Organized lies out plays unorganized truths.
Thats why the government is gettin over on u
gwen.
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Sunday, June 13
Saturday, May 8
Step Outside Of Yourself.
It didn't bother me when it happened.
I wouldn't have even noticed it...
If it weren't for his black & green Nike shock jogging shoes.
They caught the suns rays and gleamed like a liquid chemical running down the street.
I remember him across the street and walking at the same pace. Maybe me a little slower than he.
I mean had to be? since he beat me to the light and across the street...
The remaining way to my destination I lagged behind.
Me being who I am and he who he was and the situation being what it was sparked this whole comparison to life and the white man. How although we have influential people of color that are recognized, being a common person myself we are steady struggling to become a mere number counted.
My brown frame simply trotting along as if I didn't have somewhere to be, a purpose, a place. Enjoying nature, a unlimited play list, and worried about my hair and clothes staying in place. He, headphones, probably playing something boring, to me, was moving fluidly. Was all about getting there and making it. Quicker than me.
He was serious.
I've listened to many African Americans complain about every race, especially white people, weather it had to do with opportunities, way of life, differences, and although at times I've had to agree, most of the time I couldn't help but be disappointed in my own people.
Me being who I am and he who he was and the situation being what it was sparked this whole comparison to life and the white man. How although we have influential people of color that are recognized, being a common person myself we are steady struggling to become a mere number counted.
My brown frame simply trotting along as if I didn't have somewhere to be, a purpose, a place. Enjoying nature, a unlimited play list, and worried about my hair and clothes staying in place. He, headphones, probably playing something boring, to me, was moving fluidly. Was all about getting there and making it. Quicker than me.
He was serious.
I've listened to many African Americans complain about every race, especially white people, weather it had to do with opportunities, way of life, differences, and although at times I've had to agree, most of the time I couldn't help but be disappointed in my own people.
Just bitching.
Not being able to get a job, keep a job, advancement opportunities, simply equal opportunity.
Look at our tactics. Look at our ethics.
We don't put half as much time into our education as we do when it comes to what we're wearing when we go to get that education. We don't put half as much time into doing our jobs like we do when we're in desperate need looking for one. We don't think about saving money for a rainy day until its not just raining but pouring and you need money to just exist.
We don't think past tomorrow let alone next week.
We don't think to run instead of walk.
We don't think to run instead of walk.
gwen.
Tuesday, February 9
Is This What Our Ancestors Was Fighting For ?
I'm sick of being praised for my light skin. The obvious lack of pigmentation that somehow makes me automatically cuter, better, and more socially acceptable. Being embraced for being a mixed race when I could really care less. No thoughts on my face being wide and round or my nose looking spread. They see the shine that the sun illuminates and equate it to beauty.
So many genuine yet ignorant compliments that makes a smile appear and a 'thank you' escape while someone darker than I am, more beautiful, barely gets a second look. I think although the African American race is the most beautiful race to be, its important meaning is lost within "society's acceptance." We are more than shades. We are a history. We are a struggle to be accepted by those that in a time didn't care how dark or light we were but classified us all the same.
We walk around with chips on our shoulders for the past life most of us never lived. knowing nothing of the history, only the images and mad , why?
slavery kept us more united than WE can with freedom.
pennanddpaperr.
So many genuine yet ignorant compliments that makes a smile appear and a 'thank you' escape while someone darker than I am, more beautiful, barely gets a second look. I think although the African American race is the most beautiful race to be, its important meaning is lost within "society's acceptance." We are more than shades. We are a history. We are a struggle to be accepted by those that in a time didn't care how dark or light we were but classified us all the same.
We walk around with chips on our shoulders for the past life most of us never lived. knowing nothing of the history, only the images and mad , why?
slavery kept us more united than WE can with freedom.
pennanddpaperr.
