BLACK GIRL SPEAKS COMMUNITY

Stand

Sat, 04 Apr 2009 23:18:29 GMT

Change

What does the color of my skin,

Have to do with the way I am received?

Being born BLACK comes with stereotypes that others perceive.

Because I AM black, I am feared by some

Perceived as a gangster who has love for none.

Because I am black I'm not equal to you,

I'm not supposed to excel the way that I do.

Because I am black I'm supposed to entertain.

Supposed to sing and dance, and be the loser of everyones' game

Now everyone has obstacles that they have to overcome.

But,

These perceptions have lasted since the Jim Crow era and we still aren't done.

You would think after the Civil Rights movement there would be change,

There has been some, but in reality it's still the same

masked by discrepancies, and being others tokens to fame

The black men in today’s society,

are less likely than a white man, to succeed.

We populate the country's jails, we trade education

for a life in a cell.

I see where they get their perceptions from,

When we get mad we're so quick

to pick up a gun.

DON'T complain that America is racist,

we give them a reason to be,

the Black Nation needs a facelift,

Some one to guide us,

Like a light house leads a boat on a dark sea.

Who is that leader we need?

The answer lies inside you.

Because when you believe,

WE can accomplish ANYTHING!!!

written by kylila aka change

Forum: POETRY CONTEST

Parading the Guise

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:19:34 GMT

        Last week, a group of friends and I excused ourselves from mundane daily demands and routines in order to enjoy a weekend of laughter and far too many mini cups. While there, each one of us took notice of where everyone else was in life, how blissful or not everyone seemed, and how much we had in common when it came to our relationships, desires, fears, and faith. Far too often, we believe our challenges are unique to us and that we should mask them because others wouldn't understand. In my experience, this has never been the case, yet I am a chronic masker like most people.
         Trust me, I realize the wear and tear and effort it takes to position yourself just right so the facade doesn't tumble to the ground, shatter, and roll around like little marbles from child's play. However, it seems to be a much easier task than actually revealing your personal truth amongst a sea of masquerade ball attendees; plus, it's habitual now. Who's really skilled at breaking habits?
          So, when the opportunity came last week to unveil around friends,you know the real ones, I jumped to the chance and peeled away at least three fourths of it. I don't know if I could ever let it all fall down. Immediately, I saw that my demons hang in the same circles as theirs and are no bigger or greater in number. (Though when I'm alone with them, I swear they have fangs used to devour only me.) I felt how comforting it was to have and be a support beam, even temporarily, through similar struggles.
          My relationships have flaws, just like theirs, and that's OK.  Nobody's dreams have been fully realized, or relinquished, but all had evolved.  We all saw the beauty in each other that we don't see in ourselves because our mirrors, both physical and figurative, are jaded at home. We each hungered for more unveiling, but feared the consequences of too much authenticity.
           The weekend, as all do too soon, came to an inevitable end. I left recognizing, appreciating, and praising God for ephemeral moments of reality and infallible friendships. I also wondered if there was ever a moment in a person's life where our apparitions were conquered and silenced and we walked around happily exposed. I have yet to see the day, and I know I'm not alone.

Forum: BLACK GIRL SPEAKS [WOMAN]

The Double Standard

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 18:47:27 GMT

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: (Proverbs 23:7 – KJV)

