Blazing Star Lane

On Single Parenting...

2011-10-06T06:20:00.001-07:00

Richmond Rose said (in response to a post on one of my favorite sites: The trials and tribulations of the average unwed black mother do not apply to Nia. I am in agreement, but I must note my understanding of the other comments regarding unwed parenting. I’m not sure that I would go quite as far as stating that unwed parenting has done as much destruction to the Black American community as slavery, but it has been all kinds of hellish-destructive in its own way.

I am saying this as an unwed mother, as an educated individual, and as one of the lucky remaining members of the "middle class" (which simply means that I can pay my mortgage, car note, student loans, utility bills, buy groceries and still have a little left over to give to my parents each month – all without child support): unwed parenting should be discouraged, and I am primarily concerned about my community, so I will say that unwed parenting should be firmly discouraged in the Black American community.

Putting aside for a moment the financial issues, single parenting is simply not an ideal way to raise a young person - not ideal for the youth, and not ideal for either of the parents. Young people need the constant (read: day-to-day and night-to-night) love, support, involvement, conditioning, discipline, the presence and the very smell of both of their parents, in order have the best possible chance to fully develop into their best selves. Dad needs mom to help him parent well; Mom needs dad to help her parent well. Parenting in the most ideal conditions is perhaps the most difficult (and enduringly so) undertakings of one’s life – it should NOT be done alone – it is NOT designed to be done alone.

I am the first to acknowledge the many, many, many instances and examples of super-fantastic, dedicated and devoted, educated and involved women and men who have raised awesome children as single parents (I am one of them!0. But trust and believe, if I had it to do over again, and if I am asked by my son, or my nieces, or my Girl Scouts, or a member of my youth group, or some random stranger on the street – I DO NOT HESITATE to tell them what I have learned over 15 very hard and long years – don’t make it harder than it has to be!

Seek and find a man or woman who is committed, who is like-minded, who shares your financial expectations, who is willing to build a future. And when you find them, date them, court them, engage with them, marry them, and have a child and raise a family with them. Single parenting happens (sometimes because of tragedy, sometimes because of poor decision making, sometimes because life just happens and you have to keep living or die trying) but in my very honest and humble opinion, single parenting should not be glamorized as an equally suitable option to parenting as a married couple.

Stepping down off my soap box now – sorry for the long post, but this is very close to my mission in life.

"Save Troy Davis"

2011-09-22T02:43:00.000-07:00

“Save Troy Davis”

At 11:08 last night, a young man from our community was murdered for a murder. No weapon was found, no conclusive evidence of his guilt, and 7 out of 9 witnesses eventually recanted or changed their story. There was too much doubt. But the sentence was handed down, the death warrant was signed, his fate was sealed, and his family (like the family of the police officer he was convicted of killing) is feeling what I cannot imagine.

But if the words of the “I Am Troy Davis” campaign ring true, then we can save “Troy Davis”. On your way to work, drive by any random bus stop in our community; you are likely to see “Troy Davis”. He or she may have identification that bears a different name, but look closely and you will see “Troy Davis”. Because a death warrant has surely been signed for a frighteningly significant percentage of our youth, and our future. The kids who grow up in violent homes, who attend poorly managed schools, who live in economically depressed communities, and who consume spirit-stealing propaganda about the material worth of their lives. Their case has been tried, but there is too much doubt. Their sentence has been handed down, but there is too much doubt. Their death warrant has been signed, but there is too much doubt.

Please be advised: the date has not been set for them, and you and I – we can save “Troy Davis”. We can’t change everything but we damn sure can change some things. Let this not be the end of your righteous indignation, rather the beginning. Let this encourage you to CHANGE THE THINGS YOU CAN.

You be the mentor and change things. You be the court advocate for youth and change things. You attend school board meetings and change things. You be a shoulder or an ear for a single parent and change things. You hold your local politicians accountable and change things. You live a life of example and change things. Make a commitment to regularly sacrifice a little of your time, talent and treasure and you change things. “Save Troy Davis.”

Peace,
Naj

The Tourist - or Soul on Fire

2011-09-10T06:10:00.000-07:00

My son and I watched the Tourist last night, and despite the lack-luster reviews it received, we both agreed the show was worth viewing (we are both biased Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie fans, so take our opinion with a grain of Salt - haha, pun intended!). This is not a movie review, but a line from the movie got me to thinking about power struggles and ‘class warfare’.

In the Tourist, one of the secondary characters is Reginald Shaw; a gangster that had $2.3 billion stolen from him by his ex-accountant (Depp). Shaw has done many 'bad bad things' including brutal murders, in order to obtain his wealth and power. During a scene in which he explains why it is so important that he get back the $2.3 billion, Shaw reveals the reason is because he paid for that money with his soul.

And therein lies the truth. There is a big difference between those who worked hard to get what they have, and those who sold their souls to get what they have. It is usually the latter group that fights the hardest and longest (and dirtiest) against any change in the status quo that would see their wealth and power diminish. And can you blame them really?

Hard work may cost a man in terms of time, sweat, tears, and years...but not his soul. A soul is the ultimate price, and once a man pays with that particular currency, losing the merchandise it purchased is not an option.

"One man's back-down is another MAN's graciousness"

2011-09-01T05:21:00.000-07:00

...or more aptly put, a pissing contest is a waste of time and piss when you already know who the biggest dick is.

Tell Your Own Story!

2011-08-24T04:54:00.000-07:00

I'm re-posting my response to a post on one of my favorite blogs, Michelle Obama Watch.

"Sometimes (and I would say more often times than not) you just need to TELL YOUR OWN STORY. That is the thing I find most encouraging about the world wide web and this 'people-powered-media' movement. It shifts the power of the pen from the hands of a few, to the hands of many. And while I can appreciate comments from folks like Kathy, I am sorry to say that she is in the minority when it comes to telling the real story about the two-and-two Americas - one America on paper, one America in real life; one America for the haves, and one America for the have-nots. It is incumbent upon us all to tell our own story, from our own point of view, with authority and assurance, and without regard for the opinions of those who would (and will) negate our lived-experiences. These folks have been coming to conclusions about us, without us, since the dawn of coming to conclusions. And they will continue to do so. But we can and should share our own conclusions – at the very least there will be something out there to contradict and correct HIStory, and at the most, our stories will change history for the future. TELL YOUR OWN STORY - to your daughters and sons, to your near ones and far ones, and to friends and foes alike. Tell your own story and make them hear you. MAKE THEM HEAR YOU!"

Happy President's Day!

2011-02-21T05:12:00.000-08:00

Keep up the good work Mr. President!

There's No Superman - Only You and I

2010-10-11T13:40:00.000-07:00

Last month I received an email about the Schott Foundation's report, a detailed 50-state analysis of Black males and the US public school system. I won't go into all the details, thought one point does stand out for note: schools across this country fail over 50% of Black males - but if you are like me, raising a young Black male in America - then you know this stat all too well already.

I strongly encourage any and everyone who cares about young people, about the education system, about the future of this country, to read this report. And then go advocate, advocate, advocate. We can't wait for Superman - he (much like Santa Clause) does not exist. All we have is you and I - but then, that's really all we need. Peace.

2010-07-18T06:39:00.000-07:00

The photo is Porter Library - normally the scene of learning and exploration. Last month it was more like a scene from the movie Higher Learning. I am sad, but not surprised, to note that yet another young black male (Mr. Reginald Latson) was profiled as a possible criminal, and as a result, is now dealing with life-altering events courtesy of the justice (just-us?) system. Read here for more information. As I noted on one of my Facebook status updates, the details in the case are conflicting, but what seems clear are the facts that Mr. Latson was NOT armed with ANY weapon, and he is in an AUTISTIC individual who should not be held in a jail/prison general population due to his mental condition. My opinion at this point is that the individual who phoned in this tip, "there is a suspicious black male walking around and he could be carrying a gun" should be held accountable. This call resulted in eight area schools being put on lock-down, a police 'manhunt', and an innocent individual's life being turned upside down. WHEN will people stop assuming that all young Black men are suspicious??? For the love of peace, can we please turn off the stereotypes!!!

I will track this story till its conclusion, and find a way, some way, to help.

Peace, Najmah.

Summertime...

2010-06-20T18:45:00.000-07:00

...and the living ain't easy but I'm still blessed. I received an awesome birthday present last week - my dissertation proposal was approved! It's over the hump, through the tunnel, and on to the finish line for me folks. Lord willing, I will be finished by the end of this year. Then, maybe I can make more than one post per month on my blog...

Peace, Naj.

Monthly Blog???

2010-05-25T02:54:00.000-07:00

Well, I have made exactly zero posts since last month, and this month is almost gone! I have had a lot to say, but not nearly as much time to say it. Quick update - my prospectus (1st three chapters of the dissertation) is complete and I am scheduled to defend to my committee in June! Happy Birthday To Me!!!

