I’m a Jersey kid born and raised, but my family is from a small town in North Carolina called Stokes.
It always felt good turning down my grandparents road where cell phones barely worked, and the conversation were better than any show on TV. Well some years ago i was riding with my grandma and we passed through Robersonville, NC. Growing up I would see the signs for this town and thought how cool it was that my last name was in a town. Until that day i really never thought much about it. That is until my grandma pointed at this big old white house and said “that’s the old Roberson house.”
Right then and there it hit me. This was the grounds where my ancestors were slaves. And a chance for me to collect as much information about my limited family history. Read the rest of this entry »
January 18, 2010 is the National Martin Luther King, jr holiday. At the President’s request, let’s celebrate this holiday as a day of service to our own communities. To find a project check www.Serve.gov
Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: what are you doing for others?”
On January 19, 2009, fueled by President Obama’s national call to service, a record number of Americans turned out to honor Dr. King by helping their neighbors and communities. The 2009 King Day of Service was the largest in history, with more than one million volunteers serving on 13,000 projects taking place in all 50 states. Participation in the King Day of Service has grown every year since 1994, when Congress designated the King Holiday a national day of service and charged the Corporation for National and Community Service with leading this national effort. This 5 minute video features media coverage about the President and First Lady’s participation, interviews with volunteers, and footage of service projects.
With all of the wedding websites, blogs, reality shows and movies coming out these days, I HAD to talk about it, or shall I say blog about it. I am so over it! I can understand wanting to have a great time on your wedding day, but a good time has gone from a nice dress with a cake and a smile to $500,000 sometimes million dollar wedding bonanzas! Couples aren’t just jumping the broom and saying their “I do’s” anymore, it almost seems like it has become a game as to who can spend the most money and come up with the most outrageous requests!
Case a point, look at this damn wedding cake…really! It wasn’t enough that she had a cake her own size, it had to look like her and wear the same damn dress!?
This was a “life-size” cake made in her own image standing at over 5ft tall, made up of butterscotch and polymer clay and was an exact replica of the bride in her wedding dress. Its not the amount of money or the distance at which one will go to impress those around them that makes a marriage!
Another case and point, Tiger and Elin’s reported $1.5 million dollar wedding extravaganza. Tiger reportedly went to great lengths to rent out the island’s helicopter and every room in the hotel where they were married to insure complete privacy.
Great wedding picture, top of the line wedding budget…and look at the marriage now. Im not making fun of the couple, (cause that would just be in poor taste) but I do think it is a perfect example of how the wedding day and the money you spend on it has nothing to do with the marriage itself.
I think it is important to stress to my daughter that a happy marriage will not be based on the dress that she picks out, or the money she spends on it. Nor will it be about how tall the cake is or is not, what color the brides maids wear, what shoes she picks out, the names on the napkins, the choice of party favors, the venue she chooses or the food that they eat. It will simply be about her and her partners ability to communicate, compromise and trust one another, all which only require a leap of faith and their ability to use their words, both of which are free.
I got married on the beach with my man, our close friends and no shoes. It was plain, simple and perfect. The best memory of my wedding was the image of the tracks of sand that my bare feet left on the carpet as I walked down the isle. I have a wedding ring, but dont wear it, I know Im married and so does he. For me it has always been the little things that made the biggest impressions on my life. And that is what I want my daughter to remember when it is her time. Its not about breaking the bank for the wedding day, but rather building a relationship that will endure a lifetime of highs and lows.
And if … or when you make it to your tenth anniversary, splurge on a nice celebration with those that have been with you throughout the years, and dont forget to take pictures.
Russy & Tito made it out to the New Era Flagship Store to support and donate some gifts for Toys for Tots. DJ Greg Street was in the building giving out his new fitted caps. For more photos and videos, log into http://www.RoundupRussy.com
The President gives a speech directly to Americas students welcoming them back to school. He emphasizes their hope and potential but makes clear they will need to take responsibility for themselves and their education to reach that potential. September 8, 2009.
