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is the muscle keeping me in this seat. I’m sitting in a seat doing a multitude of brain obliterating work and being paid the equivalent of what a monkey would get whom doesn’t even understand the concept of wage.

I’m still going to do the best damn job and do it like nobody else and not let it get to me.

There is payoff for doing the right thing and being treated wrong while you do it.

I will still whistle

I will still work

bastards…

theparisreview: “Your miserable premature spring has finally turned into the real thing, confirmed by the calendar, but what a sad look it wears, especially after its promising beginnings that now seem so far back in the past. The air is moist and almost black, and sharp with chill; the magnolia petals flatten and fall off one after the other onto the half-frozen mud of the ground where only a few spears of sickly green grass have managed to lift their heads. All this comes as no surprise, it is even somewhat of a relief, and better than the dire sequel that those precocious moments seemed to promise, cataclysms instead of the ominous hush that now lies over everything. And who is to say whether or not this silence isn’t the very one requested so as to be able to speak? Perhaps it seems ominous only because it is concentrating so intensely on you and what you have to say.” —John Ashbery, from “The System”Art Credit Helen Carter
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theparisreview:

“Your miserable premature spring has finally turned into the real thing, confirmed by the calendar, but what a sad look it wears, especially after its promising beginnings that now seem so far back in the past. The air is moist and almost black, and sharp with chill; the magnolia petals flatten and fall off one after the other onto the half-frozen mud of the ground where only a few spears of sickly green grass have managed to lift their heads. All this comes as no surprise, it is even somewhat of a relief, and better than the dire sequel that those precocious moments seemed to promise, cataclysms instead of the ominous hush that now lies over everything. And who is to say whether or not this silence isn’t the very one requested so as to be able to speak? Perhaps it seems ominous only because it is concentrating so intensely on you and what you have to say.”

—John Ashbery, from “The System”
Art Credit Helen Carter

Weakness denies one their “blackness.” And maintaining that connection and identity of the community is critical, perhaps even necessary. I struggled with this from a young age. Am I black enough? Are these interests good enough? Am I denying who I truly am by “pretending” that my concerns were in any way similar to the girls around me? For what would I be if not a Strong Black Woman? A weak everywoman, a regular human being. These are not the things that will get one through the unique challenges of the world while black and female. It was strength over everything else, even when strength seemed out of grasp.

I wrote about mental health, stoicism in the black community, and the Strong Black Woman trope. The statistics are not good. 

  • 63% of African Americans believe depression is a personal weakness versus 54% of the general population.
  • Only 31% treat it as a health problem.
  • Top barriers to seeking treatment include denial and embarrassment or shame. 

I’ve obviously been thinking about this a lot and believe that this is one of the most criminally-ignored issues in the black community. 

(via britticisms)