Ok, people, in light of the “Dog” incident that so recently plastered the news; I felt it was time to really say something. Black people are so freakin’ sensitive and hypocrites to be exact. How dare we throw a temper tantrum every time somebody uses the N-bomb? We use it all the time. Not to mention that we know white people use this word in private all the time, being famous does not change your heart. In the situation with the “Dog” the only thing that I will say about him is that what was truly in his heart came out, that’s the bottom line. I am tired of people running around pretending to be something they are not and apologizing when they get caught. If you have issues with another race, put it on front street, I mean don’t walk around blatantly disrespecting people but if you are true to yourself then getting caught with your pants down wouldn’t be an issue for you. I am not in no way condoning the use of racial slurs but until we stop using the word then we cannot say anything to anyone else. Since we are divided as a race we cannot stand against society. What are we trying to punish the current generations of white people by doing what our forefather’s couldn’t. Is this retribution? What’s going to happen when one of our beloved black leaders gets caught calling someone white out of their name, are we going to throw a fit when white America cuts the fool and demands retribution? That wouldn’t be fair, what ya’ll trying to start an all out civil war up in here? We have to stop running to the Sharpton’s and Jackson’s for every comedian, celebrity, and board member”, we need to save our energy for real racism, like the Jena 6’s and noose hangings of the world. The fact that the nooses are not considered a hate crime should get a rise out of us, but no a celebrity most of us don’t even know using the n-bomb causes us to act a fool. Am I the only person who thinks that is retarded as hell? If we throw a temper tantrum every time the word is used we are going to lose our credibility because its based on emotion, not intelligence and then when another incident like the Jena 6 happens, and you know it will, it will be ignored because we will be the race that cried boo-hoo-hoo! We still fight amongst ourselves concerning light skin, dark skin. How many of us, use the “c-bomb” or “h-bomb” in the privacy of our homes, that’s cuz it’s in your heart and your anger brings out the truth. Do you consider yourself a racist? To all these famous people running around getting their fame cut short because they can’t control their mouths the solution is to get your heart right, if I was famous and got into a heated debate a racial slur would not come out because I don’t use those words, they are not in my heart. I do not refer to those in other races by the names given to them to degrade them so it will not come out even in my anger and frustration. White people are so scared to have an open honest conversation about race but we will say exactly how we feel and dare them to respond, it’s time to let it go. Slavery is over, yes it hurt, yes it was despicable and hateful, but guess what we survived, we made it over, and we are stronger for it. I am not naïve racism is very much alive and a reality in America today but it has always been. So my advice, let’s choose our battles carefully so we can win the war. For those of us who use the n-bomb, myself included, let’s not use it to manipulate other people for retribution on something they had no control over, its sad and it makes us a people of hypocrisy. It also makes us a bunch of whining people with nothing better to do than complain. Let’s use this energy to be about our business, our purpose, if the word bothers you, don’t use it, if the word is used toward you, don’t respond to it, ignore it, just like you would some gossip about you that you know is not true.

Forum: BLACK GIRL SPEAKS [WOMAN]

Present a Problem, Suggest a Solution

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 13:07:25 GMT

The last time we spoke I was disturbed about my 12 year old cousin and her singular mentality of what the rest of her life should be. Well I thoroughly believe if we always go around pointing out problems and criticizing the fallout but never at least suggest or actively participate in a solution then we are just a bunch of hot air and should stop being so selfish by using up unnecessary oxygen. In any event we have to take it upon ourselves to reach one child at a time. It is our job to educate our children beyond what they learn in school since everything is focused toward the “FCAT” now and all other things they should learn just slip through the cracks. (Don’t get me started on that) Anyways, first and foremost we need to start praying for our youth because the enemy has such an onslaught of deception and death targeted for them, we should be covering them. Let’s take the time to educate them about things beyond their everyday surroundings. One simple way to explore the world is through a book. If they don’t know how to read, teach them. Let’s teach them at an early age the principles of money that we wished someone had taught us and not to base any assumption about money on what they see on BET, and for the record, let’s just turn off BET, how about that? Anyways, get involved in their lives to see what they are doing and make sure they have a positive outlet in their lives, if not, you be it. If you see the ones wanting to get out wanting to do something more, be that stepping stone and help them achieve that.

Forum: BLACK GIRL SPEAKS [WOMAN]

A Disturbing Thought?!

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 13:04:37 GMT

So as part of my birthday getaway, I got to hang out with my mom and my five little cousins (ages ranging from 3-14) that she gets for the summer to give them something constructive to do. We took a day trip to St. Augustine to do a little shopping and on the road trip back I was trying to sleep and much to my chagrin, it never happened. My sleep was interrupted by the entertaining conversations of a nine, twelve, and fourteen year old. The nine year old, the prissy one, was discussing how she was going to grow up and be rich and have a big house, blah, blah, blah. The 14-year old discussed how she was going to college and she was going to be a doctor and she was going to do big things and live well and her children were going to have everything they wanted, because she couldn’t. Her sister the twelve-year old, who could be described as the “street savvy” one shot all their dreams down and she said she was going to live in the hood. When I asked her why, the hood she replied, “Because I don’t know anywhere else to live.” WHOA! OUCH! DANG!?! How do you respond to that after your heart breaks just a little, at 12 years old her mind is already made up that there is nothing out there better for her than to live in the “hood.” Not hatin’ on the hood at all, but the fact that she can’t imagine having any other option is what is so disturbing. I blame us and the generations before us for not doing our personal parts to make life better for those that come behind us. For still being a people to put down our children and tell them they won’t amount to anything just because we were too lazy to amount to something ourselves. Are other races holding us down or are we holding ourselves down by refusing to change our mentality even slightly to inspire the generations behind us to do better than we did to start a progressive movement of change to change our race and maybe one day change the world as we know it.

