Now Imagine She's White

"Can you see her? Her raped, beaten, broken body soaked in their urine, soaked in their semen, soaked in her blood, left to die. Can you see her? I want you to picture that little girl. Now imagine she's white." -Jake Tyler Brigance (Matthew McConaughey) A Time to Kill

That was a line that brought tears to the eyes of many who watched A Time to Kill, however it is also a line that could be used to describe the real-life story of Virginian woman, Megan Williams.

Her story has been conveniently ignored by far from the media in the states. A woman, kidnapped, tortured, raped and held hostage for a week receives no cover. Although our media seems more interested in which celeb is pregnant, on crack or has DUIed, I have to think that Megan Williams is going ignored because she is black. Her story just isn't important enough in a white-ran America.

This leave us having make our own news. We have to host marches like we did for the Jena Six to even get someone to look at us. What happened to Megan was an outrage and although her violators have been convicted I can't help but think that things would be different if the races were turned and it was a white female being violated by six black individuals. Could you imaging that? I don't think that we would be able to leave our houses if that was the case.

Respect to all those media sources who gave coverage to the atrocity that occurred.

Got It? Got it. Got it, Good

Do you ever realize how easy it is to hate on someone like you who is doing their thing? Someone who grew up like how you grew up but is now on the come up and you're still just there.

I've known a few Bramptonites who have begun to do their thing. There was the lead chick from Sean Paul's Get Busy video, Russell Peters and now there's Erik Flowchild, Brampton's newest musical prodigy.

Hailing from Ghanaian descent and raised in the suburbs, Flowchild is a lyricist who speaks on what he knows. Rhyming on issues from whack gansta mentalities to love, this well spoken MC is trying his best to get in the biz. While he is currently in school at Ryerson, flowchild is working hard to put out his fifth (first official) album by the fall, with his lead single Got it, Good scheduled to be released on radio this week.

For more info on this rising star who just performed at a talent show in Shopper's World, Brampton, check him out at myspace.com/flowchild

Where Have You Been My Whole Life

Did everyone set their PVR to catch the series finale of The Wire? I know you didn't but a good percentage of us die hard fans did.

After five seasons and no emmy's, the best show on TV has come to an end. The gritty, real HBO drama showed the inside dealings of the streets of Baltimore all the way up to behind the scenes of governmental affairs.

Last Sundays conclusion didn't carry the corny and common sentiments that most series finales do. But instead it focused on continuing on the intriguing plot of this season's 10 episodes where the team of cops finally get Marlo but have to keep the secret of how they did it. Paid court informants were revealed, unexpected homicides occurred (as always) and lawyers got paid. Overall it was everything it needed to be and more. It was an excellent last episode. Personally the only thing I didn't like was the path that seems to be laid ahead for Duquan "Dukie" Weems. Can you say Bubbles Jr.?

For a newbie to the hit show (favourite of most rappers and even presidential candidate Barack Obama), I now have the task of finding season 1-4 and catching up on everything. Although I have read a large amount and know all of the characters from the past. What can I say? It was a good show. Well done David Simon. Can you top this? Sure, next time your show will be great and have the ratings to prove it.

Mentor Us Please

Mentoring Rocks. Or at least so I heard. I've been meaning to develop a mentoring plan for the past four months now, with March being the month I wanted to launch it. I have the ideas, in my head, but no business plan.

The absolutely worst thing for me, or anyone who wants to mentor, to do is to start and then quit or start and not have a vision or desired outcome.

My vision is to reduce teenage pregnancy rate amongst black females in the GTA along with increase the amount of us that receive post secondary education. I say receive because a lot of us, include some of my friends, will start a university program and will never never finish. It happens for many reasons but it whats alarming is that after taking a 'break', we usually don't go back. Why do we settle and never use our potential? I don't know but I do know that I want to help us reach our dreams.

So, with all that being said, who's with me! Let's mentor our youths. If anyone has a good program out there let me know because I wanna definitely check out programs already started.

(for male mentor groups out there check out Hill Harper's Letters to a Young Brother---amazing book)

Oprah's Big Nothing

How could a show with such a good basis be ridiculed with so many flaws? How could a show created by the Queen of Talk T.V. (and everything else) turn out to be nothing more than Harpo’s (Oprah's production company) attempt to cash in on reality T.V.

The show’s creators have taken the theme of a 2006 Oprah show where she gives $200 to audience members and asks them to find creative ways to bless someone else with the money. The resulted events of that challenge were taped and made for a good episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show. The premise of the show though some how became more like a season of Amazing Race than the movie Pay It Forward.