Tuesday, December 22
He: The Ignorant .
i feel as though men, Black men are so easily seduced by the wrong things. like this myth of the 'hood', fast cash, the superficial comparison to success. believing that these informal friendships and communities are just going to falter without them poisoning its people. there they are completely undermining their own best interests by misguidedly favoring this "hustlers mentality" only to preserve their ghetto neighborhoods and their "food" because they have to "eat" when in fact the 'hood' itself is not what it has been made out to be. there are no 'hoods' until gang like opportunists rush in and fill it up with fear and poison. it makes me wonder if maybe the troubled relationship between African American men and women is where the problem stems. slavery and racial oppression engendered it, and poverty, economic insecurity, and lingering racism sustain it. there quick to always blame society and America but how much truth is in that? we have strong, beautiful black women that will stand by there men and weather many a storm for them but have men inflicting these society imposed wounds upon themselves by betraying those who love them. how? by the ways they bring up and abandon their children, their self indulgences, the ways they relate, or fail to relate, to each other, the values and attitudes they cherish and the ones they choose to disregard, denials and deceits and of course through their ideas about their neighborhoods. or could it be rap? it has been reduced to another version of violence obsessed white rock. they sit around embracing this misogynistic, self loathing noise of 'gangsta rap' sponsored by Euro-American companies and ignore the fact the lyrical content is full of rhymes of malice that ultimately you cant relate to but conform to fit. im not saying im right but because only they as individual men can find the antidote to heal themselves, i have nothing more to say.pennanddpaperr.
Saturday, November 14
Lets Talk .
my cousin is a psych major and this year one of her professors has given her class a assignment to interview someone of personal interest that embodies passion, strength, maturity, and intelligence. they are to ask them any array of questions that can give any person reading or watching the understanding of the characteristics above. she calls me up three days ago and asks if i would be willing to do this assignment with her saying as soon as he handed the assignment out the first person that came to mind was me. wow, that's so humbling. i of course agree and i thought i would share some of the questions she asked and my personal responses. give you all a chance to further understand the person whose blog you follow.
how did you feel about being in head start and preschool ? you were young like most who start. did you adjust alright?
yea, i was fine. i don't remember my mother ever having a problem like some with leaving their kids. like i said, i loved it for the other children my age but at the same time i loved all it entailed. i liked to learn and read and write and being in such a positive environment. not saying home life wasn't positive because it was. very. but just the atmosphere of educational playthings, games, learning with friends, my teachers... everything was just alot of fun for me.
do you think starting early in programs like these has helped you since being older?
definitely. it started me early to automatically question things and at least get a better understanding of things i didn't understand or know about already. asking questions, self teaching myself little things, and everything else still plays a role in my life today.
do you think education and success go hand in hand?
i think education is important, yes. hand in hand? not always. its not guaranteed anywhere, in any college recruiters "speech" or educational pamphlet that you will be a top paid whatever in any choice of whatever you plan to do. all they say is if. IF you take us up on what we are offering you, you can POSSIBLY be like this person that makes hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. now if and possibly are far from exact and yes. and the question of what do i do with what i have "earned" after i finish this tedious period of studying and testing if there is going to be anyone willing to give me a chance or let alone even take me serious is still unanswered.
sounds like you aren't pro college ...
i am all for college. I'm not anti anything that can further you in today's world. what I'm saying is that that the people in charge make it hard to get into school, sometimes out of school, and then before those who graduate can finish celebrating, they are faced with the harsh reality that living in the economy we do today, there isn't going to be a possibility for employment in the field they left families for and literally sacrificed every little dime to pay to be educated enough to be taken serious or even considered.
so college is bad?
no college isn't bad. that's not what I'm saying at all. what i am saying is that college isn't for everybody. going to college isn't going to always be the deciding factor of whether you make millions or flip burgers. Kanye West went to college, dropped out and wrote a three times platinum album about it. some will say 'well he raps' and that's true but what about your own special talents? what they tell us is if you have a dream go after it. nothing is to big or small, but they dont tell us how to get it. they dont tell us what to do when he or she cant get a job after all the money and time they spent in college or why they are now working a entry level job just to pay off the cost of going to this wonderful college. there are people with college degrees that are doing absolutely nothing with them, wishing they had a job at McDonalds or Burger King that were at one time making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. nothing is guaranteed, point blank period. college isn't a guarantee that you are automatically going to be successful. getting a degree and graduating is success in itself but how can you equate that to not being able to have a place to live, putting food on the table for your family, paying for health care or even putting your own child through college? its only a piece of paper if you cant get the job. with the way the economy is alot of people wont be able to even afford to go to college and then what ?
