Will There Be “Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City: The Movie”? | The Urban Daily

Will There Be “Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City: The Movie”? | The Urban Daily

Not long after the success of "Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City" the album, Kendrick Lamar suggests there is a short film in the works based off the Album. This kid has great talent and I'm excited to see what new things he adds to the rap game.

Django; loss of black solidarity and the "nigger"

Quentin Tarantino's latest film "Django Unchained" is not for the squeamish at heart. While the film tackles issues of race relations and the brutality of slavery in the South two years before the Civil War, what is most interesting is the relationships between the black characters.

Through a series of brutal torturings of human bodies, the slave masters often pit the slaves against one another. So when Django and his German born partner devise a plan to rescue Django's wife, the black slave overseer played by an older Samuel l. Jackson, finds it fit to tell his beloved slave master candie, played by Leonardo dicaprio. Instead of helping a fellow slave to freedom, he seeks to keep everyone in the same place or below him.

The western drama paints a very graphic portrayal of slave life in the south. While each slave is of an equally low status, when one slave rises to a somewhat higher status the others despise him as he rubs it in his face. When Django appears before other slaves as a freeman, instead of sympathing with them he treats them as if he is ten levels above them. Django even goes so far as to refer to other slaves as property. Similar to modern times when a black person rises to even a shred of success others who are seemingly below him show qualities of "haters". In contrast those who do rise above often forget where they came from and begin acting like the same ones that oppressed them.

The use of the word "Nigger" and it's slang counterpart "nigga" has been up for discussion a thousand times but viewing this film resonated a new meaning to the word. Words like "nigger", "boy", and "jimmy" were used interchangeably as a sign of ones unintelligent property or slave. The slaves weren't viewed as people but as a good that was bought and sold and if a certain slave were to get out of line they were either tortured or fed to dogs.

The movie does little to justify the historical era of the institution of slavery. The film more so drones on over three hours as an old western with disrespect for human life with all the bloodshed. It isn't until the end of the film that there appears to be a sense of comradely among African Americans. By that time everything is torched and all the major characters have died a bloody death. If there is anything to be learned here, it is that Hollywood never gets the black story right be it of slavery or modern day life of the black experience In America.

New Year's Resolution

So I'm not usually one to make a new year's resolution because I usually forget them like most people. But this year I plan to challenge myself. In 2013, my resolutions are to;

1. Find Freedom
Through any and all means possible. This year I want to let myself live, to write what makes me feel free and share it with the world. To chase my dreams despite the thoughts of others. I want to be me without the judgement and criticisms of others.

2. Be unafraid of opposition
A lot of the things I've wanted to do or say or write or publish this past year I haven't because of fear of opposition of others. So this year, inline with my cry for freedom, I'm going to go for my dreams by doing what makes me happy.



3. Do what makes me happy despite the demands of others
While I've always squeezed fun stuff for me at the end of the day, this year I'm going to start putting me first. So instead of always doing what is expected or right, I want to do more for of what is best or right for me.





So as a new year approaches, remember both the good and bad thing that have happened in 2012 and decide what you plan to at least try to do to make 2013 ten times better!

Be Creative; Have some Fun!

Since the holidays are here and we are already taking a break from work don't forget to take some time and focus on you. 

-Try a new hair style

Take a note from Jada Pinkett Smith and don't let your hair define you. You define your hair and define your look.

-Try a New Look

Mix in some fun patterns and look up a few DIY ideas for clothing you already own.

-Practice fun nail art

Here is my try at a tribal/ Aztec nail look

-Watch a few classic T.V. Shows

Watching Living Single always makes me laugh and feel really empowered

-Write some poetry
Put your pen to the paper and let your thoughts flow!!

-Black Love & Smilez

Problematic Music videos Part. 1

FUTURE FT. KELLY ROWLAND - Neva End (Remix) lyrics

After getting over Future's horrible vocals in his latest song "Neva End" featuring Kelly Rowland, the video and lyrics are quite displeasing! The images and romantic relationship that the video promotes continues the long trail of on & off relationships found among many black couples.

