that perfectly describes this experience. Once you read this, I hope you will realize that these atrocities are getting out of hand and will not stop until we take back the power we've relinquished.

On Saturday, August 12, my husband, soror and I had the displeasure of visiting Transit Nightclub. We were there supposedly as VIP guests of a friend for his birthday. His evite instructed us to mention his name at the front of the door and we would be admitted entry, free of charge into the club. We arrived shortly after 11PM and that is where the melee began. Let me preface all of this by saying, I don't take use of the race card lightly and am annoyed at people when they blame the ills of their life on being an African American. I am aware that racism exists, but I haven't experienced blatant racism since my time in Nashville as a college student.

We waited in line to enter the club, once we reached the front of the line; my husband was told that he couldn't enter because he had on sandals. We had on sandals, almost every woman that entered had on sandals, and so we were quite surprised when he said this. My husband had on a starched button down shirt, some jeans and dressy sandals- not $5 flip-flops, leather sandals he had purchased in Europe.

We questioned the doorman and he stated that men couldn't wear sandals in this club nor any other club in Chicago. I knew this was a lie because we've been to several clubs in Chicago and were admitted to all of them without incident. As we were talking to the doorman, another guest of our friend was told he couldn't get in because he had on a polo style shirt. I went into the club and to let our friend know that we'd be leaving and he was holding a conversation with one of the employees, where they stated that sandals were a liability issue because you could cut your foot on glass. If that were the case, why were women allowed to wear sandals? I informed our friend that we would be leaving and attempted to talk to the employee about his policy.

I left the club and again, since we had driven 50 miles to get there, attempted to talk some sense into the doorman. As I was talking to him, I noticed several Caucasian and Indian people entering the club, not only did they have on polo shirts, some had on plain white t-shirts, gym shoes and other garments that were not nearly as neat and professional as my husband. When I pointed this out to the doorman, he came up with a myriad of excuses, like they were repeat customers or their shirts didn't have stripes really a bunch of unreasonable excuses. At this time, it became apparent to me that the difference between these patrons and us was our skin color.

I explained to the doorman that I understand there is a certain element in Chicago that you want to keep out of your club. Trust me, I've seen many good clubs close because the wrong type of people started coming and fights, shoot outs and stampedes were the result. However, I explained that clearly we weren't those people and it was quite obvious that we weren't gaining admission because we were black.

At this point, another employee approached us and told us that no one cares that we aren't getting in. He also informed us to tell all of our friends so that they wouldn't come to the club because we weren't wanted there. He informed us that it was a private club and if they wanted to refuse admission to anyone for anything that they were within their legal rights to do so. My husband was angry by these remarks and told the employee to please step away from us so that we could wait on our car from valet (it wasn't as polite as this, but the essence of his message). The employee then told my husband that he would stomp him like an ant and that he wished he would try to hit him so that he could beat him to a pulp. He went on with a barrage of other threatening statements until his coworkers asked him to step inside.

This was a horrible incident and honestly, I think I had gotten comfortable in my little suburban life and had turned a blind eye to these types of incidents. It was a slap in the face and honestly, in addition to being angry, my feelings were very hurt. However, this caused me to think about other clubs in Chicago. The trend right now is to say you have to be on the "VIP" list to gain entry into clubs and lounges (Rednofive, Le Passage, Slicks, Transit, Bella, Sugar, etc). The reality of the situation is the VIP list is an excuse to exclude certain people. These people can be African American and typically are, they can be some other minority, they could even simply be unattractive people that don't fit into the image of the club. A columnist in Chicago even wrote how one Chicago establishment made African American patrons wait in line to gain entry, while countless Caucasian people walked in.

I went to Metromix.com to read the reviews on Transit and another woman, who seemed to be African American, had a similar experience. It is appalling and absurd, that in 2006, in a city as metropolitan as Chicago, that racism is still blatantly used to exclude minorities from clubs. Socioeconomic status doesn't preclude you from experiencing blatant racism, I am aware of that. However, I was silly enough to think that my friends and I, with all of our degrees and careers, would be sheltered to some extent. Silly me.


[Submitted by Jennifer Lee-Gilbert via CityAlert.com Message Board (http://www.cityalert.com/cgi-bin/YaBB/YaBB.pl?board=nightlife)]

Invalid

I pulled my calf muscle almost two weeks ago; this is my first injury ever. I've been pretty upbeat about things until today. I'm usually a very active person, and this is a very hard pill for me to swallow. I'm officially sick of TV, and this is the first time I ever thought I'd be able to say this, but, I'm sick of reading! It's come to the point where the thought of reading or even writing makes me sick. My creative juices have dried, and I have a serious case of cabin fever. All I want to do is go for a walk, and I can't even do that.

I know this isn't an original thought or feeling, but I'm going to say it anyway: You never know how good you have it until it gets taken away from you. I feel like I've taken mobility for granted. After I heal from this mishap, I don't think I'll ever take for granted the gift of mobility.

What the New Year Should Bring

Every new year brings with it changes and expectations. I've always been a firm believer in making as many improvements in my all aspects of my life as possible. Mind you, I don't make "New Year's Resolutions," I simply want to take the steps necessary to build on the things I've accomplished the year before, or try to correct the mistakes I made that prevented me from achieving certain goals on my timeline.

Toward the end of 2006, I reflected long and hard on what I failed to accomplish, and searched within to figure out what I can do in the new year to improve. I have so many lines in the water this time around, and a pretty good plan--better than I've ever devised hence--and have decided that this is the year I will not procrastinate. Truth be told, I have a few secret goals that I tend to achieve by the time I turn 30 (which is next year), so the fire is burning a little hotter now, and my booty is feeling the heat.

So here's to everyone who plans to make the quality of life for themselves and others in the new year!

Cheers!

Firefly

A special person in my life recently broadcast his feelings for me in a very public way. This is my response:

Firefly

With the innocence of a child in summer,
Let me capture your light in a jar
So you can twinkle just for me.

I will not smother you,
But will answer your mating call with
My own fire.

Let us release ourselves to fly
Together in the balm of summer
Glowing for each other with the stars.

© 2005 Vicky Therese Davis

I love you more than you will ever know; I don't think my feelings for you will be fading or get smothered any time soon.

Records of Freed Slaves to go Online

A really good friend of mine sent this to me a while back, and I thought it should be shared to all the black people in America who want to find records of their ancestors in this country. I know I'll be looking into this once it becomes easier to access. As of right now, the website hasn't been updated in a long time, so this article will have to suffice for now, and I'll have to wait with baited breath.


