Sunday, March 16, 2008

All Hail the Queen

Lena Horne, An Original Queen


It was my birthday last Friday March 7th and when I woke up on that glorious day, something clicked and I absolutely fell in love… with myself.

Not to sound too narcissistic or anything, it wasn’t like all of a sudden I woke up and ordered a turbo charged Rabbit (not that there’s anything wrong with that), I just began to appreciate all the wonderful qualities and experiences that have added up to this moment in time of me being me. I must say though, much of my road to self-acceptance has been paved in the uncertainty of if it is indeed okay to be in love with yourself.

From the beginning of time confident woman have been associated with all sort of things: witches, heifers, c*nts, b*tches. A young girl who is beginning to appreciate the way her features are coming together is quickly regarded as conceited; a girl with a youthful interest in learning and reading will be cast aside as a nerd; A girl who shows interest in sports is regarded as a “dike” and a young girl with an over-all healthy appreciation of herself is accused of the kiss of death: Thinking she’s all that.

Let me take this time to put this disclaimer on my text: I am not trying to insight a riot. I understand that as woman are battling out our own worth in this ever changing world, so are men. As long as everyone is seeking to learn, grow and love, the world will be a better place. But facts are facts: Barack Obama is considered young at 44! A man is considered to age like fine wine, his salt and peppered hair sexy, while a woman will cover her grey’s and hide her age as if we age like moldy cheese! Here’s the rub, men are said to reach their sexual peak at between 18-23, while woman are rumored to peak at 35-40! Hmm, sounds like somebody’s cheese is going to mold much quicker than mine.

In men’s defense, I did recently read an article by The Advice Diva that said a woman’s sexual peak isn’t so much a reflection of hormones as it is a woman’s confidence and the comfort level with her body associated with that self-acceptance. You mean to tell me that girls are put through hoola-hoops of self-discovery all the way up to their mid-thirties? Shoot, by the time its okay to love ourselves society starts telling us we’re getting too old to enjoy it!

It seems to be a conspiracy to slay the Goddess! Well I for one say “Hell no, we won’t go!

I use the terms Goddess and Queen interchangeably, but let me give you a definition for both:
Goddess: A female being of supernatural powers or attributes, believed in and worshiped by a people.
Queen: A woman eminent in power or attractions; the highest of her kind

Literary Goddess and New York Times Best selling Author Marianne Williamson put’s it best when she says:
“A queen is wise. She has earned her serenity, not having it bestowed on her but having past her tests. She has suffered and grown more beautiful because of it. She has proven she can hold her kingdom together. She has become its vision. She cares deeply about something bigger than herself. She rules with authentic power”

Now, that deserves an Amen!

I know that I have many lessons to learn before I can rightfully take hold of my Queendom, but one truth I have fully embraced: It’s magnificent to be a woman and grow into my womanhood! And I think it’s absolutely FABULOUS when organizations decide to make it their Cause to take a young girl by the pre-manicured-pubescent-princess hand and help to usher her to her throne, which brings me to my next Cause Fabulous WriteGirl!

WriteGirl’s mission is to use creative writing to promote creativity and self-expression to empower girls. By having one-on-one mentorship and holding workshops, WriteGirl is ensuring that the princesses of today are the Queens of tomorrow!

To Donate to WriteGirl go to http://www.writegirl.org/

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Vote Smart



So, I have a question for you: Who will be the 44th president of the US of A?

Yes it’s that time again, our constitutional right has reared its beautiful head and voting season is upon us. It is time for us to choose our nations next leader (All things being equal and all parties playing fair…)

And unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few months, you know that this election is history in the making. For the first time a major party ticket will house either a black man or a woman as their nominee for the president of the United States of America. Ladies and gentleman let me help you out on the importance of this momentous occasion that we all have the ability to participate in: 44 short years ago it was ILLEGAL for blacks to VOTE! Now a black man has a true chance at becoming our nation’s first African-American president! These are a sign-o-the-times. Obama campaigns on the slogan of the being the ‘candidate for change’, and he is the physical manifestation, the personification of the changes that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther Kings spoke about, dreamed about and died for. Can I get an Amen? But let’s not sell Hillary short. The civil rights act was not only for African-American citizens’; it also barred discrimination on the basis of sex. As late as 1965 government was still trying to tell woman what we could and could not do with our bodies with some states prohibiting married couple from using Birth Control… excuse me, can I have a say on how many babies I want to carry in my womb, or at least could my husband and I discuss it and agree upon it?

So in a country so wrought with a history discrimination against woman and African-Americans, you see why it would be something to write home to momma about now that either a woman or a black man will be the candidate running on a major party ticket.



But I’m not here to give you a history lesson, I am here to inspire you, and if the changing of times does not inspire you then I don’t know… Go rent Sex and the City, I’m always inspired by Carrie’s fashion choices.

Or let it inspire you that our nation is changing. Anything is possible. Our leaders reflect that. We should allow ourselves to be infected by these changes.

But I understand… Even if you are infected by change and excited to move forward with this voting process, some of you are downright confused! I know that I am. Primary? Caucus? Delegate? Superdelegate? NAFTA? Healthcare? What the heck does GOP stand for? (Grand Old Party-I just found that out, rather disappointed I must say) and what does any of this have to do with me and my student loans?

Although I am inspired by change, excited to vote, and eager to see how history will change with this election, I realized that I needed to educate myself! And that brings me to the perfect Cause Fabulous for this week: Non-Partisan Non-Profit organizations that provide unbiased information on candidates and issues! The following organizations have made it their mission to educate voters on the candidates, the issues, and the money, all important aspects of government and this election. Hint: If you would like to see the cost of your allergy medications go down, and your drug company gives $10 million to your candidate, that probably won’t happen this time around.

The Center for Voting and Democracy is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that studies how voting systems affect participation, representation and governance. http://www.fairvote.org/

Project Vote Smart is a nonprofit, non-partisan source of information on candidates and issues. http://www.votesmart.org/

The Federal Election Commission is the independent agency that regulates the financing for federal elections. The website has campaign finance reports and data and information about voting and elections. http://www.fec.gov/

When used correctly, our right to vote gives us ownership of our country. Our President isn’t our boss… We are his boss. He is more like the manager of America, he looks over all of our affairs, keeps them in order, and has the power to make executive decisions based on what he thinks would be best for our country. And just like with your own business, if your not happy with the job an employee is doing, you have every right to send that guy packing with love and hire somebody else! Well, it’s time to hire somebody else for the job. Let’s educate ourselves to make sure that the person that we hire puts our company, The United States of America, back in order!