The inner city Lady Painter

The Lady Painter

Among men of the world

Among spray cans

She climbs her ladder

Among vibrant colors

Among tag-ups

She continues to climb

She take one rung at a time

Her paint brush is ready

Paint in one hand

Bush in other

She creates a Woman raising above

Among men art

Among men at art

Is the inner city lady painter

The inner city vibrant women

Un-finished

Undone

The community has yet to see

What kind of woman the shape will form

But the inner city Lady Painter knows

It’s time to celebrate the inner city women

Children of Slaves

Child with FlowersThe children of Slaves are dying. If not already dead.

The country America is changing. If not already Changed.

The children of Slaves are dying. If not already dead.

The history of America is going. If not already gone.

The children of Slaves are dying if not already dead.

The authenticity of  America is leaving, if not left already.

The children of American Slaves are dying if not already dead they died while creating the country already created died while bulding the country aldreay built by white men trying.

The children of American slaves are dying if not already dead.

Inspired by book:  Sugar of the Crop: My Journey to find the Children of Slaves by Sana Butler.

Yearbooks

To whom it may concern,

I am a recent college graduate who volunteers at the library.  This entire school year, I have been with some very dear and special students in the neighborhood who came to the library everyday after school so I could tutor, mentor and be almost of a big sister to them.

I am a photographer and while bonding with them was able to take good pictures. I want to make a yearbook for them and give it to them as a gift -for doing so well this year.

I want to know if there is a possibility I could create a yearbook or book of photos for the children and buy them in bulk with a HUGE discount.

DictionaryThank You in Advance

Hang Man Manina

I am teaching over the summer and am pretty excited. I am a chorus and art instructor. Which is going to be fun, fun, FUN! It’s just the planning that is sometimes tiring. I have so many ideas and it seems when I put them on paper they are  changed around. But I see them in my head, happening, so I guess that is the main factor that count.

HangMan

A Dream Deferred

There need to be a community of people in New York who is dedicated to saving the African-American history in New York City. We have given so much to this city and so much of our history is not even saved because it seems like no one really care. And I know there are people who care. And I am going to look for those people and work a long with them…I just don’t know where to start.

Last year, a friend and I went to Harlem to visit the home of Langston Hughes and it’s just a disgrace. It is right in the middle of Harlem and it looks run down. There are weeds and junk all over the place. There was broken glass and the entire house looked uninviting.  The only thing on the wall outside of the house was a plaque that read a little something about his life.L.HuguesHome Totally something that should never be.

Now, I am looking up information to visit the home of Mme. C. J. Walker and there is no information, even though she had a house that she built, in Irvington-on-Hudson, New York.

Our history is being taking from us right under our noses and something needs to be done. Something is going to be done too.

Gil Kerlikowske The Drug Czar

About a week ago, Mary Mitchell Family and Youth Center was visited by Gil Kerlikowske, chief of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. I must admit, I had never heard of a Drug Czar. Who is Gil Kerlikowske and what does a drug czar do?

According to Huffington Post, a drug czar’s duty is to  reduce drugs use in the United States. Wow that explain a lot doesn’t it? I read an article from the Wall Street Journal concerning Kerlikowske’s position and Kerlikowske, a long with congress,  is dealing with the drug issue in America as public health than as a criminal justice issue. I read some more articles and even watch videos from Youtube. I guess Huffington Post is right in the long run. He is on the mission to do what almost every president have been trying to do- end the use of illegal drugs.

What a hard job.

I remember when I was in the fifth grade. I hadn’t really heard about drugs on a huge level. One day I was sitting in class when this policeman came in the class with his co-worker. I don’t even remember my teacher warning us or telling us we were going to have guest.

Gil KerlikowskeThey started talking about drugs and how bad they were. They really painted a horrible picture of my neighborhood: Drug addicts, drug users, people who want to force kids to use drugs, drugs on the street, drugs, drugs, drugs all around. I had only heard of a cigarette. Not to include that they came into class dressed as cops with gun and bats. Just looking at them scared me. I didn’t marvel over them at all. I remember an eerie feeling being in the classroom. All the students were quite and very few asked questions. Up until then, I thought I was safe walking to and from school. After their spiel about drugs, they then proceeded by taking out a case of drugs in little medicine cases so we could see what each drug look like. Before they did that, they told us what each drug was capable of doing.

I was so scared, I didn’t want to see any example. I didn’t want to touch the case. I just put my head down.

That day I walked home shaking.