I've been thinking about the new talk about life outside of Earth.
At one time, I believed it to be exciting. The thought of life other than ours...
Then I thought about all the unjust killings of black people. The disproportionate number of black and brown men incarcerated and I knew that as much as I LOVE to fantasize about the world beyond, we have too much work to do at home.
Sunday, November 12, 2017
Friday, July 28, 2017
Black Lives Matter - Nothing New?
Why I love GOOGLE - the Google Doodle! It gives us a daily reminder of the significant people, places and events that general American History either forgets or would like to purposely bury. Today marks the 100th anniversary of the Silent March parade of African Americans SilentParade1917. African Americans protested against the brutal slaying of 40 - 250 African Americans during race riots in East St. Louis. This happened after Southern blacks began to migrate up north. Apparently authorities were accused of turning a blind eye or even participating and antagonizing these events.
Why wasn't this in our history books when studying the Civil Rights Era? This event occurred in 1917 - decades before the major civil rights movement. When we discuss the relevance of the Black Lives Matter movement today, it's important to know about this event and those similar. Some people still believe that the BLM movement is racial. If those who are against the BLM movement can see how over the centuries, the murder of African American people in racial hatred was ignored and overlooked, They would understand that this is simply about the disproportionate numbers in which African Americans are innocently killed in these incidents and not brought to justice. This movement is about recognizing that being silent over these egregious acts of violence among innocent people has to be brought to light, recognized by every American, and those responsible need to be held accountable and brought to justice by their actions.
Why wasn't this in our history books when studying the Civil Rights Era? This event occurred in 1917 - decades before the major civil rights movement. When we discuss the relevance of the Black Lives Matter movement today, it's important to know about this event and those similar. Some people still believe that the BLM movement is racial. If those who are against the BLM movement can see how over the centuries, the murder of African American people in racial hatred was ignored and overlooked, They would understand that this is simply about the disproportionate numbers in which African Americans are innocently killed in these incidents and not brought to justice. This movement is about recognizing that being silent over these egregious acts of violence among innocent people has to be brought to light, recognized by every American, and those responsible need to be held accountable and brought to justice by their actions.
It's about Human Dignity.
Those who offend, should not continue to get passes because of their profession and because they do, it sends a message to the masses that our lives do not matter. It brings to mind the scene from the 1996 film, A Time to Kill where Matthew McConaughey's character asks the jury to visualize the heinous acts of the 3 white men on trial - the brutal rape of the little black girl in the movie. He asks them to close their eyes and visualize her bleeding, broken body being left for dead by these men. Can they see her? Tears came to the eyes of many of the white jurors as they pictured the little girl. The lawyer pressed to convince them of the innocence of her father when he was possessed to gun down the men responsible after they were set free. Could they see the little girl? After vividly painting the scene - he simply asks "now imagine if she was white."
Now I have to ask those same Americans who oppose the Black Lives Matter movement and what it stands for, would they question it? Would it matter more if the mass amount of innocent people unjustly killed were white?
Friday, May 22, 2015
I'm Still Here...and I've Published My Book!
No I haven't been around, but at least you know what I've been doing - dreams take struggle, but at least this one has not been deferred!