theatlantic: In Focus: A Trip to Iran Amos Chapple is a travel photographer who made the following pictures over the course of three visits to the Islamic Republic of Iran between December 2011 and January 2013. The New Zealand freelancer said he “was amazed by the difference in western perceptions of the country, and what I saw on the ground… I think because access for journalists is so difficult, people have a skewed image of what Iran is — the regime actually want to portray the country as a cauldron of anti-western sentiment so they syndicate news footage of chanting nutcases which is happily picked up by overseas networks. For ordinary Iranians though, the government is a constant embarrassment. In the time I spent there I never received anything but goodwill and decency, which stands in clear contrast to my experience in other middle eastern countries. I met an American special forces soldier in Kyrgyzstan last year who said when it comes to the Middle East, America has the wrong friends and the wrong enemies.” Below is a selection of Chapple’s recent photographs of Iran, captions provided by the photographer. Read more. [Images: Amos Chapple]
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theatlantic: In Focus: A Trip to Iran Amos Chapple is a travel photographer who made the following pictures over the course of three visits to the Islamic Republic of Iran between December 2011 and January 2013. The New Zealand freelancer said he “was amazed by the difference in western perceptions of the country, and what I saw on the ground… I think because access for journalists is so difficult, people have a skewed image of what Iran is — the regime actually want to portray the country as a cauldron of anti-western sentiment so they syndicate news footage of chanting nutcases which is happily picked up by overseas networks. For ordinary Iranians though, the government is a constant embarrassment. In the time I spent there I never received anything but goodwill and decency, which stands in clear contrast to my experience in other middle eastern countries. I met an American special forces soldier in Kyrgyzstan last year who said when it comes to the Middle East, America has the wrong friends and the wrong enemies.” Below is a selection of Chapple’s recent photographs of Iran, captions provided by the photographer. Read more. [Images: Amos Chapple]
Zoom
theatlantic: In Focus: A Trip to Iran Amos Chapple is a travel photographer who made the following pictures over the course of three visits to the Islamic Republic of Iran between December 2011 and January 2013. The New Zealand freelancer said he “was amazed by the difference in western perceptions of the country, and what I saw on the ground… I think because access for journalists is so difficult, people have a skewed image of what Iran is — the regime actually want to portray the country as a cauldron of anti-western sentiment so they syndicate news footage of chanting nutcases which is happily picked up by overseas networks. For ordinary Iranians though, the government is a constant embarrassment. In the time I spent there I never received anything but goodwill and decency, which stands in clear contrast to my experience in other middle eastern countries. I met an American special forces soldier in Kyrgyzstan last year who said when it comes to the Middle East, America has the wrong friends and the wrong enemies.” Below is a selection of Chapple’s recent photographs of Iran, captions provided by the photographer. Read more. [Images: Amos Chapple]
Zoom
theatlantic: In Focus: A Trip to Iran Amos Chapple is a travel photographer who made the following pictures over the course of three visits to the Islamic Republic of Iran between December 2011 and January 2013. The New Zealand freelancer said he “was amazed by the difference in western perceptions of the country, and what I saw on the ground… I think because access for journalists is so difficult, people have a skewed image of what Iran is — the regime actually want to portray the country as a cauldron of anti-western sentiment so they syndicate news footage of chanting nutcases which is happily picked up by overseas networks. For ordinary Iranians though, the government is a constant embarrassment. In the time I spent there I never received anything but goodwill and decency, which stands in clear contrast to my experience in other middle eastern countries. I met an American special forces soldier in Kyrgyzstan last year who said when it comes to the Middle East, America has the wrong friends and the wrong enemies.” Below is a selection of Chapple’s recent photographs of Iran, captions provided by the photographer. Read more. [Images: Amos Chapple]
Zoom

theatlantic:

In Focus: A Trip to Iran

Amos Chapple is a travel photographer who made the following pictures over the course of three visits to the Islamic Republic of Iran between December 2011 and January 2013. The New Zealand freelancer said he “was amazed by the difference in western perceptions of the country, and what I saw on the ground… I think because access for journalists is so difficult, people have a skewed image of what Iran is — the regime actually want to portray the country as a cauldron of anti-western sentiment so they syndicate news footage of chanting nutcases which is happily picked up by overseas networks. For ordinary Iranians though, the government is a constant embarrassment. In the time I spent there I never received anything but goodwill and decency, which stands in clear contrast to my experience in other middle eastern countries. I met an American special forces soldier in Kyrgyzstan last year who said when it comes to the Middle East, America has the wrong friends and the wrong enemies.” Below is a selection of Chapple’s recent photographs of Iran, captions provided by the photographer.

Read more. [Images: Amos Chapple]

