Happy Birthday Dr King

Happy Birthday to a man who worked tirelessly to help those who desperately needed his guidance &inspiration.  Even though he is gone, we shouldn't sit on our laurels, his dream hasn't come through yet, even though we are close.

And Congratulations to the new President of the United States (wait, hahaha he isn't so new now is he??).
Here is hoping the next four years, he can truly make a bigger more public difference, because much of his previous work went without the true recognition, he deserved.  Welcome in the New Congress & House of Reps with it's large new class of women!!!

Let's Go!!!

Happy Founders Day: 105 Years to the

the First, the Finest, the 20 Pearl wearing Sisters of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc!!!

105 years ago a Great Lady Ethel Hedgeman Lyle, & 8 Ladies formed the Original Nine including: Anna Brown, Beulah E, Burke, Lillie Burke, Margorie Hill, Margaret Flagg Holmes, Lavinia Norman, Lucy D. Slowe, Marie Woolfol Taylor. 

In 1910, a sophomore Class was inducted including: Norma Boyd, Ethel J Mowbray, Alice P Murray, Sarah M. Nutter, Joanna B. Shields, Carrie E Snowden, Harriet J Terry, 

AKA was incopoerated in January 29, 1913 by the following Pearls: Norma Boyd, Julia E Brooks, Ethel Jones Mombray, Nellie M Quander, Nellie Pratt Russell, and Minnie B. Smith.

Three times imitated, Never duplicated, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated is the First!!! Have been making a History of firsts since 1908 :

105 years of Service to ManKind, "So let my life like the Ivy be, a help to man, and a wreath for Thee" 

May the Ivy Live on for many more years with continued Service and Promotion of Education Among Young College Women.

HAPPY FOUNDER'S DAY!!!!!!

Happy Founders Day to the:

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc 1913

ladies of the DST.  It's another year, and the Delta's have made it this far, today it's their Century mark.  The Deltas are here to celebrate making a difference in the lives of the African American community for the last 100 years. Much love and respect to the women who were founded by women who pledged to the pink and green of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Inc and realized they wished for more from their organaization than was available at the time. They choose to move on and great their own legacy.  (No I'm not a Delta, but I do have friends in the sorority and wish to honor them.)

For those of you who don't know, the Delta women wanted different things from the sorority than the Alpha women did and made the decision to split from the core group and created their own sorority today January 13th in 1913 on the Howard College Campus.  The women wished to aide those in need and promote academic success among the black community.

The first public act performed by the Delta Founders involved their participation in the Women's Suffrage March in Washington D.C., March 1913. Delta Sigma Theta was incorporated in 1930.( from Black Greek.com).
There are many woman who proudly wear the Delta Red, and are a blessing in their fields including:
Cicely Tyson, Judith Jamison ( Alvin Ailey Director), Soledad O'Brien (CNN news anchor), Niiki Giovanni (amazing Poet & author), Keisha Knight Pullam ( Rudy from The Cosby Show), Aretha Franklin, Dr. Camille Cosby (Bill Cosby's wife), Ruby Dee Davis. As you can see many of them come from the journalistic field or are in the entertainment field, DST women love to shine. Rumor has it the most famous DST is Oprah Winfrey, she has never commented on it, but it's out there and accepted by many in the Greek society. 

To the many women who came before, who walk wearing the Red now, who stand for the DST, and the women who will come, May you always hold your head up high and walk with Pride Ladies.

Happy Birthday & happy Founder's Day Deltas

Happy Founders Day to the :

men of Sigma Blue.  Happy 99th Birthday gentlemen.  Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., an international organization of college and professional men, was founded on January 9th, 1914 at Howard University on the principles, Brotherhood, Scholarship and Service. These principles are exhibited by the fraternity motto, "Culture for Service and Service for Humanity." As one of the now nine predominantly Black Greek-Lettered organizations, Phi Beta Sigma has a membership of over 100,000 with over 600 chapters throughout the continental United States, Switzerland, Europe, the Caribbean and Africa.