It’s a rat race for each pair of contestants to try to fund raise as much as they can for a needy person whom the show has selected for them (info on "needy" persons to follow).

Anyone who has ever fund raised knows how hard it is to get one dollar much less thousands of dollars no matter how good the cause is. So how is it that these participants managed to all accumulate ridiculous amounts in the matter of a few days? Could it be the name Oprah?

And the persons who they are supposed to be aided are questionable too. Yes, at first it's a tear jerker when you hear their story but then you start to realize some things. For example, the former med student from Watts who escaped da hood- to become a plastic surgeon? Come on. They couldn't find a pediatrician? What about the solider who had no place to live and had health bills? Doesn't the government take care of him? Oh and probably the most touching, the 34 year old mother of two with no job. They give her a house and car and even a financial advisor but what she needed was an education and some training (she said it herself).

Oprah missed the mark on this show. Many say that it wasn't worth them watching and those who watched were not entertained. How many more episodes to go? This bad t.v. is reminiscent of Tyler Perry's show, you can't wait until it's off the air.

"It comes down to a black man or a woman." -S. Wilson

After the 2000 U.S. presidential elections were presumably rigged, it seemed like all Americans couldn't wait for 2004 to boot Bush out. Excepted when 2004 came along Bush won again. How could it be, even after the oh too true docu-movie Fahrenheit 9-11 by Michael Moore.

The reason though was a number of things, primarily the fact that his opponent John Kerry wasn't necessarily capable of being a president and then there was the fact that Bush had to remain to finish the war that he started.

Now in 2008 we know that Bush is out, because he can only serve two terms. The question is who is in? Or more specifically will America have a black man or a woman president.
Barack Obama, the son of a late Nigerian immigrant, has gone from being an underdog to almost a shoe in for the democratic presidential candidate. People want change and his Yes We Can slogan is endearing with voters. Hilary Clinton though has not been able to get back the expected lead she had in the beginning and may be counted out after the next set of preliminaries in Texas and Ohio if she doesn't display a win.

Some are saying that it is a lose lose situation. While Clinton may not be the political stronger candidate, Obama is a black man whose safty might be an issue.

However if no one has taken Bush out for his initiating the Iraq war thus killing thousands of American Soilders then Obama should be safe. It's sad though because who ever wins is going to have the difficult task of cleaning up the trillion dollar mess that was made in the last eight years. The word recession is being thrown around, although the current president denies it, and this could make the first few years in office hell for either Clinton or Obama. Either way the change needs to occur this year. The war needs to stop and the democrats will be the ones to do it.

As for the Republican, lead runner McCain won't be an issue as the majority of Americans are sick of Republics and feels he's too old (currently 71 years old).

So what would you rather (if you were American? It comes down to a black man or a woman.

School Debate Update

So I stand corrected, maybe a black focus school is exactly what is needed for the youths in certain communities. It's at least worth a try. I found myself agreeing with Dalton McGuinty's point that we do not need a black focus school and that we should promote togetherness. Bless his heart, he is a great guy but that's just the problem. He is an upper middle class, middle aged white male. What does he know about what is needed for the poor black youths that this school hopes to help?

He knows even less than myself and my friends who are privileged in that we were products of two parent homes and educated in the peel district. We lived in houses not in government subsides apartments. We had guardians not just a single mother who had to care for us and 3-5 of our siblings. The disparities are never-ending.

How dare we think just because we are minorities and we survived that these Toronto youths don't need assistance. They are usually not exposed to positive black role models and a black focus school can provide them with that.

That is now my stand the debate. Now we still don't know what the curriculum will entail but I'm sure if them employ people that actually want to make a difference, this school will have a big effect.

Thanks to those older people that shed light on my ignorance regarding the topic and I look forward to seeing the positive change this school will promote.

Winterlicious

Well the sixth annual Winterlicious event, where GTA's posh restaurants offer meal for a flat rate of $25 or $35 has started.

Now there is no shortage of choice for restaurants offering a Winterlicious menu but there is some misleading involved.

Some research should be involved when choosing a restaurant. Some restaurants aren't that posh and the service is not the best. Check online recommendations before choosing one.

While you research feel no pressure to make your decision in the two weeks before the event is over, there is a summerlicious too!

Amazing Events for Cheap

The GTA has it if you are willing to look for it. Years of living in Brampton made me think that the GTA had nothing to offer. I was tired of going to the downtown core to go clubbing. I was tired of clubbing period. So then I discovered theatre. But at $60 or more per ticket for those production I had to give up that pastime too.