Also, my son is starting a blog (http://www.literallyspeakn.com/) to chronicle his four years at the Governor's School. I can't wait for it to get up and running - he is very excited about it, and I have a feeling that he will update his more regularly than I...

Last Friday I had the pleasure of attending an event, An Evening of Elegance - Celebrating Petersburg's Young Women. This was one of the best evenings I've had in a long time - so inspirational to witness the support and testimony given to the future of womanhood in our community. The photo above is a book that was mentioned during another event celebrating and encouraging youth - it seems to make the most sense when adults who have been there and come through, tell and show young people who are going through similar things. Props to the Health Department, Triangle Center for Development, and all of the other partners and sponsors for doing more than just talk about the high teen pregnancy rate in our city!

Last week, during a meeting at work, I wrote down what will probably become my mantra going forward - "steadfast commitment to learning and self-development is the remedy to entrenchment and stagnation."

Peace, Naj.

He's in!

2010-04-02T19:58:00.000-07:00

I know this post is waaaaay late, but my son got into the Governor's School!!! This year of hard work is truly going to pay off handsomely...more soon!

Listen To Your Elders...

2010-03-10T22:32:00.000-08:00

Today I received a wonderful nugget of wisdom and encouragement - during a meeting at work of all places! :) I won't go into a great deal of detail (because I ain't got time man!!!) but let's just say I am waiting for the PBS/Award Winning Special on Indigenous People, and I am waiting on the prophesy to fully unfold. My God it is a great and special thing to have elders. Listen to them.

BTW - don't let the fact that I have not posted in over a month lead you to believe that I have been slacking off. On the contrary - I am MOVING. I will post an updated page count on my dissertation by the 15th. Also, I pray to have very good news regarding my son's application to the Governor's school by then.

Peace.

94 pages.

2010-02-03T17:48:00.001-08:00

94 pages down. 56 pages to go. Let's get it!

Got me working day and nite!!!

2010-01-30T08:37:00.000-08:00

This dissertation has me working day and night - OMG! For the past two weeks, I have been up till the 'wee hours of the morning, making all KINDS of progress on the revisions to my first three chapters. I am so close I can taste it!!! My son is helping me out too - this Thursday I was too tired to read some research that I printed out - so he read it to me! He kept saying, whoa, that is a BIG word:) But he made it through about five pages and it was all I needed! Lord willing ('and the creek don't rise') I will have a polished product to deliver to my Chair this Sunday - and that's tomorrow so I'd better get off this blog and get back to working!
Peace.

Yele Haiti.

2010-01-13T18:19:00.000-08:00

"Yele was coined by Wyclef in a song and means "a cry for freedom." The logo means STOP THE VIOLENCE with one hand, PEACE with the other... while the heart is LOVE".

On Tuesday, Haiti, the first black nation to gain independence in 1804 (from France), has devastated by a 7.0 earthquake. Today, the images of destruction and despair dominated the airwaves. Words are insufficient.

I stand in proxy tonight for the mothers who have lost children today, who have no idea how they will provide for their loved ones today, tomorrow, next week. May we all stand in prayer and take action. Please, Yele Haiti.

Peace.

ARGS!!!!

2010-01-07T18:07:00.001-08:00

Today my son got an interview letter from the Appomattox Regional Governor's School! He is auditioning for a spot in Literary Arts and I just pray that he gets in. I like k12 and all, but ARGS has so many opportunities for students and I know that he will do very well there. Right now, he is working on his second drafts of two poems, one short story, and a memoir to complete his portfolio. I don't have anything to compare his writing to on an eight-grade level, but I think he is pretty talented. His writings are very creative and amusing. Let's hope that the interview panel sees his potential for greatness!

Speaking of greatness, I met with my Dissertation Chair today and it was so encouraging. She read my first three draft chapters and gave me the best suggestions to make it better. She says that I am on the right track and can finish by summer!!! Look out academia, here I come...

ALGEBRA!

2010-01-06T19:41:00.000-08:00

Well, my son is having some difficulties with some of the lessons in Algebra this year (school year). I wonder who ever thought of Algebra, and why??? Do I use this tool in my daily life? No. Believe it or not, the photo above is a a page from an Algebra textbook Kitab al-jam’wal tafriq bi hisab al-Hindi ("Book on Addition and Subtraction after the Method of the Indians"). From what I can tell (and my son would back me up on this I'm sure) the books have not gotten much easier to understand since 750-850AD! It is a good thing I have the answer sheets for my son's classwork, otherwise we would be in BIG trouble...

But I have to believe that there is a good reason it is in the grade curriculum...I guess. For those of you who have 8th graders like me, and particularly for those of you who are home schooling, I know you feel my pain! I am thinking about getting a professional tutor, just to make sure he can pass the SOLs. I called Huntington and would you believe those folks charge $43 an hour!?!? For tutoring! Man, I must be in the wrong business! Now I REALLY wish I was better in Algebra - I could open my own tutoring business AND help my son with his classwork.

Peace.

Music and Mentoring

2010-01-04T18:48:00.000-08:00

Tonight, after a very peaceful and productive start to the first workweek in 2010, I have music and mentoring on my mind. To begin with, my sister purchased an iPhone (3G 16GB!) for me during the holidays and I have got to say that I love it. Almost more than shoes. Not only do I have my vast personal music collection (ranging from Tracy Chapman to TI, from Shirley Cesar to Carlos Santana, from Adelle to At Last and back to Sam Cooke...well you get the idea - I LOVE most any kind of good MUSIC) neatly arranged and available at my finger tips...I also have my latest and greatest infatuation - PANDORA (thank the good Lord for the music genome project for giving the world such a gift) everywhere I go. I am listening to the smooth sounds of Sade and others inspired by her genius as I type. I think I might just make it through another year at work after all!

I also have mentoring on the mind. January is national mentoring month and I can't wait to get my girl scout troop back in action - we have been on hiatus since September but we re-grouped in December - just in time to see Princess & the Frog as a group - it was great. And with our First Lady Michelle Obama ("Lady O")as Honorary National President, I have one more great thing to encourage our young ladies...maybe we can arrange a visit to the White House next year (you know it takes that long to get a sponsor and get clearance for all of the girls)...yes, that is exactly what we will do. In the meantime, I am open for great scouting ideas for our troop...and yes we ARE selling cookies so be generous - we want to donate some boxes to our faithful troops over seas and go to Great Wolf Lodge!.

That's all for tonight - peace.

Bonne Anne!

2010-01-03T10:03:00.000-08:00

Well! It has been since OCTOBER for my last post. As you can probably imagine, I have been BUSY BUSY BUSY. Updates: K12 still rocks - my son and I are really getting the hang of pseudo-home schooling. I can't tell you how much work it is - but how worth it. My first three chapters of the dissertation are finished - in draft form at least! I am now working on the focus group and survey protocols. I can't WAIT to be finished.

Disney released the Princess and the Frog and it is a HIT in my book - very well done and my son agrees! In one year we have a black Princess on the big screen and a black Queen in the White House - my goodness how the times they are a'changin!

My eight siblings and I have a family retreat last month to close out the year on a HISTORIC note...more coming on that so stay tuned. FAMILY. Live it. Love it.

I am looking forward to each blessed day in 2010 with baited breath and tip-toe anticipation; whatever the Lord has in store for me - IT IS GONNA BE NICE!

...I Still Have Mountains To Climb

2009-10-12T18:07:00.000-07:00

(we've conquered hills). Well its coming up on week four (or five?) of our virtual school journey, and I feel like we have so much to do! Just about every evening, we go over the day's lesson, we check work we discuss what problems he may be having and it is both exhilarating and exhausting. Although the K12 curriculum has everything one could ask for (so far it really is very impressive, great stories, detail, and depth for each subject), I still have to play the role of teacher/learning coach and this is very time consuming. So a word to anyone reading who might be considering this: planning and organization appears to be a key factor that is helping us get over the hills (and hopefully will get us over the mountains too!).

Today my son learned more about Latin and Greek root words, Sumer, and elements...and so did I! That is the thing I find about K12 virtual academy that (if you do it right anyway), it really makes the parent become a true partner with the student as they are learning. I wish I had more hours in the day...

The dissertation (another mountain) is coming along (still slowly, still surely). I have approval to use the data set I need. I've reviewed 85% of my new research. Now it is just a matter of putting together chapters 1-3. Can I do it before the semester is up...? I had PLANNED to be finished before October was up! So, again with the adjustments in the schedule, but for a most worthy cause. We keep on pushing and climbing.

A is for Apple!

2009-10-06T18:15:00.000-07:00

Well, we went on our first field trip with the K12 VA VA Academy yesterday and it was GREAT! My son got to meet another 8th grade student in the academy, and I got to pick fresh apples. The day was heaven sent - I mean it was really that beautiful. AND K12 paid for the field trip expense (not gas, but the admission and snacks, and hey, that's more than you usually get with regular school!). My son and I were very pleased.