Records of freed slaves to go online


RICHMOND, Va. - Records the Freedmen's Bureau used to reconnect families — from battered work contracts to bank forms — will be placed online in part of a new project linking modern-day blacks with their ancestors.
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The Virginia Freedmen Project plans to digitize more than 200,000 images collected by the Richmond bureau, one of dozens of offices established throughout the South to help former slaves adjust to free life.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine on Thursday unveiled the project and a state marker near the site where the bureau once stood in downtown Richmond.

"This is the equivalent for African Americans of Ellis Island's records being put up," said Kaine, who was joined by Mayor L. Douglas Wilder, the nation's first elected black governor and a grandson of slaves.

Researchers will eventually transfer data from all of the southern states to an online database, said Wayne Metcalfe, vice president of the Genealogical Society of Utah, a partner in the project.

Records from Virginia should be ready to go online by the middle of next year, Metcalfe said.

"It was one of the larger states and one of the most complete collections available," he said. "It's a gold mine, as far as a genealogist is concerned."

About a half-million slaves were left to establish a new life following emancipation, Metcalfe said.

Established in 1865, the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands — also called the Freedmen's Bureau — helped former slaves find clothes, food and jobs.

Bureaus kept meticulous records, documenting marriages and work histories. Those records will be scanned from microfilm and compiled into an electronic index families will eventually be able to access, Metcalfe said.

Twenty-four years removed from slavery in rural Virginia, Hawkins Wilson had established himself as a respected Texas minister. But there was something missing from his life as a free man: the mother and sisters he left behind.

In a letter dated May 11, 1867, he offered bureau officials details of his family's old home in Caroline County, and urged them to pass along a note to his sister, Jane.

"Your little brother Hawkins is trying to find out where you are and where his poor old mother is," reads the letter, which will be included in the database. "Your advice to me to meet you in Heaven has never (lapsed) from my mind."

Historians don't know if he ever found his family.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061027/ap_on_hi_te/slave_records

The Passage of Time

A lot has happened since my last post: Halloween; the deaths of Ed Bradley and Gerald LeVert; new business ventures on the horizon for me and a couple of good friends; more bombs and attacks as governements continue in their pursuit of world domination; the forging of new (and hopefully long-lasting) friendships; a visit from my as-always-entertaining father and his lovely wife; Thanksgiving (or Thankstaking as I like to call this "holiday"); the Miami International Book Fair; the reading of several good books; the release of Barack O'Bama's new novel; Michael Richards's racial rant; and a long overdue trip to China with my mother and grandmother. To top it all off, I got to hang out with Farnsworth Bentley and Lord Jamar last night and listen to them record. How cool is that?

So because of all the events of the past couple of months, I sincerely apologize for my absence. I will try not to let this happen too often. I hope everyone else has had a wonderful couple of months and that the nearing holiday season will be fruitful for us all, whether or not we all follow the same
traditions and/or customs.

In Memoriam: Cleopatra Jones

Simply because I didn’t know this, I thought I’d post the following information. Even though it’s a few months old, it’s news to me. I was a big fan of Cleopatra Jones and her character has influenced pop cultures in more ways than can be recounted in this little blog. So, here’s to a strikingly beautiful, intelligent, strong, and influential black woman. You will not be forgotten.

Wednesday, 04 August 2004

Tamara Dobson, star of Cleopatra Jones, dies

Tamara Dobson, the tall, stunning, model-turned-actress who portrayed a strong female role as Cleopatra Jones in two "blaxploitation" films, has died.

Dobson, 59, died Monday of complications from pneumonia and multiple sclerosis at the Keswick Multi-Care Center, where she had lived for the past two years, her publicist said.

At six foot two, Dobson was striking as the kung-fu fighting government agent Cleopatra Jones in 1973. She reprised the role in 1975's "Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold."

"She was not afraid to start a trend," said her brother, Peter Dobson, of Houston. "She designed a lot of the clothing that so many women emulated."

Dobson also appeared in "Come Back, Charleston Blue," "Norman, Is That You?" "Murder at the World Series" and "Chained Heat."

She had TV roles in the early 1980s in "Jason of Star Command" and "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century."

Dobson lived most of her adult life in New York, her family said. She was diagnosed six years ago with multiple sclerosis.

Last Updated (Thursday, 12 October 2006 )

Nesting Iinstinct

As you know all well know, I'm all about the upliftment of people in less fortunate circumstances than average. So when I came upon this email from Daily Candy, I couldn't help but spread the word of this new organization that offers interest-free loans to women in developing countries start their own businesses. What's a more "me" topic than that?!?!?

Nesting Instinct

As a child, your piggy bank held a meager 38 cents (counting the few pennies stuck in the mouth). As an adult, your savings still reside in a pink ceramic pig.

New rule: No more frivolous shopping.

Loophole: Nest, the new nonprofit shopping site.

Nest provides interest-free loans to women in developing countries (like India and Madagascar) who are trying to start their own businesses. A co-op of sorts, Nest sells clothes, housewares, and jewelry made by both loan recipients and up-and-coming designers. Portions of proceeds then recirculate into the Nest community.

And the rewards for your charity are downright pretty: The Benefactress wristlet, which was designed in Istanbul, has gathered retro fabric adorned with an aquamarine charm. The cheery red and white Kukka (“flower”) throw, made of ecofriendly materials, is created in Lithuania.

It’s all guilt free, so go ahead and shamelessly spend what’s left in your piggy bank.

You’ve always been a big advocate for change.

Available online at buildanest.com.

October Joy

I know I've been away for a really long time, and I apologize for not keeping up with you. I just got really caught up in working and writing for other purposes, and then my birthday came! So a special thanks to all those who sent me their well wishes and celebrated with me.

I will be back soon!

In Memoriam

Today was my grandmother's birthday. She passed away two years ago, yet it feels so fresh. Today's entry is dedicated to her, so here is a little something she wrote. She remains in the forefront of my mind and probably always will in some form or another; every time I write, I think of her and how I wish she could read my work and tell me what she thinks.

To think she wrote this about my dad and uncle makes her life lesson even dearer to my heart.

The Most Important Lesson I've Learned in my Life
By Maurine Davis

The most important lesson I’ve learned in my life is to love each and every day as if it was the last day I'd have on this earth.

My husband and I lived on the second floor of my in-laws' frame house. I had six children at this particular time and was expecting twins. I was always anemic along with very low blood pressure and this created a grave problem. All the other expecting mothers in the group gained some weight, while I constantly lost weight. I began to look like a broomstick with an old fashioned #2 tin tub attached in the middle. Every time I came down the stairs, my mother-in-law would almost have a heart attack. She thought I would fall over on my face and thus cause a catastrophe.