are you in college?
yes im in college but im not expecting anything to just happen for me. the same realities are in my face as everybody elses and when there is 500,000 people wanting to be writers or lawyers or whatever, the game is on. its play to win. survival of the fittest. who is going to get it and not. and the same question remains: what happens to those that dont? i put it like this, youre damned if you do and damned if you dont. you have to make the decision. you have to be prepared for anything.
do you believe everything happens for a reason?
yes and no. there are things we have no control over and then there are reactions for every action. now what you take out of that is entirely up to you, but me personally i don't believe in coincidences. i feel as though anything we do is going to later affect us whether on a small scale or large scale and the people we let into our lives play major roles in that too.
do you think its important to have a trusted few friends versus alot of friends?
i don't think its a must but for some it is. some people like and sometimes feel the need to have a strong amount of peers around them to feel a certain way. ever since i could remember i have always been "popular". wasn't something i tried at but something about me as a person that just drew people to me. all kinds of people. alot of those people are no longer in my life for various reasons but they served there purpose at the time. i don't have many friends to this day but the ones i do have are very dear to my heart and i appreciate and love them very much. i dont many more than them.
do you stand alone?
you only have yourself in this world. moms, sisters, brothers, cousins, aunts, you have them. until something or someone strips them away from you. im believer in being completely independent. its okay to ask for help but me personally, i want to do things my way for myself. i want to look back and be like i did that, on my terms, the way i wanted it to be done, and I'm happy with the way it came out because it was my vision being executed and produced.
do you see yourself as being unique or different?
of course i see myself as being different. I'm definitely not aiming to be like another.
does it bother you when people assume your like everybody else?
not at all. i love it. because in the end they're the ones that are going to have to come back to me or come to sorts with themselves that 'hey shes not like that other girl' or 'she isn't like anybody ive ever met or talked to' . i mean there are people that have been around me for years that still don't know things about me. I'm multi dimensional. I'm abstract like art. different textures, colors, brushes, and all that. just when you think you know, i switch, and you have a whole other mindset or so to speak person, to figure out.
some would say that's not being honest. you agree ?
i don't look at it as being dishonest, i just feel like everybody opens up at different times about different things. i don't feel like knowing everything about someone is going to make it any less shocking when they do something out of their character or when somebody sweet says something controversial and disturbing. getting to know a person is one thing but having to know everything about somebody is the end of the work. when you know every little thing about a person the fun is over. boredom sets in. i don't want people to get bored with me. not like me, whatever -laughs- but bored, no.
are you a good person?
yes. i haven't always been but now i can say i am.
why now?
because i have grown. i have matured. i have loved and lived and made mistakes. i have forced myself to really be honest with myself and love me for me instead of conforming to what everybody thought i was or wanted of me.
do you feel as though mistakes are key to growing up?
i don't feel like its key, because we automatically grow up -laughs- but its definitely part of the process. you can be thirty and still act seventeen -laughs- but mistakes are life lessons. we either grow from them or we let them keep us bound. Ive done things I'm not proud of that i still wish to this day i could take back but i cant, so i keep them fresh in my mind. not in the sense I'm constantly guilt ridden but where i can humble myself and never make the same one again.
are you ever been mis perceived?
hmm i think at times but then again alot of the time I'm not. there are so many different parts of me that if on different days one person was to see me and talk to me about a certain topic and by chance 5 of those people somehow met and the topic was me i could see how none of them would agree on who i was as a person. -laughs-
whats something that anybody could see about you no matter the circumstances?
uhm, that I'm intelligent. i read alot and i like alot of everything from music to food to things i watch, so i grasp a little knowledge from everything i take in.
you are obviously really intelligent and unafraid of being who you are and standing for what you believe in, who can you attribute these qualities to?
