The POWER of YOUR VOICE By:Donna L J

We all have a voice, we all have a opportunity to take advantage of the various ways we can use our voice. Some people use their voices for good, and other people for bad. Some people make you think with their voice, others make you laugh. Its really up to the person how they decide to use their voice.

Through out everything I have been through in my life I decided I have a choice in how I use my voice. As a black female I find it disturbing that my fellow sisters insist on tearing each other down. Whether it is through degrading each other because of a man, or talking about each other through gossip, putting down each other because of career decisions or simply jealousy. I, for one am tired of this sad repetitive process and I plan to step out and stand up against this vicious cycle that is tearing down MY community!

HEAR ME : We are beautiful black women carved and created by God Himself! We are intelligent and we have the opportunity to enlighten our minds with knowledge to further educate ourselves and better ourselves. We have pride because of our past and we hold our heads up high. We walk with confidence because we know where we our going. We MUST uplift each other with LOVE and kind words. We MUST encourage each other with the strength we have from our turbulent triumphs in our past. We MUST realize our value and our worth and carry ourselves in such a way that others inquire of our vigilance and poise. We MUST hold hands together and press forward to a brighter future. We MUST keep our eyes on God because He will always lead the way. We MUST never give up hope for our off spring. We MUST be the examples our young black princesses can follow. We MUST set the standards high for our community. We MUST change the way things were so there will be a POSITIVE future filled with the beautiful sisterhood of the way things will be. SISTERS it starts with ME AND ENDS WITH YOU...TOGETHER LETS BE THE VOICE THAT CHANGES OUR CULTURE TO THE GREAT CULTURE WE KNOW WE CAN BE! AND LETS DO IT IN LOVE!!

I dedicate this to Jetara S... WHO INSPIRED me to post this blog post! God bless!

WITH LOVE,

DONNA LJ

artwork by: Chidi Okoye

SELFISH or SELFLESS...By: Donna L J

Since I was a child I was always unselfish. I found it delightful to give something that I had to someone else. Maybe it is because I cherish everything everyone gives me, So maybe i feel they will do the same. Being unselfish or selfless is something that seems to get old with time. More people are concerned about themselves and less concerned about the welfare of others.

Some people find that my acts of kindness are weird, they feel I am TOO nice. Which is very awkward because you would THINK that being nice was a GOOD thing. But often times I am criticized for my kind gestures and caring heart. Which in retrospect hurts my feelings which further more shows my "emotional" side.

So I have been thinking and I have come to some conclusions! I know A LOT of people that are SELFISH. They are inconsiderate of others, they look out for themselves, they forget important things if it doesn't concern them, they LOVE attention, they have no problem putting others down if it means making them "look" better, they judge people to no end, they will use other people as stepping stones to get themselves to where they want to be, they do things with out considering how it will effect other people.

In my pondering, I realized those aren't characteristics that I want to portray. My character is all I have to present in this life. I want to make sure that being loving, kind, thoughtful, caring, sweet, selfless, and happy are all character traits that I display daily. At the end of the day it makes me feel awesome knowing that I brightened someone else's day from being unselfish.

WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD INSIDE BEING SELFISH....OR SELFLESS?????

-DONNA L J

Goals....the wish i woulda edition... By KASH

Today i woke up and realized that i am 25 years and countless days old thus that much closer to 26. Wow, time sure does FLY when ur having fun. Or procrastinating. Both at which I am an expert at. ;-) With my realization of age, also came the harsh, unnerving reality that time is slipping thru my hands. Each wasted day is a missed opportunity to do SOMETHING, anything. By now I am well aware that i am what you would call a dreamer, although my intentions are great, my mind runs much too rampant with ideas to ever really focus on just one. Over the years, I've dreamed of being a gymnast, I dreamed of finishing school, I've dreamed of opening a spa, I've dreamed of being an A&R, all of these dreams (goals) and not one complete?!?!?! WTH have i been doing?? lol.... its a great question to ask and honestly the answer would prob be a whole lot of nothing. The truth is its Great to have a goal, a dream, but without a PLAN its just a whole lot of "I wish I woulda's". The last thing any of us want is to wake up one day older, fatter, uglier (not me ;-0), and useless singing the terrible "when i was younger i coulda been " or "if i had only done xxxxx Different". DO IT NOW!!!! U only live once so u might as well live great and leave a legacy!!!!! MAKE 2010 ur year and STOP BEING ORDINARY!!!!!! ......OK enough of the inspiration on to the silly ;-)****kisses**** KASH

Keeping it Real... What's it to You?? ...BY Donna L J

Everyone likes to THINK that they "keep it real' but the reality of it is... NOT everyone CAN keep it real! We must realize that their is always a ying to the yang. Where ever there is black there is white, where ever there is sexy there is ugly, and where ever there is smart there is dumb. Since our society is infused with the "ren and stimpy" syndrome we will always have those who are fakers and those that keep it real!

Lets begin with fakers! People who fake are always imitators of a reality they wish existed in their lives. Whether it's rented/borrowed luxury cars, showing off stolen paraphernalia as if they bought it, or pretending to be something they aren't. Some people pretend to be rich, some people pretend to be friends, and some people pretend to have it all together. For some reason people are scared to show who they really are. This fear of ones self usually stems from lack of self love.

People are so uncomfortable with themselves that they pretend to live the life of someone they aren't. So in their defense it is hard to keep it real, when you don't even know who you are. It is most urgent that we learn to love ourselves before we can be productive in society. Jumping in and out of relationships and friendships with no time for self growth will indefinitely leave you lost and inside you are alone. From this loneliness you feel the need for someone to be near you(no matter if they are near you for the right reasons or not)... whether you flash money, act like you are mean, hate on other people, draw attention to yourself in a dramatic manner. etc.

I myself in this case, was a faker at a point in my life... but since I have been single for years now I have grown to love myself indefinitely and to know my worth. In essence this causes me to accept Donna as Donna... with all my imperfections and LOVE my imperfections because they make me an individual. So now I have NO choice BUT to keep it real.

In closing I URGE you to keep it real WITH yourself...and people will LOVE you for who you are and not for who you aren't.

- Donna L J