Black and Single

I was just thinking to myself "I wonder what happened to the Awkward Black Girl series?" and then I stumbled upon this on Madam Noire's site.  There is a new comedic web series that has recently hit youtube.com and I think it's worth checking out.

It's called Black and Single -- an Atlanta based web series that follows men and womyn as they try to make sense of the dating scene...something we can all relate to.

The actual premise is: 

“Black & Single is a web-series that follows the lives of Oni and Jesse. Two young, single and black professionals that work in the same office building and are seemingly perfect for each other. There is one problem. They never meet. They intersect each others lives at hilarious and various moments while searching for love when true love passes them by every day unwittingly. Will they ever meet? Only time will tell.”

The series only has 2 episodes out so far, but they seem to be posting bi-weekly and who knows where it will go.

If you need a good laugh, click on the video (there is a little language in the video, just to let you know).

Let me know your thoughts...did you like it?  Will you keep up with it?

How To Let Someone Go

Many of the womyn that I'm currently coaching are experiencing loss. Loss of relationships, friendships, and their children.... thus I have been asked by many of them to share my own experience concerning letting go of others or to write about "letting go" and I had resisted. But sometimes the universe has a way of making you do things even when you don't want too... as I experience my own loss and the meaning of it, i have felt compelled to write!  

The article originally appears in the Huffington Post. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/trey-anthony/break-up-advice_b_1478884.html

Enjoy and share. Welcome your feedback!  And don't forget to share it...tweet it...email it...Facebook it....it's something that we can all relate to! 

Nelson Mandela Inspired Clothing Line

Nelson Mandela's clothing line to hit store this year.  The anti-apartheid activist has inspired a collection of sportswear called "46664 Fashion," which is named after his prison number while he was jailed on Robben Island for 27 years in 1962.

Until now, this line has been available in Africa until a Dallas based company, Company B, took interest in the line.  They now have an exclusive sub-licence and the 46664 line of women's, men's and children lines will be available in North America very soon.

“The designers are very much in tune to the vibrant nature of South Africa whether it’s bright colors or a shweshwe print,” says Aaron Patton, chief executive officer of Company B.

The bold colors and prints are certainly a huge trend this season and this collection is full of them. The collection will launch at 46664fashion.com on July 18, Mandela’s 94th birthday. And you can expect retail stores to start carrying by the holiday season.


Check out some shots of the 46664 collection. 

'They Die By Dawn' - A Black Cowboy Opera

Jeymes Samuel of The Bullitts has done it again....the same mastermind that brought us the video with Rosario Dawson and the 'homeless' man (watch the video here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSsYwd5REEI) is making a Black Cowboy Opera called 'They Die By Dawn.'

This cast is insane! It includes Idris Elba, Jesse Williams, Michael K. Williams, Isaiah Washington, Bokeem Woodbine, Clifton Powell, Harry Lennix, Denzel Whitaker, Roger Guenveur Smith, Rosario Dawson, Kelly Hu, Shanola Hampton, Erykah Badu, and more...

I am a little concerned about having that many stars in one piece of work (especially since it's a short and not a feature film) but who knows it just might be the key to success for this piece.

The plot is pretty basic and typical of a western, BUT I'm sure that Jeymes and his team will find a way to make it explosive.

The Plot:
"Four outlaws with a bounty on each head, set a date for a shootout in Langston, Oklahoma. The last man takes the collective bounty. Violence and mayhem ensue."


Check out some of the stills from the movie....

I hope we get word of this in North America as Jeymes is based in the UK.  I can't wait to see this....

And as a bonus, the indiewire.com site has some other great tidbits about Black Cinema.  So if you're a film fan you might want to check out the rest of the site.

Would you watch this movie?

Read More: http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/first-looks-at-all-star-cast-of-black-cowboy-opera-they-die-by-dawn#

Natural Dark Skinned Blonds

Scientist have recently discovered that a single mutation in DNA is responsible for almost half of the variations in Solomon Islanders hair color....their naturally blond hair that is.   Apparently, these dark skinned blond beauties have their own genes that have developed and mutated over the years, and are not a result of European explorers as one would assume.  

After taking samples of both Europeans  and Solomon Islanders, they have found that the mutation found in the genes of the Islanders does not appear at all in the European samples.

They speculate that it could be a result of sun exposure or heavy fish consumption,  but in any case, blond hair has evolved not once, but twice.

The Solomon Islanders have some of the darkest skin seen outside of Africa and the highest occurrences of blond hair outside of Europe.  In fact, the population of blond haired people on Solomon Island is comparable to the percentage of blond haired people in Europe -- about 10% of the population.

This discovery is unexpected and phenomenal.  It just goes to show that we truly come in all shapes and colors.  

What are your thoughts? 

That's Dr. O'Neal to you!

I just read that Shaq is on his way to getting his doctoral degree....good for him!

I really hope the youth of today realize the significance of education.  Let`s face it, Shaq does not have a shortage of cash flow.  He can probably by anything he wants whenever he wants! But he still chose to pursue his education because he understands the value of it.  And not only did he just get his undergrad, he pursued his master and doctorate.

He studied Organizational Learning and Leadership, with a specialization in Human Resource Development of the past 4.5 years and not only that, he has a GPA of 3.813.

