I Just Want You To Live A Life of No Judgement: Words I Speak to My Little Brother.

It was the morning of July 4^th in Annapolis Mall and I walk into the Lego Store. A store clerk walks up to my brother and I, he asks: “Do you need any help?” I say: “No, we’re fine thanks.” with a smile of course and great mannerisms. He comes a second and third time asking the same exact question and I begin to become quite irritated. As I look around the Lego Store, I realize we are the only black people in the store. There is a Caucasian patriotic family in the store and I realize that he is helping them without question and giving smiles to the other non-blacks in the store. He begins to ask the same question about two more times to my brother and me, so I decided to leave the store. As I leave the store I am very aggravated because the obvious reason he asked that same question continuously was because my brother and I are black.

From this experience, I wonder why people say that racism is no longer relevant in America. Yes, we do have an African-American president, but that doesn’t mean that us regular, everyday type African-Americans do not deal with the same problems. As I think of this situation while writing this blog I wonder, is this the world my brother has to grow up living in. Will he have to always deal with Caucasians who live in the past and never look toward the future of diversity? I become angry at the fact that people are ignorant enough to judge me on the “color of my skin rather than the content of [my] character” as said by Martin Luther King, Jr. I just don’t understand the mindset of those who do not have an open mind. When you live in a world of people who are the exact same as you, you never get to realize what the world has to offer. But of course, people who judge based upon race don’t have that mindset. They are more concerned being racist towards those who are “different” rather than getting to know them.

I myself am a person of no judgment. I go to a majority black high school, so whenever I get the chance to get to know another culture or race, I jump at the opportunity. A lot of the times I have a common ground with those who are of a different race than I am, the only difference is the color of our skin and our cultural background. Someone of another race can even connect with you on a level that you never thought possible. In going back to my little brother, I am going to teach him that living a no judgment lifestyle is the way to go. Not to stereotype other races and getting to know the person instead of only seeing what’s on the outside. But seeing how the world is today, by the time he becomes an adult, there will be no room for judgment in his vocabulary because communities seem to get more diverse as the days go on. And although in my opinion racism might always be apparent in society, I hope he won’t let that get in the way of him getting to know a person of a different race.

Who Are You....?

In the media today, I see so many images of what is considered “beautiful”. Well actually if you think about it there are two versions of what “beautiful” looks like. There is the stereotypical All-American beautiful versus African-American beautiful. The All-American beautiful is long, blonde hair, blue eyes, and a close to a stick figure with a little bit of curves type body. Then, there is the African-American beautiful, which is what you see on television and magazines like KING or VIBE. This type of beauty is the total opposite with the curvaceous figure, long hair (weave or natural), with a preferred complexion of light skin like Mariah Carey. As I am giving you all these stereotypical beautiful looks, I wonder….What is beauty to me?

Beauty to me is having the ultimate confidence in yourself that shines through when you walk down the street. Beauty is having the type of personality that want people to walk towards you and get to know you as a person, rather than walking away. Beauty is having the state of mind that you are beautiful, instead of putting on all types of pretentious acts to be something that you are not. Intelligence is also what makes your beauty shine through as a person.

Recently I had a seminar at the summer program that I attend. A woman came to talk to us from the Miss America Foundation and she seemed to have, for a lack of better words, a “fake” definition of beauty. Based on everything that she was telling us, she basically believes you should be uncomfortable and not yourself in order to show that you are beautiful. She thinks that you have to be made up and wear heels 24/7 in order to show your beauty. In my opinion that is not beauty, that is putting on a persona to the public that you are quite shallow. But then again, I could not judge her because that is the type of business that she works in. She has trained herself into believing that being something that you are not is what she is and has become.

Every year I have discovered a part of me that is beautiful and find more meanings to the word beauty. But there are some females I see in my community today who demean themselves in order to fit the mold of stereotypical beauty. I’m not sure how it is in other areas but in the Washington Metropolitan Area, a lot of the girls choose to dress like what they see in the music videos. There is the excessive weave, “street walker” type clothing and shoes, fake nails PLUS excessive loud make-up for the finishing touch. When you see this type of girl walking down the street you might think the word that rhymes with lawsuit and begins with the letter “P”. But, you’re actually looking at an everyday girl who chooses to look this way, just because that is what’s considered sexy or beautiful. But are you being yourself? That is the question.

It seems like, as African-American women, we have lost ourselves. We have lost who we really are, meaning we have lost touch with our natural beauty and embracing it. We would rather look like what others consider beautiful or sexy, than to be comfortable in our natural beauty. So as women we should ask ourselves the question: If I were to take off this heavy exterior, would I know who I am and am I comfortable with my natural beauty? I have answered an absolute yes to this question, I hope you have too...

The Power of Empowerment.

Before I began writing this blog, I could not figure out what empowerment meant. I knew the term, but I couldn't pinpoint the definition. I’ve heard the word plenty of times in speeches and everyday speaking, but I guess I knew of the word, but didn’t know how to explain the meaning or the feeling of empowerment. So, I looked on dictionary.com and here is the definition:

Empowerment: (verb)
1. to give power or authority to; authorize, especially by legal or official means: I empowered my agent to make the deal for me. The local ordinance empowers the board of health to close unsanitary restaurants.

2. to enable or permit

After reading the definition, in my opinion, empowerment is feeling you have the ultimate authority and power to take control of yourself and/or others. I believe empowerment is a great ordeal because this can also be equivalent to having a high level of confidence in you, which shows to others. Empowerment enables you to conquer any goal or obstacle that is set before you. But at the same time, the greatest obstacle is achieving empowerment itself. You have to know within your heart and soul that you can be the voice, if not the true example of empowerment. Let it be known, in a non-obnoxious manner of course, that you are empowered and will share it with the public. And of course, know the definition of empowerment, without the definition you would be lost in finding who and what you want to become. After realizing and accomplishing what I have shared to you, finding empowerment and becoming empowered will no longer be a burden or obstacle upon your back. Empowerment is now the goal you have achieved. Now, let me give my own personal experience with empowerment. Whenever I get compliments or rewards I feel a great sense of empowerment. I get the sense of knowing that I am doing something right, and it’s a sign that I should continue whatever it is that I am doing a positive manner. Even if I feel like giving up at times, I still have that sense of empowerment to fall back on. I also feel empowerment when I am representing my own race in a positive way. I am putting down all of the stereotypes of African-Americans and succeeding, likewise of what statistics others think I should fall under as an African-American female.

After writing this blog, I do believe that I finally know what empowerment truly means. Empowerment is not something that you search for; it’s a feeling that should come naturally to you. Empowerment is a positive and enlightening feeling that you never want to let go of. Even by writing this blog I feel empowered. Everyone should have some point in their life where they feel empowered because this feeling gives you the confidence you need to succeed and feel great about yourself. In conclusion, I don’t really have anything more to say about empowerment, I believe what I have said gives my strong opinion.