To make bad matters worse, my blood count dropped so low they almost couldn't take a count. To keep a closer check on the problem, I had to go to the hospital every other day. This really became a chase. I would go by myself but had to call home for someone to come and pick me up. To add to my problems, the doctors told me they didn't see how I was going to make it.

At this point, I began to reflect back upon my life so far. I hadn't done anything so far to speak of, hadn't been anywhere or seen too much. It all seemed so blank. However, I had only one hope and that was the Almighty God. If he would see fit to let me live to see my children grow up, I would be forever grateful. And in case he didn't, I asked for my uncle and his wife to take all of my children, raise them, and keep them all together.

So the twins were born! I didn't die and I named that hereafter I would love each and every day to the absolute fullest, for tomorrow may never come.

So true. She was one of the busiest women I knew who never had enough hours in her day. My grandmother lived her life to the fullest and traveled the world; she was making travel plans before he died. Maurine Davis was truly an exemplary woman, and I can only dream to follow her lead.

Introducing "Ghetto Fabulous"

Ghetto Fabulous Cartoon

When I first saw this headline, the tiny hairs on my arms automatically began to raise. Then I read further and calmed down slightly. I received this bulletin a while back from iZania about an African, now American, named Manny Otiko, who has written a satirical comic strip exposing the idiosyncrasies he's observed in the African and African-American communities. I am always for the pointing out the silly things in our society and trying to make light of them while at the same time bringing them to light. If we take a closer look at our actions (as a whole, of course), I think we will realize some the stupid things we do and hence, discontinue some of them and eventually all. Initially, we never like it when someone holds a mirror to our flaws, but ultimately, with an open mind, we begin to appreciate the gesture.

Manny Otiko, creator of the urban satire Ghetto Fabulous is a firm believer in the old adage truth is stranger than fiction. Otiko, who created the comic strip which runs in several newspapers across the nation, now offers his creation to the iZania audience. The cartoon will run in the iZania Newsletter and on the home page.

Apart from commenting on hip hop culture and current events, the comic strip also deals with edgy subjects such as "“black names,"” tensions between African Americans and African immigrants, and racial profiling.

Otiko was raised in Britain and Nigeria before moving to the United States in the early 1990s. He says that being an outsider helps as a writer. "“When you grow up the way I did, you are constantly looking from the outside in,"” he said. "“You learn to analyze cultures and point out their flaws and contradictions. It makes you an excellent commentator."

Ghetto Fabulous is the brainchild of Manny and his brother Chris. They launched the strip about two years ago after conceiving the idea during a cross-country road trip to California. The comic strip has been published in The LA Sentinel, the African Independent, Our Weekly (Los Angeles), Westside Story, (San Bernardino, Calif.,) City News Ohio, The Washington Afro Am, The Tennessee Tribune, The Pensacola Voice and The Riverside Press Enterprise. Ghetto Fabulous is also featured in "“The Melting Pot of Black Humor,"” a compilation of humor from African, African American, and Afro-Caribbean writers.

"”Ghetto Fabulous started out as a satire on life in urban America," Otiko said. "“I commented on absurdities such as rappers who get million-dollar contracts in jail and grown men who live at home with their moms but drive $50,000 SUVs. But some of the more recent cartoons have veered into political commentary. If you watch the news and keep up with politics some of these jokes literally write themselves,"” he said.

Below, we will introduce you to some of the characters:

1,000 Voltt: (famous rapper who survived electrocution) He has a lightening bolt tattooed below his left eye; Corporate America loves him.

Chief Adedas: hard working Nigerian immigrant who works as a telemarketer and cab driver (at the same time): drives cab in bad neighborhood wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet; also has African magical charms for double protection. He is called Adedas because of the three tribal marks on his cheeks; was a doctor in his country and has three wives, and several family members to support.

Latrell Jackson: Part-time drug dealer, dog breeder, security guard, big-screen TV owner, who lives in mom's basement and dreams of "“making it big" in something; obsessed with Don Ravioli attire, and even has a gold tooth with the "“DR"” logo etched in it.

Trent Bagwell IV: a.k.a. T-Bag. White hip hop fan; yuppie by day, hip hopper by night.

Sharon (pronounced Sharone, not Sharon) Edwards: strong black woman. She is an over-worked public defender who'’s number one client is Latrell Jackson. Her husband looks like John Lennon/Jesus Christ with a head band, and is stuck in the 60s.

A Preacher ex-con who became born again in jail; still fighting the devils temptations: booze and women.

Lacreatia St. James: the single mom cashier who dreams of driving a Lexus. She has two kids, Shaqkobe and Klamideeya; grandma is from Jamaica.

Sports mad Dad (Jerome Jordan): wants his six-month old (Lyon Jordan) to be the next Michael Jordan/Tiger Woods/ Venus Williams of snowboarding/skiing.

I'm curious to see if this comic strip will catch on in wider circles...

Bleeding

Woohoo!

The New York Review has posted one of my poems on their website: newyorkreview.org . It's called "Bleeding." I can't believe it. They sent me a nice note and everything.

OK, I'm finished. I just wanted to brag a little. In the meantime, check out the site and look at my poem. Just click here.

Million Father March

Always the advocate of parents stepping up to the plate and actually raising their children, rather than passing them off to teachers and other people not in charge of rearing them full time, I was happy to come across this bulletin this morning and had to share it with everyone. Yay for the fathers who won't have the adjective "deadbeat" associated with them. Just remember, we need the number to continue to grow!

Below are excerpts from the press conference on August 30, 2006, ahead of the opening of Chicago Public Schools on September 5, 2006

For the second year, the funding for this national program is provided by a grant from the Schott Foundation on Public Education. Please see their work on high school graduation rates for Black male students in your packets.

For the first year of the Million Father March, we were in 25 cities, and we estimated about 35,000 to 40,000 men took their children to school across the country. Last year, the second year of the March, we were in 83 cities, including Auckland, New Zealand, and we estimated about 200,000 men took their children to school. This year to date, we are in 123 cities including London, England, and Tamale, Ghana, and we expect more than 350,000 men across the world, through this program, to take their children to school as we move towards the million father figure.

The honorary Chairmen for the March this year are Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, Illinois Senate President Emil Jones, Jr., and Chicago Public Schools CEO Arne Duncan.

What if I told you that I knew of a proven way to get students to learn more, faster, and better? A way to help children get higher test scores, higher grade-point averages, better attendance, and a way to make them more likely to graduate from high school and to attend college? Many of you would say "What has Phillip been drinking before 12:00 noon? This sounds too good to be true."

