May 26, 2014

What War on Women?

Just Look at this graphic, absorb the stats from the FBI 2001-2012!









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Before strangling her to unconsciousness and leaving her for dead, Michelle Johnson Major’s abusive husband butchered nearly 100 paintings in an act of rage. A violent attempt to silence both her literal and artistic voice have ignited a passion in Major to educate others about the dangers of domestic violence.

How do you Paint the Portrait of Domestic Violence? has become Major’s voice that educates, empowers and provides hope to those trapped in violence.

Using her artwork, Michelle Johnson Major shares her artistic journey from victim to survivor to embracing life filled with colorful hope.

http://beavoicearts.com/gallery/













Fight for her...because she deserves nothing less from you. She is your mother and daughter, your sister and your aunt, she is your friend, she is you.

April 19, 2014

I won't sugar coat this...

http://theobamadiary.com/2014/04/18/chat-away-354/

April 10, 2014

We will not sit down...We will not shut up!

(WNN) New York, New York, UNITED STATES, AMERICAS: Breaking the barrier between just viewing a film and actually creating humanitarian action surrounding human rights issues for girls, CNN FILMS has launched a new on-air platform to live stream the new film “Girl Rising” in hopes that global change for the world of girls and women can come as quickly as possible in a revolution that can ignite one community and ‘one house at a time’.

snip

“A girl is not defined by what society sees. A girl is defined by what a girl sees inside herself,” echoes the 10X10 mission, which is co-sponsored by Intel, The Documentary Group, and Vulcan Productions along with the work of CNN Films.

Chronicling the stories of girls around the globe who, given a fair chance to further their education and their life, will do so, the hope is that this documentary film can reach the widest audience possible. Working with NGOs – Non-Governmental agencies like World Vision, UNICEF, A New Day Cambodia and numerous others, “Girl Rising” shows how girls can make lasting changes in their personal life, local communities and beyond. “Girl Rising” also has a star-studded U.S. Hollywood cast of narrators for the feature-length documentary, including award-winning actor-narrators Salma Hayek, Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep, among others.

“If to see it is to know it, this film delivers hope; reasonable, measurable, tangible hope that the world can be healed and helped to a better future,” said Meryl Streep after the premiere release of the film was made last March.

http://womennewsnetwork.net/2013/06/17/cnn-live-streams-girl-rising/




Stand up for Women's Equality













Women, oh yes we are.

We are proud and strong and fearless.

We have been humiliated and hurt, sometimes grievously. We have been beaten both physically and verbally. Our rights over our bodies are being taken away from us. We have been told our voice does not matter, that our voice is shrill and hurts some sensitive ears. Aaaah, such sensitive ears, so sorry that the truth hurts.

Yet in the end, we rise. We will not be beaten. We are gaining strength and our fathers our brothers our sons and our friends have our backs. The color of ones skin does not matter here, it is for every woman that we stand for. We have each others backs.

What matters is that we all stand together, we all rise together. If one group is denied equality then every single one of us will lose our integrity and our humanity.

Let's Break that Chain! All of us it is time to stand up and be heard. We have your back and you have ours!

Still I Rise

by Maya Angelou
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries?

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own backyard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.
- See more at: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15623#sthash.rzSjIksx.dpuf

April 7, 2014

Sarah Kay: If I should have a daughter...

Brava! A must see.

https://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_kay_if_i_should_have_a_daughter

A performing poet since she was 14 years old, Sarah Kay is the founder of Project VOICE, an organization that uses spoken word poetry as a literacy and empowerment tool.

Why you should listen

Plenty of 14-year-old girls write poetry. But few hide under the bar of the famous Bowery Poetry Club in Manhattan’s East Village absorbing the talents of New York’s most exciting poets. Not only did Sarah Kay do that -- she also had the guts to take its stage and hold her own against performers at least a decade her senior. Her talent for weaving words into poignant, funny, and powerful performances paid off.

Sarah holds a Masters degree in the art of teaching from Brown University and an honorary doctorate in humane letters from Grinnell College. Her first book, B, was ranked the number one poetry book on Amazon.com. Her second book, No Matter the Wreckage, is available from Write Bloody Publishing.