glitznglamlife: HUMBLING WORDS by GABRIELLE UNION Recently at the Essences Black Women in Hollywood luncheon, one speech stood out amongst the rest and that was an acceptance speech by Ms. Gabrielle Union for the Fierce and Fearless Award. However, during that speech she revealed her dark side that has remained elusive to the general public which she overshadowed with her beauty, poise and confidence throughout the years. Listen to this beautiful black woman of power words of inspiration and do some self reflection of your own and put in the work to make a change and evolve into the you that you know that can be all beautiful.  “We live in a town that rewards pretending. I had been pretending to be fierce and fearless for a very long time. I was a victim masquerading as a survivor. I stayed when I should have run. I was quiet when I should have spoken up. I turned a blind eye to injustice instead of having the courage to stand up for what’s right. I used to shrink in the presence of other dope beautiful women. I used to revel in gossip and rumors, and I lived for the negativity inflicted upon my sister actresses or anyone who I felt whose shine diminished my own. It’s easy to pretend ‘to be fierce and fearless because living your truth takes real courage. Real fearless and fierce women admit mistakes and they work to correct them. We stand up and we use our voices for things other than self promotion. We don’t stand by and let racism and sexism and homophobia run rapid on our watch. Real fearless and fierce women complement other women and we recognize and embrace that their shine in no way diminishes our light and that it actually makes our light shine brighter. So many of us in this room are sisters. We don’t always get to see each other and its good to see you here today. Women who we’ve laughed with, cried with, and struggled with, thank you for not turning your back on me, thank you for not tap dancing on my misery, even when I wasn’t always returning the favor.”   Check out the Essence website to listen to some more of her words as well as the words of other women who received an award including Ms. Oprah Winfrey.  http://www.essence.com/package/red-carpet-black-women-hollywood
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glitznglamlife: HUMBLING WORDS by GABRIELLE UNION Recently at the Essences Black Women in Hollywood luncheon, one speech stood out amongst the rest and that was an acceptance speech by Ms. Gabrielle Union for the Fierce and Fearless Award. However, during that speech she revealed her dark side that has remained elusive to the general public which she overshadowed with her beauty, poise and confidence throughout the years. Listen to this beautiful black woman of power words of inspiration and do some self reflection of your own and put in the work to make a change and evolve into the you that you know that can be all beautiful.  “We live in a town that rewards pretending. I had been pretending to be fierce and fearless for a very long time. I was a victim masquerading as a survivor. I stayed when I should have run. I was quiet when I should have spoken up. I turned a blind eye to injustice instead of having the courage to stand up for what’s right. I used to shrink in the presence of other dope beautiful women. I used to revel in gossip and rumors, and I lived for the negativity inflicted upon my sister actresses or anyone who I felt whose shine diminished my own. It’s easy to pretend ‘to be fierce and fearless because living your truth takes real courage. Real fearless and fierce women admit mistakes and they work to correct them. We stand up and we use our voices for things other than self promotion. We don’t stand by and let racism and sexism and homophobia run rapid on our watch. Real fearless and fierce women complement other women and we recognize and embrace that their shine in no way diminishes our light and that it actually makes our light shine brighter. So many of us in this room are sisters. We don’t always get to see each other and its good to see you here today. Women who we’ve laughed with, cried with, and struggled with, thank you for not turning your back on me, thank you for not tap dancing on my misery, even when I wasn’t always returning the favor.”   Check out the Essence website to listen to some more of her words as well as the words of other women who received an award including Ms. Oprah Winfrey.  http://www.essence.com/package/red-carpet-black-women-hollywood
Zoom

glitznglamlife:

HUMBLING WORDS by GABRIELLE UNION

Recently at the Essences Black Women in Hollywood luncheon, one speech stood out amongst the rest and that was an acceptance speech by Ms. Gabrielle Union for the Fierce and Fearless Award. However, during that speech she revealed her dark side that has remained elusive to the general public which she overshadowed with her beauty, poise and confidence throughout the years. Listen to this beautiful black woman of power words of inspiration and do some self reflection of your own and put in the work to make a change and evolve into the you that you know that can be all beautiful. 

“We live in a town that rewards pretending. I had been pretending to be fierce and fearless for a very long time. I was a victim masquerading as a survivor. I stayed when I should have run. I was quiet when I should have spoken up. I turned a blind eye to injustice instead of having the courage to stand up for what’s right. I used to shrink in the presence of other dope beautiful women. I used to revel in gossip and rumors, and I lived for the negativity inflicted upon my sister actresses or anyone who I felt whose shine diminished my own.

It’s easy to pretend ‘to be fierce and fearless because living your truth takes real courage. Real fearless and fierce women admit mistakes and they work to correct them. We stand up and we use our voices for things other than self promotion. We don’t stand by and let racism and sexism and homophobia run rapid on our watch. Real fearless and fierce women complement other women and we recognize and embrace that their shine in no way diminishes our light and that it actually makes our light shine brighter.

So many of us in this room are sisters. We don’t always get to see each other and its good to see you here today. Women who we’ve laughed with, cried with, and struggled with, thank you for not turning your back on me, thank you for not tap dancing on my misery, even when I wasn’t always returning the favor.”

 

Check out the Essence website to listen to some more of her words as well as the words of other women who received an award including Ms. Oprah Winfrey. 

http://www.essence.com/package/red-carpet-black-women-hollywood

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