My Obama Moment

I am so grateful to be living in a world where I have been told of the civil rights movement, where I was born about 5 minutes from Black Wall Street, and where today, we have an amazing leader who is multi-racial, brilliant, charismatic and will very likely be our next president.

The interesting thing is that all who know me, know that I am most proud of being black and female. Simply because I think black is beautiful and being a woman means being passionate. Now, I have a more complex explanation for my infatuation with my race and gender, but this scratches the surface...enough for now.

That said, I initially was on the fence about who had my vote. I was comfortable with the Clinton's, they had a familiarity with me. Now I understand that it's this technique they were using called low-information signaling that had me lovin the Clinton's. LIS is basically a method of distracting voters to focus on stupid stuff that has nothing to do with the "issues." (See this article in Time Magazine for more info on LIS.)

This clever-media-manipulation has always been done and always will. It's used in the Obama campaign too.

Ummm...okay, my point is- that's why I loved the Clinton's. Ignorance on my behalf, I'll take that.

Just plain trickery I tell you.

So, I listened, I read and I started to understand that this man (Obama) gets it.

Then I became Obamafied. I volunteered with the campaign when it was here in Texas and would later become a delegate in my precinct. My Obama Moment, was on March 4, 2008 at MacGregor Elementary on the day of the Texas Primaries.

I pull up in my Obama gear, sign in-hand, ready to spread the HOPE and ensure that Obama wins in Texas. First thing I see is this Japanese, middle-age man. He's on the corner, in his Obama shirt and holding his sign while yelling, "Obama!"

I later found out that this man knew very little English, besides words like...Democrat, Obama, Caucus, etc...

His wife on the other hand, spoke English very well. She was a member of the Japan House of Councils. She was a college professor, and was once an International student (see where I'm going with this?)

She asked me what was my Obama Moment? I thought about it for a second, and replied with, "The entire Obama Movement is my moment. I'm a college student, from a low-income family, I feel like the bar keeps being raised...like dreams are unattainable because of economical disadvantages, and I do want to see what this world has to offer me...that's what the Obama campaign is all about."

By the end of the night she'd given me a T-shirt with the face of the President of the Democratic Party of Japan...she and I connected. I told one of my fellow Obama loyalists, "I'm International Now." By the end of the night, I realized that I'd just experienced my Obama moment. I was in my Obama Moment.

I connected with a middle-aged Japanese Politician whom had flown across the country, with her non-English speaking husband, to come to Houston to what is commonly known as The ward (i.e., 3rd, 4th, 5th), but now is referred to as "midtown," to spread the HOPE.

Since then I've been told by non-blacks, "He's not too black,"-when referrering to their comfort with him.

I've heard people of Mexican descent say, "This country is for white people."

I read in Time Magazine that a subscriber whom is black and almost 60 years old feels that this is a white man's world, and Obama better have a conservative, southern Caucasian American on his ticket (the subscriber said these were her thoughts with no animosity). I believe it.

Some people can't grasp the idea of Black Male President, White Female VP.

I've heard educated, upper-class Europeans say, "I'm voting for Hillary."

Delusional, I tell ya.

I personally don't care about people's deep-rooted prejudices. Those will always exist. There will always be those who say things like:

"He's only half black."
"He talks white."
"He's not you know, black-black."

But because my BLACK RADAR is always in tune. I'll be the first to say, "He is definitely a black man."

And while he may address the ills in black society openly...he does so because he truly HOPES for the greatest for the African American population.

Gloria Naylor said, "We have yet to feel within this country that we are home." Barack Obama as president, will welcome us home.

Realizing Your Championship Moment

The day I wrote my previous post, What will be your Championship Moment, I asked one of my friends, "What is your championship moment?"

Because this friend is a supporter of me...kinda from a distance. I don't know why. He likes it like that.

I knew he hadn't read my blog.

Anyways....he at first replied with, "I don't know, do you know yours?"

I answered with, "no".

We both kinda smiled, shrugged and agreed that we will have one...just don't know what it is.

He then said, "Oh yeah, I know," then proceeded to tell me his future plans and his dream of re-uniting his family, bringing peace and stability into their lives.

I was like, "Wow, that's great. I like that."