Shaq will receive his doctoral degree from Barry University in Miami Saturday

Congrats Dr. O`Neal

Queen Latifah Headlining at Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride Festival

Queen Latifah is set to headline at this year's annual Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride Festival on May 19.  This performance will mark the Queen's first ever engagement at a pride celebration.

“From hip to R&B, pop to standards, Queen Latifah is the voice of our generation, and her concert here will be phenomenal,” Long Beach Pride Co-President Pat Crosby said in a statement. “For her to make her worldwide Pride debut here in Long Beach is a tremendous testament to the popularity of our celebration and to the strength of our community.”

Now the whole world is speculating (again) to whether she is gay or not.  This performance is somehow determining her sexual orientation which to me makes no sense.   In the past, headliners have included, Jennifer Hudson, Maya, and India.Arie. and I don't remember hearing anything about them in the news.

Do you think that by performing at these awards, she is 'claiming' her sexual orientation?


The bottom line is that, that whether she is gay, straight or otherwise, Queen Latifah is incredibly talented and has had an amazing career.

Take a second and reminisce on some of her highlights.....

U.N.I.T.Y

The First Black Bachelor is announced

Well it's official...the Bachelor has (finally) cast it's first Black Bachelor.  After 10 years and 16 seasons the creators of the ABC show have finally decided to have a Black man in the lead role on the show.  Actually if you count the Bachelorette (upon which a Black woman has never been the lead, it's 23 seasons of this show.)

It's hard to believe that it's been 16 seasons of the Bachelor without a single Black bachelor, and honestly barely any Black people on the show period!  What a disgrace.  And what gets me a little upset is the statement made by the show's host Chris Harrison,

"Lamar Hurd campaigned for the role. In the end, his charm, wit and persistence won us over. We look forward to another amazing season of love and surprises."

I'm glad that Hurd held his ground and was able to 'win them over' by why the hell did he have to do that in the first place?

I think it's fair to assume that the lawsuit they have pending has a little something to do with their decision.

Two men filed a federal lawsuit in Nashville last Wednesday against the show claiming that they were given different treatment and little consideration compared to their white counterparts in search of the leading role on the show.

It's a shame that in this day and age we are still being stereotyped and pushed in a corner.  I can't think of a positive reality show that allows us to shine (other than The Apprentice....help me out ladies and gents....leave some in the comments because I'm drawing a blank), I can only think of the Housewives series, Basketball Wives, Flavor Flavs show which are NOT shining examples of our people on TV.

But back to the post at hand, now that there's a Black Bachelor...how many of you would be interested in applying?

Maybe one day we'll see a LGBT Bachelor or Bachelorette.....one day!

Autistic Boy Bullied by his Teacher...smh!

Imagine being a child going to school everyday with teachers that bully you.  No, no, you read it right,  TEACHERS that bully you.  That is what one 10 year old autistic New Jersey boy dealt with seemingly silently until his father placed a recording device in his pocket.

Dad, Stuart Chiafetz, claims he did that in order to find out why the school had reported that his son was acting out and hitting teachers.  

He found way more than he bargained for.  He listened to over six hours of recordings of teachers and teacher aides apparently talking about alcohol and sex in front of the class and yelling at his son telling him to 'shut your mouth'

In the recording you can hear Akian ask about seeing his dad. It appears that his parents have joint custody and he sees his mom for a period of time and then his dad for another.  And naturally, there is an adjustment period that he would have to go through where he needs a little more reassuring than others. He asks his teachers if he is going to 'see Dad after mom' and the teacher says 'no' asks him about library books then call him a 'bastard' after he begins to cry.

These are the people who are supposed to protect, nurture and teach our children?

The board of education did step in immediately after receiving a copy of the 6 hour recording and the teachers have apparently been disciplined, but is that enough?

Now, I'm not saying, by any means, that every time a child does something that seems out of character it's the school or teachers fault (because lets face it, some of Bebe's kids are still running around haha) but as parents you should stand up for your kids.  Looking around it seems as though parents are (generally) less involved nowadays as the pressures and demands of making a living have become greater.  

It troubles me know that had Akian's dad not stepped in, he probably would have been labelled as another 'problematic autistic boy' and his story would turn out very different.

Stuart's YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfkscHt96R0

read more: http://blackandmarriedwithkids.com/2012/04/nj-dad-exposes-teachers-after-placing-a-recording-device-on-his-autistic-son/

It's Not Unusual

It was bound to happen!  Alfonso Ribeiro leads a flash mob in LA featuring the 'Carlton Dance' (of course).  I couldn't help but smile when I saw this video.  **I love how the crowd trying to record the flash mob is trying to dance as well.** It brought me back to the 90s for a few minutes....it was such a different time in the world.  Don't get me wrong, I life now - we've come a long way on many things, but the 90s were special.  The music was richer, the TV shows weren't ALL 'reality', it was just...nice.  I guess this is how our parents feel when they reminisce.  And it worries me to see what this generation has to 'look back on'....then I wonder where we're going as a society.  Looks like I'm in reflection mode today.  Lots on my mind.  Nonetheless enjoy the video and smile it's a beautiful day!