Forum: BLACK GIRL SPEAKS [WOMAN]

Ignorance is Bliss!!!

Fri, 16 Mar 2007 00:18:33 GMT

This one’s for the fellas, ladies please pass the info on….

I have a problem with the “saggin” pants fellas; I just don’t get the necessity of it. It’s getting worse because now they are so far down that they tighten their belt around their thighs. Now I am not sure if all of you who fall into this “saggin” pants category are aware of where it comes from and if you do, do you know what it means? Wearing “saggin” pants comes from the prison system and it means that you are available for some action if any man is interested. Now if it’s one thing I know about black men, it’s that they are very prideful of their masculinity, I mean even the “down low” brothers are mindful of theirs, hence the term “down low.” Oh and by the way a person of random knowledge may be unwilling to take a chance on you because the way you present yourself suggests you have a mentality of incarceration. If you want your britches to be baggy, just buy them longer, it’s really not rocket science. So ask yourself, is this the message you are most comfortable sending out?

Interesting Thought: I heard this from someone calling into a radio talk show commenting on this subject:

Have you ever spelled the word “saggin” backwards? N-I-G-G-A-S

Hmmmmmmm………………………………

Forum: BLACK GIRL SPEAKS [WOMAN]

The Children Are Our Future!

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 00:59:47 GMT

(Seeing the Bigger Picture, Part I)

Matthew 11:25 (NASB)

“At that time Jesus said, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.”

I was having a conversation with my mom that quickly turned sour when she told me a story she heard on the news about a woman letting her neighbor, a man but friend of many years, baby-sit her two year old daughter, which he raped and killed. (Pregnant Pause….Yeah I know!) You’re probably thinking why would she leave her little girl with a man, friend or not? Yeah well there is an even bigger picture here to see. A spiritual one. Does it seem like the enemy is knocking off our kids even younger and younger these days? Why? The crimes today against our children have a broad range from not just kidnapping, murder and rape, but molestation, pornography, and I shutter to think of anymore. My belief is that these children are the generation which will change the world we live in. We are too complacent in our mindset to change the world collectively, but our children have a chance because they haven’t been here long enough to be tainted by everything that we have and they are going to be the one’s to bring about a change in the earth because so far, we have failed to do so. This world is going to hell in some gasoline draws. Let’s build our children up and take our place in their lives, men and women alike. Let’s cover them in prayer and give them a sense of morality and integrity. So they took prayer out of schools, well I guess you better pray with them before they leave the house. PEACE!

Forum: BLACK GIRL SPEAKS [WOMAN]

Black People

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 15:53:15 GMT

Black people are said to be ignorant,

but that's not the truth.

They say we are ghetto,

but we really have quoth.

Thieves?!

We are not.

Athletically, we're hot.

Violent-No!

Courageous- Yes!

While surviving trials,

and put to tests,

we always try to do our best.

Black People!

Forum: POETRY CONTEST

Dreams

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 15:39:51 GMT

Replaying the words of Vernon Johns who laid the platform for our dear King, I am better able to focus on my dream for our people.

Yes, I too dream, and in color…. The color of baked beans done right, with just the right amount of maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, green peppers, onions, yellow mustard and BBQ sauce.

I dream in the color of liberation lavender singed with hints of smoky grays that mask the faces of heartbroken soldiers who have been marching in the army of injustice for far too long.

They’re going to their Heavenly homes in chariots by the thousands, though promised that they would have a home here to come to soon. Sounds like the same tune of forty acres and a mule, a melody that has never been sung, but still plays in our hearts today.

My dreams afford me the right to imagine a sea of students from desolate upbringings break the cycles of poverty within our people through the pursuit of extra-ordinary or at least comparable educational ventures, learning to eliminate expenditures on depreciating goods and focus on the good of God, while seeking to learn their purpose.

My slumbering leads me to a place where our daughters, and sisters, and nieces value their temples and refuse to allow the insolence of media and select entertainers to force them to become empty containers, void of self-respect and positivity.

I envision the masculinity of our males defined by more than sex tales and violence, but rather abstinence and responsibility.

My fantasy is that we learn to heal from the inside out, rebuking the self-loathing and doubt that is imbedded in our minds from infancy.