The next day, my mom called me and told me that she would go ahead and interview my aunt for me. My aunt is a survivor of the Tulsa Race Riots.

My dream is to resurrect Black Wall Street. My first step is to put together a documentary.

I'm definitely taking baby steps.

I have time too. My aunt, on the other hand, is getting older so she may not have time. She is an icon in my eyes.

The day that Black Wall Street and Black Tulsa return to financial stability, community awareness and youth-enrichment...that will be my Championship Moment.

It hurts my heart so bad to know, that the segregated city that I grew up in- where the "black" side of town barely has the resources available for comfortable living- was once the most prosperous city occupied by black people in the world.

It too hurts my heart that across the country in black communities, we've become so divided. It is said that the money was handed over in Black Wallstreet 50 Times before leaving the community. Today-we know that's not the case.

To avoid mirroring Bill Cosby and his effort to "change black folks and our spending habits."
(From me to Bill, "Right idea-wrong execution.")

I only will say, according to research conducted by Target Market News, in 2006, the spending power for black people was $744 Billion dollars. How much of that is invested into our own children, community, families, or education?

Anyways, the Tulsa Race Riot was the worst race riot in history. I do believe in ancestral spirit. My ancestors live in me and no longer can I feel sad for what happened to them.

I have to act.

What Will Be Your Championship Moment?

With all of the hype surrounding the NBA Finale and Championship, I decided to tune in to see what all the fuss was about. I'm sure the fact that my cousin was even somewhat interested in the game also played a factor...I could not be left out of this universal sports experience.

As KG tried to express himself when the game ended (which by the way, was not very pleasant...I told my cousin, that his publicist was going to be very mad at him for that very un-eloquent utterance of....I don't even know what exactly to call it.)

Didn't he rehearse in the mirror what he would say?

Anyways, I've never won a championship game so I'm not judging him...and I am a Communications graduate so I expect great things on TV...all the time.

Besides his verbage and that of Paul Pierce...(which apparently, I should be grateful to have not been paying attention to), the sincere, humble, joy that was felt on the court was contagious.

Even on a 20 inch, blurred TV...I could feel the overwhelming satisfaction that comes with reaching a life-long goal.

And besides that, do ya'll know what type of city Boston is? It's not the kindest to those people who look like KG, RayAllen, Coach Doc Rivers and me:)

But how ironic is it that the team is made up of all men that look like me....and that Coach Rivers, is one of the five black coaches to ever win an NBA Championship in the league's history.

Disclaimer: I love all people of all races, we are all God's children, but...

2008 IS OUR YEAR! Sorry, it's true.

This post was not supposed to be about KG's emotional expression or Boston's contradiction...it's supposed to be about "What will Be Your Championship Moment?"

Almost everyone wants to be super successful, super-rich, super-famous....just the Bomb in life.

But the reality of it is, some people are made to be CEO's of Multi-million dollar companies, some are made to be fantabulous mothers and I truly believe that some (i.e. teachers, bosses, coaches, anthroplogists) really do serve a purpose to influence other people's lives.

But everyone deserves a Championship Moment. Everyone fantasizes about it, I'm sure.


A moment that you dreamt of all your life, the moment when you don't even know how to thank God enough, the moment that you have to ask him, "What did I do to deserve this?"


A moment in which you are so happy, that happy is not the correct word to use to describe your joy...because it cannot be defined, because it's a feeling that has never been felt.


Or maybe that's just how I imagine it. I have experienced many joys in life, but I get anxiety when I daydream about my Championship Moment...although I don't know what exactly it will be.

Obama calls absent black fathers to task

I thank God for my amazing father. He has never looked upon me with shame, and he has equipped me with the tools necessary for survival. My dad is the most humble, loving man I will ever know.

Happy Father's Day to those who embrace the joy's of fatherhood and whose children are the center of their world. It takes an extraordinary person to be you.

Things to Consider When Seeking Employment...The Red Flags!

1. The company calls you back on your cell phone within an hour after you apply to set up an interview.



2. There is no company website.



3. However, when you google the site 3 or 4 articles come up in the search...that are Careerbuilder pages or fraudulent reports.