And then if I went on to tell you that I know of a way to reduce discipline problems, suspensions and expulsion rates, to decrease dropout rates, to reduce violent behaviors in school and at home, to lessen the use of alcohol and illegal drugs by students, and to have fewer students engage in teen-age sex. You would want to know, wouldn't you?

Well I do have a solution. I do have an answer to these overwhelming problems in our schools and our society. It is simply getting men substantially involved in the educational and social developmental lives of their children.

And so today, we launch and celebrate the Million Father March 2006. Not men marching to Washington D.C., not men marching to our state capital, not men marching to city hall, but men marching to their neighborhood schools with children. And by doing so, these men will be marching into the hearts, minds, and spirits of their children and they will make an impact on these young people for the rest of their lives.

To this end, our volunteers and staff have gone door-to-door in the Dearborn and Ickes Public Housing Communities here in Chicago to remind fathers--and all parents -- to take their children to school on the first day, Tuesday, September 5, 2006. We have passed out flyers around the city at bus stops and train stops, at barber shops and beauty shops, and at grocery stores, night clubs, basketball courts, churches, and parks.

We have been on radio shows and television shows, and we have had great printed press on this event nationwide. In Chicago, there is only one thing left for fathers to do--show up at schools to support all of our children on this first fall day.

On Tuesday, September 5, 2005, we are hoping for 100% attendance at every Chicago Public School and we want an army of strong positive men at every school because it will:

* jumpstart the academic learning for most

* generate much needed revenues for the schools

* connect men to children in a way that will improve our children's lives and make the world in which we live a better place.

So on the first day of school, we want men and women of all races, Asian, White, Latino, Native American, as well as African American, to be at a school on the first day and to take a child to school on the first day. Our motto for the Million Father March in America and around the world is: Any Man, Any Child. Any School! The Million Father March won't end on September 5. After that, we are working on year-round programs to flood schools with strong, talented, giving men who want to make a difference in the lives of children as tutors, mentors, coaches and volunteers.

I especially want to thank the staff of The Black Star Project who manages the great programs of The Black Star Project such as the Toyota/Black Star Parent University, The Student Motivation Program, The Silas Purnell Destination College Program, and Men In Schools Program. They are Eleanor Perrone, Marques Williams, Briana Nichols, Catherine Jackson, Marcus Mundy, Abel Henry, Ivory Harris. And of course, I want to thank our fantastic Director of Operations who makes Black Star go, Kirsten Rokke.

Thank you for this time.

For more information about the Million Father March
or the programs of the Black Star Project, please call
312/842-3527, visit www.blackstarproject.org , or www.millionfathermarch.org

We all need to do our part in raising our future leaders. Moms, dads, grandparents, aunts, uncles, godparents, family friends: TAKE AN INTEREST IN YOUR LITTLE LOVED ONES!!!

Marbury is THE MAN

For a long time, I've wondered why basketball stars (specifically Jordan) have never created an affordable sneaker for the underprivileged consumer. When people were killing each other over the newest $200 Jordans in the projects, why didn't Jordan deliver a truckload of new shoes to them. It would have been a great tax write-off for him and he would have been a hero. Now, after all this time, Stephon Marbury is stepping up to the plate by offering a shoe that costs only $15! Kudos to him. He just gained major cool points and should be considered a modern day hero and inspiration to his colleagues and us all.

Knicks star Stephon Marbury is putting his name behind a pair of $15 basketball shoes that he's hoping will give underprivileged kids the chance to wear sneaks fit for the pros.

The black high tops drew rave reviews yesterday from the critics who matter most - young hoopsters.

"They're comfortable," said Mylique Owens, 13, a seventh-grader from midtown, after he tried on a pair of the sleek kicks at the famed basketball court on W. Fourth St. yesterday.

Owens couldn't believe his ears when told the price of the lightweight sneakers.

"Fifteen? Not 5-0? 1-5?" he asked, incredulously. "This shoe could easily go for $70 to a $100."

The groundbreaking sneaker, the Starbury One, is Marbury's attempt at combating the trend toward astonishingly high-priced basketball shoes.

Air Jordans, the sneakers that revolutionized the industry, now go for as much as $180.

The Starbury Ones are far less expensive than even the second-tier Jordans.

"I paid $130 for these Air Jordans that I bought four months ago," said Lenart Williams, a 20-year-old from Harlem. "To get them for $15 from Marbury, I think these shoes are fly."

The sneakers, which will be sold only at Steve & Barry's sports apparel stores, will go on sale tomorrow.

Produced in China, the shoes are constructed using the same materials as the other top-end basketball sneakers on the market, said Howard Schacter, chief partnership officer for Steve & Barry's.

"[Marbury] had a vision. We had an expertise. And together it became a match made in heaven," Schacter said.

Marbury has vowed to wear the shoes he's hoping will enable disadvantaged kids to feel like stars.

The mercurial guard's benevolent intentions were not lost on the young players assembled at the W. Fourth St. court yesterday.

"I feel him for doing something like this," said Mamadou Harvey, 18, of the lower East Side. "Not everyone can afford $80 or $90 shoes."

View the article:New York Daily News

Preconceived Notion

My cousin sent this email out a while back, and I thought it was so cute and provocative that I had to post it for all to see!

Thought for the Day

I think the life cycle is all backwards. You should die first, start out dead and get it out of the way. Then you wake up in a nursing home, feeling better every day. You get kicked out for being too healthy, go collect your pension, then, when you start work, you get a gold watch on your first day. You work 40 years until you're young enough to enjoy your retirement. You drink alcohol, you party, you're generally promiscuous and you get ready for High School. You go to primary school, you become a kid, you play, you have no responsibilities, you become a baby, then, you spend your last 9 months floating peacefully with luxuries like central heating, spa room service on tap, larger quarters everyday, and finally you finish off as an orgasm.

I rest my case.

Sounds like a plan to me!

Phew, I Can Still Vote!

Members of the CBC Attend White House Signing Ceremony of the Voting Rights Act

In Congress, members of the CBC and the civil rights community, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the National Urban League (NUL), led the effort in the passage of the VRA. The bill recently passed the U.S. House by a vote of 390 to 33 and the U.S. Senate by a margin of 98 to 0.

Amidst applause and a gathering of prominent Civil Rights leaders, President Bush signed the Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006 on July 27, 2006. This event passed quietly, like a private party, but has a tremendous importance and responsibility attached. Many young Black Americans were not born when this hard-fought victory was won. And many do not understand the significance of the renewal of certain provisions of this act, which were due to expire in 2007.

