Pic of The Week (The Color Pink!)

Look at singer Kelis in all of this pink fabulousness.  I give this an overwhelming...YEEESSS! 

Pic Of The Week: Maya Angelou #BlackHistoryMonth

I love seeing people in their natural element.  No partitions.  No airs.  No filters.  This is one of my favorite pictures of one of my favorite writers, Maya Angelou.  

Growing up, I read a lot.  My favorite books were written by great authors like Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary and Astrid Lindgren.  It never even dawned on me as a kid that black people wrote books.  That's until I read "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings."  I remember reading the author's bio.  Her picture was included too.  Her name was Maya...she was pretty, smart and she wrote books.  

I thought that was THE coolest thing ever! 

Happy Birthday Zora!

If you want me to turn into a chatter box, ask me about The Harlem Renaissance.  I looooooove this period of time in history.  LOVE.  

The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement in the 1920's.  It was a creative awakening when African Americans fully embraced literary, musical, theatrical and visual arts.  The movement originated in the Harlem section of New York, but wasn't confined to that area.  Its impact grew and created a huge impact on the consciousness of the world.
  
Zora Neale Hurston was one of The Harlem Renaissance's most popular artists.  An amazing storyteller, her writings were bold and honest.  She was fearless and made no apologies for living her life exactly how she wanted.  If you really want to experience her greatness, read Their Eyes Were Watching God.  Zora wrote it in 1937, after the ending of a love affair she had with a younger man.  A beautiful piece of work.  A masterpiece.

Today is Zora's birthday (she passed away in 1960).  I wish I had an opportunity to meet her.  I think we would have liked each other.  We're both from Florida.  Writing is our first love.  We both have a wicked sense of humor. Soooo much in common!  Yeah, we would have definitely hit it off.  The best way I can honor her now is to try & live my life the way her writings read: Vivid, spirit-filled, fearless and love embodied.  

The universe gave birth to a gift named Zora.  For that, we should all collectively give a heartfelt...thank you. 

Tie Tuesday (Shuggie Otis)

I loooooove music!  All kinds.  My personal catalog includes everybody from James Taylor to Tupac Shakur.  I'm attracted to artists who aren't afraid to step out of the box and be true to themselves. 

That's Shuggie Otis.  He's a serious, accomplished musician first.  An incredible guitarist.  I respect that.  And although his music is clearly influenced by jazz, R&B and blues, his psychedelic & eclectic style always shines through. 

Over the years, Shuggie has worked with Etta James, B.B. King and Jackie Wilson just to name a few.  He scored his biggest hit with "Strawberry Letter 23."  And then he just kinda disappeared - for almost 40 years.  Earlier this year, he released new music with his "Wings of Love" album. Yes!   

Throughout the music industry, Shuggie has been sampled by Beyonce, Outkast, DJ Quick and many others.   

When asked about Shuggie Otis recently, Lenny Kravtiz (another one of my favorites) said, "He's a great example of an artist that erases the borders between genres.  His sweet voice paints intoxicating pictures full of vivid imagery."

I couldn't have said it any better.... 

   

Pic Of The Day: SWAGALICIOUS!

If you ever need to show someone what "swag" means *sips smoothie*.....

Women's History Month Spotlight: Fannie Lou Hamer

March is National Women's History Month!  Time to shine the spotlight on a few of my favorite ladybugs.  One of my all-time favorite ladies in history is Fannie Lou Hamer.  It really bothers me that people don't know her.  Her story is amazing.  As my momma says...she was something else.

About Fannie Lou Hamer (1917 - 1977)

• Born in Montgomery County, Mississippi, she was the granddaughter of a slave and the youngest of 20 children.
• At age six, she began helping her parents in the cotton fields.

• By the time she was twelve, she was forced to drop out of school and work full time to help support her family.
• In 1962, she'd had enough of sharecropping. Leaving her house in Ruleville, MS she and 17 others took a bus to the courthouse in Indianola, the county seat, to register to vote.
• After being jailed and brutally beaten for trying to vote, she
  began working on welfare and voter registration programs for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

• Her most famous quote: "I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired."
• She became the Vice-Chair of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, attending the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in that capacity.
• Prior to her death, she was inducted into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, as an honorary member.

Her Royal Flyness...