A romantic relationship among many other things is about give and take, respect, love and commitment. But in Future's latest video it appears that whatever the man decides to do in a relationship is okay because "ride or die chic" will put up with anything. Which includes him stepping out of the relationship with or with out her knowledge because according to the chorus "You got all the questions and I know all the answers". "You" being the woman with all the questions and her male counterpart, all the answers.

So if we take the song apart in the first verse Future declares that's as long as his money stays long and he keeps giving her that "good lovin" she'll always be dependent on him "Long as I’m swimmin’ in Benjamins, you shop with no limited You’ll see reminisce every session, know you’ll come back again I know you can’t breathe without me, you gon’ need the oxygen I damn near gave you an overdose, on my own medicine".

Next verse, Kelly's bridge she found out that he was cheating and even tho he made her so mad, she stays because she still loves him and continues to come back!? "You showed your true colors I can’t believe you played me/ I let you meet my mother!/ Oh, you hung out with my brother, my significant other/ you know I still love you, oh baby/ Oh boy, you make me so mad, but I come right back".

My question is why? Why are women continually going back to men who treat them bad repeatedly? One key factor is the images portrayed in the media when other black women in music and movies find no fault even set the tone to stay in bad relationships. Black women are the most beautiful creatures on the planet and women in general are the most hard working so why subject yourselves to a man that cannot respect your worth?

Special Messages From Jada Pinkett Smith

A Special Message From Jada Pinkett Smith “The war on men through the degradation of woman”

Actress Jada Pinkett Smith had been in the news a lot lately concerning her views of how women are viewed in america. First, in a recent interview where Smith was questioned why she would let her daughter cut her hair, Smith first challenges the use of the word "Let". She goes on to explain that her daughter, Willow's body belongs completely to Williow and not even her mother should decide what she should do with it. The hair cut is also a statement that her beauty is not determined by the length of her hair. Pretty powerful statements!

In this most recent facebook post shared by Smith, targeted to the youth of this generation, she describes how both black men and women have begun to strip themselves of their true fullness. She pronounces that man has demoted himself to a "walking bank" to only attract women. Of the women she has traded in her original Goddess status for a "big ass and full breasts for physical comfort only". In doing such black men and black women have subjected themselves to half full beings and thus the two have become lost in a society that already seeks to push down their "trueness".

"Power and Control Will Never outweigh love, May we all find our way" (Smith)

Black Love

Black Women Do Stuff Like Worry About Bills and Pray

   

News Flash: Black Women Do Stuff Like Worry About Bills and Pray - COLORLINES


Stereotypes of black women shape the way society views them and ultimately how black women view each other. The article argues that black women have not been able to define themselves because the media insists on do it for them. Black women have been consistently labeled as strong, angry, no- man having church goers and many have subsequently fallen into those categories. It's not that black women haven't been telling our side of the story, we have since Sojourner Truth's Aint I a Woman speech. The problem is according to Akiba Solomon "Is that Main Stream Media DON'T LISTEN".  So I guess its our job as black women to make them listen make them see who we really are. The next question then is who are "Them" and how can we make them listen.....

My Thoughts on Audre Lorde's "Poetry is Not a Luxury"

             Black feminist thought is a class that I am glad that I took. The class has helped me to grow both intellectually and mentally. In the begining I did not have a clear definition of what a feminist is but soon after I declared myself as a activist feminist. In doing such I have dedicated much of my poems to the plight of the black woman in america. One such Black Feminist that has inspired my idea of poetry is Audre Lorde and her essay "Poetry is Not a Luxury". 