We are still having some of the same difficulties that you would expect with traditional junior high school - keeping the student organized, on task (and off Facebook - man I should have made him wait till he turned 14 or 15!!!), but I still must say I am very pleased with this learning format. I have much more control and access to the curriculum and learning tools. I have the lesson objectives right at my finger tips. I don't have to wait until tomorrow to ask the teacher what he was supposed to be doing today, or what he should have learned, or what he should know by next week. Its ALL RIGHT THERE!!! Thank God for technology. I truly believe this is the way to go - or at least some hybrid of this format blended with in-class instruction.

I am also making VERY good progress on moving that mountain that is the dissertation - Ph.D. - I SEE YOU....

Gold Star!

2009-09-23T16:12:00.000-07:00

So far, so good with the Virtual Academy/Home Schooling. My son seems excited about learning. We had our first parent-teacher-student conference yesterday. We used the Elluminate (e-classroom) tool and he loved it. I don't know why he was so thrilled to be able to talk to and listen to his teacher on the computer, but he was. It is just like chatting with a mic and web cam. I can't believe he is so interested in this type of learning format, but he is. His Algebra really needs work (he did not learn much at all last year), so the teacher pointed out some tools that should help get his aptitude up to where it should be. I am just very happy with the curriculum and format so far. We will see how the assessment goes.

I have pulled together a lot of additional research for my dissertation proposal...now if I could just get finished with this other proposal I'm working on for a client, then I could start writing my chapters! I swear, sometimes my competing career and education interest give me a double migraine. And let's not even start about work. Thank God for a job though. Thank God for a job!

Online!

2009-09-19T19:15:00.000-07:00

Well we are up and running with K12! All the materials came earlier this week and we got signed on last Friday. My son is really having a good time with this format so far, and aside from the frequent calls at work (I've got to get him to call only one time every other hour to tell me about something new he's done), I like it a lot!

So, we start week three (officially week 2, since we just got everything set up last week) this Monday, and then we will by in a rhythm. A field trip to Charlottesville has already been scheduled too. I can't wait. My son is excited about learning again. I have the ENTIRE 8th grade curriculum at my finger tips. The flexibility and control of this program is AWESOME. So far, so good.

Progress report on the Ph.D: slow and steady wins the race!

Day 2!

2009-09-09T20:52:00.000-07:00

Well, today I had to re-submit all of my paper work to K-12 for th Virtual Academy enrollment. VERY FRUSTRATING. I am glad I am a persistent parent! On the upside, my son is working his way through the entire Algebra SOL review, and this is his hardest subject but he seems to be doing just fine. Also, he is really getting into the laptop and software. I think I will start looking for some gaming programs (intro level) for him to work on. Here's hoping I have the online curriculum set up and ready to go by next Monday....

BTW, our President gave a kick-a** address to congress this evening and my son watched the entire thing with me. I find it hard to believe that he is so into politics, but I guess it is because me and my brother (and everyone that comes over to the house) is so into it. Anyway, what a great government/history/economics lesson supplement that was!

School Daze

2009-09-08T20:52:00.000-07:00

Well, today was the first day of 8th grade, and it went very well at the Virtual Academy! My son was very inspired by our President's address to students across the country. He told me that he watched it live, then watched it again on C-Span just so he could catch some of the parts that he missed. He was very impressed that Mr. Obama had to get up at 4:30am to keep on schedule with his US education while he was living in Indonesia with his mom. Thank God for a president who understands the difficulties that some students face in their educational pursuits, and who feels the responsibility to encourage and motivate them to do their best, despite the obstacles!!! May the Lord continue to bless our president and his family, and may the doubters, haters, and naysayers go the way of the dry leaves in the fall...

I am feeling quite positive about the online game plan for this year, so stay tuned for regular updates.

BTW, the Ph.D. is coming along nicely. I have a meeting with my dissertation committee chair tomorrow. It is still looking like May 2010 but I have WORK to do. I need to listen to our President's speech again too...every student needs a little motivation!

Great Expectations

2009-08-15T05:49:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the good folks over at Electronic Village for posting this story about missing 5-year old Hasanni Campbell. His story caught my attention because he is a foster child and he probably has a lot to offer the world, but like so many foster children, he may not get the chance. As EV asked, so do I: please keep young Hasanni in your prayers. If you have information about his location, please contact the Oakland, VA authorities at 510-238-3641.

Also, please keep ALL foster children in your prayers - from babies to 18 - they need our prayers and they need our action. For my part, I plan to take a more active role in Great Expectations and other programs that support foster youth as they make the transition from youth to adulthood, where so many fall through the cracks (again). Anyway, that's my post for today.

BWT - my son's reading list is coming along very nicely. He did it himself - thank the Lord for the world wide web and libraries!

Made in L.A.

2009-08-11T20:33:00.000-07:00

Still working on my son's reading list...but we did have a mini foreign language & government lesson courtesy of PBS' Point of View series this evening. The documentary film "Made in L.A. was an eye-opener for me and my son; the story follows a group of undocumented immigrants in Los Angeles' garment industry over three years. These individuals (mostly women) worked in sweat-shop conditions for a Forever 21 subcontractor; they were paid far below the state minimum wage, and in many cases worked without pay. More details about the conditions in the factories can be found here.

Although it took three years and a great deal of courage and persistence, the garment workers were eventually successful in negotiating a settlement with Forever 21. My son was especially please with this outcome. But he took away something else from this documentary; one of the key characters made a statement "I am ugly" and my son said, "she is not ugly, she probably just feels that way because when you are mistreated so long, your self esteem is taken away and you think you are ugly." He also said that I don't need to shop at Forever 21 (or any other clothing store) anymore - I have enough clothes and shoes...

Reading list

2009-08-08T10:34:00.000-07:00

I am supposed to be developing a reading list for my rising 8th grader. We are doing the home-school adventure this year and I want to make it just that - an adventure in learning. But of course, in the process of getting the book list together, I was tempted by my own book list, and now I am in the middle of re-reading one of my top-shelf favorites Bebe More Campbell's "What You Owe Me".

This book (like many other second and third and forth time around reads) has broader meaning to me now, given what I've been exposed to in the last few years, and what America in general is having to come to terms with because of our past colliding with our present. The book spans three generations and as many races, to tell the tale of what happens when humans hate others because of physical differences, and how that impacts so many lives down the line. If you haven't read the book, I highly suggest that you do. It is not a history lesson (it may very well be a herstory lesson, but even that might be a stretch), but it is story that has so many well-developed characters that you can't help but learn something from their lives.

I hope I can find some books like this for my son's reading list...

It's been a long time...

2009-08-05T16:09:00.000-07:00

But I'm still here! Still working on my dissertation...completion timeline has been extended a bit though (May 2010). Today's post was inspired by Naomi Sims - widely credited with being the first black super model. I did not know of here, but when I saw her photo, I had to post it here. Hats off to a lovely lady who represented so much to so many lovely ladies.

Coming in the near future, I HOPE to blog more regularly...I will be adventuring into home-schooling with my 8th-grade son, so that should provide plenty of blog-worthy notes. Until next time!

First Lady

2009-03-01T01:10:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been waaaaay too long since my last post. Of course, I have been doing a number of things (to include reading other blogs that thankfully have more dedicated bloggers than myself - thanks Field, BrownSista, et al). I had to post this photo and a thought, as I wind down my CIAA Weekend here in the Queen City. Mrs. Obama is really giving folks pause (Right to Bare Arms???) but she is giving me a real sense of pride. I see myself, my sisters, my mother, my girl scout troop in her smile and I love the fact that her smiling face and beautiful brown image is being seen all over the world. I am going to have a poster of the First Lady reproduced for all of my OPAL members and my girls scouts, so they can hang it on their walls.

BTW, yes I am STILL writing the dissertation. Yes I am STILL graduating this year...just not in May (thank God for December Convocations!).

Mr. Obama Goes to Washington

2008-11-10T22:23:00.001-08:00

A picture is worth a thousand words...

PS - I AM still working on my dissertation. This week, more so than last, as you can probably imagine!

Yes, We Will.

2008-11-04T22:44:00.000-08:00

YES WE CAN. YES WE DID. Yes, we will.

We made history tonight and I am so grateful to have been a part of it. President-elect Obama, may God bless you, and keep you and your family. May we hold you and your administration accountable for making the positive changes that we need. May we keep this new sense of purpose, participation and power. May we all be kept from pride, and despair. May we always remember this time in our long history in this country.

NWOTW

2008-10-30T09:58:00.000-07:00

Okay, so let's try a word of the week...not that I can't post everyday (a quick look at my "daily posting" history will dispell that rumor), but I am still stuck on love. Today, its love a la Fantasia's "I Believe" - love keeps lifting me higher. And it does, above disappointment and distractions and exhaustion, it keeps lifting me higher.