According to the official web site, "Today, eighty-seven years later, Phi Beta Sigma has blossomed into an international organization of leaders. No longer a single entity, the Fraternity has now established the Phi Beta Sigma Educational Foundation, the Phi Beta Sigma Housing Foundation, the Phi Beta Sigma Federal Credit Union, and the Phi Beta Sigma Charitable Outreach Foundation. Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., founded in 1920 with the assistance of Phi Beta Sigma, is the sister organization. No other fraternity and sorority is constitutionally bound as Sigma and Zeta. We both enjoy and foster a mutually supportive relationship."

A complete list of the famous men of Sigma Blue can be found here, some of them are: Blair Underwood, Morris Chestnut, Morgan Freeman, Malik Yoba & the men of the Temptations & Huey P Newton.
(Information from BlackGreek.com)

Happy Birthday & Happy Founder's Day Brothers!!

11 years in

and this day still hurts like heck. Today is the 11th year since September 11th, 2001

I'm sure we all remember where we were and what we were doing on this day nine years ago. It will forever be burned into the psyche of many an American. Watching the news that morning hurting for the people inside and for the survivors, this is a day we will never forget.

So take a moment today and remember all 2,996 killed on this day. The brave firefighters and first responders who went in burning buildings;remember the brave passengers on Flight 93, who fought back rather than allow the fourth plane to reach its destination.

Lets please remember their families, please keep them in your hearts and prayers.  At 8:46 am today take a moment to honor those who have died.

Flight 93 Memorial

Alan Jackson sang this song and it was the most amazing song because it takes so much of what we feel and gives it words. Take a listen, "where were you when the world stopped turning?", shed a few tears, let it all out.

And then go on, make your life a good one, give back as much as you can, but never forget those who became heroes, on that September day. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down ones life for his friends {country}

Always remembering

Caribbean Pride

I have managed to refrain from running loose like a crazy person on this blog for the past fourteen days, especially the last four days. I have been glued to my tv, and Facebook, and let's face it twitter, talking smack and generally annoying the people who have the misfortune * at the moment* of being my firnds and family members, especially those who aren't Jamaican.

Out of Many One People.  

You see, Jamaica turns 50 this year.  50 years ago the Queen and Parliament graciously let us go and allowed us to become independent and we have been grateful for that ever since *there are a million things that have gone wrong, I could go into them but it's not that kind of a post*.  This is a celebration post, not just that fact that we have been free, but the fact of our dominance in track and field at this year's Olympics.  We are a small country with little over 2.6 million citizens, that's what some of these other countries call a city, and that's our whole island populace; you could drive from end to end in one day *you wouldn't stop and see much you would have to just drive but you can do it*.  It's from this small nation that the fastest man and woman in the world come from, reside in and train.

As a symbol of great pride, and as someone noted, a show of how far we as a country and as a people have come, Usain Bolt's image was featured on the House of Parliament (which is like the Senate building for those in the US).   This more than any other image showcased as a friend put it the reverse of colonialism.  It is something our ancestors would have never thought to see, would never hope to dream to see so many people loving one little black boy from the small country.

With even a member of the royal family emulating his moves and jokingly racing with him right before the Olympics would have taken place.

It's a joke ~~~ That's my friend that Gold!!!

 I don't know if y'all can grasp the significance of a member of the family that once owned us, ruled us, calmly playing and *pretend* racing one of our own.  I know I'm probably not articulating this well, but it's just amazing and awe inspiring to see how far we have come.

There are many things wrong with Jamaica right now, much like the rest of the world we are feeling the crunch; and yet clearly there are so many things right.  With Usain Bolt *who by the way is from my home parish *county/state for you Americans * Trelawny, yep now you know what my twitter name means*  bringing in so many golds for Jamaica, it's a big bolster to national pride.

It was even better on Friday when the men swept the race and Gold, Bronze and Silver belonged to us. to hear the national anthem playing while watching our flag be raised, was just amazing.