          In the piece Lorde mentions that Poetry is illumination, it is through poetry we are able to give ideas a name "feeling births idea, knowledge births understanding". Many of my poems start out as strong feelings about certain life situations. Those feelings create ideas which help to formulate my poems. Lorde then states that Poetry helps us to bear the scrutiny we face by making it a powerless attack against us.As women each of us have a deep place that is a reserve of creativity of power of un-examined and unrecorded emotion and feeling. "The women's place of power within each of us is neither white nor surface; it is dark, it is ancient and it is deep." 

So then Poetry helps us to bear the scrutiny we face by making it a powerless attack against us. The power women posses, we use to cope in america and create powerful pieces of creative genesis like poetry. "For women, then, poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence. It forms the quality of the light within which we predicate our hopes and dreams toward survival and change, first made into language, then into idea, then into more tangible action." For me poetry is not simply something I do for fun, I am compelled to put my feelings down in pen otherwise I would go completely insane in a world that continues to push black women down. 

Quotes that stood out to me

"Poetry is not only dream or vision, it is the skeleton architecture of our lives."

"The white fathers told us, I think therefore I am; and the black mothers in each of us-the poet-whispers in our dreams, I feel therefore I can be free. Poetry coins the language to express and charter this revolutionary awareness and demand, the implementation of that freedom."
"In the forefront of our move toward change, there is only our poetry to hint at possibility made real. Our poems formulate the implications of ourselves, what we feel within and dare make real (or bring action into accordance with), our fears, our hopes, our most cherished terrors."
"For there are no new ideas. There are only new ways of making them felt, of examining what our ideas really mean (feel like) on Sunday morning at 7 AM, after brunch, during wild love, making war, giving birth; while we suffer the old longings, battle the old warnings and fears of being silent and impotent and alone, while tasting our new possibilities and strengths."

Poetry is the way in which women are able to deal with the world and create it anew. Life as a black woman in a patriarchal society demands we have some sort of coping mechanism and like Audre Lorde, mine is poetry.

Try Being A Woman

An Original poem by Yours Truly!

Refer to "On Being a Woman" for lyrics

New Poem: Somewhat Unfinished

I've always got bits and pieces of poems in my mind
Scattered pieces of poems that never quite made itself into a full work
But I still claim them as one line Lycrial pieces of genus
At 1:00am on a Thursday night I come up with things like

The truth about love is simply that it doesn't exist at all
Or
Time like. Men is a concept I've never been able to put a fixed handle on
It escapes me
Either moving too fast or too slow
Or sometimes it the wrong time
And baby we just ran out of time but I want you here for all times

Or

Can u be my muse?
I wanna be inspired by your passion
Taken a back by your endeavors
Excited by your enthusiasm
Impressed by your knowledge

I'll be ya Lena Horne, Josephine baker, Billie holiday, Etta james and
I'll sing you a beautiful ballad of through poetry
Let the whispers of my words touch your ears with enticement
Or I'll be the activist Angela Davis asanta shaqour

The moments are beautiful
But the memories,
They last forever

This Girl is On Fire!!

Who else but Alicia Keys is stealing our hearts and ears again with another great album. This is a great "come back" album from the 31 year old new mother. The album features a variety of songs from various ranges of New York songstress voice and emotions  I was very excited to hear the "soul" sound return in the new album after her last very pop sounding album "The Element of Freedom".

With the exception of the music production from her husband Swiss Beats on "New Day" and "Fire We Make" with Maxwell, the album features no other artists. But it lacks nothing, the love songs make even the frozen heart-ed fall head over heels.

I love the entire concept of the "Girl on Fire" album to celebrate women who are On Fire, in their, careers, school, in who they are! Track 2 "Brand New Me" much like the empowering track "Girl on Fire" supports the ReCreation of self as stronger and more confident. My favorite line from the single "I'll never be perfect but at least now i'm brave, now my heart is open I can finally breathe, don't be mad its just a brand new kinda free, that ain't bad I've found a brand new kinda me, don't be mad its a brand new time for me"

While I must admit that I am a bit biased because she is my favorite musical artist but in all honesty this is a great album and I recommend it to everyone.