When you look out in the distance

You see it never was that far

Heaven knows your existance

and wants you to be everything you are

There's a time for every soul to fly

Its in the eyes of every child

Its the hope the love to save the world and oh we should never let it go...

Let's Talk About Love

2008-10-26T07:27:00.000-07:00

I am finished with a major part of my dissertation folks. Concept paper - check. Now, it is on to field work, data analysis, and more writing. May 15th - save the date - you are invited to my graduate ceremony!

I am starting Najmah's Word Of The Day (NWOTD) to help me post more, think more and listen more.

NWOTD for 10.26.08 is LOVE. I'm thinking about love and its many forms; how hard it is to find, maintain and re-gain when lost. I think love is putting something or someone before yourself, even (and especially) when you have every reason not to.

Where Is Tekenya Wooten's Amber Alert???

2008-10-24T07:35:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Electronic Village and What About Our Daughters for this story . Little Takenya Wooten is missing; she is 12 years old and 8 months pregnant. She was last seen on October 18th at the group home where she lived. The Durham Police Department, despite pleas from members of the general public to do so, have yet to tag this case as 'high risk' and have not issued an Amber Alert.

I have to pause now and refrain from using every four-letter word in my vocabulary here. I just want to make one point clear: this child is 'high risk', this child is in danger, this child is scared, this child is alone, this child has been sexually abused (a 12 year old child does not consent to sex I don't give a damn what anyone else says) and this child deserves our attention. Her life is worth just as much 'Amber's. I will call, email, text until I get word about this baby girl. Pray that anyone reading this blog will do the same.

Senator McCain, I Feel Your Pain

2008-10-08T14:25:00.000-07:00

I was going to blog (I shouldn't even call it blogging really, since I can barely post once a month!) about the "that one" heard around the world from last night's debate. But the more I think about John McCain, the more I understand his plight. Before I continue, I should state that I subscribe to a particular notion (I borrowed it from somewhere to be sure, but the person or place escapes my memory so just forgive me in advance here) that 'there is some good in the worst of us and some bad in the best of us'; and I don't think John is on either of the far sides of this particular spectrum.

All things considered, I think he is a relatively decent man. And he is being faced with a serious dilemma: John McCain really wants to be POTUS; he truly thinks that he knows what is best for the country that he loves, the country that he suffered for. And he is not winning this race right now. He is looking at a very real possibility that he might loose this election come November. It is not then surprising why his campaign is resorting to the personal attacks and hate-baiting antics of late. It is because he knows that he will have to appeal to the worst in the electorate in order to have a shot at the presidency.

But John is also facing the very real possibility that even this might not be enough to win. And if that is the case, not only would he have lost the election, John would have lost his own identity. His sense of pride and dignity; he would have permanently damaged his personal and professional reputation, and lost the respect and admiration of so many, regardless of what they thought of his party or positions. And this 'hurts like brand new shoes' for John. This is a man who has always put himself out there as a stand up kind of guy and a decent politician. This is the man who wrote that he "would be held to a higher standard…. I was especially obligated not to disguise my own selfishness as counterfeit patriotism….; for the politician who promises to put patriotism before selfishness, who promises not to lie, and then reneges, does more harm to the public trust than does the politician who makes no issue of his virtue. (– John McCain, Worth the Fighting For, Chapter 12, “Straight Talk,” page 379, hat tip to News One).

John as you look up at the bar of the higher standard and wonder "how have I sunk so low" just know that I feel your pain. Truth be told, we've all worn a pair of new shoes in our lifetime.

Concept paper status report

2008-09-17T06:42:00.001-07:00

Well, my concept paper is almost approved! I have to make a few additons and that will be it. Major hurdle complete here folks. Now, its on to the second phase - field wor

A Choice About Choice

2008-08-31T10:12:00.000-07:00

Okay. So. The republican VP candidate is Ms. Sarah Palin, Gov. of Alaska. Much adu is being made about her pros and cons, some possible scandals and the like. I will let the professionals handle that. My main concern about Ms. Palin is reflective of my main concern about most republicans in general: their desire to legislate morality, regardless of how reckless and cost-ineffective that aim may be. Ms. Palin is a staunch pro-lifer. So much so that she would legislate against terminating a pregnancy, EVEN in the case of rape, incest, or in cases where the life of the mother is serioulsy threatened. My argument is, and has always been, that's okay for YOU, if that's your plan, but please do not attempt to legislate the way I live my life or the decisions I make for my family. Those things are clearly outside of the realm of government and for good damn reason Ms. Palin, et al. Now I have made my case, but I also have heard the case but more eloquently than this. Check out the following comment from this blog, from a mother who, in hindsight, would like the choice to make a difficult choice. The personal statement is honest and candid and must have been very difficult for this mother to make. I commend her for saying what so many can not....

Mother Who Thinks (11:49:42) :
I am a mother who thinks. I am a mother of a child - now 21 - with Down syndrome. I am an Alaskan who raised her child in Alaska (along with another kid, a husband, an education, and a job with benefits.)

IT IS THE HARDEST THING I EVER DID. It took everything I had, and more. There were highlights - but they in no way balanced the demands, frustrations, and dark nights of the soul. The impact on my nondisabled son is still being felt. My marriage effectively turned into a parenting partnership with no future that escaped the impact of having a child with significant and inescapable needs.

I was, by our society’s standards, well-equipped to cope with this unexpected aspect of parenting. It devastated me nonetheless. When my son was born I had no idea what lay ahead. It was gut-wrenching determination and motherlove that carried me forward. I still can’t count it a success.

I learned, through much hard work, how to navigate the system that we all think exists for “all” children and adults with disabilites. Had I not been intent on accessing services, finding out how agencies and regulations work, and forcing them to work for us, the outcome would have been far worse for my child, family, and self.

Had I been less able, less determined, less economically able, less educated….I don’t know how I could have survived to “make the best” of the life I had been handed. I can’t count the times I thought, “What do other parents do? I want to quit trying to make this work.”
Do I wish I could have been spared this challenge? Make that a resounding YES. Do I think that my child should have been spared the difficulties, loneliness, heartache, and exclusion that disability, by nature, means? Make that a YES too. Would I have chosen to terminate the pregnancy had I had the foreknowledge and choice? Yes, even from the other end of the trail, now that my child is grown in years but will forever remain a child, dependent, vulnerable in an uncertain world.

What disturbs me most about Sarah Palin’s choice to continue her pregnancy, knowing that her child would have Down syndrome, is that she would make that choice for me, or my sister, or my daughter, or my friends, male and female alike. No one can decide for us. Certainly not “government” who cannot be counted on to help the hundreds of thousands of those with disabilities, already and to-be-born.

Oh, and have I mentioned this? I, who through struggle and persistence and crisis, mastered the service and funding system, have a reasonably happy kid. He still and will struggle through his lifetime with mental retardation and related behavior and communication issues. He lives in federally subsidized housing, attends public school as an intensive-needs student, gets his healthcare through medicaid, and has 24 hour care from direct service providers. When you make the system work, you can build a community-based life for your child.

Only a small percentage of those who need this level of care can get it. Without advocacy, forget it. Without continued funding of education, healthcare, vocational, and independent living services, this will all go “POOF.” The waitlist, even in a small state like Alaska, has over a thousand people on it, many for years. Most languish at home with aging parents or siblings. Some are receiving “care” in corrections while they try to find someone to “take” them. Some are homeless.

My son’s cost of care is over $200,000 a year. Thank you, taxpayers. And the Chinese lenders.
Palin has delegated the care of her infant with Down syndrome to others. I don’t know how this can be done, emotionally or financially. Kudos to her if she and her family pull this off. They are well-positioned financially, socially, and politically to do this. I think that this is not an option for 99.9% of families who include children and adults with disabilites.

To take the position that EVERY American family SHOULD and MUST be denied the option to terminate a pregnancy that will result in hardship, cost, heartache, and diminished possibilities that will last a lifetime is just plain wrong. I could never support a candidate on any ticket that would take the hardline prolife position she takes. She can no more use her experience to decide for all than I can.

But it is about CHOICE. About REALITY. And no one can decide that for someone else, and force them into the netherworld of disability.

How do they do it???