Why was the act renewed in 2006? It is a key mid-term election year. There are Governor’s races in Ohio and Pennsylvania where Black Republicans are running. There are important races that could shift the balance of power in the House and the Senate. The importance of this renewal has to do with your response to support issues of importance to Black people all over the country. The Congressional Black Caucus has identified a set of issues that represent an agenda that is important to Black constituents. Do you know what these issues are? Will you register and vote? The CBC has its annual meeting in September, and is facing a turnover in leadership.
This is an opportunity focus on the national priorities of our Black congressional leaders.

SEPTEMBER 6 - 9, 2006

Changing Course, Confronting Crises, Continuing the Legacy
Washington Convention Center
Washington, DC
Our rights are only secure if you register and vote.

For more information, see:
CBC Foundation Annual Legislative Conference.

Let's Say Thanks

For those of you who might be interested:

If you go to this website: www.letssaythanks.com

you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to some member of the armed services. It is FREE and it only takes a second. A friend of mine has a husband in the armed forces and she personally knows for a fact that the single soldiers really appreciate these kind gestures that only take a minute of our time.

It's the least we can do when they're over there fighting a senseless oil war, and we're over here knowing how terrible the world's situation is. Since we can't bring them home ourselves, we can at least let them know they aren't forgotten and that they are in our thoughts.

Rise and Shine

Saul Williams posted this poem this morning on MySpace and I'd like to share it with you:

every morning
I rise and face
the firing squad

every morning
there is one
who holds his fire

his dilemma
is my system
of belief

they fire rounds
but I am seldom
in their circle

a quiet mind
is labeled "sound"
and colored purple

my little boy
has not yet learned
to color within lines

his jumbled diction
has not yet learned
our contradiction

we speak of art
with flaming passion
then do work
void of compassion

and wonder why
reality is bleeding fiction

My Beef with Hemingway

OK. I've finally read an Ernest Hemingway book, A Farewell to Arms, and let me tell you, I'm quite disappointed. At first I thought, maybe I'm just not getting it. Why is he considered one of the greatest writers of the 20th century? I really didn't like his writing style, although I eventually got used to it. I mean, if I wrote like that in school, I never would have graduated. What made it acceptable for him to write with improper grammatical form? Not fair.

Secondly, I can appreciate his view of the Great War, since he actively participated. However, what makes his perspective so great? His portrayal of the war was so bland, I found it hard to finish the book. I can understand the sentiments of the war being unnecessary, the feelings of defeat and even complacency, but did it need to sound so droll? I was like, gimme a break already!

Another major gripe I had was with the female character. How annoying and flat was she really? And once again, I am bearing in mind that this book was written by a man way back when, but good googly moogly! If I ever came across such an ingratiating, spineless, clueless wretch, I'd strangle her! "Do you love me? Say you love me. Do you find me pretty? Please say you do." "I like whatever you like all the time." "I want to live on an island with you and only you so you don't have to see any other woman but me." Come on already. This kind of talk makes me want to throw her worthless butt in a feminist boot camp run by Susan Powter. Stop the insanity! If this is the view men have of women, then women, we need to do something about it. Screw a farewell to arms, we need to pick some up and strengthen our spines. This is ludicrous.

My final beef with Hemingway was the unnecessary passage in which he uses the word, "nigger" when the main character's love (who, as I said previously I couldn't stand) compares him to Othello having his one possession taken away (his love for her). It comes so suddenly, and then a different conversation ensues out of nowhere. That passage, albeit it was written long ago, was probably still as unnecessary as it is now, no matter who read or reads it.

After reading this one work of Hemingway, I'm not very motivated to read anything else by him. I keep vacillating on whether or not to give it another go, but, so sad to say, I'm leaning toward not reading anything else. We'll see.

That is all for now.

The Little Black Man's Book

Came across this press release and found it quite interesting that someone has compiled this research and put it in a book "to help, to discipline, and to uplift the African-American Man-Child." I'm really interested in what my black male friends will say about this one. Actually, I'm curious to see what everyone has to say about this: parents, single parents, future parents, no matter what the ethnic background is. I will definitely be looking further into this one! I've checked out the website and it seems pretty good, so far. As I've said before, I'm always supportive of anything that will uplift and educate our youth. So, so long as this book isn't something that just sounds good, I hope it means and does well, too.

THE LITTLE BLACK MAN’S BOOK

Gardena, CA -- June, 2006 -- The Little Black Man'’s Book: 10 Strategies To Help, To Discipline, and To Uplift the African American Man-child is needed to assist parents (especially single female parents) to reach their man-child. Written by educational consultant John P. Hamilton, Ed.D, this mini-book discusses everything from "Building Structure," "Male Role Models," "Hip-hop," to "Access & Resources."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The purpose of The Little Black Man‚’s Book is for parents to use the ten recommended strategies to assist with molding their man-child into a responsible and productive man. Moreover, this mini book assists parents to help their man-child focus on creating a positive mindset, reframing negative issues, and promoting high expectations. This mini book reaches out to the single female parent, who needs guidance, assistance, and the will to reclaim her man-child or foster strategies to keep him on the straight and narrow.

This is an excellent resource for parents; schools; parent educators; parent advocacy groups, mentor programs; youth groups; Upward Bound; and any TRIO programs.

What are people saying about The Little Black Man's Book?

"The Little Black Man's Book allows me to be interactive with my man-child through dialogue."
--Single-Female Parent

"AT LAST--a guide for single parents‚—especially single female parents as well as educators filled with easily accessible information on connecting with young African American males."
--Master Teacher

To place immediate orders for the book, a book signing, and/or interview contact:
Hamilton & Associates Consulting
PO Box 2627
Gardena, CA 90247
(323) 309-2502 Fax: (310) 538-0760
e-mail: johnphamilton@aol.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Press Contact
John Hamilton, Ed.D.
Website:www.hamiltonandassociatesconsulting.org

Let me know what you think, everyone! And remember, this is the same man who brought us "The Elevator Is Broken." Dr. Hamilton seems to be making very positive moves... Right on!

A Black Woman Speaks

This is a truly wonderful and deep poem in every sense of those words. Really pay attention, ladies, to what is being said here. It just might change your perspective, a little ;)

Thanks, Irena, for sharing this. It has been haunting me from the first time I read it. You're the best (but you already know that). I love you!

A Black Woman Speaks. . .
Of White Womanhood
Of White Supremacy
Of Peace

It is right that I a woman
black,
should speak of white womanhood.
My fathers
my brothers
my husbands
my sons
die for it; because of it.
And their blood chilled in electric chairs,
stopped by hangman's noose,
cooked by lynch mobs' fire,
spilled by white supremacist mad desire to kill for
profit,
gives me that right.