My Grade- A

Just in case You needed a Reminder: You’re Beautiful

Just in case You needed a Reminder: You’re Beautiful

This is an awesome reminder! With the media and popular culture's constant reminders of things we need to improve we often forget that we are already beautiful. I spread this message to all my sisters. We are worthy of love because we have a beauty both outside and in. Always remember to start with self, self love is the greatest love of  all. Love who you are and the rest will follow.

Black Love and Smilez!

Album Review: Rihanna Unapologetic

While I am a Huge Rihanna Fan, I was unsure if "Unapologetic" would be a great album or just mediocre. The album is actually pretty good, I'd say that the album is about equal to the quality of "Talk That Talk". I really love the artistry of sound that Rihanna plays with on the album.

She stays true to her island roots on tracks like "No Love Allowed". We  hear a softer side to the Barbados born vocalist in tracks like "Half of Me" and "Love Without Tragedy/Mother Mary" where she is actually surprised by her fame and also asks for forgiveness of her sins from "Mother Mary, Mr. Jesus". And of course, Rihanna wouldn't be Rihanna without her pop and edgy songs that have helped to carry her to fame like the treasured single "Diamonds" and "Phresh Off the Runway".

A great surprise to the album was her collaboration with Singer Chris Brown in  "Nobody's Business". I predict this track to be the next great single off the album, it proclaims that the love between her and her lover is just that "Nobody's Business". Whether we like it or not Chris Brown and Rihanna are going to be together and they are going to make music together and every time they are big hits.

Overall I give the album a B on the standard school grading scale, I  recommend the purchase of this album as a keeper!

New Poem: On Being A Woman!

On being a woman

Sometimes being a woman means saying no
or dressing how you feel
Like wearing camouflage cargo pants and high heels
Frilly dresses and chuck Taylor's
Carrying entire universes inside our bodies
Explaining why we can't wear white or come out to play because our aunt is visiting
Preparing our young souls to be mothers
Like baby dolls and kitchenettes sets, easy bake ovens and candy curls
Sit still, be neat, cry if you must because that's what girls do
It's not enough to simply be us
We carry the entire gender on our backs
Emotional and bitchy (They say)
The entire race on our backs
Black and late (as always)
We carry everything And still we're considered the weakest link?
How can that be?
As we have to stroke your egos 
Simply so you can make it through the day
Continue to oppress us with your magic wand
Zap! Begone equality!
Welcome to submission
Because its easier that way right?
Break free from his chain my dear
All chains for that matter 
No chain is strong enough to hold u back
Being a woman means fighting for who You are
Everyday Through heartbreaks
Name calling
Unanswered phone calls
Text messages that never got a reply
But we'll still wave hi in the hallway
Because that's all we've got
Because being a woman means Resilience is key to our survival
And your very survival and recreation of further generations is completely Depended on everyday SHEroes 
That combat you and the world every single day
With no pat on our back or gold stars on our chest 
Just the arch in our brow and paint on our nails
Sometimes being a woman means saving us for ourselves

Book Review: Sister Citizen by Melissa Harris-Perry

In Sister Citizen, Melissa Harris-Perry seeks to define the citizenship of black women by correcting the misrecognition that black women face in America. Black women are political in that they always have to deal with negative assumptions about their character.  Black women’s politics involve exploring their unspoken experiences in their search for identity. In finding their true source of identity, black women must wrestle with negative societal stereotypes about their identity as well as continue to create who they are.  In the first few chapters of the text Harris-Perry presents a The Bridge Poem by Kate Rushin, and the concepts of “The Crooked Room” and myths of Black women. The Bridge Poem seeks to describe the great lengths that black women take to bridge communications between other people in their lives. At the end of the day black women are often so exhausted that they have no time left for themselves and no sense of self. Black women are then heaped with responsibilities that create a notion of strength and superpower among black women. Black women then feel a sense of shame in themselves when they are unable to life up to the impossible expectations of society and everyone in their lives. The text then seeks so find recognition of real and actual lives of black women by defining the intentional misrecognition of them. The text brings up both the many issues black women face in real life and literature as well as a way to change the way society looks at black women as a whole.