2008-08-31T10:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it has been a minute or two since my last post (I SWEAR I don't know how the daily bloggers DO it...I can count on on hand the things that I can manage to do everyday, with any great deal of consistency of quality, and blogging just ain't one...so hats off to folks like the Field, who manage to keep it coming on the daily, and keep the quality to boot!). Anyhooo....so much has happened and I will try to summarize:

I saw Barack Obama give a live town-hall style meeting in Chester, VA - I crashed the party - so cool and I will post photos soon (I had to buy one of those DISPOSABLE cameras from Walgreens because I went to the meeting on short notice and left my handy-dandy digital cam at home - what DID we do for photos before digital? I can't possible figure out how to both go drop the damn camera off at Walgreens AND pick up the damn photos however many hours or days later....but I digress). Also, Obama came to Petersburg. Yes PETERSBURG!!! Well, there's just nothing else to say about that. Except that I damn-near broke my ankle trying to see him in the 'burg (should've been happy with my party-crashing success, but noooooo, I just want everything!). Okay, what next? Oh, I hosted a fabulous Convention Watch Party at my house last week - 22 folks came - I even met two neighbors of mine (I've been living on this street for nearly two years and I am just now meeting these folks - what is WRONG with us??). Party was great. Speech was GREAT. Obama looked and sounded like a champ - hitting every point from A-Z. Best one-liner of the night: "8 is enough". Hell yeah 8 is enough; 8 was too damned much for my taste. Boy, I loved the love illustrated on that stage, 45 years to the date when the honorable Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made a speech about the possibility of such a day! Words do not do justice to how we all felt.

Whew. That was a lot. Oh, and by the way YES - I have been working like that on my dissertation. I am a few drafts away from a final concept paper. Small steps folks, small steps.

I am going to make up for my limited posts by doing two today! Next up, Sarah P....

"Thinking of a Doctor Plan..."

2008-08-11T18:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I have not posted a PhD status report in a few weeks, but that does not mean I haven't been hard at work! Slowly (very slowly) but surely, things are coming together for this concept paper. The devil is in the data...

Sad news this weekend on the passing of Bernie Mac, as well as Isaac Hayes. I never met Bernie in person, but he came across as a genuine, caring, funny soul. May God be with his family in this time of loss.

And finally for this post (how folks like The Field manage to post on a daily basis and still keep up with life in general is beyond me and my hat goes off to them for sure!), what about Darfur?

Received my Essence magazine in the mail on Saturday (with a wonderful pic of the next 1st fam on the cover) and read an article about Dr. Halima Bashir, author of "Tears of the Desert", and survivor of rape and torture at the hands of Janjaweed militia, because she spoke out against the rapes of scores of ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GIRLS. Read the rest of the story in this article.

I don't know if I can bear to read the book, but I will purchase it. That's the least I can do. We CANNOT forget Darfur - crimes against humanity are going on as we speak. WHAT ABOUT DARFUR?

Marketing Campaign...

2008-07-27T08:04:00.000-07:00

While sitting under the dryer for an hour (man I can't stand sitting under the hot-a dryer!!!) I found a link to this article about how Michelle O is helping to recast the image of Black women in the US. According to the author, Mrs. Obama doing much to dispel long-held mis-truths about the Black woman:

"Jones and others say that Michelle Obama knocks down old stereotypes of black women: Sapphire, the angry black woman; Mammy, the caretaker and nurturer of her own children and everybody else's, and Jezebel, the loose woman."

The article goes on to state how Michelle is not just a good role model for one race:

"She's brilliant, she's beautiful, she's classy and she's a warm caring individual. Not only is it great for black women to see a sister who could be the First Lady, it's good for all women because she has the qualities we can all admire."

I am hereby co-signing on that statement. I love the way Michelle carries herself, how she handles her multiple responsibilities and roles, and how she sets the example for so many other women, regardless of their race, socioeconomic status, etc. But I could not help saying an amen to Whoopie's comments:

Typically, society has touted a narrow image of the attractive black woman, Thomas says. That woman has usually been a lighter-skinned black woman -- something Whoopi Goldberg brought up when Michelle Obama recently cohosted the ABC television show "The View."
Goldberg complimented Obama's brown skin saying, "I know it sounds funny and silly, but if you are a black woman and you are tuning in and every time you see someone who is supposed to represent black women and ... not very, very fair skin women, I am talking about dark black women, I just want to say thanks."

Yeah Whoopi, I know it sounds funny and silly to, but it is the truth. And I want to say thanks too. Even though there are much more important things about this campaign, I can't help but enjoy the fringe benefits: Michelle is truly helping to market a standard of beauty that has been there all along.

A Princess Like Me...

2008-07-20T17:32:00.000-07:00

So I've been waiting on the latest Disney movie for two years now. Those of you who are familiar with me will understand why. The nonprofit org that I founded (and now volunteer for) is Prince & Princess, Inc. for the same reason I am waiting for Disney to finally add a Black Princess to their Princess line. Even if you don't know me, you probably know a young Black girl who loves to play dress-up, who wants to be a princess; you've probably purchased a Disney Princess item for a birthday and wondered why the characters were not at all similar to the little princess you were buying for. We all have heard of the doll test ; the Disney Princess thing may seem like a small matter, but it really highlights a bigger issue - that for as much as we try to tell our girls (and ourselves for that matter) that Black is beautiful, we are constantly faced with a mainstream society that insists (directly and indirectly) that there is only one standard of beauty, and Black ain't it. I hope this little movie about a Black Princess goes a long way to undue some of the damage to our self-image. I know it's only a movie, but hey, I can dream...

On a related note check out this site for Princess Briana - a lovely book that helped my niece see herself as a beautiful Princess - even at 8 years old, she already has concerns about the color of her skin (beautiful dark brown like her momma and her auntie). She shared this book with me and I could tell it really made her see things differently. I am so grateful that her grandma found it!

Have a wonderful Monday folks!

PHD Status Report 2

2008-07-10T18:11:00.000-07:00

Okay. So I have been writing! As promised. I am 1/3 complete with revisions to my concept paper. AND - I fine-tuned my research question, so things are looking very good. My goal is to complete the concept paper revisions by month's end and submit to my committee chair. Stay tuned...

Also, attended organizing meeting for the Tri-Cities 4 Obama team tonight; finally getting a headquarters established in Petersburg!!! ('bout time folks) I will try to stay focused on my dissertation mission, and to demonstrate that, I only signed up for 1 1/2 days of volunteer availability per week...

Peace.

PHD Status Report 1

2008-06-20T06:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, so last night I was supposed to post a status report but I didn't - I had a late board meeting! Now, I did not write this week, but that is because I had to prepare to teach a course for the Summer Leadership Program at VSU. Soooooo, I get a pass this week. And next week too, cause I'm going on vacation. I will post my next status report on July 3rd. PS - Happy Juneteeth folks!

Another Smart Albert...

2008-06-16T20:25:00.000-07:00

Tonight while preparing for a short class I was asked to teach at VSU (short notice given but I need the experience so I'm on it and sacrificing Monk dvd time tonight...) I happened across Dr. Albert Schweitzer. I used a quote of his in my presentation for the class, and sense I like to be prepared to give some amount of detail about the person making the quote (if asked), I did what any lady would do when she wants information on a man...I Googled him. Turns out Dr. Albert S. was one bad man (Nobel Peace Prize recipient), and boy did he speak some truths to power! For example, his take on human rights postulated by the European culture:

“Oh, this "noble" culture of ours! It speaks so piously of human dignity and human rights and then disregards this dignity and these rights of countless millions and treads them underfoot, only because they live overseas or because their skins are of different color or because they cannot help themselves. This culture does not know how hollow and miserable and full of glib talk it is, how common it looks to those who follow it across the seas and see what it has done there, and this culture has no right to speak of personal dignity and human rights…"

Sounds like the good doctor is commenting on the current state of affairs, huh? Well, here's more. Stumbling upon great stuff like this makes me praise the lord for the ability to read! The final line below really speaks to my feelings on why we must do good work, especially when we keep hearing bad news...

-Albert Schweitzer, M.D., OM, (January 14, 1875 – September 4, 1965) was an Alsatian theologian, musician, philosopher, and physician. He was born in Kaisersberg in Alsace-Lorraine, a bilingual Romano-Germanic region which Germany returned to France after World War I. Schweitzer challenged both the secular view of historical Jesus current at his time and the traditional Christian view, depicting a Jesus who expected the imminent end of the world. He received the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize in 1953 for his philosophy of "reverence for life",[1] expressed in many ways, but most famously in founding and sustaining the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Lambaréné, now in Gabon, west central Africa (then French Equatorial Africa) .

Schweitzer considered his work as a medical missionary in Africa to be his response to Jesus' call to become "fishers of men" but also as a small recompense for the historic guilt of European colonizers:[30]

“Who can describe the injustice and cruelties that in the course of centuries they [the coloured

peoples] have suffered at the hands of Europeans? … If a record could be compiled of all that has happened between the white and the coloured races, it would make a book containing numbers of pages which the reader would have to turn over unread because their contents would be too horrible.

Rather than being a supporter of colonialism, Schweitzer was one of its harshest critics. In a sermon that he preached on January 6, 1905, before he had told anyone of his plans to dedicate the rest of his life to work as a doctor in Africa, he said:[31]

"Our culture divides people into two classes: civilized men, a title bestowed on the persons who do the classifying; and others, who have only the human form, who may perish or go to the dogs for all the "civilized men" care.

