A LETTER TO SELF

A Letter to Self: from Jessica Care Moore i received this in an email today and wanted to share. (*THANKS SHE'S SO FLY) hopefully it can inspire someone like it inspired me. cause it is the TRUTH. if i ever read the truth. THIS LETTER IS NOT FOR EVERY WOMAN. BUT MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, YOU! DEAR JESS After a decade of marriage and a year long relationship with a beautiful friend, I have to write myself this letter as a promise. I hope it's a promise that other women like me will make to themselves. When you have been forced… To spend your life fighting against the often aggressive sexual exploitation of women through institutions, laws, the workforce, your own family, school and just basic can't walk down the street without being harassed your whole life…. When you are a woman of color, and you have survived being stereotyped as every "round the way girl" at a bus stop, every video stripper in every rappers video. If you have decided, despite your family not coming from a line of doctors, lawyers or educators, to take your own life, your story, your fucking destiny into your own hands. I am asking. No, I am daring you to be courageous enough. To be fearless and confident enough…. When you have found a way to build an independent economic empire of your own.. When you told your nine to five to kiss your ass, and told your family to deal with it. The moment after you decide to no longer be a slave. When you decide to not believe that the only thing you have to look forward to in life is making babies, and being a wife. When you find a way to delicately balance babies, be a wife and still find time for a long bath at least one night per week. When you have vowed to raise daughters as warriors. And grown out your perm, or read more books then what would ever be required in school. When you decide to write your OWN relevant story and not wait for validation from a culture outside of your own. From no one! When you survive on paint, and words, education, and activism, and love and poetry and theater, sewing needles, fabric, real films, and dance and music not always played on the radio. When you decide, despite the guns at your head. To outlive your circumstance… And breathe down the throats of those who say you don't matter. When you have done all this. And a MAN or a WOMAN that you LOVE tells you that They feel INADEQUATE. INSECURE. NOT QUITE ENOUGH. NOT GOOD ENOUGH. AROUND YOU. OR YOU MAKE THEM FEEL LESS THAN WHAT THEY ARE. THEY FEEL EMASCULATED. BECAUSE YOU ARE SO TOGETHER, SO STRONG, SO PERFECT TO BRING AROUND THEIR MOMMAS. I AM TELLING YOU TO NEVER SAY "NO YOU'RE NOT BABY." "YOU HAVE LOTS OF POTENTIAL" OR MAKE EXCUSES BECAUSE YOU ARE AFRAID OF BEING ALONE, OR "WHO'S GONNA WANT TO MARRY ME WITH THREE KIDS" OR DECIDE YOU BETTER TONE DOWN YOUR MOUTH SO HE WON'T BE SCARED OF YOU, WHEN PEOPLE PAY YOU TO TALK! IF YOU HAVE ALREADY BECOME A COLDER SACK CLONE TO FIT IN WITH THE REST OF THE WOMEN IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. WHEN YOU HAVE HAD TO PAY TO GET YOUR LAST NAME BACK AT LEAST ONCE ALREADY WHEN YOU WEREN'T THE ONE CHEATING! NEVER SAY, TO THIS MAGICAL, DREAMY PERSON THAT YOU LOVE: "YOU ARE PERFECT FOR ME, I DON'T CARE HOW MUCH MONEY YOU MAKE OR THE CAR YOU DRIVE." EVEN IF U DON'T CARE, DON'T TELL THEM THAT. YOU KNOW WHAT I WANT YOU TO SAY? WHAT I DARE YOU TO SAY FIERCE BAD ASS BITCH. YOU SAY. YOU KNOW WHAT. YOU ARE INADEQUATE. AND I DON'T DATE POTENTIAL ANYMORE THAT IS SO 85! AND I AM WAAAAY TOO FABULOUS FOR YOU. YOU'RE RIGHT!!! WHAT IN THE HELL WAS I THINKING!!? YOU SAY THAT. AND I PROMISE YOU, LIKE I'M PROMISING MYSELF YOU WILL DO SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY THAT DAY. IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. AND EVEN IF YOU EVENTUALLY GIVE IN AND DECIDE, LIKE MOST WOMEN TO SETTLE FOR LESS THAN WHAT THEY ARE OR WHAT THEY DESERVE. AT LEAST YOU WILL HAVE THAT ONE DAY WHEN YOU REALIZE THAT YOU WERE BORN WITH EVERYONE YOU NEED TO SURVIVE ON THIS PLANET. AND AS MUCH AS EVERYONE KNOWS HOW MUCH I AM IN LOVE WITH LOVE. THERE IS NO GREATER LOVE, THAN THE ONE YOU HAVE WITH YOUR CREATOR AND YOURSELF. WHEN YOU TRULY DECIDE TO NOT ENTERTAIN MEDIOCRE, INFERIOR BEINGS, WHO WILL ONLY SUCK EVERYTHING CREATIVE OUT OF YOUR BODY. YOU WILL GET RID OF THOSE FIBROIDS FROM STRESS. AND INSTEAD OF CRYING BECAUSE YOU ARE SO POWERFUL AND MAGNIFICENT AND YOU HAVEN'T FOUND A KING WHO CAN HANDLE YOUR LIGHT JUST YET.. YOU WILL WRITE YOUR FIRST SCREENPLAY CHOREOGRAPH A WORK OF ART COMPLETE YOUR STRONGEST PIECE OF PROSE BECOME THE CEO OF YOUR OWN COMPANY GET THAT TENURE U DESERVE TEACH YOUR GIRLS HOW TO LOVE THEMSELVES INSPIRE SOMEONE TO BUY A BOOK COMPOSE A SYMPHONY WRITE A BEST SELLING NOVEL APPLY FOR THAT GRANT RAISE YOUR SONS ALONE BUILD AN INSTITUTION A SAFEHOUSE!! FOR STRONG, INCREDIBLE WOMEN, WHO DON'T HAVE TO PRETEND TO NOT BE WELL READ, ARTICULATE, BRILLIANT, TALENTED, SOULFUL, AND FINE AS HELL. WHEN WE KNOW WE ARE. AND SO DO THEY. YOU WILL BE TOO BUSY TAPING THIS SHIT TO YOUR FRIDGE OR EMAILING IT TO HIS INBOX AND SMILING AND EXPLODING WITH JOY!! ALL MY LOVE, JESSICA CARE MOORE Jessica Care Moore is a poet, activist, actor, book publisher, Apollo legend, and all out dope woman from detroit. under her company Moore Black Press, she has released several books of her own poetry, as well as works from acclaimed poets Saul Williams and Shariff Simmons. she has performed and collaborated with the likes of Nas, Talib Kweli, Anthony David, Mos Def, Sonia Sanchez, etc... and still comes through to all the little spots in detroit and blesses us with the genius. look her up and bask in the awesomeness of the Black Woman!

