“Love feels no burden, thinks nothing of trouble, attempts what is above its strength, pleads no excuse of impossibility; for it thinks all things lawful for itself, and all things possible.” -Anonymous
Anecdote Of The Week: When Your Blessing Is Served To You On A Platter And You’re Still Hungry
Written By: Elsie Law
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Mar•
23•15
“Bob put me through my workout paces and encouraged a lifestyle bullet around eating whole foods (long before I’d ever heard of the story that shares that name and mission).
I resisted. But even as different diets came and went, his advise remained consistent and wise: Eat foods that make you thrive.
A few years ago, I finally got the big aha and started growing my own vegetables. And what began with a few rows of lettuce, some tomatoes, and basil (my favorite herb) in my backyard in Santa Barbara eventually became a genuine farm in Maui. My gardening interest grew into a passion…
In rural Mississippi, where I was born, a garden meant survival. In Nashville, where I later lived, my father always cleared a “patch” by the side of our house, where he would grow collard greens, tomatoes, crowder peas, and butter beans.
Today that’s my favorite meal; add some cornbread and I’m clicking my heels. But when I was say girl, I saw no value in eating freshly grown foods. “Why can’t we have store bought food like other people?” I’d complain. I wanted my vegetables to come from the “valley of the jolly- ho, ho, ho- Green Giant”! Having to eat from the garden made me feel poor.
I now know for sure how blessed I was to have access to fresh food- something not every family today can take for granted.
Thank you, Lord, for growth.
I’ve worked hard to sow the seeds for a life in which I get to keep expanding my dreams. One of those dreams is for everyone to be able to eat fresh food that goes from farm to table- because better food is the foundation for a better life.”-From, “What I Know For Sure” By: Oprah Winfrey
Black History Fact Of The Day
Written By: Elsie Law
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Mar•
23•15
Dr. Betty Harris, who has a doctorate in chemistry, invented and patented a spot test that allows for identifying explosives in a field environment.
Quote Of The Day
Written By: Elsie Law
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Mar•
23•15
“Organizations take on the colors of their leaders.” -Dan Rather
The Secret History of How Slavery Helped Build America’s Elite Colleges
Written By: Elsie Law
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Mar•
13•15
Book Excerpt Of The Week: “Ruminations” By: Krs-One
Written By: Elsie Law
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Mar•
13•15
“If your educator is a murderer, a rapist, a liar, chances are you will be taught to be one of these as well. This is why memorizing education without questioning is very destructive.
Memory accepts everything. By questioning what you think the truth is, you arrive at the truth. If you never question the truth or the lie, you really don’t know the difference between the two. You are going only according to what your teacher told you, you really don’t know for yourself what the truth is. In this case you are not an intellectual, you are a Memorex tape. This keeps us on a primitive level where the environment control self. We must rise up and become intelligent human beings.” -From, “Ruminations” By KRS-One
TODAY IS BUY BLACK FRIDAY
Written By: Elsie Law
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Mar•
13•15
PLEASE PASS THIS ON! (EACH ONE TEACH ONE OR TWO!) THIS IS PHASE ONE ON HOW WE CAN HELP TO STRENGTHEN & EMPOWER OUR COMMUNITY:
The 2008 not guilty verdict in the Sean Bell case evoked outrage, emotion, and debate. It is not an anomaly that the police officers involved in the Sean Bell slaying were acquitted of all charges on all counts in State Supreme Court. I could run out of ink printing the names of people who have been victimized by the inaptly named justice system.
The American justice system has been especially terroristic towards the African American community. Many community members can cite historic and personal accounts to prove this. Therefore, it would be foolhardy (at the least) to turn to a system that has methodically oppressed us, and request that they free us. We can only free ourselves through extreme discipline and intelligent planning.
As a community we have been too compliant with leaders who organize ineffective, delayed reactions. The only strategy that can save us in this last hour is one that calls for a collective code of conduct that will be conducive to improving the conditions of our community, and shifting the paradigm of how we are treated by outside entities. The first step of this code of conduct should be based on economics.
The old adage of “money talks,” still reigns true in the new millennium. Any political scientist worth his or her library card will tell you that: “Economic powerlessness equals political powerlessness,” and conversely “economic power equals political power.” This means that if we continue to allow our wealth to be extracted from our community, we will remain impotent.
The power of the collective “Black Dollar” is often discussed. However, that power has been left unchanneled. Today is the day to change that. A one-time boycott is not going to bring long-term change and respect to our community. Our community has launched boycotts before. Our success and ascension will be based on what we consistently do. For this reason, we should initiate “BUY BLACK FRIDAYS.”
BUY BLACK FRIDAYS is a small step towards our community acquiring power via controlling our economics. Every Friday, people who acknowledge the injustice and oppression that the African American community has been consistently subjected to should do one of the following:
Option #1: Spend $0 on Friday
Option #2: Spend no more than $10 on Friday
Option #3: Only Shop at Black Businesses on Friday
[PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ABOVE OPTIONS CAN & SHOULD BE EXERCISED ON A DAILY BASIS. However, we can all at the very least focus on Fridays. This way we can take a collective stand and build our collective discipline. Please remember that this is only Phase 1!].
To the people who are tempted to label “BUY BLACK FRIDAYS” as racist, I say this: In the big scheme of things, this is about right & wrong, justice & injustice. The African American community is a strong, proud community that has endured the brunt of America’s iron fist. We must stop the pounding. I feel that any fair-minded individual will concur, and join in.
ANY business that is privileged to enjoy the support of the African American community MUST return that support.
I thank you in advance for your effort and dedication.
-Elsie Law AKA Starface
Quote Of The Day
Written By: Elsie Law
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Mar•
13•15
“You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.” -Michael Jordan
Quote Of The Day
Written By: Elsie Law
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Mar•
12•15
“Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It’s not something you learn in school, but if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you haven’t really learned anything.” -Muhammad Ali