Tonight (or last night) again the men set a world record in the mens 4x100 meter race/ Tearing up their previous world record and setting personal bests for each of them.

Of course we can't forget the women, ohhh man the little pocket rocket (her nickname) Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce looked around and decided she liked having gold, it went nicely with the huge rock on her hand/ And she dominated again in her field setting another WR. We took Bronze in the women's relay because Carmelita Jeter (US) decided that she wasn't going home without and Gold tore up the field. Congrats to the American team.
The whole Team Jamaica did amazingly well, with runners in long distance and hurdles *something we normally don't do* and swimming, as well as equestrian. We didn't medal in all of them, but the very fact of being in the Olympics makes them winners and some of the best of the best athletes and they too deserve a resounding Huzzah!! or better yet a BIG UP!! *lick shots BOOY BOY BOY BOY* lololol.

I don't know of any other way to share our national pride with you, than to share some of the images of my country. I have always been a proud Jamaican, but during these last few weeks my pride has been eclipsed by a sense of joy like no other. And Congratulations to Grenada on it's first Gold, and Bahamas for spanking the US men's team for the first time in 60 years of their dominance.

Unless otherwise noted none of these images are mine, they have been taken from google.com and Shelly's fan page.

Thanks for letting me share with you my joy. Happy birthday Jamaica, I can't wait to see you at one hundred *wait crap i might not be here* ok I can't wait to see you at 75!! 65?? No ohh ok I'll just see you at Christmas then.

Febuary Lovers: Mr & Mrs. Loving

Welcome to episode 1 of the February Lovers of 2012.

Have you ever seen a couple she beautiful, him handsome walking down the street, nothing about them is truly particularity different other than they are a interracial couple, maybe one is Caucasian & the other Black, maybe they are Asian & Black; whatever they ethnicity it's the love that shines through. You yourself (like me) maybe involved with a interracial relationship, I am a product of an interracial relationship, I like many of you have the right to these relationships due to those who came before us and fought for those rights.

Let’s be real the mixing of races here in America has not always been for love, or by choice. Many times it was the way to survive to make sure you progeny got a better life than you did, sometimes it was due to rape.

There are instances however that show us that it does happen for love, that there are people who would willingly stand up and fight for their heart’s true desire, and such is the case of Mr and Mrs, Loving. the couple from Virginia fled to Washington DC to get married due to the law on the books in Virginia which prevented the intermarrying of Caucasian and Blacks, this law called the “Racial Integrity Act” made it a criminal offence to knowingly have sex with another race, & a federal offence to marry another race. 

Arrested, tried and found guilty in Virgina they were sentenced to 1 year in jail or a suspended sentence if they left the state for 25 years; they took the suspended sentence and fled to DC, there they met with lawyers from the ACLU and on November 6, 1965, filed a lawsuit against the state of Virginia for violation of the 14th Amendment. As noted by the fact that you and I can date, have sex with and marry whomever we wish (I’m not discussing the LGBT community at the moment) you can tell they won.

On January 22, 1965  the case went before the Virginia Supreme Court, the judges upheld the Virginia Law.  The people who actually helped the ACLU team were the churches, the Presbyterian Church, then UU Association, & the Roman Catholic Church stepped into say

"laws which prohibit, inhibit or hamper marriage or cohabitation between persons because of different races, religions, or national origins should be nullified or repealed."^{[ (wikipedia/loving v Virginia)}

Prior to the Loving case, there were a few others that challenged the law including Pace v Alabama, Perez v Sharp, each laid the groundwork which allowed the Loving case to proceed to the Supreme Court; on June 12, 1967 the court ruled in favour of the Lovings with this statement: 

“Marriage is one of the "basic civil rights of man," fundamental to our very existence and survival.... To deny this fundamental freedom on so unsupportable a basis as the racial classifications embodied in these statutes, classifications so directly subversive of the principle of equality at the heart of the Fourteenth Amendment, is surely to deprive all the State's citizens of liberty without due process of law. The Fourteenth Amendment requires that the freedom of choice to marry not be restricted by invidious racial discrimination. Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the State”

Despite the ruling, many of these laws remained on the books although un~ enforceable until Alabama repealed the law in 2000.