REGISTER AND VOTE!

THIS IS WHAT THOSE BEFORE US HAD TO ENDURE TO ENSURE THE RIGHT FOR US TO VOTE! DO NOT TAKE THIS FOR GRANTED! PLEASE REGISTER AND PLEASE VOTE!

TRAVIS BARKER AND DJ AM CRITICALLY INJURED IN PLANE CRASH

(CNN) -- Former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and singer-song artist Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein were in critical condition with extensive burns Saturday after a jet crash the night before that killed four people, authorities said.

DJ AM, left, and Travis Barker pose backstage at the MTV Video Music Awards on September 7.

Two of the four who died late Friday were passengers and two were crew members, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement. The NTSB has sent a Go Team to Columbia, South Carolina, to investigate the crash.

The Learjet 60 crashed on takeoff at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport at 11:53 p.m. Friday. Beth Frits, spokeswoman at the Joseph Still Burn Center, in Augusta, Georgia, said Barker and Goldstein arrived at the hospital early Saturday. She said both men had "extensive burns." The burn center is the largest in the country, and the main one in the Southeast, she said. Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said the twin-engine, private jet was cleared for takeoff on a flight to Van Nuys, California, and began its takeoff roll a few minutes before midnight. Air traffic controllers "saw sparks coming from the runway -- whether that was from the aircraft or its engines, we don't know," Bergen said Saturday. The jet left the ground but crashed near the end of the runway on a road adjacent to the airport, she said. There were no other aircraft on the runway and no vehicles on the road, Bergen said.

R.KELLY- REALLY?