definitely my mother Cynthia, my older sister Karen, my nephew Lamari, and my favorite cousin Thornton. they have all showed me in one way or another that it is okay being exactly who you are and being intelligent as well as well informed about the things that surround you and the world you live in. that change is possible if you want it bad enough and as long as you feel the change within everybody else willing to take the time to look, will too.
anyone famous?
of course. i look up to people like Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys, Maya Angelou, Erykah Badu, Common, and President and First Lady Obama. they are all gifted artists and figures in this world that have faced adversity but remained true to themselves, their beliefs, and carried and conducted themselves with nothing less than strength, class, and integrity. never giving up and always being openly intelligent strong African Americans while comfortable in their skins. they prove that African Americans aren't all unintelligent, uneducated, ignorant, unaware beings and its a beautiful thing.
well readers that was some of the "interview". hope you enjoyed !
let me know what you thought ! ( :
pennanddpaperr .
how did you feel about being in head start and preschool ? you were young like most who start. did you adjust alright?
yea, i was fine. i don't remember my mother ever having a problem like some with leaving their kids. like i said, i loved it for the other children my age but at the same time i loved all it entailed. i liked to learn and read and write and being in such a positive environment. not saying home life wasn't positive because it was. very. but just the atmosphere of educational playthings, games, learning with friends, my teachers... everything was just alot of fun for me.
do you think starting early in programs like these has helped you since being older?
definitely. it started me early to automatically question things and at least get a better understanding of things i didn't understand or know about already. asking questions, self teaching myself little things, and everything else still plays a role in my life today.
do you think education and success go hand in hand?
i think education is important, yes. hand in hand? not always. its not guaranteed anywhere, in any college recruiters "speech" or educational pamphlet that you will be a top paid whatever in any choice of whatever you plan to do. all they say is if. IF you take us up on what we are offering you, you can POSSIBLY be like this person that makes hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. now if and possibly are far from exact and yes. and the question of what do i do with what i have "earned" after i finish this tedious period of studying and testing if there is going to be anyone willing to give me a chance or let alone even take me serious is still unanswered.
sounds like you aren't pro college ...
i am all for college. I'm not anti anything that can further you in today's world. what I'm saying is that that the people in charge make it hard to get into school, sometimes out of school, and then before those who graduate can finish celebrating, they are faced with the harsh reality that living in the economy we do today, there isn't going to be a possibility for employment in the field they left families for and literally sacrificed every little dime to pay to be educated enough to be taken serious or even considered.
so college is bad?
no college isn't bad. that's not what I'm saying at all. what i am saying is that college isn't for everybody. going to college isn't going to always be the deciding factor of whether you make millions or flip burgers. Kanye West went to college, dropped out and wrote a three times platinum album about it. some will say 'well he raps' and that's true but what about your own special talents? what they tell us is if you have a dream go after it. nothing is to big or small, but they dont tell us how to get it. they dont tell us what to do when he or she cant get a job after all the money and time they spent in college or why they are now working a entry level job just to pay off the cost of going to this wonderful college. there are people with college degrees that are doing absolutely nothing with them, wishing they had a job at McDonalds or Burger King that were at one time making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. nothing is guaranteed, point blank period. college isn't a guarantee that you are automatically going to be successful. getting a degree and graduating is success in itself but how can you equate that to not being able to have a place to live, putting food on the table for your family, paying for health care or even putting your own child through college? its only a piece of paper if you cant get the job. with the way the economy is alot of people wont be able to even afford to go to college and then what ?
are you in college?
yes im in college but im not expecting anything to just happen for me. the same realities are in my face as everybody elses and when there is 500,000 people wanting to be writers or lawyers or whatever, the game is on. its play to win. survival of the fittest. who is going to get it and not. and the same question remains: what happens to those that dont? i put it like this, youre damned if you do and damned if you dont. you have to make the decision. you have to be prepared for anything.
do you believe everything happens for a reason?
yes and no. there are things we have no control over and then there are reactions for every action. now what you take out of that is entirely up to you, but me personally i don't believe in coincidences. i feel as though anything we do is going to later affect us whether on a small scale or large scale and the people we let into our lives play major roles in that too.