Yes you read that right, until 2000.  Now I didn’t mean to give you a history lesson, but every time I look at my partner, every time I look at my siblings & my Grandmere (or her pictures, since she has passed) I see the descendants of interracial love, and I am grateful everyday for these people.

Now to make this story even more personal, my favourite place to be during high school was the library, I volunteered there during my free periods and during my senior year when I only had homeroom & 1 other class, I was there all the time. My school librarian, one of the coolest women I knew and was very into discussing Black history with me, her name was Ms. Loving, as in the granddaughter of Mr & Mrs. Loving. When I saw the movie and went to school that Monday, she laughed when I walked in and said yes she had seen the show, she gave a talk during Black History Month and brought along family pictures, and shared those with us.
Talk about touching history, this is the story of a love that took on a state and went to bat for all those who couldn’t, This was a love that lasted until Mr Richard Loving preceded his wife into death in June 1975, and she later passed on May 2, 2008

Officially Loving Day is the day the courts overturned the rule, June 12th, but every Valentine’s Day, when my partners & I are enjoying this day for Lovers I always stop to light a candle for the ones who helped to make this love possible.

Even if your aren’t in an interracial romance, can you please light a candle today for all the lovers past and present who are in need of passion, comfort, Love and romance.

**If your in NYC they have a display of pictures from the Loving family, intimate portraits, why not take a look and see. Link is above with their names.**

Be Blessed, be happy, Be Love

On Strike

Will be on strike from 8am to 8pm today, as a protest against the SOPA and PIPA bills which will negatively affect the way we use the internet, many websites will be shutdown based on these laws.  There are a few companies(big businesses) who are protesting the passage of these laws including Google, Wikipedia, Wordpress, and more. You can find out about it here.

Read, Learn, Join *thanks Nydia M*

Happy Founder's Day to ...

the First, the Finest, the 20 Pearl wearing Sisters of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc!!!

104 years ago a Great Lady Ethel Hedgeman Lyle, & 8 Ladies formed the Original Nine including: Anna Brown, Beulah E, Burke, Lillie Burke, Margorie Hill, Margaret Flagg Holmes, Lavinia Norman, Lucy D. Slowe, Marie Woolfol Taylor. 

In 1910, a sophomore Class was inducted including: Norma Boyd, Ethel J Mowbray, Alice P Murray, Sarah M. Nutter, Joanna B. Shields, Carrie E Snowden, Harriet J Terry, 

AKA was incopoerated in January 29, 1913 by the following Pearls: Norma Boyd, Julia E Brooks, Ethel Jones Mombray, Nellie M Quander, Nellie Pratt Russell, and Minnie B. Smith.

Three times imitated, Never duplicated, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated is the First!!! Have been making a History of firsts since 1908 :


104 years of Service to ManKind, "So let my life like the Ivy be, a help to man, and a wreath for Thee" 


May the Ivy Live on for many more years with continued Service and Promotion of Education Among Young College Women.


HAPPY FOUNDER'S DAY!!!!!!

Happy Founder's Day to the ......

Ice Cold Brothers of the Alpha Phi Alpha Incorporated!!!! 105 Years ago 7 Jewels came together and created the FIRST, BEST, Fraterity of the Black & Old Gold.

"First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All, " Motto

In December 4,1906 at Cornell University, a hand full of students formed a way for the only Black students in Cornell to remain against the racism facing them.

Alpha Phi Alpha evolved into a primarily service organisation and provided leadership and service during the Great Depression,World Wars, and Civil Rights Movements. It addresses social issues such as apartheid, AIDS, urban housing, and other economic, cultural, and political issues of interest to people of color.

