Sunday, May 9, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
Ernestine Shepherd
Hello lovelies! I came upon a short video of a beautiful woman by the name of Ernestine Shepherd. She is indeed an inspiration to us all as we continue our journey of living well!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Alienated Conclusion's: The Black Girl's Manifesto: The Basic Rights of Femininity
Hello to you all my darlings! I wanted to point you to a powerful blog post by A~ion. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did, and come away with new ways of thinking of yourselves as young black women:
http://nerdsevolving.blogspot.com/2010/04/basic-rights-of-femininity.html
Ciao Bellas!
http://nerdsevolving.blogspot.com/2010/04/basic-rights-of-femininity.html
Ciao Bellas!
Saturday, April 10, 2010
How bad do you really want it?
Greetings to all of the gracious and pulchritudinous young black women out there! I wanted to address something in this post that I had briefly discussed in an earlier post. On our journey to living well, some of us may have a lot to deal with in terms of people around us making poor decisions. These decisions result in actions that reflect poor expectations of themselves, and their poor expectations (if any at all) of you. Ultimately, this begins to chisel away at the hard work we put in toward moving us closer to realizing our goal of living well.
I need no convincing when it comes to the possibility that some black women, young and old, are simply not aware of the poor choices they make on a daily basis that not only interfere with their financial, physical, emotional, and spiritual life, but hinder their progress in establishing a fulfilling love life for themselves as well. Have you ever been the one to point out in clear daylight just how and where these women are messing up? Have you ever been the one to try and show them another way, one which would yield better returns on their investments (as Evia says), and instead of being given a gracious thank you, you are met with complete indifference and/or defensive behavior. Have you been told to just stay out of other people’s business? Well my darlings, I think you all should take a tip from the unfortunate and delusional women of the world. Just don’t bother giving them anymore of your time or advice. Avoid those topics of conversation at all costs. If you can, avoid those women, or at least reduce the amount of time spent communicating with them.
Several BWE bloggers have stated that not every black woman out there will live well. I whole-heartedly believe this to be true of young black women also. Even if this is the best time for those young women to wake up from the drunken stupor of anti-life enhancing choices, just leave them there. The difficult part for some of you is that some of these women used to be your closest comrades at one point or another; some of you are connected to these women by familial ties. You have to make a choice that does not involve sitting patiently on the sidelines until these women come around to their God-given senses. Yes ladies, you have to cut them off. That which does not help you go further in your efforts to live well, is not worth having around. Now, some of you may disagree with me. To that, I ask one question. How bad do you really want to live well? It may not be for everybody. Perhaps you should give some serious thought to whether or not you are ready for something bigger and better than you ever thought possible...perhaps that's the problem. One must first believe living well IS possible. I am someone that does not like the idea of limiting ME in any way. I am ready for the challenge. You have to decide for yourself if you are absolutely committed to living well, and then, you have to actively pursue it.
I need no convincing when it comes to the possibility that some black women, young and old, are simply not aware of the poor choices they make on a daily basis that not only interfere with their financial, physical, emotional, and spiritual life, but hinder their progress in establishing a fulfilling love life for themselves as well. Have you ever been the one to point out in clear daylight just how and where these women are messing up? Have you ever been the one to try and show them another way, one which would yield better returns on their investments (as Evia says), and instead of being given a gracious thank you, you are met with complete indifference and/or defensive behavior. Have you been told to just stay out of other people’s business? Well my darlings, I think you all should take a tip from the unfortunate and delusional women of the world. Just don’t bother giving them anymore of your time or advice. Avoid those topics of conversation at all costs. If you can, avoid those women, or at least reduce the amount of time spent communicating with them.
