Black Excellence Month: Day 1

Audre Lorde

Black Feminist Visionary Warrior Lesbian Poet 
1934 - 1992

 

 "I am a Black Feminist. I mean I recognize that my power as well as my primary oppressions come as a result of my blackness as well as my womaness, and therefore my struggles on both of these fronts are inseparable."

 -Audre Lorde

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Recommended Reading:

•  Zami: A New Spelling of My Name by Audre Lorde
• Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde
• Uses Of The Erotic: The Erotic As Power by Audre Lorde
• The Cancer Journals by Audre Lorde
• Warrior Poet: A Biography of Audre Lorde by Alexis De Veaux
•  Indo-Caribbean Feminisms and Heteronormativity http://sta.uwi.edu/crgs/march2013/journals/Pragg.pdf
•  Conversations with Audre Lorde by Joan Wylie Hall
• The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House

I read Audre Lorde’s Zami: A New Spelling of My Name last year on a train ride from New York to Florida. It holds a special place in my heart. Her writing is so beautiful and touching. I feel so grateful to get a glimpse into her younger life. I felt a great connection to her in this book. It reminds me that I come from greatness and of the unique struggles of the women who lived before me for I would not be who I am today if it were not for them. It left me completely inspired.

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Recommended Watching:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eMvnxxFhbM
•  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_KYZkRY9pA 
•  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HBD4VRqnh4
•  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diHzbQNyO2k

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Links:

• ·      http://alp.org/
• ·      http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/audre-lorde

 

Welcome to 2014!

Happy New Year Everyone!
 

The first day of the new year is here. With 2013 ending with graduating from college, I really feel that this year is the beginning of a chapter in my life. I didn't really make any resolutions but there are many things that I want to try more of this year. I'm excited for this new chapter of life and I really like that it's kind of beginning as the new year begins. I'm still on the search for what's next in my life but with determination and hope I know I'm going somewhere and it's going to be great. I am black excellence!

This year I want to read more. I say this especially because I wasn't always able to read for fun while I was in school. I read a lot of great books that were assigned to me and I'm so glad that I was able to read so many great books but I have a very long list of books that I've wanted to read for a long time so I really want to put a dent into that list. I'm also looking for more books to put on the list. I can't wait to explore the book world again and not worry about how it will interfere with my schoolwork.

I want to write more because I can and it means a lot to me.

I want to hold on to positivity and reject negativity to the best of my ability.

Most importantly, I want to dream more. I want to focus on my dreams and my visions. I'm probably going to make a vision board this year. I've always thought they were pretty cool and I think it will really help me focus on my goals this year.

I sincerely hope that 2014 is good to you. I hope you get what you want from this year. All my good thoughts and wishes go out to you for this year.

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Here's a quote :) ♥

"The future is simply infinite possibility waiting to happen. What it waits on is human imagination to crystallize its possibility."

-Leland Kaiser

Stand Up

"The cruel words of one are nothing compared to the shouts of many."

♥

 I recently watched Anderson Cooper's special on bullying. Bullying has always been an social issue that I've held near my heart. I really want to see this one day become a problem that  isn't harming so many lives. I think that the solution begins with us. We need to stand up against bullying. We need to intervene when we can. We need to let people know that it's okay to tell someone that you're being bullied. We need to create more safe places. We need to stop blaming the victims. 

Let's talk about bullying. It's a real thing. The aftermath is very real. Bullying is leading to suicides, depression, self-harm, and eating disorders among many other things. The panel on Anderson Cooper's show brought up some really good points. Here are some of the points that really stuck out to me.

• Degrading people is never right.

How do people benefit from degrading people? There is no reward for making people feel bad. "The only time you should be looking down on someone is when you are helping them up."

• Bullying is 24 hours a day now.

Bullying goes beyond in-person interactions. Cyberbullying is just as real and it's effects are heard and seen all over the world. Be careful of what you say to people online. Don't let the veil of your computer screen be an excuse for you to degrade people. Just because they can't see you or hear you doesn't mean they can't be hurt by what you're saying.
If someone is bullying you online, report it. Block them. Tell someone. I know that it's harder online to report it but don't keep it to yourself. Let someone know what is going on.

• In 77% of bullying incidents, no bystanders intervene.

If you see bullying going on and you think that you can do something about it then you should stand up and do something about it. You know the saying, "If you see something, say something."

• Bullying will not help you achieve higher social status in the long run.

The reason a lot of people bully is because they think it will raise their social status. This isn't true. On Anderson Cooper's show, they did a study that reported bullying does not help people gain higher social status. There is no long term satisfaction from bullying. It won't make you feel better. Bullying someone will not improve your life.

• People care.

Don't you ever forget that there are people out there that care. There are people you can go to. While we still need to improve on our safe places as a society, there are people who care about your well being. Know that you can talk to me.