TODAY'S BLOG COMES WITH FEW WORDS. R. KELLY (IN MY OPINION) IS A DOUCHE BAG! WE ALL HAVE OUR OWN OPINION ABOUT HIM AND THE CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CASE. LISTEN TO HIS LATEST INTERVIEW AND HIS RESPONSE TO BEING ASKED ABOUT UNDERAGE GIRLS. AS A TEENAGER WHO WAS MOLESTED BY A FAMILY MEMBER, I JUST WISH HE WOULD DISAPPEAR. (but that's my own baggage) HE HAS HIS OWN CROSS TO BEAR.....

READ ON....

Posted September 18, 2008

Singer R. Kelly has spoken out in his first interview since being acquitted of child pornography charges.

In a sit down talk with BET personality Toure' on Tuesday, the Chicago native dismissed allegations that he ever preyed on young girls, stating, "I don't like anyone illegal."

Kelly also said he was relieved when the trial was over, and that his upcoming album would feature less of the sexually charged material that has come to define his multi-platinum career, according to the Associated Press. "I'm really trying to make this album a little bit different." he said. "Take a little bit of the edge off, you know? And you know, clean up a few lyrics if I can, you know?

The 40-year-old performer was acquitted in Chicago in June of multiple child pornography charges. The verdict ended a six-year saga that began when a videotape surfaced of a man looking like Kelly having sex with a girl believed to be as young as 13. Kelly denied he was the man in the videotape, and the girl in the video never testified.

Though the half-hour interview did not specifically address the child pornography charges, Kelly was asked about the perception that he is attracted to young girls. Kelly was rumored to have been married to the late singer Aaliyah when she was 15, but the marriage was quickly annulled.

When asked if he likes teenage girls, Kelly replied, "When you say teenage, how -how old are we talkin' ...19?" "I have some 19-year-old friends," he added. "But I don't like anybody illegal, if that's what we're talking about ...underage."

Kelly said he was worried that he might be convicted. "But at the same time I was very prayerful," he said. "Verdict day ...I couldn't describe it and I wouldn't wish it on ...if I had a worst enemy, which I don't."

When the innocent verdicts were announced, Kelly said he felt relieved that he would be able to see his three children -two daughters and a son- once again. "I couldn't wait to get home to hug them and hold them," he said.

Despite the charges Kelly faced, he still managed to maintain one of the most successful careers of any artist, notching several platinum albums and hits during that period. His album, 12 Play 4th Quarter is scheduled for the fall.

9/11/01- WHERE WERE YOU?

THIS GOES OUT TO THOSE WHO LOST THIER LIVES SEVEN YEARS AGO ON THAT FATEFUL DAY. R.I.P. WHERE WERE YOU WHEN THE TOWERS FELL? I was getting dressed for work when my roommate called me into her room. Her voice was shaken....She kept saying "Oh my God! I can't believe this has happened!" I asked what was going on as I positioned myself in front of the television. She told me about a plane crashing into one of the Towers in NYC.....I watched in disbelief as the image reappeared on the screen. I'll never get that image out of my head- the plane crashing into the side of the tower. Although I was paralyzed with disbelief and fear, I had to leave so that I could get to work on time. Driving into work that day, my boyfriend and I listened intently to the local radio station recount the details of that fateful morning. As I arrived to the warehouse that I worked at, I came into the office to find the entire staff posted around the television in the break room fixated on the horror in front of their eyes. We did not work that day- all we could do is watch in shock and horror.....cry...and pray. I can't believe that seven years has passed but this is a day that will never be forgotten...... R.I.P. to those whose lives were lost that day- R.I.P. to all the firefighters, police officers, EMT's and volunteers who gave of themselves selflessly and who lost their lives searching for the remains of lives lost. R.I.P. to those bodies that were never found and for those who have still not found closure

MAMMOGRAMS AND YOU

Earlier this week, I had an appointment at a Beverly Hills Clinic to receive my annual mammogram.

This will be my 2nd mammogram since turning 40 two years ago. I was not as apprehensive this time around because I knew what to expect. As women we have been instructed by our health care providers to have mammograms after turning 40. There is some question as to whether you should receive this test annually or every other year. What is known is if you have a history of breast cancer in your family then early detection is key.

WHAT IS A MAMMOGRAM?

A mammogram is an xray of the breast used to detect any changes within the breast and also used as early detection of breast cancer.

Most recently actress Christina Applegate was diagnosed with breast cancer (the early stages) and made a decision to have a double masectomy. Her own mother is a breast cancer survivor.