“If all this oppression and all this sin and shame are perpetrated under the eye of the German God, or the American God, or the British God, and if our states do not feel obliged first to lay aside their claim to be "Christian" — then the name of Jesus is blasphemed and made a mockery. And the Christianity of our states is blasphemed and made a mockery before those poor people. The name of Jesus has become a curse, and our Christianity — yours and mine — has become a falsehood and a disgrace, if the crimes are not atoned for in the very place where they were instigated. For every person who committed an atrocity in Jesus' name, someone must step in to help in Jesus' name; for every person who robbed, someone must bring a replacement; for everyone who cursed, someone must bless.

“And now, when you speak about missions, let this be your message: We must make atonement for all the terrible crimes we read of in the newspapers. We must make atonement for the still worse ones, which we do not read about in the papers, crimes that are shrouded in the silence of the jungle night…”

Words can help...

2008-06-09T17:40:00.000-07:00

Short note about a book I purchased today (actually, last week, but Amazon via mail, ya know) - Letters to a Young Sister by Hill Harper. This is Mr. Harper's follow up to his Letters to a Young Brother. I'm no speed reader, so I am not going to offer a review just yet. I picked up this book so I can review it and purchase several copies to give to my OPAL girls as a senior year present this fall. As I read the forward by 'my girl' Gabrielle Union (love! her!), and the introduction by Mr. Harper (beginning to like him lots), I thought about how we (ordinary folks like you and me) can use words to help young people become great people. I also thought (you know I was going to work Obama in here somewhere!) about how the Obama for America campaign used words to make powerful change, especially in regard to young people and political activism. It is no surprise that Barack and Hill are good friends from college. It is no shock that Michelle Obama lent her words of wisdom and encouragement to this book. I just am so struck by the entirety of it all. So moved by the power of positive prose and meaningful messages. I swear we can move this mountain of a world if we want to...

PS - Amazon also sent me Lalah Hathaway's Self Portrait - very lovely wonderful listen all the way through. Pick it up 2day. Word.

Makes me wanna holla...

2008-06-06T06:22:00.000-07:00

The local media (much like the national media) pissed me off again. This time, I had to write to them, see below for the email. Dammit, I swear, sometimes you can't get these folks to see postive change even if it runs up and gives them a big fat french kiss. Makes me wanna holla - throw up both my hands!

"Dear Sirs,

Petersburg resident Gloria Brown recently sent a note to me regarding the coverage on June 5th; I commend her on her immediate response to this poor coverage and her commitment to bring it to the attention of other like-minded citizens. Like Gloria, I am a concerned citizen working and residing in the City of Petersburg; my son will attend Peabody Middle School in the 08/09 school year. I was very encouraged upon seeing the early SOL test scores during this week's school board meeting. For example, the Algebra I test scores improved in the double digits (as indicated by preliminary results) - this is nothing short of phenomenal. I was encouraged by the atmosphere of excitement and expectation among all stakeholders; it is clear to me and many others that this city is experiencing a bona-fide renaissance. In almost every area – from education to economic development and housing to health services, Petersburg is redefining itself. The city is not where it wants to be, but together stakeholders have created a practical road map to reach the final destination, and we are well on our way.

Needless to say, I was most discouraged upon seeing the poorly-worded media coverage from Wednesday’s school board meeting. Gentlemen, you had an opportunity to report positive news on the school system, but instead, you choose to give a markedly negative story. You had a direct request from the Superintendent to make note of the City Council’s increase in the school budget, but you focused on the RFP (stale news as it is). You had a ready-made feel good piece on how a once struggling public school system is slowly but surely making its way out of crisis; you had a prime time piece, complete with the distribution of roses and blow-pops to the school board and audience for crying out loud. And yet, you selected to accentuate the negative. It always amazes me, how the local media rarely ‘misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity’ when it comes to positive press for Petersburg.I implore you, please, give the teachers, students, administrators, parents, and concerned citizens of this city the same respect that you seem to be so willing to give other localities. There are students who are doing wonderful things in this school system. There are teachers who are going above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that students receive a quality education. There are administrators who are meeting a mountain of separate (and often conflicting) objectives in order to build a ‘world class school system'. And there are parents and concerned citizens who attend long meetings and sift through mind-numbing lines of budget items and policy proposals on a regular bases, in order to stay informed and engaged. Even though the test results showing MARKED improvement from this time last year are only preliminary, one would think that you would be EXCITED to report this change in direction, in order to encourage even more positive strides within the school system.

It is worth noting that when the City of Petersburg does well, the entire region stands to gain from its success. We are all inter-dependent, and we all should acknowledge that we share a stake in each others success. Please, take a moment to consider this fact, and perhaps you will consider a more positive angle when covering Petersburg news, particularly when there are so many positive angles available for your use."

To be ABD no more...

2008-06-05T16:45:00.000-07:00

It bears noting that I am working on completing a very important piece of work at the moment - my doctoral dissertation. I must admit that I have made many detours (honorable ones - such as working on Barack Obama's presidential primary election, starting my consulting firm, helping my son survive early puberty) since completing my comprehensive exams last fall. However, I am determined to complete this thing and graduate in May 2009.

I remember back in October 2006 I made a statement on my blog (back in my Yahoo 360 days) that I would work at least 20 hours a month on Obama's campaign if he would just run for president. Well, I am a woman of my word. And I stuck to that promise because I believe in what we can do with the right leadership.

Now I am going to make another statement on this blog that I will hold myself accountable to (and if you are reading this, do me a favor and check back every now and again to see if I am still a woman of my word): I will work at least 20 hours a month (5 hours a week) on my dissertation, beginning June 16, 2008. This work includes actual written material - not just mental analysis! I believe if I do this, I will be able to defend no later than March 2009. I will then graduate in May 2009 and finally lay to rest my status as ABD. Lord knows that is the least that I can do, in honor of my Aunt Dot, who made it possible for me to go back to school, and for the countless other family members and friends who have had my back all the way thru this thing.

I will post a progress report on Thursday nights, so stay tuned...

First they ignored us...

2008-06-04T06:39:00.000-07:00

Mahatma Gandhi said “first they ignore you; then they laugh at you; then they fight you; then you win”. I can find no words more fitting for Barack Hussein Obama’s history presidential primary victory last night. No one believed he would win. Except those of us who knew he could win.

I am proud to have worked on this primary campaign here in Virginia. And excited, energized, motivated to do the hard work to get our candidate elected in November. The Obama team, from the bottom to the top, is ready, willing, and able to win.

Praise God for this day, which will no doubt go down in history, as the day we turned the page in America. YES WE CAN. YES WE CAN. YES WE CAN.

See here for a good synopsis of this historic presidential primary.

'Music is the Soul of the Woman'

2008-06-03T06:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Black Music Month! ‘I love music – any kind of music’ is a favorite refrain of mine. Sadly, I don’t know enough about the history of music – of Black music’s influence on all genres – as I would like. I did not even know who Bo Diddley was, until he passed on yesterday.

Apparently, he was “a founding father of rock 'n' roll whose distinctive "shave and a haircut, two bits" rhythm and innovative guitar effects inspired legions of other musicians”.
The AP article goes on to say: “The legendary singer and performer, known for his homemade square guitar, dark glasses and black hat, was an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, had a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, and received a lifetime achievement award in 1999 at the Grammy Awards. In recent years he also played for the elder President Bush and President Clinton. Diddley appreciated the honors he received, "but it didn't put no figures in my checkbook." "If you ain't got no money, ain't nobody calls you honey," he quipped. The name Bo Diddley came from other youngsters when he was growing up in Chicago, he said in a 1999 interview. "I don't know where the kids got it, but the kids in grammar school gave me that name," he said, adding that he liked it so it became his stage name. Other times, he gave somewhat differing stories on where he got the name. Some experts believe a possible source for the name is a one-string instrument used in traditional blues music called a diddley bow. His first single, "Bo Diddley," introduced record buyers in 1955 to his signature rhythm: bomp ba-bomp bomp, bomp bomp, often summarized as "shave and a haircut, two bits." The B side, "I'm a Man," with its slightly humorous take on macho pride, also became a rock standard. The company that issued his early songs was Chess-Checkers records, the storied Chicago-based labels that also recorded Chuck Berry and other stars. Howard Kramer, assistant curator of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, said in 2006 that Diddley's Chess recordings "stand among the best singular recordings of the 20th century." Diddley's other major songs included, "Say Man," "You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover," "Shave and a Haircut," "Uncle John," "Who Do You Love?" and "The Mule."