I suggest this book as a must read for all people seeking to understand the issues black women face in america. Its is as if they are attempting to stand up straight in a crooked room and that room is the stereotypes that are placed upon them.  

Have You Heard Angel Haze?

I recently discovered this sensational female MC by the name of Angel Haze.  I happened to stumble upon her song entitled “Cleaning Out my Closet” and was instantly hooked. Her music both brash and sensitive to the female psyche draws the listener in by her sharp beats and clever word play.

The 21 year old lyrist began her career as a poet but having been influenced by a friend she turned her poems into raps. She currently has two mix tapes out to date Classick and Reservation which have “surpassed the 40,000 mark in downloads, and have over 100,000 views on YouTube.” Classick features a variety of Lauryn Hill songs that she has remixed to include more of the modern problems that women face. In Haze’s version of Doo-Wop That Thing, she quotes “never love a man that will treat you like a hoe, never love a man that will  let you go… never love a man that gets you high and leaves you low…[forget] your inner thighs, show him your inner glow”. Her words influence women to find more worth in themselves then what a man might.

Angle Haze is on the move building a large fan base online through, her websites whenitraeens.com, reverbnation.com/angelhaze and twitter.com/nativeraeen. I suggest her music as a must listen. The few female MC’s out deserved our attention and promotion of positive images and messages of women.   

Fashion Commentary: Tights with Shorts

So today I took a leap of fashion! The organization I am president of MISS Women's Group, started hosting yoga classes in the morning and I am a very devoted attendee. The problem is, I have class immediately following the yoga session so whatever I wear has to be comfortable and daywear fashionable (at least for me).

Today's outfit of choice was to wear a pair of short jean shorts with black tights, a sweatshirt top and classic low top "Chuck Taylor's". In the mirror I thought this outfit was super cute, however I had not been prepared for the criticism I would receive from my fellow claflinites".

It was interesting to note that the males questioned " where are the rest of my clothes", while females that I did not know only gave looks of intimation or interest. My female friends However assured me that my outfit was indeed cute and not trashy as I had feared.

While I have seen this look several places online and adorned on other students I question whether the clothes we wear are shaped by our own ideas or that which we think will be most acceptable by the larger crowd we engage ourselves with each day. In observance of the wardrobe of students on campus, all of the guys tend to dress alike by junior year and the same for the girls with slight variations and "spices of individuality" as my supervisor once put it.

A lot of the time we tend to conform to a certain dress code by our majors and the types of activities we are involved in. Athletes for the most part still wear sweats and shorts, business majors wear suits, education majors wear cardigans and so on. The fashionista's tend to spring out of humanities majors. While this is not true to all people it is quite interesting how people treat you by the way you are dressed on any given day.

Natural or Relaxed?



Argument: the harsh chemicals in relaxers can potentially damage your hair and scalp

Rebuttals: relaxers if done in the proper time help tame coarse hair

1. Go natural for a cause not as a fad. Don't go natural just to be trendy do it for the health and well being if your hair.

2. Know your hair type! If you've been relying on a relaxer every 4-6 weeks its not going to be easy to make such a big transition.

3. Your hair can still be healthy with a relaxer. The trick is to know how often to get them.

I used to get my hair relaxed every 6 weeks faithfully but when I changed stylists I learned that with the right products and regular visits I could stretch out the time between relaxers. Now I'm at every 12 weeks and pretty soon I'll be at one year!