If you do not know, I've published my first children's book called "Victorianne Phoenix is a Real Princess". This is based on a true story about a little girl seeking to understand her self-worth. Although this story is written about an African-American girl whose story begins with her natural hair and her ideas of beauty, her journey exposes her not only to women that reflect her own heritage, but also the images of women from cultures around the world. The recent unrest in our country over race and stereotypes lead me to believe that we have to take steps to eradicate racism at the root. Introducing children early on to our differences and then teaching them to acknowledge and respect them in a controlled environment builds empathy. We have seen what happens when people have no knowledge about our issues as African-Americans in this country and therefore simply cannot relate to our struggle. Our struggle must be an American struggle, a
human struggle…Victorianne Phoenix
If you do not know, I've published my first children's book called "Victorianne Phoenix is a Real Princess". This is based on a true story about a little girl seeking to understand her self-worth. Although this story is written about an African-American girl whose story begins with her natural hair and her ideas of beauty, her journey exposes her not only to women that reflect her own heritage, but also the images of women from cultures around the world. The recent unrest in our country over race and stereotypes lead me to believe that we have to take steps to eradicate racism at the root. Introducing children early on to our differences and then teaching them to acknowledge and respect them in a controlled environment builds empathy. We have seen what happens when people have no knowledge about our issues as African-Americans in this country and therefore simply cannot relate to our struggle. Our struggle must be an American struggle, a
Friday, August 13, 2010
Hey there, Hi there, Ho there
Been a long time, I can't believe it's been more than a year since I've written in my blog. Actually, I have been writing - just not in the blog. Coming soon to a website near you, New Millennium Girl. A unique shopping experience and online storefront designed to uplift and inspire the young and young at heart. Just a few more touches!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
the many faces of Kinya Shakur
For Your Casting Consideration
Kinya Shakur
SAG Actress of the Millennium
If you're looking for an actress to switch it up and do the unexpected, see below:
Monday, April 6, 2009
"Hit 'Em Up" - the Genius of an Artist
I was driving my cousin’s car the other day and she had Tupac Shakur’s “Hit ‘Em Up” in her CD player. For those of you unfamiliar with the song, it’s simply a vicious comeback on Biggie Smalls, the Junior Mafia crew along with Bad Boy Records. As a loving mother I cringed when he spat the lyrics, “my .44’ll make sure all your children don’t grow!”. As a fellow artist who just so happens to have the middle name Shakur, I oddly pressed rewind several times as I listened to the anger in him swell like a tidal wave and crash down on my ears and heart. Then just as strange, I found myself laughing at the shock of his words and at how one could not just think those thoughts out loud, but have the nerve to record it! The purity of its venom had the potential to bring an emotion that so many of us have felt at one time or another to the surface.
How many times have you been in an argument with someone you loved or cared for and have been hurt by them? Have you ever said things you wished you could take back? There have been times, I myself hovered above my physical self and poured out that same killer potion only to have it sting myself as well as the one for whom I meant it for. Some of us have the innate ability to suppress this kind of fury while for others it is detrimental for their mental well-being to let it out. Those who tend to pour their emotions out on a canvas, a piano, with paper and pen or a microphone.
Have you ever thought it could be possible to bottle up those emotions, to study and review them or to maybe let them out only when the urge calls for it? Welcome to the world of the artist. Where just like some may stroll around the halls of the MET and view the mangled twists of an iron sculpture or the angry brushstrokes of a painting and visualize the passion behind it, it is this particular track that allowed me to feel the hurt, the confusion and the heat Tupac felt when he said them. It is this empathy that a Psychotherapist or Psychologist must be able to tap into in order to peel apart the layers of human nature when trying to understand their patients. That same empathy must be felt by a teacher in order to know when to put a child in the corner; when to call a parent; or in fact when to call the Department of Social Services.
When an artist is able to channel an act of human nature in its purest form, call upon that feeling at will and express it in its original context in a way that allows a witness to shudder at the memory of the moment he/she felt that same way, it is a great form of expression and it turn, a great work of art.
How many times have you been in an argument with someone you loved or cared for and have been hurt by them? Have you ever said things you wished you could take back? There have been times, I myself hovered above my physical self and poured out that same killer potion only to have it sting myself as well as the one for whom I meant it for. Some of us have the innate ability to suppress this kind of fury while for others it is detrimental for their mental well-being to let it out. Those who tend to pour their emotions out on a canvas, a piano, with paper and pen or a microphone.
Have you ever thought it could be possible to bottle up those emotions, to study and review them or to maybe let them out only when the urge calls for it? Welcome to the world of the artist. Where just like some may stroll around the halls of the MET and view the mangled twists of an iron sculpture or the angry brushstrokes of a painting and visualize the passion behind it, it is this particular track that allowed me to feel the hurt, the confusion and the heat Tupac felt when he said them. It is this empathy that a Psychotherapist or Psychologist must be able to tap into in order to peel apart the layers of human nature when trying to understand their patients. That same empathy must be felt by a teacher in order to know when to put a child in the corner; when to call a parent; or in fact when to call the Department of Social Services.