Look at this video of a news anchor publicly standing up to her bullies. Let this be a reminder that there a people willing to stand up against bullying. Let this be a reminder that bullying isn't just happening in one age group. Let this be a reminder that inspiration and hope can be found anywhere. Let this be a reminder that we all deserve to be respected and nothing should ever change that.

Happy Friday!!

It's finally Friday and I could not be happier. I've been super busy this week. I had two papers due at the beginning of the week, I was working on the campaign, I volunteered at the polls, I was all over the place so I'm really looking forward to relaxing this weekend. Here is what's been keeping my happy this week:

• I finished both of my papers on time! They haven't been graded yet but I know that I won't be getting any points off for late work
• I volunteered at a polling location on Election day with the USF Feminist Majority workers. We were advocating a vote "no" on a certain amendment but we were also mainly encouraging people to go vote. We were also helping people find their correct polling locations telling them what they needed to have before they were allowed to vote.
• I volunteered for the Barack Obama for America campaign. I love talking to people and meeting friendly people, especially when they're excited about exercising their right to vote. It's a beautiful thing. I spoke to students on campus, handed out posters and buttons, and I called voters in different states. Calling jobs are tricky. People don't like it when you call them. Especially if you're calling to campaign for the candidate that they don't want or if you're calling during dinner. I have experience with cranky callers and I was really excited because of what I was doing so I didn't really mind the rude people. They tone it down when you continue to be kind and respectful. It pays to be nice.
• I'm an intern at fitsmi.com and we've had a lot of new members join so that's really exciting! I got to welcome them all to the wonderful fitsmi community and I really hope that they can find a home there. It's really a great website to visit. 
• President Barack Obama was re-elected. I couldn't be happier. 
• On election night, Tammy Baldwin became the first openly gay person to ever be elected to Senate. Mazie Hirono became the first Asian American woman to be elected to Senate. Tammy Duckworth became the first female disabled veteran to be elected to the House of Representatives. Mary Gonzalez became the first openly pansexual person to be elected to Senate. There are more firsts that happened with this election and they all are reminders that who we are matters and what defines us can't hold us back. We can do great things. You can do great things. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!
• It's getting colder here in Florida. It feels amazing. I love this time of year! Cold weather means it's getting closer to the holidays and that means no school and that means more times to spend time with family! Love it!
• As always, my family and friends!

I think that this week left me feeling inspired and empowered. I got a lot of good out of this week but it has also taken all of my energy. I also learned a lot about myself during this week. I learned what it means to stand up for what I believe in on a larger scale than I ever have before. This week left me feeling like I've made a difference in my life and the lives of others. 

I hope you had a good week and that your weekend is even better! Love you lots! :) ♥

football :)

This is Peyton Manning. I've been in love with him since the eighth grade-- I like to dream ;)--and even though the Colts didn't win the Super Bowl tonight, to me, he still represents determintation and being the best you can be. Of course that's probably true of all football players but I'm not in love with all of them. I'm just in love with #18 here, Peyton Manning. I'm happy for all football players for living out their dream and doing something that they love! That has to be such an amazing feeling! I hope that I can really do that someday. Be able to dedicate my life to doing something that I love! They're all lucky, whether or not they win each game, they still show amazing amounts of strength, determination, and love for what they do. It's awesome and I love Peyton Manning!!! ♥

determintaion :)

Remember when I was promoting determination? Well, Ihaven't crocheted in a while so today, determination and I are going to work together to make a blanket and hopefully before midnight tonight, I will be able to post a picture of a blue blanket. I've been working on it for a while but I just bought some blue yarn to complete it so today will be the day I finish it. check back later to see the completed blanket! :)

update: 9PM

I warn you, it's my first blanket, it's not perfect but I'm okay with it. I say that I'm finished but I have some beautiful pink yarn that I wouldn't mind adding to it but I'm not sure yet. I'll see how I feel after spending some time with my first hand-made blanket. :)

Determination.

Sometimes, I'll sit in class, tired and stressed out and I think, I'm putting so much effort into everything and it feels like I'm getting nothing in return. What we get out of life is equal to the amount of effort we put into it. I feel like I put in so much effort but I keep getting pushed back dowm. I don't want to let them win. They should not be anywhere near my fight. This is my fight. This is my fight and they have no business trying to interupt it. They have no right to throw in their own punches so I refuse to let them. From now on, it's my fight against the world and no one person or thing is going to stand in the way of me getting my prize. I'm climbing a mountain and no little avalanch will stop me from getting to the top. I won't let them get in my way and I hope you choose to keep them out of your fight too. Don't let them throw you off course. Don't let them stop you from reaching your goals.
That's important when you're trying to reach your goal, don't let anytihng stop you. Keep on fighting, even if you think you're going no where, fight, fight, fight. Don't forget about determination. Determination takes you far, it can result in some beautiful things. It's good to have determination. Don't give up. When you keep working hard, you'll be amazed by the end result.