Somehow this year, I’ve allowed myself to become more depressed than I’d like to admit. I’m used to dealing with my depression in various ways. I shut down, I cry, I throw myself into a project, I smoke, I drink, sometimes I’ll write, listen to music, watch a few episodes of Drag Race and be okay. But lately…I’ll do all these things and the end result is still sadness. Well sadness isn’t really the word. It’s more emptiness and anger, which I’ll break down.
Continue readingTag: black women
Worth It or Nah?
So there was a clip floating around on Twitter where a woman said that she could be dying on the side of the road and she would still not ask her child’s father for help. The men in the clip thought she was outrageous and couldn’t believe she was saying this. But after thinking about it…I understood completely where she was coming from.
Continue readingThe Mind of a Procrastinator pt. 1
All right…let’s get up and get Marlee together. What are we doing today? We need to get all the stuff done that involves using the laptop. Okay…so checking on Walmart orders, checking on Cayden’s school stuff, checking on Marlee’s paperwork. Wait…do I have a copy of the lease? Okay…I’ll look through the emails. Why is this girl trying to wear heels? Let me let her brush her teeth while I do her hair. Ugh I need to detangle
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“Wrong Side of A Love Song”
Walking into this room, my body begins to shake. I whisper to myself, “You can do this.” The room is cold and damp. I walk over to the window that was left open. A cool breeze flows through. I inhale deeply. My hands tremble as I close the window shut. I glance over to my left. The bedroom. The door is halfway open. I begin to walk towards it.
Continue readingWhy I Finally Deleted Facebook
Let me start with saying, for business reasons I haven’t completely deactivated my Facebook account. But the app is deleted from my phone. Now, I have done this a few times before but I always find myself downloading the app back within a few days or even hours. What is different this time?
Continue readingBooks by Jeanine Nicole
The First Day of School
Autographed hard copy/Goodie Bag
$12.99
This purchase is currently under “Pre-Order” status. This means that the book will be available for shipping on November 30th! Tracking information will be sent on this day.
Why “Black Girls Rock” Is Still Needed
Cosmopolitan magazine recently published an article with these four makeup trends. The pictures are showing women of color doing the trend wrong whereas the women of non color have hit the nail on the head. -_- This is the exact reason why shows like “Black Girls Rock” is still needed in today’s society. Some would argue that the recent events like The First Family being Black or number 1 television shows featuring exclusively Black actors are starting to appear, would show that racism is going away. But we all know that is a lie. Even if you take out the constant police brutality against black men, the constant dehumanization of people of color when it comes to the media is abundant and thrives. These pictures not only signify that Black women are getting it wrong, they should die in the process. This is something that should have never been thought about nor gotten to the publishing stage. But it is ideas like these, little slight nuisances that continue to shove the story of Black women not being good enough.
Watching “Black Girls Rock” last night was a powerful moment. I watch it every year and am always inspired and motivated by the beautiful women of color, young and old, that continue to make waves in society. This year, I decided to watch it with my oldest son. He asked me why were only Black girls on the show and I hesitated. He’s only 8 and I wasn’t sure how to answer his question in a way that he would understand. I then replied, “How many Black girls do you see on the shows that you watch?” He immediately got it. He expressed that he doesn’t see any Black girls on the shows he watches and if he does it’s only one or two but they aren’t always on there. This misrepresentation is the reason for this show. This is the reason why “White Girls Rock” is not a thing. “White Girls Rock” is an obvious statement everywhere you look! Every media ad you see is a woman of non color claiming to be beautiful or powerful. If you see a Black woman, she is always on the side. Never in the forefront. We have to continue to push shows and agendas like these for our community. These positive images are what our youth need to see. It is what we all need to see. That no matter what, we are not what they paint us to be. Black women are the most powerful women in this world once we tap into our brilliance. We create the trends, we motivate the masses, we have the ability to do anything with nothing. We are the original creators. So, I implore everyone to tell a Black girl or Black woman that she rocks each and every day because just turning on the TV or flipping a page in a magazine states otherwise.
Monday’s Empowerment Spotlight: Peris Morgan and “The New Black”
I am pledging to continue to bring more positive representation of our people to the media. In doing so, I will be highlighting different brands and organizations that are trying to do the same. In times like these, it is better for us to stick together and continue to support our brands. It is up to us to spread the news and empower our community. With that being said, I am shining a spotlight on Peris Morgan, Founder of “The New Black.” This organization is all about uplifting and empowering Black women and it is something that we all need to get behind.
1. Tell us a little about yourself and your company.
Well, my name is Peris Morgan. Im a 25 year old single mother with strong opinions and a lot of ambition. I founded the organization titled, “The New Black,” which is an organization all about uplifting and empowering women. I’m starting off with a blog to reach a broader audience and to introduce the brand as a whole.
2. Why did you create this company and what are your goals?
I felt as if women were so separated and were lacking support from one another and unity. I wanted to change that. I want to change that. There was a time when women uplifted one another and were not intimidated by another woman’s success and I plan to bring that back into modern times. My overall goal is to get women to rejoice in womanhood and to start to love and support one another.