Realize that going natural takes a lot of work, time, Effort And money. If you're up for the challenge I applaud You. Find the right products that work for your type of hair, research types of styles . And no matter what your hair situation is, always keep a good scarf, wig/weave/tracks and hat in your arsenal for those days when your hair doesn't come out exactly the way it's expected. And realize that your hair is your hair and you are the one that must rock it everyday.

The Women of Brewster Place Vs. The Women of Real Life


Recently I saw the TV adaptation of The Women of Brewster Place, for the first time. Now I've read pieces of the novel before but viewing these black women on stage, treat each other they way they do is appalling. The longer I watched the movie, the more the women upset me, I began to realize that each and everyone of these women I have met before. I have met the nosey, busy black woman, I've met the black woman that is a lesbian, I've met the Black woman that has been so hurt by life's struggles she's nearly given up. And the young Black woman that still believes that we can change the world together by doing, something, anything, she is me.

 Black women are the most misrecognized people in American society and yet we still fall privy to contentions among one another. The judgements and expectations we place on ourselves and each other are completely unreal. We are constantly competing with one another, stepping on one another but for what I ask? Instead of trying to help our fellow sisters out we are constantly judging based on nothing more than appearances. In reality if we spoke to these women we'd realize we have more in common than we think.

 We all know the hair struggle we go through with our own hair and yet we are calling each other out because their edges may be a bit thick, or the naps are looking too wild. In all honestly this was the way our hair was supposed to be before we were taught it was ugly and unacceptable. Hair is just one example, the list goes on to wardrobe, gadgets, prestige, money and men. We all go through similar shared experiences and if we are not using our words to pull our sistahs up then we need not speak.

That is all.

Domestic Violence is Serious & Real

On Thursday October 18th 2012 MISS (Motivating & Inspiring Strong Sisterhood) Women's Group of Claflin University hosted a Domestic Violence Forum. The turnout was great and the information powerful. Two speakers Presented, MISS Asha Givens a Former Domestic Violence Victim and Alexis Guinyard of CASA (Citizens Against Sexual Assault) Family Systems. CASA Family Systems is a program that provides escape, shelter and counseling to women and children who have been in domestic violence situations. All their services are free and open to the public and are located in nearly every city.

Domestic abuse or “battering” is a pattern of abuse by one partner against another for the purpose of maintaining power and control. Forms of domestic abuse include but are not limited to the following: Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Verbal Abuse, Threats and Intimidation, Isolation and or restriction from family, friends, and other support systems, Destruction of Property, Financial Exploitation, Jealousy and Possessiveness and Stalking and/or monitoring behavior. 

The most important point stressed at the forum is to "Know The Signs" of domestic violence. If a partner has a tendency to be violent he or she will show signs in a series that start out small. The signs include answering yes to the following questions: Are you ever afraid of your partner?, Does you partner threaten to hurt you?, Has your partner ever pushed/shoved you, thrown things at you, or forced you to have sex?, Does your partner stalk you, or show up uninvited to your job or when you are out with friends/family? These small encounters lead to emotional and physical pain, bruises, scars and even death. Below are a few facts about domestic violence

Courtesy of Sunny Downstate Medical Center, Domestic Violence Resource Center, The U.S. Department of Justice Website and the MISS Women's Group Domestic Violence Brochure

Pearl Cleage’s What I Learned in Paris (Commentary)

WhatI learned in Atlanta is then, the beauty of becoming a free woman. Evie's character compared to the other two women in the play delivers a woman,completely in control of who she is and what she wants without stepping on thetoes of any other character. She refuses to be the servant or answer to thecommand of any man.  Her vocabulary,dress and overall attitude was that of a beautiful black woman who knows whoshe is and is constantly that person in spite of all the drama, lies and secretsaround her. The play even questions whether in the middle of a social revolutioncan there exist black love. The answer is love can only exist freely between afree man and a free woman who love self completely first. I found the play tobe a delightful take on true love and self-discovery especially for a womanthen and now. Women and black women especially are subjected to so much scrutinythey often lose who they are. The play reinforced the theory of going to abeautiful, faraway place to find or recreate oneself. I find this a necessarytrip of rediscovery especially in America, where black women are often amongthe hardest working people. The play however, was phenomenal in showing positiveimages of African Americans in activism and strong black women. 