I would that I could speak of white womanhood
as it will and should be
when it stands tall in full equality.
But then, womanhood will be womanhood
void of color and of class,
and all necessity for my speaking thus will be past.
Gladly past.

But now, since 'tis deemed a thing apart
supreme,
I must in searching honesty report
how it seems to me.
White womanhood stands in bloodied skirt
and willing slavery
reaching out adulterous hand
killing mine and crushing me.
What then is this superior thing
that in order to be sustained must needs feed upon my
flesh?
How came this horror to be?
Let's look to history.

They said, the white supremacist said
that you were better than me,
that your fair brow should never know the sweat of
slavery.
They lied.
White womanhood too is enslaved,
the difference is degree.

They brought me here in chains.
They brought you here willing slaves to man.
You, shiploads of women each filled with hope
that she might win with ruby lip and saucy curl
and bright and flashing eye
him to wife who had the largest tender.
Remember?
And they sold you here even as they sold me.
My sisters, there is no room for mockery.
If they counted my teeth
they did appraise your thigh
and sold you to the highest bidder
the same as I.

And you did not fight for your right to choose
whom you would wed
but for whatever bartered price
that was the legal tender
you were sold to a stranger's bed
in a stranger land
remember?
And you did not fight.
Mind you, I speak not mockingly
but I fought for freedom,
I'm fighting now for our unity.
We are women all,
and what wrongs you murders me
and eventually marks your grave
so we share a mutual death at the hand of tyranny.

They trapped me with the chain and gun.
They trapped you with lying tongue.
For, 'less you see that fault
that male villainy
that robbed you of name, voice and authority,
that murderous greed that wasted you and me,
he, the white supremacist, fixed your minds with
poisonous thought:
"white skin is supreme."
and therewith bought that monstrous change
exiling you to things.
Changed all that nature had ill you wrought of gentle
usefulness,
abolishing your spring.
Tore out your heart,
set your good apart from all that you could say,
think,
feel,
know to be right.
And you did not fight,
but set your minds fast on my slavery
the better to endure your own.

'Tis true
my pearls were beads of sweat
wrung from weary bodies' pain,
instead of rings upon my hands
I wore swollen, bursting veins.
My ornaments were the wip-lash's scar
my diamond, perhaps, a tear.
Instead of paint and powder on my face
I wore a solid mask of fear to see my blood so
spilled.
And you, women seeing
spoke no protest
but cuddled down in your pink slavery
and thought somehow my wasted blood
confirmed your superiority.

Because your necklace was of gold
you did not notice that it throttled speech.
Because diamond rings bedecked your hands
you did not regret their dictated idleness.
Nor could you see that the platinum bracelets
which graced your wrists were chains
binding you fast to economic slavery.
And though you claimed your husband's name
still could not command his fidelity.

You bore him sons.
I bore him sons.
No, not willingly.
He purchased you.
He raped me,
I fought!
But you fought neither for yourselves nor me.
Sat trapped in your superiority
and spoke no reproach.
Consoled your outrage with an added diamond brooch.
Oh, God, how great is a woman's fear
who for a stone, a cold, cold stone
would not defend honor, love or dignity!

You bore the damning mockery of your marriage
and heaped your hate on me,
a woman too,
a slave more so.
And when your husband disowned his seed
that was my son
and sold him apart from me
you felt avenged.
Understand:
I was not your enemy in this,
I was not the source of your distress.
I was your friend, I fought.
But you would not help me fight
thinking you helped only me.
Your deceived eyes seeing only my slavery
aided your own decay.
Yes, they condemned me to death
and they condemned you to decay.
Your heart whisked away,
consumed in hate,
used up in idleness
playing yet the lady's part
estranged to vanity.
It is justice to you to say your fear equalled your
tyranny.

You were afraid to nurse your young
lest fallen breast offend your master's sight
and he should flee to firmer loveliness.
And so you passed them, your children, on to me.
Flesh that was your flesh and blood that was your
blood
drank the sustenance of life from me.
And as I gave suckle I knew I nursed my own child's
enemy.
I could have lied,
told you your child was fed till it was dead of
hunger.
But I could not find the heart to kill orphaned
innocence.
For as it fed, it smiled and burped and gurgled with
content
and as for color knew no difference.
Yes, in that first while
I kept your sons and daughters alive.

But when they grew strong in blood and bone
that was of my milk
you
taught them to hate me.
Put your decay in their hearts and upon their lips
so that strength that was of myself
turned and spat upon me,
despoiled my daughters, and killed my sons.
You know I speak true.
Though this is not true for all of you.

When I bestirred myself for freedom
and brave Harriet led the way
some of you found heart and played a part
in aiding my escape.
And when I made my big push for freedom
your sons fought at my sons' side,
Your husbands and brothers too fell in that battle
when Crispus Attucks died.
It's unfortunate that you acted not in the way of
justice
but to preserve the Union
and for dear sweet pity's sake;
Else how came it to be with me as it is today?
You abhorred slavery
yet loathed equality.

I would that the poor among you could have seen
through the scheme
and joined hands with me.
Then, we being the majority, could long ago have
rescued
our wasted lives.
But no.
The rich, becoming richer, could be content
while yet the poor had only the pretense of
superiority
and sought through murderous brutality
to convince themselves that what was false was true.

So with KKK and fiery cross
and bloodied appetites
set about to prove that "white is right"
forgetting their poverty.
Thus the white supremacist used your skins
to perpetuate slavery.
And woe to me.
Woe to Willie McGee.
Woe to the seven men of Martinsville.
And woe to you.
It was no mistake that your naked body on an Esquire
calendar
announced the date, May Eighth.
This is your fate if you do not wake to fight.
They will use your naked bodies to sell their wares
though it be hate, Coca Cola or rape.

When a white mother disdained to teach her children
this doctrine of hate,
but taught them instead of peace
and respect for all men's dignity
the courts of law did legislate
that they be taken from her
and sent to another state.
To make a Troy Hawkins of the little girl
and a killer of the little boy!

No, it was not for the womanhood of this mother
that Willie McGee died
but for a depraved, enslaved, adulterous woman
whose lustful demands denied,
lied and killed what she could not possess.
Only three months before another such woman lied
and seven black men shuddered and gave up their lives.
These women were upheld in these bloody deeds
by the president of this nation,
thus putting the official seal on the fate
of white womanhood within these United States.
This is what they plan for you.
This is the depravity they would reduce you to.
Death for me
and worse than death for you.