Sarah also founded Project VOICE, an organization that uses spoken word poetry as a literacy and empowerment tool. Project VOICE runs performances and workshops to encourage people to engage in creative self-expression in schools and communities around the world.

https://www.ted.com/speakers/sarah_kay

April 7, 2014

This is a must read.

FB https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=722798927772638&set=a.362561537129714.96045.360781383974396&type=1&theater

April 6, 2014

Daniel Beaty... Knock, Knock. Who's there? We Are!

The fierce urgency of now and the long game

Daniel Beaty - Knock, Knock on Def Jam Poetry



Back in the 1980's we abandoned the War on Poverty and beefed up the War on Drugs. As a result, we are now seeing the 3rd and 4th generation of too many black boys growing up waiting for that "knock, knock"... struggling with whether or not prison is simply written into their destiny as well. Unfortunately, they face that question in the fierce urgency of now and don't have the privilege of waiting until we implement the long game of systemic change. And so Beaty talks about the power to change this world one little boy and girl at a time.



Reposted from GD:

More:http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024785498

http://immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-fierce-urgency-of-now-and-long-game.html

Knock Knock, that took the breath out of my body.

March 21, 2014

Mine

Bond~ Victory

Love this!

Thanks for posting this thread Whisp! I think we all need a little Happy~

March 10, 2014

Welcome to the LGBT Aging Project

A non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender older adults have equal access to the life-prolonging benefits, protections, services and institutions that their heterosexual neighbors take for granted.

http://www.lgbtagingproject.org/

The LGBT Aging Project Launches Mindful Aging Course for LGBT Seniors

The LGBT Aging Project, a program of The Fenway Institute, will be offering a special 6 week course on Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older adults. The course will provide training in meditation, gentle yoga, mindfulness and relaxation. The first week is an introduction to MBSR and is open to anyone who is considering taking the program.


Mindfulness meditation is a practice that is used to quiet the mind and remove negative thoughts to reduce stress and improve health. Clinical research shows that mindfulness techniques can help alleviate anxiety, stress and even reduce depression and loneliness in older adults.

The program was developed in the early 1980s by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., a University of Massachusetts molecular biologist who studied Buddhist meditation and incorporated its key principles into a course harnessing the link between mind and body.

The MBSR course is part of a series, Healthy Aging in the LGBT Community, funded by a grant from the Tufts Health Plan Foundation.

http://www.lgbtagingproject.org/2014/01/13/the-lgbt-aging-project-launches-mindful-aging-course-for-lgbt-seniors/




Gen Silent is a 2011 critically acclaimed documentary film, directed and produced by award winning filmmaker Stu Maddux. The documentary follows the lives of six LGBT seniors living in the Boston area who must choose if they will hide their sexuality in order to survive in the long-term health care system. It has been screened at numerous colleges and universities as well as in front of government agencies and healthcare organizations. It premiered at the Boston LGBT Film Festival and has won numerous awards at others.


The title of the film is a reference to the generations of older LGBT people who remain in the closet or re enter the closet out of concern for their safety or quality of life. As a result of the documentary, the term Gen Silent has increased in use as a way to refer to this group.

Synopsis

Gen Silent was filmed in the Boston area over a one year period. During that time, director Stu Maddux followed six LGBT seniors through their decision to either stay open about their sexuality or hide it so that they can survive in the long-term health care system. In the documentary a gay man named Lawrence Johnson searches for a nursing home where he and his partner can be open about their relationship while still receiving quality care. It also follows a transgender senior by the name of KrysAnne. She searches for people to care for her because she is estranged from her family. The story of an LGBT couple named Sheri and Lois is told, including how they spent their lives fighting for LGBT rights. While Sheri states that she refuses to hide her sexuality, Lois states that she will if that is what it would take to protect her in the health care system. Mel and his partner are the final couple followed in the documentary. Mel’s partner gets sick and he finds care from a welcoming agency where he feels comfortable and safe to speak openly for the first time about his sexuality and their thirty-nine year relationship together.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gen_Silent

March 6, 2014

This is grace, strength and beauty. This is a cover shot~ Picture Heavy

Like a dream becoming reality the Ballerina Project is an ongoing series of photographs created by photographer: Dane Shitagi. Constructed over the span of 12 years the Ballerina Project is not your typical “dance photography” but an etching of a ballerinas heart and emotions.