Diddley's influence was felt on both sides of the Atlantic. Buddy Holly borrowed the bomp ba-bomp bomp, bomp bomp rhythm for his song "Not Fade Away." The Rolling Stones' bluesy remake of that Holly song gave them their first chart single in the United States, in 1964. The following year, another British band, the Yardbirds, had a Top 20 hit in the U.S. with their version of "I'm a Man." Diddley was also one of the pioneers of the electric guitar, adding reverb and tremelo effects. He even rigged some of his guitars himself. "He treats it like it was a drum, very rhythmic," E. Michael Harrington, professor of music theory and composition at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., said in 2006. Many other artists, including the Who, Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello copied aspects of Diddley's style. Growing up, Diddley said he had no musical idols, and he wasn't entirely pleased that others drew on his innovations. "I don't like to copy anybody. Everybody tries to do what I do, update it," he said. "I don't have any idols I copied after." "They copied everything I did, upgraded it, messed it up. It seems to me that nobody can come up with their own thing, they have to put a little bit of Bo Diddley there," he said.” For the entire article By RON WORD, Associated Press Writer click here.

Thank God for news outlets like the Tom Joyner Morning Show, which gives a ‘little known Black History fact’ to listeners every day. Those little facts really help me fill in the gaps left by my American ‘His’tory mis-education…

...But I Know Change 'Gone Come.

2008-05-21T09:14:00.000-07:00

The newsrags and pundits are all wondering out loud about the role that race and gender played in this campaign. Sexism and racism should be discussed, because they are both salient issues. But let’s not let that discussion proceed without an acknowledgement of the realities of this primary:

The Obama for America team simply ran a better campaign than the Hillary for President team. And a majority of primary voters have demonstrated that they believe Barack Obama is simply a better candidate to lead America. These are the realities.

Now, I have already heard, and fully expect to continue to hear, the ‘chorus of critics’, the naysayers and doubters. They caution us and warn us that Obama simply cannot bring about the change that he has promised us. Washington is too set in its political cement to be bothered by change.

And let me be very clear: I understand that the task at hand (changing the politics of Washington, changing the domestic issues that challenge our country, changing our foreign relations, etc) is by no means simple. And there will be nothing easy about an Obama Presidency. The change we desire, the change he has promised, will be at best, very difficult to achieve.

But for one (or for many) to suggest that change is impossible, is for one to be willfully (and woefully) ignorant of the facts: in one year, the Obama for America team significantly changed the way presidential primaries are ran in this country and viewed from abroad; the Obama for America team significantly changed the way presidential primaries are funded and managed; and if current numbers are any indicators (and I believe that they are) the Obama for America team significantly changed the way presidential candidates are elected. Considering these facts, it stands to reason that in four years, the Obama Administration can significantly change the politics of Washington, significantly change domestic issues, and significantly change foreign relations (and change them all for the better).

Those who don’t believe need only look at the composition of the Obama for America team to understand why and how the change happened, and why and how still more change is possible. Millions of previously disengaged citizens, young, old, and in between, now have the ear of a true leader, and he has theirs in return. So to the ‘chorus of critics’, naysayers and doubters: do not underestimate the power of many who are committed to changing the power of few. Others have and they are not better of because of it.

The Obama/___ Short List...

2008-05-15T07:18:00.000-07:00

So yesterday Senator John Edwards endorsed my good man Barack Obama for President. I immediately thought "well ain't he a day late and a dollar short". But further analysis (we should always do further analysis) gave me reason to consider his timing. I want to give Edwards props for supporting Obama even after a major loss in West VA (West VA - never forget Megan Williams see here for the hate crime story that West VA's Senator never even commented on - the same Senator who made a speech on the Senate Floor over the M. Vick case...) and for keeping the light on the poverty stricken citizens of one of the most prosperous country in the world.

Even so, I do not think Edwards is the best choice for Obama's VP. As usual, I was inspired by the Field after reading his post this morning; I gave some real consideration to who Obama should select as VP. I was really leaning heavily toward a woman, for the obvious reasons, but an article from News One, which by the way appears to be shaping up as a very decent alternative news source for people like me, made me think twice about that. My good Governor, Tim Kaine, was listed by the author, for some darn good reasons:

"Another man of faith Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia might be a good choice. A devoted Catholic, next to governing Virginia, he and his family spend a lot of time helping his Church. He appeals to neighbors in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and the Carolinas, which would help Obama. During Governor Kaine's tenure, Virginia has been recognized as the most business-friendly state in American, the top-performing state government in America and the state where "a child is most likely to have a successful life." These are great credentials to help build upon Obama's economic plan as well as education reform. The Governor who once was a missionary would even rock the evangelical voter too--and give McCain some trouble in the Bible Belt."

Woodson also points out that Sam Nunn of Georgia may offer the best option against McCain:

"...preeminent foreign policy and defense strategist former Senator Sam Nunn of Georgia could be the total package that Obama will need to finish off McCain. Nunn, who represented Georgia for two decades, chaired the Armed Services Committee and now heads Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), a nonprofit that works to reduce global threats from nuclear or biochemical weapons. Obama, who wants to pull the troops out of Iraq, could use the advice of Nunn, who voted against the first Gulf War. And geographically, Nunn can help Obama lock up Tennessee, Oklahoma, Kentucky and Texas and add to Obama's base in Georgia, Alabama, Missouri, and Mississippi. Nunn, having been a former colleague of McCain's, knows his weakness and is better recognized for his command of foreign affairs."

Now I have to go do some research on Nunn. Because I think this argument is sound; one of my primary reasons for backing Obama is his stance on the war, and his commitment to ending it. But I also know that it will be no easy task pulling our troops out and leaving the region, and I think an experienced, level-headed foreign policy and defense strategist would be a great asset to getting this done. Obama and his team really have a tough job in selecting the VP choice, and I pray that they will do so wisely.

Another Day Goes By in Darfur (2)

2008-05-06T13:34:00.000-07:00

I am attending a Council on Foundations Conference in MD this week; we had the pleasure of hearing about how the philanthropic world is attempting to keep human rights on the forefront of the international conversation, from three individuals from South Africa, Ireland, and the US. The crisis in Darfur continues and I will highlight it in my own small way until it ends. This is an article updating the status of the conflict. Another day goes by...

UNITED NATIONS, New York: The conflict in Darfur is deteriorating, with full deployment of a new peacekeeping force delayed until 2009 and no prospect of a political settlement for a war that has killed as many as 300,000 people in five years, UN officials said.

In grim reports to the Security Council, the United Nations aid chief and the representative of the peacekeeping mission said that suffering in the Sudanese region was worsening. Tens of thousands more have been uprooted from their homes and food rations to the needy are about to be cut in half, they said.

"We continue to see the goal posts receding, to the point where peace in Darfur seems further away today than ever," said John Holmes, under secretary general for humanitarian affairs at the UN.

The conflict began in early 2003 when rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated central government of Sudan, accusing it of discrimination. Many of the worst atrocities in the war have been blamed on the janjaweed, the militia of Arab nomads allied with the government.
A joint UN-African Union peacekeeping force took over duties in Darfur in January from a beleaguered AU mission of 7,000 officers. But only about 9,000 soldiers and police officers of the 26,000 authorized for the new mission have been deployed.

"We are late, and we are trying to speed up the deployment of this mission, and we facing many obstacles," said Rodolphe Adada, the envoy for the UN-AU force. "But eventually, with the help of some donors, we could be in a position to achieve maybe 80 percent of the force by the end of this year."

The mission faces major problems in putting troops into a very hostile environment, Adada said. It still lacks five critical capabilities to become operational - attack helicopters, surveillance aircraft, transport helicopters, military engineers and logistical support.

Holmes said that further progress in deploying the joint peacekeeping force, known as Unamid, would help protect civilians and possibly humanitarian convoys.

"But only an end to all violence and concrete steps toward a political settlement will make the fundamental difference needed, as the rebel movements themselves above all need to recognize," Holmes said.

The UN and the AU have tried for months to open peace talks between Sudan and rebel groups after the failure of a 2005 agreement to stem violence. But most rebel chiefs are boycotting the negotiations, and security in Darfur has further deteriorated in recent months.

Adada told the council that "unfortunately, it is commonly understood today in Darfur that peace is not at all attractive - neither economically nor politically."

When Jan Egeland, the former UN humanitarian chief, brought the Darfur conflict to the Security Council's attention in April 2004, he said approximately 750,000 people were in danger.

Now, Holmes told the council, "of Darfur's estimated six million people, some 4.27 million have now been seriously affected by the conflict."

Holmes said that many of them have had to flee their homes, with 2.45 million people sheltering elsewhere in Sudan and 260,000 more in neighboring countries. Approximately 100,000 civilians have been forced to flee this year, he said. Sixty thousand of them were displaced in West Darfur, which has recently seen an increase in violence.

Citation: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/04/23/africa/darfur.php

"Teach them well and let them lead the way..."

2008-05-02T07:28:00.000-07:00

Questions: Where can I get one of these posters? Why isn't it a news story that these posters are necessary? What can I do to encourage more Black men to take young boys in our community as their responsibility (fathers or not!)?

Answers forthcoming...

(Hat tip to News One for this article http://www.newsone.com/article/the-chicago-shootings)

How long?