Education and access to knowledge hold a sacred place for Black Americans. From the time when it was inaccessible to us, the risks that we took to acquire it, and the opportunities that have arisen for us from its acquisition, we have always valued learning and education.
Our demographic – the Black members of generations X and Y – have become the caretakers of that tradition. Now in our prime parenting years, we are faced with difficult choices as we consider the scholastic portion of our children’s education.
This series of articles chronicles five aspects to consider as you choose the right school for your child. There is no one strategy that will help you to find that “best fit”, but these basic guidelines will be beneficial to you on your search.
4. Bring your children to the schools that you are considering.
This should be considered unnecessary advice, but I have seen many parents visit a school without their children. While they may sometimes be more interested in mascots, lunch menus, or locker sizes, it is important for you to see how the teachers, administrators, and other students respond to your children as visitors. It can be an excellent indicator for how they will interact with them as actual citizens of the school. Read the rest of this entry »
Education and access to knowledge hold a sacred place for Black Americans. From the time when it was inaccessible to us, the risks that we took to acquire it, and the opportunities that have arisen for us from its acquisition, we have always valued learning and education.
Our demographic – the Black members of generations X and Y – have become the caretakers of that tradition. Now in our prime parenting years, we are faced with difficult choices as we consider the scholastic portion of our children’s education.
This series of articles chronicles five aspects to consider as you choose the right school for your child. There is no one strategy that will help you to find that “best fit”, but these basic guidelines will be beneficial to you on your search.
3. The qualitative data is infinitely more important than the quantitative data.
With the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), schools have understandably begun to present their standardized test scores as proof of their ability to educate children (see my rant about NCLB here). In independent schools, they may present College Board scores in lieu of state-mandated ones. In either case, remember the phrase “quality of education”: it is your reminder that how well a school educates its students is a qualitative matter, and not solely a quantitative one. Read the rest of this entry »
Education and access to knowledge hold a sacred place for Black Americans. From the time when it was inaccessible to us, the risks that we took to acquire it, and the opportunities that have arisen for us from its acquisition, we have always valued learning and education.
Our demographic – the Black members of generations X and Y – have become the caretakers of that tradition. Now in our prime parenting years, we are faced with difficult choices as we consider the scholastic portion of our children’s education.
This series of articles chronicles five aspects to consider as you choose the right school for your child. There is no one strategy that will help you to find that “best fit”, but these basic guidelines will be beneficial to you on your search.
2. The overall health of a school can be measured by its commitment to diversity.
The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) considers “diversity” to consist of eight cultural identifiers: ability (mental and physical), age, ethnicity (includes country of origin and ancestry), gender, race, religion, sexuality, and socioeconomic status. Where a child falls within each of these eight categories – each one a continuum in itself – goes a long way toward determining who he or she is. The ideal school then, considers every student a “special case”, because the specific set of cultural identifiers they possess makes each child very unique. Read the rest of this entry »
Education and access to knowledge hold a sacred place for Black Americans. From the time when it was inaccessible to us, the risks that we took to acquire it, and the opportunities that have arisen for us from its acquisition, we have always valued learning and education.
Our demographic – the Black members of generations X and Y – have become the caretakers of that tradition. Now in our prime parenting years, we are faced with difficult choices as we consider the scholastic portion of our children’s education.
This series of articles chronicles five aspects to consider as you choose the right school for your child. There is no one strategy that will help you to find that “best fit”, but these basic guidelines will be beneficial to you on your search.
1.Choosing the right school is a match to be made, not a prize to be won.
The above quote was a mantra repeated by the Director of College Counseling for a school in Minneapolis at which I taught, but it applies to any school choice. There are so many different types of schools: public, independent (private), parochial, Montessori, exceptional student education (a general term which includes gifted & talented as well as learning-disabled students), arts-based, sports academies… the list can daunting. Read the rest of this entry »