This group was a brotherhood of support, these men became Great and inspired the formation of the Sisterhood of 20 pearls Alpha Kappa Alpha, as well all the other Fraternities that came after.

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. has continued to supply voice and vision to the struggle of African Americans and people of color around the world. The Fraternity has long stood at the forefront of the African-American community's fight for civil rights.


Members of Alpha Phi Alpha include Jamaican Prime Minister Norman Manley, Nobel Prize winner Martin Luther King, Jr., Olympian Jesse Owens, Justice Thurgood Marshall, United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young, and Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson.

You Can Learn More about the Brothers the Black and Old Gold as well as the extremely well written and cited article on Wiki. I LOVE MY A PHI A!!!!

Farewell to an Icon

How do we say goodbye to someone who has become so intrinsic to our culture?? For a generation, especially for women, Oprah became a image of success, she was a woman who like us struggled with her weight, she lived her life full tilt, and did it all while without falling to societal pressures of becoming a wife, or a mother.  She showed many that success can come from walking their own path, and how to do it while being unapologetic, for these choices.  She stuck to her guns; talked about what made her tick, what made her curious, and took us along on the journey with her.


Yesterday, I managed to catch the show, including the ending with Rascal Flatts, who sang their song "I Won't Let Go" and I was in tears.  


You see, for me there are many memories of Oprah, her show came on when I was just four years old, and I remember much of her rise and becoming the woman we know today. I remember catching brief glimpses of the show, as I was growing up, and going from sneaking to watch Sally Jessy, to Ricki Lake, and then finally being allowed into the inner sanctum of the women's group and being invited in the afternoon, to tea, and Oprah.  I remember when I was younger, when my mother and her friends, would have their little meetings in the afternoon to watch Oprah and her show, especially after she had become really established, and had some really great shows highlighting many of the things going on in the world.  I remember the book clubs that got launched, at church, in the neighbourhood, and even watching people I would never think of as readers picking up a book simply because Oprah had talked about it on her show.


She has woven herself into the fabric of the American, nay the world's cultural context for many a generation.  It's scary to think she won't be there for the next generation to listen to, talk about, learn from, and yes even make fun of.  Oprah launched many a career, and yes even ruined one in particular (but then again would you really want to be known as the man who lied to Oprah Winfrey O_o).  


Although after those afternoon teas had moved onto other things, and I grew up I didn't really watch Oprah as religiously then, but her show is one of those touchstones of life that we can drift back to depending on what she was talking about and what her season was about.  I know personally there were many episodes I couldn't wait to watch, many episodes I couldn't believed I had watched (like the Bush interview), and yes many episodes that we all made fun of  I mean really Tom,

( Kate must be doing something right to make that man lose his mind); and there are many which will stay with me for a long time (the episode with the men who had been assaulted as children).  Oprah made it ok to talk about something that happened to many people, she made it less 'dirty' and made it something people wanted to confront, all because she spoke about her childhood assaults, and the power of parents who advocate for their children, she owed a lot of her rise and her success to her father, and she spoke on it often.


Many people have made fun of the way her audience reacts, and even how Oprah herself  acts on her "favourite things' episodes; considering there is a whole industry out there about getting on Oprah, even CNBC has a show called the Oprah Effect, discussing what going on her show has done for hundreds of people's careers.  I mean who can forget the "You get a car, You get a car"
She also did something special for the Black community, she made it ok to be successful without being a 'typical' star. She made a lot of people see that just because the ghetto is where you start it isn't where you have to stay. She once said to a guest, that she had earned every penny and she enjoyed spending it because she grew up Black in south, and that really stuck with me.
I'm glad she was on the air for so long, and much like the song says, although we are sad to see her go, we are all just a little better because of her show. 


I wish her all the best (although she really doesn't need it) and I thank her for being an amazing roll model for many young women, and especially to me.  What about ya'll any fun Oprah memories??
Be Blessed