Every aspect of the Ballerina Project is carefully crafted and cultivated. The majority of ballerinas who have posed for the project are currently or have danced for companies such as American Ballet Theater, Boston Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Dresden Semperopera Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Suzanne Farrell Ballet, Ballet West and New York City Ballet. Other ballerinas are in schools such as School of American Ballet and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. The crafts of dance and photography are truly upheld on both ends of the creation of the Ballerina Project.

Much of the project has been photographed on traditional film and cameras. Only as of the late Spring 2012 the project has begun to incorporate digital photography for a portion of our latest images.

Currently the Ballerina Project has one of the largest network of followers for ballet related pages on Facebook in the world. In the press the project has been written about in the Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post and countless blogs. The project has also been featured in advertisements for both Fujifilm and Sony Erricson.







http://ballerinaproject.com/blog/

















https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150341892464949&set=a.10150291309234949.73964.22455674948&type=1&theater

March 3, 2014

LGBT: What Does It Really Mean?

LGBT. These letters stand for "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender." They also stand for "love, grace, beauty, and truth." The challenges of, and the solutions to, creating a different world are intertwined in these two representations of these four letters. Peace, hope, faith, and dignity are the winners and losers, depending on whether or not ignorance, prejudice, closed-mindedness, and fear take part in the battle.

Love is the game changer. It fills the human heart with the joy that could and should belong to all people. I have heard it said that a sorrow shared is a sorrow halved, and that a joy shared is a joy doubled. And I have seen people professing proudly and publicly in the name of God that two lesbian women are not entitled to the same kind of joy that is freely available to a man and a woman. It is the very essence of hate that two committed human beings should not be allowed to proclaim their love to their families and friends, to their neighbors and coworkers, to their communities, and to God for the petty reason that they are of the same sex.

Grace is the unspoken, moment-by-moment lifetime that takes place throughout our land when two gay men are not allowed to proclaim their love while walking in a society that feasts on the same joy they are denied. It is like sitting in a restaurant, starving to death, and watching the other patrons devour a seven-course meal. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary includes this definition of "grace": "a controlled, polite, and pleasant way of behaving." This is the perfect analogy for the way the LGBT persons of the world are asked to face discrimination. Society essentially says to us, "You starve while I feast, and please be controlled, polite, and pleasant about it." We are asked to demonstrate a saint-like amount of grace on a daily basis.

"Beauty" is the spot-on synonym for "bisexual." Often the most misunderstood part of the "LGBT" acronym, bisexuality is typically defined as sexual attraction toward both males and females. This description often inappropriately conflates bisexuality with infidelity, promiscuity, and noncommitment. The beauty is lost in the description and never allowed to shine. Love can sometimes transcend gender. It is love in its purest form. It is a love for a human being that is not contingent on that person's gender. Imagine looking at a rainbow and saying, "I love the rainbow because it contains the color blue," or, "I love the rainbow because it contains the color red." Now imagine looking at the rainbow and saying, "I love it not because of the colors it contains but because of the message it sends to the world."

"Truth" becomes the definition of "transgender" when a person stops pretending to be someone they are not. I did not transition. I transitioned the way I present myself to you, and I transitioned your understanding of who I am, but I am the same woman I have always been. What I did was begin telling you the truth about me. And in the process, I bloomed like a flower finally allowed to live in the light.

Read More:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephanie-mott/lgbt-what-does-it-really-mean_b_3971192.html

This is so beautifully written, so moving. In the end all of us are the same. Under the sun and the stars and the moon, we are all the same. We are all equal. No one will ever make me believe otherwise. In the end it's all about what is in our hearts.

And in the end, the love you take
Is equal to the love you make
~ The Beatles