I visualize a day when relaxers become uneasy and pleasing others will be something we laugh about from the past; when we’re no longer caught up in the schism of religion and heritage and we learn that embracing God and our history is not a contradiction.

We suffer now from self-affliction.

Gone are the days of countless midnight murderous raids of the KKK.

Gone are the times of being turned away on a daily basis from every lunch counter. The injustice we now encounter is more covert,

and sometimes stems from faces like our own.

It’s now time to claim and take accountability for our own.

It’s time to reconnect and start solving the problems within our homes. Everything behind us wasn’t bad, we need to click our heels and go back to what we lost.

Maybe one day I too can fly over the rainbow where dreams really do come true. But, until then,

I will continue to scratch your heads with the comb bindings of book pages. I will force feed you words like

“You are beautiful, just as you are!

You are powerful!

You are the descendants of kings and queens.

You are daughters and sons of the King of Kings.

You are the benefactors of Dr. King

and you are going to continue the legacy.”

These words will be pushed into you and you’ll regurgitate these mantras until you learn to digest them, soak them in and make them your own.

One day we will dine together from the table of endless supply, but until that day that we sip from that cup,

I’ll keep dreaming because I know my dreams won’t come true

until we wake up.

Forum: POETRY CONTEST

Attitude

Sun, 21 Jan 2007 23:20:18 GMT

Stank attitude, good attitude

it's not about you

you affect other people and

the things that they do.

Your attitude determines how people see you

It doesn't matter if you're white, black, green, or blue

Having a good attitude towards things

determines how people perceive you.

Attitude is more than just your words,

but your actions too.

Attitude tells how you are

or how you feel.

Attitude can be nice, sweet, or

just plain evil.

-Rockdale High School

Forum: POETRY CONTEST

Young or Just Plain Dumb?

Mon, 08 Jan 2007 16:47:52 GMT

When I was young, race never really crossed my mind. That doesn't say much though, because my thought process was limited to Cross Color Jeans (my age is showing) and boys. I do remember crying uncontrollably, however, after having watched footage of the Jewish Holocaust in 10th grade. That was the first time I had heard of and seen such cruelty--not knowing anything about African enslavement; Chernobyl; the Middle Passage; Rwanda; the Japanese internment; Jasper, FL; Jim Crow and on and on and on. Was I young or just dumb? Don't answer that! But, seriously, are young people nowadays learning about race and racism sooner or later? What say you teens...

Forum: BLACK GIRL SPEAKS [TEEN]

Are We Becoming Extinct?

Wed, 06 Dec 2006 15:26:50 GMT

Our race is dying, we are no longer the majority minority. From a spiritual standpoint, when you face opposition its because you have a great purpose for the kingdom of God and its the devil trying to deter you from reaching your destiny. So in fact I say, why does it seem that this race is the one that has suffered and continues to suffer more than any other? What is the purpose of the black race to the world that so much opposition is set out to keep us down even after 400 years. Check this out, everything that is affecting the black community today is stopping the race from procreating. The "down-low" brothas and homosexuals (which I am traumatized homosexuality has its own name for our race) - can't produce children. The brotha's incarcerated can't make babies and run the potential of becoming homosexuals from being caged for so long. Now the sistas of the down low men have AIDS - its not safe for them to produce children. Then because black women have had to be so strong, the father (lack of straight free black men) and the mother they have achieved so much and in many cases are too strong for most men and they can't really be controlled cuz they have their own mind, they demand to be equal or run things (and you know we do) so the black man moves on to white women - that stops the race. For some reason something is killing our race and we need to stop right now and ask why? What is the purpose of black people on this earth, what did God put us here to do. And I do believe it is for more than entertainment....(sports & music) can't really say TV cuz we are so low on that totem pole it shouldn't even be mentioned. What is the next step? We have got to do something about this mindset!!!!!!!!!!!

Please don't get me wrong, I am a Christian and I do believe there is an attack on the human race in general and I will never stop praying for mankind and people of all races to be set free thru Christ's salvation. However as a black women I finally get it, I finally see the bigger picture, we're dying, and we each need to do our part individually and I am not advocating the blame game to every other race for our downfall, I think it started that way but we have succumb to the mindset of the past and started killing ourselves from the inside out. WE NEED A NEW MIND AS A PEOPLE AND WE NEED TO STICK TOGETHER TO GET IT DONE.

One person's opinion,

TRNTY2

Forum: BLACK GIRL SPEAKS [WOMAN]