4. The company office is shared by what appears to be other fraudulent companies.



5. Those other companies whom share that office call you back to schedule an interview THE SAME DAY as your interview with the original company.



6. The interviewer asks you questions, that do not give you the opportunity to sell yourself.

i.e., "So you would consider yourself a leader?"



you reply, "Yes."



interviewer says, "Okay, okay. I can see that."

7. The person who calls you to set up an interview tells you how to dress, "Wear something business casual."

8. That same person tells you to bring your resume.

9. When you get to your interview, that same person says to you, "Oooh, I like your paper, nice!"
(Maybe it's just me, but I thought resume paper was made for...)

10. There is a company website or a job description that doesn't clearly state what the position is. Keywords can be tricky.


These are just a few thoughts. You'd be amazed at how desperate some of these employers are, to hire fresh, naive recent-grad.

I love me some Obama!

WAOD Reader RhondaCoca Graduates from Columbia University on Wednesday- Any Advice?

This is from the blog What about our daughters.
This past week has been my dose of reality, and this blog post came right on time.

Congrats to WAOD reader RhondaCoca, she graduates from Columbia on Wednesday. Though my colloquialisms and frequent typos bely the fact, I am a college graduate. So here are my observations/ advice regarding the transition you are about to experience.

1. Time passes faster. Now that you are not in school, there is no road map. NO schedules. That's good and that's bad. If you have kids, or plants or a calendar-driven job, you will notice the passage of time, but don't be surprised if you look up in January and suddenly realize its October, time seems to pass faster.
2. Keeping up with your friends will take more effort, but it is OH SO WORTH IT! Don't let the rat race make you lose contact. Don't take for granted that you won'tlose contact. A week turns into a month, months turns into years and the next thing you know you are getting an invite to their kid's college graduation. I mean who else is going to remember the time y'all piled five people into a Geo Metro to go on Spring Break? Or the time your home girl involved you some covert operations to check up on some guy who wasn't worth it in the first place, but you kept that to yourself because she was too far gone to reason with.
   
3. Don't live within your means, LIVE WELL BELOW YOUR MEANS. Let me introduce you to a man named Dave Ramsey. If you have an I-pod just go ahead and subscribe to his podcast. Friday's are the best. No matter how much you make or how large those student loans are, set aside something every paycheck for a rainy day. You might not be able to make 10%, start with 5%. If you can't seem to find the money, donate your plasma or recycle aluminum cans. That Ramen noodles foolishness is for the younguns with all of that sodium. Which takes us to your health...
4. Health insurance- Get it, keep it, use it. You will soon learn that STD is something else other than a disease. While you are at it look into LTD. You are not invincible, your body will get older. Remember those all nighters where you could stay up all night studying drinking Mountain Dew cramming for exams and then bounce back the next day...Your body will soon exercise veto power over your choices and in the event of a dispute, your body will win out. Never EVER force your body to get your attention, you will regret it! Know when to quit .... which takes us to the the word "NO."
5. Learn when to say "NO!"- No, N-O, Heck NO, Not in a million years NO, Under no circumstances NO. N to the iz-O, Nah, UH uh, Sorry but NO. When asked to explain your "No." Silence is an appropriate answer along with smiling with your mouth and not your eyes. You don't owe folks an explanation for the NO. Practice with us Nuh OH- NO! School no longer provides structure and boundaries, you have to establish those for yourself.
6. Live the life you were destined to live, not the one you planned or trained for. There may come a time in your life where the Universe will tug you in a direction other than where your training and education would logically lead. Don't be a slave to the college major you chose when you were 18 or 21. Don't be shackled by the expectations of others or yourself. If you find yourself frustrated and hitting a wall. Break the rules. No, don't go get arrested or something crazy like that, but reevaluate all the things you say you MUST do, the things you said you WOULD NOT EVER DO, and the things you thought you COULDN'T DO. You only get one life, this is not a dress rehearsal. Everyday you spend trying to live the life you think someone else thought you should lead as opposed to the one you were destined to lead is lost and gone forever. See #1- Time passes fast.
   
7. Get a bicycle!- These gas prices are no joke!

Y'all got any additional advice for a recent college grad? If you are about to be a college graduate and want to ask other WAOD readers for their advice about the transition, leave it in the comments.