GLORY

             "IT TAKES THE WISDOM OF THE ELDERS, AND YOUNG PEOPLE ENERGY"
Everyday on my way to work I have this song on repeat. I listen to it so much that I know all the words to the entire song. The first time I heard it was when I went to see the Selma movie the day it came out. This song not only gave me goosebumps but it re-inspired me as a social justice leader. It made me cry. I felt so much from this song alone because it painted a picture for what reality is everyday for black people.It made me think of how far we have yet how far we still have to go. It gives us hope that everything that our people went through in the past and what our people are going through now will one day get better! This song touches not just people of color but it overlaps any issue that requires change, faith, and persistence to overcome.

Common is my favorite rapper because he  doesn't try to fit in but just speaks from his heart. His talent is ridiculous in the sense that it forces you to analyze the world we live in. He is truly one of the best artist of all time and I have listened to him since I was 10 years old. About a year and half ago my sister and I went to a common concert at the house of blues in Boston. It was one of the best experiences ever and my very first concert. I am not a big concert person or fan but Common is an exception. What saddened me about the concert was that someone with so much talent that has the ability to change lives wasn't as high stream as someone like Jay Z. Common doesn't just speak for himself he speaks for the people and to me that is more powerful than speaking about yourself or how wealthy and fly you are. John legend is all to me the most talented male singer out there right now. together the best rapper alive and the bed male singer have left a mark. Being African American means always having to prove yourself. "They say stay down and We stand up" is my favorite line in the song Glory. One thing I always say is that life is unfair, but it isn't about dwelling on the injustice but its about working to try to fix it, it is about working to defeat it and to deal it together as a people.

 Today these two men won Oscars for this amazing song. They have proved that being a leader means doing what is meaningful to you and to others, doing what you are passionate about no matter what.  Common has worked hard in this career and although he wasn't always the artist on radio repeat and isn't as rich as some other main stream rapper, he stayed true to he was and what his purpose was. It is safe to say that he has made it, that they have both made it; I haven't had tears of joy in a long time and tonight I had them. They have taught us that anything is possible it you stay true to who you are, and work hard. God is Good.

Education, Empathy, and Unity

I experience microagression and racism all the time. I either get looked at a certain way, or get said things to because of the color of my skin. This isn't anything new and it is a result of our history yet I can't seem to fathom how much it affects society in the year 2014. Micro aggressions may also be a result of how a person feels about themselves because of what society has put on them. This is all a result of a white man thinking that he is inferior to a black man because of the color of their skin and I wish by now that things would have changed but that isn't the case.
  

 Now history is repeating itself in a way than never before. Not only are we getting mistreated from time to time, not only do black people have to feel a certain way, but black people are getting killed because of the color of their skin by the people who are in fact suppose to protect them. I could speak forever about this issue and as a youth social justice leader, I could speak on the way I think these issues can be solved but I don't know the expense at which it may be achievable. 

EDUCATION, EMPHATY, and UNITY. These three words for me is what can get America  through this tragic time during this war between people of color against law enforcement. Its about knowing the problem and addressing it. Yes "we can't breath and black lives matter" but how do we get to point where a white man is able to empathize with us?  By educating together. 

So now the question to ask is: How do we make black lives matter? By educating ourselves on the history of our people, educating ourselves in schools to make better lives for ourselves, by educating ourselves which our rights as equal citizens of this country, and most importantly educating those around us on who we really are versus who they think we are because of our appearance. So that they don't believe that very black male with a hoodie is a threat. It is about trying as best as you can to educate those around you that are ignorant to the idea of what a stereotype is and what it has done. Empathy is feeling what another person is feeling, walking in another persons shoes; and as impossible as it may be for a white person to understand what it feels like to be a black person, it is about getting to a point where you can try to feel. I believe it is important for people to try to understand others in all walks of life. Lastly unity for me is the most important thing. I believe that no man can obtain success on their own. It is true and my experiences have taught me that. It is about creating a support system, connecting with people who believe in the right things and working together to make possible what could be impossible alone. The protest that have been going all over the country are great examples of what unity is and it doesn't have to stop there. 

 I am happy to see that there are people living by these three things and my prayer is that one day things will be better than they are now. 