do you think its important to have a trusted few friends versus alot of friends?
i don't think its a must but for some it is. some people like and sometimes feel the need to have a strong amount of peers around them to feel a certain way. ever since i could remember i have always been "popular". wasn't something i tried at but something about me as a person that just drew people to me. all kinds of people. alot of those people are no longer in my life for various reasons but they served there purpose at the time. i don't have many friends to this day but the ones i do have are very dear to my heart and i appreciate and love them very much. i dont many more than them.
do you stand alone?
you only have yourself in this world. moms, sisters, brothers, cousins, aunts, you have them. until something or someone strips them away from you. im believer in being completely independent. its okay to ask for help but me personally, i want to do things my way for myself. i want to look back and be like i did that, on my terms, the way i wanted it to be done, and I'm happy with the way it came out because it was my vision being executed and produced.
do you see yourself as being unique or different?
of course i see myself as being different. I'm definitely not aiming to be like another.
does it bother you when people assume your like everybody else?
not at all. i love it. because in the end they're the ones that are going to have to come back to me or come to sorts with themselves that 'hey shes not like that other girl' or 'she isn't like anybody ive ever met or talked to' . i mean there are people that have been around me for years that still don't know things about me. I'm multi dimensional. I'm abstract like art. different textures, colors, brushes, and all that. just when you think you know, i switch, and you have a whole other mindset or so to speak person, to figure out.
some would say that's not being honest. you agree ?
i don't look at it as being dishonest, i just feel like everybody opens up at different times about different things. i don't feel like knowing everything about someone is going to make it any less shocking when they do something out of their character or when somebody sweet says something controversial and disturbing. getting to know a person is one thing but having to know everything about somebody is the end of the work. when you know every little thing about a person the fun is over. boredom sets in. i don't want people to get bored with me. not like me, whatever -laughs- but bored, no.
are you a good person?
yes. i haven't always been but now i can say i am.
why now?
because i have grown. i have matured. i have loved and lived and made mistakes. i have forced myself to really be honest with myself and love me for me instead of conforming to what everybody thought i was or wanted of me.
do you feel as though mistakes are key to growing up?
i don't feel like its key, because we automatically grow up -laughs- but its definitely part of the process. you can be thirty and still act seventeen -laughs- but mistakes are life lessons. we either grow from them or we let them keep us bound. Ive done things I'm not proud of that i still wish to this day i could take back but i cant, so i keep them fresh in my mind. not in the sense I'm constantly guilt ridden but where i can humble myself and never make the same one again.
are you ever been mis perceived?
hmm i think at times but then again alot of the time I'm not. there are so many different parts of me that if on different days one person was to see me and talk to me about a certain topic and by chance 5 of those people somehow met and the topic was me i could see how none of them would agree on who i was as a person. -laughs-
whats something that anybody could see about you no matter the circumstances?
uhm, that I'm intelligent. i read alot and i like alot of everything from music to food to things i watch, so i grasp a little knowledge from everything i take in.
you are obviously really intelligent and unafraid of being who you are and standing for what you believe in, who can you attribute these qualities to?
definitely my mother Cynthia, my older sister Karen, my nephew Lamari, and my favorite cousin Thornton. they have all showed me in one way or another that it is okay being exactly who you are and being intelligent as well as well informed about the things that surround you and the world you live in. that change is possible if you want it bad enough and as long as you feel the change within everybody else willing to take the time to look, will too.
anyone famous?
of course. i look up to people like Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys, Maya Angelou, Erykah Badu, Common, and President and First Lady Obama. they are all gifted artists and figures in this world that have faced adversity but remained true to themselves, their beliefs, and carried and conducted themselves with nothing less than strength, class, and integrity. never giving up and always being openly intelligent strong African Americans while comfortable in their skins. they prove that African Americans aren't all unintelligent, uneducated, ignorant, unaware beings and its a beautiful thing.
well readers that was some of the "interview". hope you enjoyed !
let me know what you thought ! ( :
pennanddpaperr .
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Thanks Don; ♥