Pearl Cleage’s What I Learned in Paris (Synopsis)

Pearl Cleage’s play, What I Learned in Paris literally changed my life. In a 1973 highly political downtown Atlanta, Georgia, Cleage weaves a story of black love around social change. The main character, Evie, plays a dynamic, powerful and intellectual black woman. While we learn that she has always been intellectual there was a time where she lost her sense of self in the name of love, family and politics. Being married to an attorney and a politician she was always among the fight for change and social equality and she loved ‘that kind of talk’. The turning point in her life however was the realization that she had lost her husband to the discussions of political strategies. She then left for Paris in hopes her husband would join her. All the while, when her husband didn’t show she was just an angry woman in the “city of love”. While in Paris, she has an epiphany of a lifetime as she sees several beautifully tall and well-dressed black women strutting down the streets of France chanting in French. She then looks at her reflection in a nearby glass, having been inspired by the women, and realizes that she is the entire woman she needs to survive.

TV News Blog

Edna Adan: A Woman of Many Firsts: ABCNEWS.COM - Follow Edna Adan's journey as part of the video event "Half The Sky."

Edna Adan was the first certified nurse midwife in Somaliland and  Former first lady of Somaliland. After retiring she saw that there was a need for more certified midwives in Somaliland. She then sold everything she had, to build a hospital that is named the "Edna Adan University Hospital".

The hospital took her four years to build. Her goal was to empower women by creating opportunities for them to become certified midwifes. She wanted to inform women that they do have choices. She is inspired by the benefit and jobs the hospital has created. She aspires to train 1,000 midwives to increase the survival rate at birth. 

The Edna Adan University Hospital has reduced maternal rate in Somaliland by one quarter since its opening. The hospital has treated over 4,000 patients and delivered over 12,000 babies. It is women like Edna Adan that are taking strides today to create more opportunities for a healthier and stronger global community of people of African decent.

The story of Edna Adan and others like her showcase the strides black women are taking today to ensure the health and survival of women and children in a global community. 

Black Power Conference

  On the weekend of September 20th- 22nd, the College of Charleston held its annual Black Power Conference. The theme this year, Reframing Black Power Across the 20^th Century and Beyond. The notable speakers from universities all over the U.S.  inspired college students to take up activist roles at their own universities. Of the several panels hosted, one  that rose a lot of interests among the students was a round table discussion entitled: Reframing the Orangeburg Massacre: Protest and Police Reprisals. The speakers on that panel included Cleveland Sellers  of Voorhees College, a scholar and activist,  Judy Richardson, Director & Former SNCC Activist , Jack Shuler of Denison University and Jack Bass  of the College of Charleston.

"It was as if we were watching living history books" said one student who attended the conference. Each of the Presenters had been there at the time of the "Orangeburg Massacure" or had thoroughly researched the historic event. Judy Richards made the comment that racism has become systemic, the question then is how do we as a community change this system. Racism prevails in such drastic ways because African Americans are often referred to as "The Other". In being "the other" African Americans or anyone of African decent are considered to be "non- human".

An issue that was noticed at the conference, by one professor  was that " many Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) not encouraging or allowing students to question University policy’s as well as world events". She then went on to say that  "HBCU’s should also teaching more on the achievements of blacks both past and current. In many cases, students are encouraged to do just enough to get by as opposed to questioning everything as critical thinkers." The question I then ask is, what does it take to be a student activist in a time where our peers and colleagues are not as conscious of the issues as students who lived during the civil rights era.