On August 3, 2008, People Magazine reported that Applegate had been diagnosed with breast cancer. This was confirmed by her representative, who said in a statement: "Christina Applegate was diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer. Benefiting from early detection through a doctor ordered MRI, the cancer is not life threatening...Christina is following the recommended treatment of her doctors and will have a full recovery. No further statement will be issued at this time." On August 19, 2008. It was announced that Applegate is cancer free after a double mastectomy, even though cancer was found in only one breast. She has an inherited genetic fault, a BRCA1[14] mutation, which very often causes breast cancer in those with said fault. Her mother, Nancy Priddy, is a breast cancer survivor. Applegate said when she first was diagnosed "I was just shaking and — and then also immediately, I had to go into ... `take-care-of-business-mode'" which included a change to a more healthy diet. Applegate appeared on a television special entitled Stand Up to Cancer designed to raise funds for breast cancer research. The one hour special was broadcast on CBS, NBC, and ABC television networks on September 5.

Although I have no history of breast cancer within my own family, at the age of seventeen I discovered a lump in my left breast. Thankfully, the tumor turned out to be benign and I made the decision to have it removed in a simple outpatient procedure

I cannot stress the importance of monthly self examinations in order to detect any changes you may feel. "Better safe than sorry" is how I like to think. I am not as diligent as I should be but it still is necessary. If you don't know how to conduct a self exam- it's pretty simple. (see image above)

I will admit it is a little uncomfortable but it does not hurt. The technician is always female which provides a safe level of comfort throughout. Your breasts are placed on a tray which then mashes down on the breast to allow the best view for the xray. You are asked to hold your position which is ironic since you're basically being smashed by the jaws of life (smile) so you really can't move anyway. But in less than five minutes, it's all over and I think to myself "Wow! Is that it? That really didn't hurt!"

So ladies- do your boobies a favor- lay down and touch them on a monthly basis......check for any changes.....call your doctor if you do.......and remember EARLY DETECTION IS KEY! Your boobies will thank you for it.

Luke Lives On

TODAY'S BLOG IS DEDICATED TO LUKAS DUNPHY...... I DON'T KNOW LUKE BUT HEARD ABOUT HIS STORY AND IT TOUCHED ME IN SUCH A WAY THAT MOVED ME TO DEDICATE TODAY'S BLOG TO HIS MEMORY. ON FRIDAY, JULY 18TH 2008 AROUND 2:30 PM LUKE WAS KILLED IN A MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT. RIDING MOTORCYCLES WAS A HOBBY AND A LOVE OF HIS. PRIOR TO HIS PASSING LUKE HAD LEARNED OF A GIRL IN NEED OF A KIDNEY. ON JULY 15, 2008 LUKE WENT TO THE UCLA MEDICAL CENTER TO BEGIN THE PAPERWORK PROCESS OF BECOMING A DONOR. THREE DAYS LATER HE PASSED. AS TRAGIC AS HIS ENDING IS......IT IS ALSO A BLESSING TO KNOW THAT IN HIS DEATH HE WAS ABLE TO GIVE LIFE! In addition to his kidneys- other organs were also donated. HIS FAMILY HAS CREATED A WEBSITE (www.lukeliveson.com) FOR HIS LOVED ONES TO VISIT. HERE THEY CAN VIEW PICTURES OF LUKE IN ALL PHASES OF HIS LIFE AND IN HIS HAPPIEST MOMENTS. MESSAGES, WELL WISHES, THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS CAN ALSO BE POSTED. I DIDN'T KNOW LUKE BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO KNOW SOMEONE PERSONALLY TO BE AFFECTED BY THIER LIFE OR THIER STORY. HIS DEATH IS JUST A REMINDER THAT WE MUST EMBRACE LIFE, HAVE FUN EVERYDAY AND MAKE YOUR MOMENTS MATTER AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. LAUGH, SMILE, PLAY, BE ADVENTUROUS, TAKE RISKS, HUG SOMEONE, TELL SOMEONE WHAT YOU REALLY FEEL, LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST........... IF YOU WANT TO LEAVE YOUR THOUGHTS AND/OR PRAYERS TO THE FAMILY AND LOVED ONES OF LUKE- visit www.lukeliveson.com AND LEAVE YOUR FOOTPRINTS. THANK YOU!