What will you do?
Will you fight with me?
White supremacy is your enemy and mine.
So be careful when you talk with me.
Remind me not of my slavery, I know it well
but rather tell me of your own.
Remember, you have never known me.
You've been busy seeing me
as white supremacist would have me be,
and I will be myself.
Free!
My aim is full equality.
I would usurp their plan!
Justice
peace
and plenty
for every man, woman and child
who walks the earth.
This is my fight!

If you will fight with me then take my hand
and the hand of Rosa Ingram, and Rosalee McGee,
and as we set about our plan
let our wholehearted fight be:
PEACE IN A WORLD WHERE THERE IS EQUALITY.

Beulah Richardson
1951

I know it's a mouthful, but chew on that for a while.

Detecting Prejudice

Came across this interesting article the other day, and was compelled to share it with the masses, in case they haven't come across it yet. I'm quite curious to see what the responses will be to this one.

According to new research, the brain processes social outsiders as less than human; brain imaging provides accurate depictions of this prejudice at an unconscious level.

A new study by Princeton University psychology researchers Lasana Harris and Susan Fiske shows that when viewing photographs of social out-groups, people respond to them with disgust, not a feeling of fellow humanity. The findings are reported in the article "Dehumanizing the Lowest of the Low: Neuro-imaging responses to Extreme Outgroups" in a forthcoming issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science (previously the American Psychological Society).

Twenty four Princeton University undergraduates viewed a large number of color photographs of different social groups (including Olympic athletes, business professionals, elderly people, and drug addicts), and images of objects (including the Space Shuttle, a sports car, a cemetery, and an overflowing toilet) that elicited the emotions of pride, envy, pity, or disgust. The four emotions were derived from the Stereotype Content Model (SCM), which predicts differentiated prejudices based on warmth and competence. Warmth was determined by friendliness, competence by capability. The two emotional extremes were pride and disgust; pride elicited high warmth and high perception of competence, and disgust elicited low warmth and low perception of competence. Envy and pity were considered moderate prejudices; envy elicited low warmth and high perception of competence, and pity elicited high warmth and low perception of competence.

Medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) brain imaging determined if the students accurately chose the correct emotion illustrated by the picture (according to pretest results in which a different group of students determined the emotion that best fit each photograph). The MPFC is only activated when a person thinks about him- or her-self or another human. When viewing a picture representing disgust, however, no significant MPFC brain activity was recorded, showing that students did not perceive members of social out-groups as human. The area was only activated when viewing photographs that elicited pride, envy, and pity. (However, other brain regions - the amygdala and insula - were activated when viewing photographs of "disgusting" people and nonhuman objects.)

Emotions themselves were not responsible for generating this brain activity. Rather, it was the actual image viewed that produced a response. The MPFC only showed significant activity when a person saw or thought about a human being. The authors conclude that this lack of MPFC brain activity while viewing photographs of people proves that "members of some social groups seem to be dehumanized."

Social out-groups are perceived as unable to experience complex human emotions, share in-group beliefs, or act according to societal norms, moral rules, and values. The authors describe this as "extreme discrimination revealing the worst kind of prejudice: excluding out-groups from full humanity." Their study provides evidence that while individuals may consciously see members of social out-groups as people, the brain processes social out-groups as something less than human, whether we are aware of it or not. According to the authors, brain imaging provides a more accurate depiction of this prejudice than the verbal reporting usually used in research studies.

http://www.sciencenewsden.com

The Elevator Is Broken...

I'm always one to advocate the upliftment of our children. The currrent generation seems so lacking in guidance, I just know the future generations will feel it even more if we, as responsible, intelligent, and caring adults, don't do something about it. They need leaders and we need to make leaders out of them, as well. I found a press release about a new book that discusses just this issue.

The Elevator is Broken . . .

Gardena, CA -- July, 2006 -- The Elevator is Broken is what is needed to enhance your child’s or student’s leadership and study skills. Written by John P. Hamilton, Ed D., and Larry D. Brown Jr., this journal/workbook is a tool for students, as well as, parents, teachers, and counselors to use from third grade well into college.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The purpose of The Elevator is Broken is to make students more productive in and outside of the classroom. Moreover, this journal/workbook assists students with not only identifying, but also developing their leadership and decision-making skills. Students will be able to identify leadership characteristics, use hip-hop to decipher positive and negative messages, discuss various cultures and subcultures, understand the purpose of setting goals, and examine their personal past and present experiences of leadership and decision-making with enriching scenario exercises.

The Elevator is Broken allows students to not only think about the skills they should possess, but articulate these skills as well. Lastly, this journal/workbook helps students with strengthening their study skills to be academically successful.

What does renowned psychologist, educator, and author Dr. Na’im Akbar have to say about The
Elevator is Broken? “At last a readable and doable manual to help young people learn leadership. In a language and with examples that fit their experience, through these exercises, young people can learn to lead before they are led away from their potential to lead themselves to success. These authors have fulfilled a great need in developing a tool to reach our young people before they go astray rather than trying to reform them after they have been misled. This workbook should be a course requirement for all young people (especially those most socially vulnerable) between Grade 3 and the college years.”

To place immediate orders for the book, a book
signing, and/or interview contact:

Hamilton & Associates Consulting
PO Box 2627
Gardena, CA 90247
(323) 309-2502 Fax: (310) 538-0760
e-mail: johnphamilton@aol.com

I haven't read the book yet, but I'm sure it has some promising points in it!

Independence Day

With the soundtrack of festive fireworks in my ears, and the smell of barbecue wafting in from the windows, I am reminded of the real history of this young country. Whose Independence Day are we really celebrating, folks? Take the time to think about what this day commemorates and what it truly means to you. Too many times do we find ourselves celebrating holidays that have histories we never took the time to understand. So, I ask again: whose independence are we celebrating today? Our country's? Yes. All of its peoples that built this country with their blood, sweat and tears? A deafening NO! With the current state of our nation, do you feel you have the independence referred to in our Declaration?

Food for thought... thought for freedom.

Bubbly & Bling

Back in the day, there was a major uprising in the black community, nay, the hip-hop community, when Tommy Hilfiger said he didn't want black people wearing his clothing. Now it seems (approx. 15 years later) another major industry is declaring the same sentiment. Jean-Claude Rouzaude, the former manager of Roederer Estates, the company that makes the popular celebrity champagne, Cristal, has told The Economist (summer edition) of the discomfort the publicity from hip-hop stars has given them. He even went as far as saying that he's sure Krug and Dom Perignon wouldn't mind taking the hip-hop industry's business from them.