3. What projects are you currently working on?
Starting January 1, 2015, I am launching my first campaign titled, “I Am Pro Sisterhood”. It’s purpose is to encourage bonding, unity, and support amongst women and young girls. I’ll also be promoting a lot of female entrepreneurs throughout my campaign. Following the Launch, I’ll be hosting a series of events that will help us women expand our brands and lives starting in 2015; so be on the look out for that.
4. How will your company help to push our goal of bringing more positive images to the media?
The media today lacks a positive image of women, especially women of color. It’s like, who do we have to be our inspiration , our role models? They portray women in such a negative light and it’s unfortunate because there are a lot of women doing great things . There are a lot of women running successful companies; a lot of educated prominent women. There are women that I personally admire and look up to that I don’t think get enough exposure and acknowledgement. Part of the reason I started this company was to show those women. I want to show the life coaches, the working mothers, the lawyers, doctors, philanthropist, and entrepreneurs, but to put that in a nutshell my company is to acknowledge the ROLE MODELS.
5. Do you think there is enough positive representation of Black people in the media? Is this a problem?
As far as there being a positive image of black people in the media it’s like a 60 /40 percentage. It’s a lot that isn’t shown as far as black ppl as a whole, not just women. We have so many positive people in our community who do uplift our people.
6. Why does representation matter to you?
We have a lot of black professors and corporate figures, which really did amaze me and they play the back burner in the media. We have more success stories in the black community besides entertainers. Not to take anything away from the entertainers, but I feel that if that’s all we, as a people, are portrayed as then that’s all the following generation will associate success with and they’ll limit their options. Because you’re either an entertainer or a criminal. That’s how they portray us in the media. . . And it’s more to our people than that, in my opinion.
7. How can people contact you for more information on your company?
People can get more information on my company by just simply following my blog via Instagram @thenewblack_ig. Very simple lol.
8. If you had an unlimited budget for your company, what would be the three things you would spend it on?
- If I had an unlimited budget for my company I would first off go on a tour hosting events to spread unity amongst women on a broader spectrum.
- I would create a charity for resources for single mothers because I feel that there isn’t enough resources for them/us.
- And lastly, I would invest in more promotion to build awareness of my brand.
Photo Courtesy: Peris Morgan
Black Women Rock! The Faces Behind The Movement Stir Up Controversy at Washington Rally
For over 120 days, there have been constant, daily protests starting from the city of Ferguson and abroad. Behind these protests have been members of the community and mainly the youth. These young organizers did not know where to begin but they knew that it had to happen because of the injustice that they felt in their city. They did not receive help, at first, they had each other and worked together to begin this mass movement that is known today. “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot,” was created by them. Yesterday, Al Sharpton put together a rally/march to try to bring the families of these victims together, in Washington D.C. During this rally, the youth organizers were not allowed to be on the stage or even speak. This soon turned into a problem as majority of their supporters demand that they allowed them to speak. In a whirlwind of emotion you can see, Netta and Erika Totten, two of the main organizers, demanding to be heard. They begin to shout, “Hands up, don’t shoot,” to symbolize that if it were not for them, this movement would not be where it is today. Donnie McClurken ignores them and begins to pray, but Netta and their supporters continue to chant. Now, while many see this as being disrespectful, I applaud these young sisters. You stand up for what you believe in, no matter what. If it were not for these woman gathering the youth and protesting EVERY DAY in Ferguson, no one would care about this movement. There would be no international protesting. There would be no Berkeley protest. Nothing. To deny these people and allow them to be apart of something that they initiated is a slap in the face. This is why so many young people deter the thoughts of protesting or trying to get involved. Older leaders do not know how to let that crown go. We appreciate you for what you have done but it is time to recognize that the youth are the new leaders. They have the ability to reach the masses that will actually listen and want to join this movement. Isn’t this all that matters? To see Al Sharpton’s daughter tweet about these two women as if they were being truly disruptive and disrespectful at her father’s march was appalling. It is not Al Sharpton’s march. I have nothing but love and respect for these women who have been through the trenches to stand up against injustice. They have been through it all and on their own. While the older generation might not respect them, we do. Our generation needs more Black people to stand up like these courageous women. I am so incredibly proud to see that Black women are behind all of this as they tend to make us seem like we are not worthy of this type of behavior in the media. We are not just sitting in the kitchen, cooking meals, we are actually out there putting in the work. I continue to support anyone who is for this cause, but I double support a Black woman. She is giving our younger girls something to look at. While we looked up to Angela Davis and Assata Shakur, these little girls can look and see these positive images of Netta and Erika Totten and countless others on TV and strive to be like them. To be able to stand for something and fight for your freedom. This is what matters. Not a rally chalked with a celebrity line up. But an actual cause that starts a revolution beyond belief.
Photo Credits: @theroot, @Nettaaaaaaaa, @2LiveUnchained
I am Jeanine Nicole 