Lastly I would like to say that prayer is also an important tool. If there is anything that I believe strongly in doing along with all of these things is to pray. 

Success

When I talk to people my age and we talk about success, many people talk about their dream careers,  having a lot of money, one day owning a mansion and driving the most expensive cars. When I think about what success is, I think about happiness. I think about being truly fulfilled. For me, fulfillment and happiness comes from helping others. Success isn't about the materialistic things you own, it is beyond that.  It is said in the bible that we are given a gift from God, It may be our talents, it may be our presence, it may be our influence but whatever it is, it is a gift meant to change the life of others. A gift that must be used to make an impact. When we think about only ourselves then we aren't living the lives we are meant to live;we are living a life without purpose. To help someone means giving to that person whatever you can without the intention of getting anything in return. Aside from all the gifts God has granted me, he has granted me the gift of help. Happiness for me is being able to make a difference in the life of another person. Happiness is the key to success. Success is the platform for prosperity. Prosperity isn't how much money you have, it is rather the difference you make in the lives of others.
( inspired quote:1 Peter4:10.)

Naturally beautiful

Recently I had a discussion with one of my close guy friends and he expressed the love he had for black women. I was a little shocked because that isn't something i hear often. Most black men i know either express how they don’t like black women or say things that imply it. Our discussion then led to why black men don’t like black females, and while we listed many reasons as to why this was true, I still couldn’t put my finger on it until he said " Guys are afraid to be with girls who do not fit the standard to societies eye of good looking because they are insecure”. When he said this is to me I had to let it sit. I thought about it and reflected on all the comments made by my black guy friends toward black women; expressing how they didn’t like black women with natural hair, short hair, or women who were too dark or too tall. It then led me to think about the whole idea of what beauty is. Men don’t want to be associated with anything that isn’t beautiful because then it makes them insecure. It is said that Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but the beholder is society; and the society we in live in is based on a white mans perception.  As an African American woman, I understand the struggles of all other African American women. We do things to fit into societies idea of beauty because what we look like naturally doesn’t fit. We perm our hair, we use bleaching cream, we start talking a certain way around certain people because we too like any other women wants to be considered beautiful.  “Women get their insecurities from guys who are insecure themselves”. Insecurities cause a dent in our confidence. Be Confident. Love who you are because if you give anyone else the power over your confidence level, then you are giving them power over your happiness. You are not your hair, or your skin, or your height. You are beyond that. You are naturally beautiful.

Entrepreneurship

 My aunt is a hairdresser, she can do everything from weave, braiding, styling and etc. While I lived with her I would watch closely as she did clients hair and always asked questions. Im a huge believer in learning what you can from every person you meet. I believe that the things you learn from other people build your character. After practicing and watching her, I am now able to do hair very well.

I now have a cliental and best of all i am able to do my own hair for free. Mostly every hairstyle you will see me with is hair I did on myself. To take my talent a step further, I decided to make business cards. I have dedicated most of my weekends to doing hair since I am a full time student. First step in a business idea is your presentation. I had ordered these cards form vista print as a start up and they were free. All I paid for was shipping. One advice I would like to give out is that you can do anything you want to do. Take interest in things you like to do, practice, try to be the best you can be and then start something. Go on www.vistaprint.com, order business cards for whatever it may be, be professional and people will take you seriously.

Do the little things that matter

My major is plastics engineering. Every time i tell people that, i get the "what the heck is that look". Basically plastics engineering is processing,design, development and manufacturing of plastics through the application of math, science, and engineering.

Plastics are believed to be one of the most versatile products on earth and because of that it is incorporated in many products we use in our everyday lives. Think about it and check it out!

I am blessed to have gotten into the only university in the nation accredited for an undergraduate plastics engineering program; UMass Lowell, whoop whoop!

So far I have learned a lot and I am happy to pursue this major for the next four years.
The one thing i recently learned about plastics is that even though it is this great product, it could also be damaging to our earth. This is something plastic engineers have to think about. We must come up with solutions to prevent the environmental and ecological harm plastic can cause on this earth. This brings me to the point of this post.

Heres a fact: Americans use 2,500,000 plastics bottles every hour and most of them are thrown away instead of being recycled. This got me thinking, and now I'm doing everything in my power to prevent that. Recycling has become a priority for me and I want to encourage others to do the same.