The Trayvon Martin Tragedy

This post is not about hair.  It IS about skin.  Skin color in particular.

Unless you live under a rock, you've heard the recent news about the Trayvon Martin case in Florida. 

The whole thing somehow reminds me of the Troy Davis execution in September 2011. 

To keep us updated about what's going on, The Huffington Post has set up a news page ("The Trayvon Martin Tragedy") dedicated to coverage of this case at "Black Voices".    Check it out and stay informed.   

Special thanks to Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Trymaine Lee, for sharing  Trayvon's story from the very beginning until other influential columnists and the media picked up on it.  With Florida and 23 other states determined to keep this law on their books, all of us should be communicating with our loved ones  near and far about what happened to Trayvon.  We also need to talk about this so called "stand your ground" law that  effectively allows  "alleged" killers to view the men in our lives (who are fathers, brothers, husbands, and sons) as a threat---simply because of skin color.  

In the meantime, Jasiri-X, the Pittsburgh-area activist and rapper who spends a great deal of his time traveling the US in support of various causes and solutions, has made a name for himself by weighing in on current events and issues of race.  Jasiri-X has just released a video about the Trayvon Martin case set to the beat of Kanye West and Jay-Z's "No Church In The Wild." Check it out.....and share your thoughts:

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Ernestine Shepherd: Guinness World Record Holder

We're hi-lighting a truly phenomenal woman today!

At 74 years old, standing at 5′5" and weighing 120 pounds, Baltimore grandmother Ernestine Shepherd holds the Guinness World Records’ for oldest female bodybuilder!

She claims she used to be “too prissy to exercise because she didn’t want her hair or nails messed up.”

That all changed when she was 56, spending the day with her sister shopping for swimming suits to wear to a pool party. Standing in the store's dressing room, trying on numerous swimsuits and not liking what she saw in the mirrors, she decided to make a change.

Once she began to see the effects of lifting weights, Shepherd dedicated herself to becoming the oldest fitness competitor.

Public Service Announcement: Let's Talk

Denise Rolark-Barnes is the President and Publisher of The Washington Informer newspaper.

After earning a Juris Doctor law degree, she opted not to jump in the Law arena, but chose instead to join the family business at the newspaper. Rolark-Barnes took over the newspaper that her father (and Founder of the United Black Fund), Dr. Calvin Rolark, established almost 50 years ago in Washington, DC and made it the "voice" of the City's African-American community.

Now she is producing and hosting the talk television show,"Let's Talk". The video below is an episode of "Let's Talk" during an indepth interview with Dr. Avis Jones-DeWeever and Ms. Terese Lowery.

Ms. Lowery is Director of the Washington DC Office of Women's Policy and Initiatives (http://owpi.dc.gov/owpi/site/default.asp )

Dr. DeWeever is the Executive Director of the National Council of Negro Women , and at the age of 41, she is also the youngest executive director in the history of the organization.

The video below is a discussion about the challenges and resources that women of color can individually (and thru our organizations) use to support each other:






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Public Service Announcement/1

True, this site focuses on "Healthy Hair" for the most part, but this month, we'll be adding at least one Public Service Announcement every 30 days. These PSAs, part of our core commitment to identify, inform and resolve topics of interest in our Beloved Community, are designed to initiate the conversation(s) needed to move towards resolution; we can't BE ABOUT IT until we talk about it.


While I don't know which is worst, NOT HAVING a father in the home or HAVING a bad father in the home, I do know that each leaves it’s own major scars, sometimes for life. I have been affected as I've watched, consoled, supported and uplifted those in my inner circle as they continue to deal with this (too) common life experience first hand.

So, for me, the absent father ought not to be our individual excuse(s). When all is said and done, we make our own decisions in/about life, with or without a father, with or without scars. There are some things we may never have, there are some experiences that will never be ours, and yes---our foundations may not have been what they should have been---but when all is said and done, each one of us makes the decision about what this life will mean to and for us. And, intentionally or not--- we pass that on to our children.

Please watch this Public Service Announcement (PSA) that shows the devastating impact of fatherless homes on the African American community. Leave a comment and let us know what you think of this incredibly powerful VIDEO.




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