Several BWE bloggers have stated that not every black woman out there will live well. I whole-heartedly believe this to be true of young black women also. Even if this is the best time for those young women to wake up from the drunken stupor of anti-life enhancing choices, just leave them there. The difficult part for some of you is that some of these women used to be your closest comrades at one point or another; some of you are connected to these women by familial ties. You have to make a choice that does not involve sitting patiently on the sidelines until these women come around to their God-given senses. Yes ladies, you have to cut them off. That which does not help you go further in your efforts to live well, is not worth having around. Now, some of you may disagree with me. To that, I ask one question. How bad do you really want to live well? It may not be for everybody. Perhaps you should give some serious thought to whether or not you are ready for something bigger and better than you ever thought possible...perhaps that's the problem. One must first believe living well IS possible. I am someone that does not like the idea of limiting ME in any way. I am ready for the challenge. You have to decide for yourself if you are absolutely committed to living well, and then, you have to actively pursue it.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Decisions are in store
Hello to all of the Young Black Women out there! I wanted to first direct your attention to the discussion on blog talk radio regarding the new book, Don't Bring Home a White Boy, by Karen Folan. Both she and the host of the segment spoke about wonderful topics that went beyond the interracial content of the book. While a male caller (race unidentifiable... but, you can be the judge on that one) did try to thwart the discussion to something negative, he did not succeed at derailing the important message Mrs. Folan and the host were delivering. Please take a moment to listen: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/empowered-love/2010/02/23/author-langhorne-folan-discusses-her-book--dont-br
Many life decisions are in store for us as young black women. I find that some get easier with time while others seem increasingly complicated. What is more, each decision has a consequence. With that being said, the question becomes: Am I ready to accept those consequences and live with the decisions I made anyway?
I suppose some cases involve moments that happen to us we just don't understand. Some of us still can't pinpoint the reasoning behind why we were placed in a situation? Just what was its purpose? Though I am not aware of whether or not the answer will reveal itself in due time, I do know that going foward with an open mind and positive heart that remembers to be thankful for all your blessings, both big and small, places you ahead of the game in learning to live well.
Many life decisions are in store for us as young black women. I find that some get easier with time while others seem increasingly complicated. What is more, each decision has a consequence. With that being said, the question becomes: Am I ready to accept those consequences and live with the decisions I made anyway?
I suppose some cases involve moments that happen to us we just don't understand. Some of us still can't pinpoint the reasoning behind why we were placed in a situation? Just what was its purpose? Though I am not aware of whether or not the answer will reveal itself in due time, I do know that going foward with an open mind and positive heart that remembers to be thankful for all your blessings, both big and small, places you ahead of the game in learning to live well.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Young Black Women and the Issues We Face: Part 3
Hello to all of the brilliant young black women out there! I offer my sincerest apologies for the delay in completing another post. I seriously took time out and evaluated where I would be going after graduation. Now that I have at least the first 2 years of my life figured out (Yaaay!!!), I felt it would be a great time to speak on the third installment of Young Black Women and the Issues We Face.
In the post written on December 15th, I linked to a Kola Boof article titled, “Race and Beauty in America.” For those who have not read the article, Kola speaks on her thoughts regarding beauty and race being socially constructed within a white supremacist patriarchal system. She also states that a woman’s status in many cultures is directly tied to being married or having a man, and within communities of color, status for a woman is greatly increased if she is closer to whiteness in physical appearance.
I felt this was an important essay to use as a precursor to Part 3 because it mentions issues I believe affect young black women who have been raised for the majority of their lives in the United States or among Western cultures. How many of you felt that your skin color, hair texture, hair length, or facial features were a disadvantage to you? How many of you feel this reduced your degree of desirability among black men or non-black men in general? How many of you still feel this way today? I would venture to say, it is VERY difficult to NOT feel this way at least ONCE in your lifetime, unless you have been raised in an extremely pro-black woman environment all your life. As young black women, I believe in order for one to live well, there is NO ROOM for feeling even the slightest bit of inferiority compared to other women because of our race or complexion, even if this is reinforced by men who identify as black as well. I could go on and on about how there are clear marks of unfairness doled out to young black women to which some of us have never played a part in. Some of us have not perpetuated the stereotypes used to justify ill-treatment toward black women. However, if one is truly serious about living well, a miniscule mental set back such as feeling we are unworthy compared to other women, or out of luck compared to other women could be detrimental to our goal of living well. We must secure ourselves in such a way that enforces our advancement in EVERY WAY. This means absolutely no room for self-doubt, self-pity, self-hate, and the like.