Jay Z is now boycotting the label and refuses to sell Cristal in his New York Club, 40/40, and has replaced it with Krug and Dom. A wise move, in my opinion. I will no longer patronize that company's products, either, and I will tell everyone I know who drinks it to stop. Anyone whose goal it is to "sip Cris in da club" will also be informed of this travesty. For all the progress the media keeps claiming we've made in race relations, there is always someone or something out there to remind us that it's not. If anything, race relations are inflamed. Is this 2006 or 1906? And why should Roederer Estates care who is buying from them? Do they realize that the hip-hop industry makes up a major portion of their annual sales? If they don't realize the impact that hip-hop has on the world, and in marketing and commerce, they will be learning the hard way. Will I feel sorry for them? Hmmm...in the immortal words of Whitney Houston: "Hell to tha no!"

View the inflammatory article here: Bubbles and Bling

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday, mommy! You are the best, and I love you with all my heart. I know you'll be around for many more. You better be, or I'll have no travel partner, no shopping buddy, no nothing!!! You are simply the best. We've been through so mcuh together and because of that, we have forged a bond, a relationship, that is unique in and of itself. There's no other pair like us out there in this world. Nuff said.

It All Starts at Home

I am always inspired and motivated to achieve more when I hear success stories of people (especially minorities) who come from impoverished backgrounds. The following article is about one such family who didn't use their situation as a crutch or excuse to become delinquents or take on roles society would expect them to have. I just might go out and buy the book to show my appreciation for this family overcoming the struggle. None of us should have excuses not to excel in every and any way we can, no matter our positions in life. We must fight to get what we feel/think/know we deserve!

(*Grammatical errors in the following article are not my own. You know I'm a stickler for grammar, but I do not want to touch another person's work without his/her permission.)

"It All Starts At Home: 15 Reasons to Put Families First"

Fayetteville, NC - "“It All Starts at Home: 15 Reasons to Put Family First" (Revell/Baker Publishing) a classic family and parenting book by Larry C. Harris, M.D. written with best-selling author Cecil Murphey, is just what the doctor ordered.


A tribute to Harris'’ parents, with help from his siblings, "“It All Starts at Home" tells the inspirational story of Fred and Ruth Harris, uneducated African-American's who had ten children born in the south before the Civil Rights movement took hold. Remarkably, instead of the children becoming a product of their society, school dropouts to become lifelong welfare recipients, they all became well-educated and successful citizens with values and life principles that shaped their lives and made them productive members of society.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Resting on the simple concept the family comes first, "“It All Starts at Home"” incorporates 15 lessons the Harris'’ taught their children. These lessons were common sense child-rearing attributes empowered with great wisdom, much love, and strong discipline influenced their children for a lifetime. Lessons included: honor your name; because mom and dad lived what they taught, we had no trouble following; each child is responsible for the next younger child; always be willing to give to those who are less fortunate than you are, any honest job is good, no matter what it is; and we'’re as good as anybody else, no one is inferior.

"”My parents may have been uneducated, but that didn'’t stop them,"” states Larry Harris, M.D. "“Dad earned his GED while he was in the army. He also received his bachelor'’s degree in business, but only after all of us had gone through college. Mom, who had quit school in the eleventh grade, went back and graduated from high school. Later she completed a college course in business machines at a community college . . . none of us have ever been on drugs or alcohol, been arrested, or involved in any kind of behavior to bring reproach on the family. Whatever we'’ve amounted to in this life it'’s because our family wisely and lovingly taught us the right way to go."

The testimonies the family endured of prejudices and racism through the Civil Rights movement, the endless sacrifices Fred and Ruth Harris made for their children, the life lessons forever earned is forthcoming in "“It All Starts at Home." It impacted this family and is sure to impact others for years to come.

Foreword by Dr. Ben Carson, author of "“Gifted Hands"” and college roommate of Dr. Larry Harris.

ISBN#: 0-8007-5908-7
Publisher: Revell/Baker Books
Price: $12.99, paper
Pages: 224

www.itallstartsathome.com

Hooray, Miami Heat!!!

Before the Miami Heat won the Championship against Dallas:



After the Miami Heat won the Finals:






It was pretty crazy in the streets and everyone was super excited to be a part of sports history. I had a ball just getting stuck in traffic and walking with the celebrants up and down the overcrowded streets. Yet, even though I was happy and eager to participate in any festivities, the aftermath was a little anti-climactic for me. I know, people are probably like, "Is she nuts? How could it be anything but bananas fun?!?" Let me explain: I'm from Chicago, home of the legendary Chicago Bulls. I took part in each of the six, yes six, championship victories. So, I'm somewhat spoiled. Those days were utter chaos; no one knew how to handle such mobs, the city wasn't prepared for such riots after a simple little sporting event. Chicago paved the way for basketball celebrations in the streets, and also taught every other major US city how to prepare in the event some other team might eventually win... (Those were the days!)

[Congrats D. Wade (he's a Chi-town native as well) for winning a ring and MVP. You deserve it for all the hard work and wicked shots you made throughout the season.]

Miami and South Beach are the places to be and party, but Chicago has basketball championship parties on lock!!!

Brain Patterns

Your Brain's Pattern

Structured and organized, you have a knack for thinking clearly. You are very logical - and you don't let your thoughts get polluted with emotions. And while your thoughts are pretty serious, they're anything from boring. It's minds like yours that have built the great cities of the world!

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

I Can't Hear You!!!!

Why is it that, when people know you are in a club or some other loud environment, they insist on callin you anyway? Isn't that one of the beautiful and splendid things about text messaging? But, of course, I forget about all that as well and actually pick up the call amid blaring music and thumping bass while right in the middle of my little shimmy, rather than forcing the person so desperately trying to contact me and join me in my world to text me his/her/their location. I will not be so forgetful next time. Thanks, Jen, for taking this candid of me screaming into my phone!

Nina

For those who appreciate jazz, You know that Nina Simone was a force and category all her own. For those who haven't heard her dynamic voice and compelling lyrics, I highy suggest you do a little audio research. I probably have at least one version of every song she ever released, along with live one-night-only performances. She is a sort of hero of mine and she deserves recognition from the newer generations. Never forget the pioneers, never forget those who came before us so that we might progress. Nina, you are loved, adored and respected. You are eternally among us and your voice breathes life still.

Check out Nina Simone in all her glory.





What a woman!

Derek

Loking into the archives of poetry I've written, my friend has written, and poetry we've shared from luminaries whose words touch us, I found this little gem from Derek Walcott, a poetry master.

The Fist

The fist clenched round my heart
loosens a little, and I gasp
brightness; but it tightens
again. When have I ever not loved
the pain of love? But this has moved

past love to mania. This has the strong
clench of the madman, this is
gripping the ledge of unreason, before
plunging howling in the abyss.

Hold hard then, heart. This way at least you live.

How did this make you feel?