But then I started networking and I discovered some really fun and different events and activities for really good prices. Like Winterlicious, a two week event where luxurious restaurants offer 3 course dinner for only $25-35! Go to www.toronto.com/winterlicious for more info and participating venues.

Also there are some spectacular gospel concerts put on by the House of Levi. The had Fred Hammond (in above picture) last September and just had a Martin Luther King Jr. day celebration featuring Hezekiah Walker. Early bird tickets are usually $10 and are well worth it. Sign up for their newsletter at houseoflevi.com.

There are also great culture events like Poet Tea which takes place every month. Last week it was at Knowledge Bookstore on 177 Queen Street in Brampton. It only cost $3 which was basically to cover the all you can sip herbal teas. It was a deep session with freestyling, poem recitals and even an information session on the event's featured herb, ginseng. Visit http://booity.googlepages.com/home to find the next Poet Tea Session.

With all those and so much more the GTA finally has the type of cultured, conscious and fun events that I've been looking for. And at such at decent cost.

BabyPhat, Applebottoms and Rocawear, Oh My!

There comes a time in every young, crazy and confused girls life when she looks at her closet and wonders what she was thinking. Even when she removes items like oh-so-tight jeans with rhinestones on the butt and jackets that barely cover her stomach from her closet, she is forced to see the horrible fashion trends everywhere, especially on young females.

It's not cute. But maybe it's an age thing and they too will realize that the Ghetto-boo name brands and styles aren't cutting it!

Poetea

It is said that if you ask, you shall receive. Bramptonites (residents of the city of Brampton, just outside of Toronto) have ask for more cultured events and now they got it.

Knowledge Bookstore (knowledgebookstore.com), on 177 Queen street West in Brampton, will be hosting a Poetry/Spoken Word session (with herbal tea!) on Saturday January 12, 2008 at 4:30pm. Additional info is below and check out http://booity.googlepages.com/home for further info on other Poetea Events.

Little Mosque in the City

With funny CBC show Little Mosque on the Prairie, it's easy for us to forget that the Muslim religion is one of serious traditions. Traditions that many immigrants hold true to and want their children to uphold. The problem with that is in our multicultural society, some Muslim children may not want to adhere to their parents wish for them to keep up their faith. The result? Usually they are denounced from the family. In worse case scenario we have what happened to 16 year old Aqsa Parvez.

After refusing to wear the Hijab, the young student was strangled to death by her father. It was an unintentional crime but nevertheless she died from her injuries. She was probably not the first Muslim to want to not follow traditions while living in our Canadian society but her story is most tragic.

While many are quick to judge and send there harsh criticism to her family and the Muslim religion it is important for us not to forget remember the precious life that was lost.

This Christmas!

This holiday we are surely in for a treat. Instead of only having one black movie to serve us for the year (usually provided by Tyler Perry), in this season alone we have three not including movies that big stars like Denzel and Will are starring in.

Tyler Perry blessed us with a feature movie production of his play Why Did I Get Married?, which debuted at No. 1 when it came out, and was followed a month later by an ensemble cast in Preston A. Whitmore’s This Christmas.

This Christmas came in No. 2 it’s opening weekend but brought it 18.6 million, 12.6 million less than Disney’s Enchanted. Keep in mind that it was shown in far fewer theatres.
This season will also bring us The Perfect Holiday starring Gabrielle Union with Morris Chestnut.

With these three gems plus American Gangster, I am Legend and The Great Debaters (with Forest Whitaker) out on Christmas day, this Christmas will be a very special Christmas for us!

A Black School?

Why are we even debating this? We are a multicultural society. Anything the does not promote us to live in harmony shouldn't even be considered.

I grew up in a post-minorities Brampton, I was the only black girl in all my class from grade 2 until 5 so needless to say the only things I learned about black history came from my family. I wasn't looking for my school to teach me about me and it made me more rounded to be in a school that wasn't all black. It's how the society works, we all work together so we should try to learn together.

The goal of this school hopes to curve the dropout rates of young black males but school is not the problem. These youths won't attend class more just because there are black history classes or black teachers. The issue with young black males (YBM) in the GTA is more serious than that. Programs, seminars, and community reach outs have been used to try and encourage YBM's to seek an education but have not completely solved the problem and a black school won't either.

Bottom line: A Black-focused School is just as a bad as a White Supremacy School and we wouldn't want that would we?

RIP Mrs. West

It was officially reported yesterday that Donda West, mother and manager of Kanye, died yesterday from surgery complications.

I don't want to report on the specifics because other sources have details. I just want to send my prayers to Kanye who lost not only his mother but sole family member and best friend.

May God bless all those who are grieving this tragic loss.

Dr. Donda West (1949-2007)