First Lady Michelle Obama looked absolutely stunning (as usual) at the 2012 BET Honors, didn't she?  The event was held at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C. on Dec 14th.  The show airs on BET on Monday, February 13th, 9:00 pm (EST).

Hip-Hop: A Love Letter

One thing that really surprises people about me is that I’m a huge fan of hip-hop music. Huge.  I literally have thousands of songs on my iPod and a large portion of my personal catalog is hip-hop.  Old school, new-school, conscious rap, southern rap, alternative rap, crunk stuff, Miami bass, you name it!

I think it’s the creative artist in me.  To me, rappers are just modern day poets.  They have the unique ability to take complex, controversial and often times painful life experiences, and create stories.  Stories that I, me *points to self* can relate to.  That’s so dope to me! 

I mean, who would think that a kid from the Marcy Housing Projects in Brooklyn, a former drug dealer who was abandoned by his father, could write ‘Song Cry’? One of the most beautiful love songs I think I’ve ever heard.  It’s a familiar script: Boy meets girl. They fall in love.  Boy messes up (big time).  Boy loses girl.  End of story.  But there’s a twist to this story. The break-up was so bad that dude wants to break down and cry, but instead he raps “I can’t see ‘em (tears) comin down my eyes, so I gotta make this song cry.”  And that he does.      

The end product: A 5-minute emotional hip-hop love letter to his beloved lost "one".  Brilliant.  A part of my heart aches every time I hear that song.

So, I guess this post is my love letter to hip-hop…

You (hip-hop) are…an old friend who’s still young, hot and exciting. I love that you challenge me to think outside of the box and you constantly remind me that it’s not always about the package, but the message instead. I admit, I don’t always understand you.  But I do understand the method to your madness.  I admire your history.  And I can’t wait for other generations to experience you the way I that have.

My love for you can be summed up with a question. “Oh you fancy, huh?”  Yes…yes you are.

My Top 10 All-Time Favorite Hip-Hop Songs

1. Keep Ya Head Up – Tupac (My favorite rapper of ALL time!)
2. Int’l Player’s Anthem – Outkast
3. Song Cry - Jay-Z (Tupac is my #1, Jay is #2)
4. Cha Cha Cha – MC Lyte (My favorite female MC)
5. One More Chance - B.I.G.
6. Flava In Ya Ear - Craig Mack (I’m probably his #1 fan)
7. Music – Eric Sermon
8. Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z & Alicia Keys (Best collab in hip-hop history)
9. Rapper’s Delight – Sugarhill Gang (The intro alone makes me smile)
10. One Mic – Nas (Deep…very deep)

                                                                             "Song Cry"

Pretty Little Girls

If you looked up “girly-girl” in the dictionary, there’d be a picture of me sitting there in a fabulous pink dress, with my legs neatly crossed, face beat, lips shining (Lip gloss is my favorite!), drinking some afternoon tea, and reading my most recent copy of Cosmopolitan magazine.

I really do love all of that stuff!  So it was a surprise to some people (those who don’t really know me), that I was bothered by Walmart’s recent announcement about their new line of beauty products.  Beauty products – no big deal right?  Did I mention this line is tailored for girls between the ages of 8 and 12?  It’s being branded as an “anti-aging” line designed for “young skin” and it will feature blush, mascara, lipstick and face shimmer. 

Lipstick and blush for 8 year-olds?  Seriously??? 

I’m not mad at Walmart for deciding to run this campaign. They’re a business, and businesses are in the business of making money. Point blank.  And the beauty industry is BIG MONEY.  What frustrates me is the message that this is sending to young girls.  To me, it reinforces an unhealthy focus on exterior, superficial, physical beauty.   

The vanity obsession is everywhere.  Turn on the television on any given day and you’ll see young women who are consumed with their appearance. Part of it is just being insecure (We’ve all been there.)  And companies know that. That’s why they spend millions on marketing campaigns that focus on the beauty benefits of their product.  Get it?   

Yes, I enjoy wearing make-up, but I’m a woman who’s comfortable and confident in her own skin (with or without lip gloss). Young girls should be encouraged to be smart, outspoken, compassionate and fearless. And they should be reminded that real beauty doesn’t come from the perfect shade of face powder.  It comes from within and is always accompanied with great humility.    

Let's leave the lipstick and blush on the shelf where it belongs.