2008-04-25T15:49:00.000-07:00

I don't know Mrs. Bell, and she doesn't know me. But I know that we are both wondering the same thing today. How long will a young Black man's life be worth less than anything else in America?

Opportunity of Lifetimes

2008-04-23T15:47:00.000-07:00

No need for backdrop on the current status of the Democratic Primary needed. My thoughts, especially in light of The Field’s ‘you have to start somewhere’ commentary, wandered about in my mind. What is my other option in November?

I am ideologically on the other side of the state from McCain, and he probably couldn’t care less. I find the whole ‘Bush-Clinton-Clinton-Bush-Bush-Clinton monarchy equally unappealing (and just plain wrong when you think about it, if anyone would ever stop to think about it). A third party would be great and I would be on board, but it is improbable at best, though not impossible.

So in truth my options are limited, in fact, singular. I can only vote for Barack Obama. If his name is on the ballot, or if I have to write him in myself, I will cast my vote, a right purchased for me with the blood of ancestors who knew that I would never take it for granted, for the only candidate can help us do the impossible.

And if we in these United States, don’t come together to elect this individual, if we do not find a way to choose as our next leader an individual who has energized previously dormant swaths of the electorate (young and old alike) with a simple call to community and civic service, who has re-invented the entire game in terms of political campaign financing by allowing people with less than five dollars to have a real stake in this campaign, who has implemented a strategy that rests on (gasp!) the collective needs of all portions of the electorate as opposed to the top 18 percent or the ‘big states’, who has demonstrated the ability to build working coalitions and bring about meaningful and useful public policy on issues that matter, who has exhibited a enormous amount of grace under fire and dignity under duress, who has come through an unnecessarily evil and ugly season with preserved integrity, who knowingly puts life and limb on the line for the like and love of this country, if we do not find a way to elect him, and are only able to offer as our best excuse, the color of his skin, then shame on US, and sorry is our future.

No one individual in particular will suffer from the inability of the US to move forward. But everyone in general will have missed out on what can only be called the opportunity of lifetimes. And the consequences will be devastating, far-reaching, and painfully long-term.

The truly regretfully part will be that we in these United States have been at similar junctures before; where fate, or decency, or dumb luck has offered up a chance for this country to live up to its true creed; we are provided at fleeting intervals, occasion to do the right thing. And, with a predictable regularity, we rarely miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. We are slow to pass up a chance to pass up a chance. If there is one thing that we do with consistency, confidence and pride, is snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Let it not be so this time.

Rape of the Earth...

2008-04-22T05:51:00.000-07:00

Happy Earth Day Folks.

I am sad to say that we have made some, but not as much progress as I would like on saving our planet. The environment is not "sexy" enough, I suppose. As I celebrate today, and think of what else I can do in my little corner of the world (changed most of my light bulbs already, recycle even though there is NO curbside pick-up, cut off my boiler every day even though I have to go in the dungeon-basement to do it...), a song from one of my favorite artists, Tracy Chapman, comes to mind:

"Mother of us all

Place of our birth

How can we stand aside

And watch the rape of the world?

This the beginning of the end

This the most heinous of crimes

This the deadliest of sins

The greatest violation of all time

Mother of us all

Place of our birth

We all are witness

To the rape of the world

You've seen her stripped, mined

You've heard of bombs exploded underground

You know the sun shines

Hotter than ever before

Some claim to have crowned her A queen

With cities of concrete and steel

But there is no glory no honor

In what results

From the rape of the world

She has been clear-cut

She has been dumped on

She has been poisoned and beaten up

And we have been witness

To the rape of the world

Mother of us all

Place of our birth

How can we stand aside

And watch the rape of the world?

If you look you'll see it with your own eyes

If you listen you will hear her cries

If you care you will stand and testify

And stop the rape of the world

Stop the rape of the world"

Wise Men (and Women) Still Seek the Truth...

2008-04-18T06:20:00.000-07:00

This is by far the best analysis of the the whole "Rev. Wright Flap" that I 've read thus far. I can't re-state any of this better that Tim Wise did, so I will just provide a snippet of my favorite part of the essay (entire essay can be found at http://www.counterpunch.org/wise03182008.html). Hat tip to the Field Negro for always planting these great seeds of knowledge. I can't wait till harvest time...

"So that's the truth of the matter: Wright made one comment that is highly arguable, but which has also been voiced by white America's favorite black man, another that was horribly misinterpreted and stripped of all context, and then another that was demonstrably accurate. And for this, he is pilloried and made into a virtual enemy of the state; for this, Barack Obama may lose the support of just enough white folks to cost him the Democratic nomination, and/or the Presidency; all of it, because Jeremiah Wright, unlike most preachers opted for truth. If he had been one of those "prosperity ministers" who says Jesus wants nothing so much as for you to be rich, like Joel Osteen, that would have been fine. Had he been a retread bigot like Falwell was, or Pat Robertson is, he might have been criticized, but he would have remained in good standing and surely not have damaged a Presidential candidate in this way. But unlike Osteen, and Falwell, and Robertson, Jeremiah Wright refused to feed his parishioners lies."

"But white folks have a hard time hearing these simple truths. We find it almost impossible to listen to an alternative version of reality. Indeed, what seems to bother white people more than anything, whether in the recent episode, or at any other time, is being confronted with the recognition that black people do not, by and large, see the world like we do; that black people, by and large, do not view America as white people view it. We are, in fact, shocked that this should be so, having come to believe, apparently, that the falsehoods to which we cling like a kidney patient clings to a dialysis machine, are equally shared by our darker-skinned compatriots."

"Whites refuse to remember (or perhaps have never learned) that which black folks cannot afford to forget. I've seen white people stunned to the point of paralysis when they learn the truth about lynchings in this country--when they discover that such events were not just a couple of good old boys with a truck and a rope hauling some black guy out to the tree, hanging him, and letting him swing there. They were never told the truth: that lynchings were often community events, advertised in papers as "Negro Barbecues," involving hundreds or even thousands of whites, who would join in the fun, eat chicken salad and drink sweet tea, all while the black victims of their depravity were being hung, then shot, then burned, and then having their body parts cut off, to be handed out to onlookers. They are stunned to learn that postcards of the events were traded as souvenirs, and that very few whites, including members of their own families did or said anything to stop it."

"And oh yes, I said it: white preachers lie. In fact, they lie with a skill, fluidity, and precision unparalleled in the history of either preaching or lying, both of which histories stretch back a ways and have often overlapped (my emphasis added here because let's face it, this is such a way to put the truth!). They lie every Sunday, as they talk about a Savior they have chosen to represent dishonestly as a white man, in every picture to be found of him in their tabernacles, every children's story book in their Sunday Schools, every Christmas card they'll send to relatives and friends this December. But to lie about Jesus, about the one they consider God--to bear false witness as to who this man was and what he looked like--is no cause for concern."

Tell the truth Tim Wise. Tell the truth.

Another Day Goes by in Dafur

2008-04-14T17:01:00.001-07:00

I don't have to go into details here. The crisis in Dafur is horrific, especially for women and girls. We should be more proactive (we = USA) and I support the current efforts to use the Olympic Games as a way to highlight China's connection to this. In order to keep myself from feeling absolutely powerless on this issue, I am forming a campaign with my young OPAL members to write our elected officials, sponsoring agencies, and the Olympic Committee. I am also going to host a year-long education and awareness campaign on this issue - I think it will be very beneficial for my high school Seniors during their last year.

Much kudos to my President, Barack Obama, for being on the right side of this issue in MHO; he believes that a boycott of the opening ceremonies should be up for consideration, in order to shed light on this continued crisis and China's involvement in it. While all the pundits pontificate on political ‘problems’ (read: not actually problems, just non-issues that make for good bad news coverage and ratings), another woman in Dafur is violently raped; another child becomes an orphan, another tear is made in the fabric of family, another day goes by in Dafur.

Back from my local travels!

2008-04-10T12:52:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I last posted - I've been busy changing the world one day at a time! Actually, I've been doing the majority of my blogging on my Barack Obama page. But, my brother just started a new blog, and I've been tracking the Field Negro and Electronic Village very regularly for the past few months, so I thought I would re-activate over here as well.

Needless to say, I have been volunteering for the Obama for America campaign here in Petersburg, VA. I am still doing youth mentoring work in my community as well - can't change the world by focusing on the world!

Late shout out to "Villager" for that great advice on local travel. I am going to take your advice, and take some young people with me on a scavenger-discovery hunt around our great city. I may devote several posts to the current condition of the City of Petersburg, and my determination to be one of the many people who help turn it around.

'live well'.

Travel

2007-09-17T13:57:00.000-07:00

I am working on a plan to travel more. Now that school is just about over, I need to conquer something else! First stop - ? We shall see...

Where in the world is Hanan?

2007-09-13T10:56:00.000-07:00

I am looking for Hanan and I can't find her. Does this blog spot have a search engine spot???