Courtesy of http://avery.cofc.edu/programs/black-power-conference/ 

Pioneers of Black Feminist Thought

•18th & 19th Century Scholars

1. Maria Stewart, was the first black woman to speak in public about women's. rights She was also the first woman of any race to give a lecture before a mixed audience of men and women both black and white

2. Sojourner Truth, is the woman most responsible for linking abolition and women’s rights.

3. Anna Julia Cooper, published the first book length black feminist text which provides a global perspective on racism, imperialism and colonialism.

4. Mary Church Terrell, was instrumental in creating an international awareness and bond among women. Her writings touched on issues of black female empowerment, lynching, woman suffrage and the glories of black history.

5. Ida B. Wells, has been known throughout history as the anti-lynching crusader and militant journalist. Her reports on lynching made a powerful connection between lynching, patriarchy, racism and stereotypes of white womanhood and black sexuality

• 20th Century Scholars

6. Alice Dunbar Nelson, fought for the voting rights of women during a time when Women were much more organized. She argued that while Black men received voting rights many didn't know what to do with that right.

7. Amy Jacques Gary, was a nationalist and argued that Black women need to define for themselves what it means to be a black woman. She urged Women to take up leadership roles

8. Sadie T. M. Alexander, was the first African American to receive a doctorate in economics. While she Proved herself educationally but could not prove it intellectually when she was unable to obtain a job in her field. Her works centered on the understanding of why women are forced into low class jobs.

9. Flo Kennedy, was one of the Founding members of the national organization of black women. She also Formed the National Black Feminist Organization. She was an outspoken attorney and civil rights activist

"Guy-Sheftall, Beverly. "Words of Fire: Anthology of African American Feminist Thought" . New York:  The New Press, 1995. Ebook (kindle)

Feminist Thought

Ever since I heard of something called a feminist or womanist, I knew that was something I wanted to be. I wanted to burn my bra in protest like the women on T.V. I wanted to stand for something and not stand alone. I wanted to join a sit-in/rally or march for equal rights. As a younger woman I knew I had much to offer. I believed in my voice and still do. I believe that all women need to be heard. This is not a movement about bashing men. It is about abolishing sexism and empowering women. Sexism has existed since the dawn of time and is often perpetuated by both men and women. So this is an effort to raise consciousness of both genders. The first goal of the feminist is to create stronger bonds between fellow women. There is much truth in the phrase that "sisterhood is powerful". But we as women need to stop judging and ostracizing one another. We all fall victim to the issue of male domination and thus all have a story to share and cause to stop it. Fact of the matter is, everyone can be a part of the feminist movement and in doing so we end sexism, classism and racism. Help to raise the consciousnesses!!!!!

bell hooks visits College of Charleston

         On August 31 the esteemed feminist scholar bell hooks visited the campus of the College of Charleston to deliver a lecture on Feminism. hooks spoke on a range of topics pertaining to what she does as a feminist and cultural critic as well as her views on the spiritual world. She spoke on the issue of how women deal with each other and the lack of sisterhood especially among black women. She mentioned that  before women can start a revolution we must come together. One such way of coming together is to develop "Sister Circles" where we share our stories, thoughts, ideas and works. hooks also talked about the issue of poverty and environmentalism and mentioned a novel she was reading titled "How the Rich are Destroying the Earth" by Herve Kempf.  The novel speaks to issues on capitalism, a major problem in the United States. In closing hooks relates that our strength begins with self-love, mindful awareness and spirituality. bell hooks is a wonderful speaker who has more than informed be but has inspired me. I too, have noticed the divide among women and have join the ranks to find the way to bridge the gap. 

Dedication Post

This Blog is dedicated to recognizing and raising the consciousness on work of women in areas of Feminism, womanism and black feminist thought and theory. This blog is also dedicated to the uplift of black peoples everywhere. Please read and enjoy.

Thank You

 

Author: Jessica Corbin

Student of Claflin University

Senior

English Major

Education Minor

Black Feminist &Activist