I urge each of you who may be feeling this way to engage in behavior that affirms who you are as a young black women in a positive light consistently. It could be looking in the mirror everyday and saying something positive about how you look. It could be making that extra effort to adorn your body well everyday out of a love and respect for your presentation. It could mean shutting off the faucet of negative depictions or words about young black women by changing the television channel, or shutting the radio off. It could be associating with only those who reciprocate the love and nurture that you give and need to thrive. For some, this is a very difficult task because you may not have access to the resources or environments that affirm who you are as young black women. Believe me when I say, every little bit counts. You have to be fully committed to wanting the absolute best for yourself, believe it whole-heartedly, and fix whatever it is about yourself that makes it difficult for you to accept this possible reality.
Several Posts on other blogs have been raining down with blessings of information and uplifting words that you as a young black woman can use to motivate and propel you in a better direction. Check them out ASAP!
http://ebonyintuition.blogspot.com/2010/01/who-are-you-meant-to-be.html
http://blackwomenblowthetrumpet2.blogspot.com/2009/01/whats-your-ten-year-plan.html
http://actsoffaithblog.com/new-woman-movin-on
http://thecwexperience.wordpress.com/2010/01/10/ready-to-take-the-pledge/
http://sojournerspassport.com/who-else-wants-an-optimal-lifestyle/
Let’s get moving Ladies. We can do it! We are, YOUNG BLACK WOMEN DETERMINED TO LIVE WELL!
In the post written on December 15th, I linked to a Kola Boof article titled, “Race and Beauty in America.” For those who have not read the article, Kola speaks on her thoughts regarding beauty and race being socially constructed within a white supremacist patriarchal system. She also states that a woman’s status in many cultures is directly tied to being married or having a man, and within communities of color, status for a woman is greatly increased if she is closer to whiteness in physical appearance.
I felt this was an important essay to use as a precursor to Part 3 because it mentions issues I believe affect young black women who have been raised for the majority of their lives in the United States or among Western cultures. How many of you felt that your skin color, hair texture, hair length, or facial features were a disadvantage to you? How many of you feel this reduced your degree of desirability among black men or non-black men in general? How many of you still feel this way today? I would venture to say, it is VERY difficult to NOT feel this way at least ONCE in your lifetime, unless you have been raised in an extremely pro-black woman environment all your life. As young black women, I believe in order for one to live well, there is NO ROOM for feeling even the slightest bit of inferiority compared to other women because of our race or complexion, even if this is reinforced by men who identify as black as well. I could go on and on about how there are clear marks of unfairness doled out to young black women to which some of us have never played a part in. Some of us have not perpetuated the stereotypes used to justify ill-treatment toward black women. However, if one is truly serious about living well, a miniscule mental set back such as feeling we are unworthy compared to other women, or out of luck compared to other women could be detrimental to our goal of living well. We must secure ourselves in such a way that enforces our advancement in EVERY WAY. This means absolutely no room for self-doubt, self-pity, self-hate, and the like.
I urge each of you who may be feeling this way to engage in behavior that affirms who you are as a young black women in a positive light consistently. It could be looking in the mirror everyday and saying something positive about how you look. It could be making that extra effort to adorn your body well everyday out of a love and respect for your presentation. It could mean shutting off the faucet of negative depictions or words about young black women by changing the television channel, or shutting the radio off. It could be associating with only those who reciprocate the love and nurture that you give and need to thrive. For some, this is a very difficult task because you may not have access to the resources or environments that affirm who you are as young black women. Believe me when I say, every little bit counts. You have to be fully committed to wanting the absolute best for yourself, believe it whole-heartedly, and fix whatever it is about yourself that makes it difficult for you to accept this possible reality.
Several Posts on other blogs have been raining down with blessings of information and uplifting words that you as a young black woman can use to motivate and propel you in a better direction. Check them out ASAP!
http://ebonyintuition.blogspot.com/2010/01/who-are-you-meant-to-be.html
http://blackwomenblowthetrumpet2.blogspot.com/2009/01/whats-your-ten-year-plan.html
http://actsoffaithblog.com/new-woman-movin-on
http://thecwexperience.wordpress.com/2010/01/10/ready-to-take-the-pledge/
http://sojournerspassport.com/who-else-wants-an-optimal-lifestyle/
Let’s get moving Ladies. We can do it! We are, YOUNG BLACK WOMEN DETERMINED TO LIVE WELL!
Monday, December 21, 2009
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