When an artist is able to channel an act of human nature in its purest form, call upon that feeling at will and express it in its original context in a way that allows a witness to shudder at the memory of the moment he/she felt that same way, it is a great form of expression and it turn, a great work of art.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Disney Does it Again
It’s that time of year again where tons of kids will dot the streets with Spiderman, Batman, and this year’s Iron Man. Included in the lot will be the typical Cinderella, Snow White, and right now – the hot new costume/character is Tinkerbell. The hype for the Fairy phenomenon is enormous and just goes to show what a conglomerate like Disney can do with a little extra cash. They’ve taken a character from a novel created more than 50 years ago and saturated the market with her image making it popular among today’s little girls whose great-grandparents knew the character almost a century ago from reading a book! How fly is that! How powerful is the media?!
Alas this year, I found myself scouring the aisles for Cinderella – my daughter’s costume of choice this Halloween. As a mother of African descent I’m doing my damnedest to instill a certain level of appreciation for who she is as a young lady of color but it’s difficult when the pop images in the media are overwhelming and don’t look like her. I did find an African-American picture version of Cinderella from Jump at the Sun books: http://www.hyperionbooksforchildren.com/jump/jumpatthesun_books.asp, and bought it to read to her before renting Disney’s version from the library. And even though she loves the book and Cinderella’s dress is a gorgeous pink (my daughter’s favorite color), it’s just not popular enough for her to want to be this particular Cinderella. She was very specific when she pointed out she wanted the blue dress. So then I found Rodgers and Hammerstein’s version starring Brandy and Whitney Houston. Here, Brandy wore the familiar pale blue dress which was perfect! But as I searched the stores I noticed all the “Cinderella” dresses had the Disney icon’s face pinned, dotted, or adorning some part of the dress which is unacceptable in my home. So I took to my other favorite place to shop when I don’t see what I want in the stores…EBAY! I put in a search for Cinderella dresses or gowns and came across a little girl’s pale blue, poofy dress worn as a child’s Cinderella ballet costume. It contained all the basic elements I needed to create the perfect one-of-a-kind Cinderella dress for my daughter without the Disney symbol strategically planted all over it. I plan to take the dress, go to a local fabric shop and buy an inexpensive array of embellishments to sprinkle and twinkle onto my daughter’s costume. There, now I’ve spent half the money and hers will be unlike anyone else’s! Fabulous, take that Disney!…now if I can just get my hands on a pair of “glass slippers”…sigh, the hunt continues.
Alas this year, I found myself scouring the aisles for Cinderella – my daughter’s costume of choice this Halloween. As a mother of African descent I’m doing my damnedest to instill a certain level of appreciation for who she is as a young lady of color but it’s difficult when the pop images in the media are overwhelming and don’t look like her. I did find an African-American picture version of Cinderella from Jump at the Sun books: http://www.hyperionbooksforchildren.com/jump/jumpatthesun_books.asp, and bought it to read to her before renting Disney’s version from the library. And even though she loves the book and Cinderella’s dress is a gorgeous pink (my daughter’s favorite color), it’s just not popular enough for her to want to be this particular Cinderella. She was very specific when she pointed out she wanted the blue dress. So then I found Rodgers and Hammerstein’s version starring Brandy and Whitney Houston. Here, Brandy wore the familiar pale blue dress which was perfect! But as I searched the stores I noticed all the “Cinderella” dresses had the Disney icon’s face pinned, dotted, or adorning some part of the dress which is unacceptable in my home. So I took to my other favorite place to shop when I don’t see what I want in the stores…EBAY! I put in a search for Cinderella dresses or gowns and came across a little girl’s pale blue, poofy dress worn as a child’s Cinderella ballet costume. It contained all the basic elements I needed to create the perfect one-of-a-kind Cinderella dress for my daughter without the Disney symbol strategically planted all over it. I plan to take the dress, go to a local fabric shop and buy an inexpensive array of embellishments to sprinkle and twinkle onto my daughter’s costume. There, now I’ve spent half the money and hers will be unlike anyone else’s! Fabulous, take that Disney!…now if I can just get my hands on a pair of “glass slippers”…sigh, the hunt continues.
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