For poetry month which ended April 30th, I wrote eleven poems because I turned eleven years old. One of the poems was a bucket list poem and it tells you what I want to do before I die.
While I'm Alive I Will
See the white house
While It's painted
Black
Be serenaded by
Trey Songz
Star in the movie
Of my life
Walk a Brooklyn street
With my father
Ride a unicorn
To Alaska
Dye my hair
Neon green
Marry my love on
A Mediterranean
Wave
What do you want to do before you die?
Friday, May 13, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Style and Smarts
This month I am writing about two women I admire very much. They seem to have nothing in common, but to me they do: their confidence. The women I speaking of are Beverly Johnson, the model, and Anna Julia Cooper, the scholar.
When Dr. Cooper was born in the 19th century, it wasn’t even common for black people to be able to read and go to school, but nevertheless, she studied and got a PhD, one of the first African-Americans ever to do so. She also wrote an important book called A Voice from the South which is about black feminism in the 19th century. Anna Julia Cooper was the first woman to write about black feminism, which helped us to understand the struggles black women faced both of our race and sex.
Beverly Johnson was the first black model to be on the cover Vogue magazine and the first black model to be on the French edition of Elle magazine. Modeling is still a white dominated industry, so it had to be hard to believe in yourself enough to get out there and do what she did. She helped make some changes in how we view beauty.
I love being smart and I love being stylish. These women let me know I can both. What I take from them is confidence and fierceness. I can be whoever I want to be and even be written down in history one day.
When Dr. Cooper was born in the 19th century, it wasn’t even common for black people to be able to read and go to school, but nevertheless, she studied and got a PhD, one of the first African-Americans ever to do so. She also wrote an important book called A Voice from the South which is about black feminism in the 19th century. Anna Julia Cooper was the first woman to write about black feminism, which helped us to understand the struggles black women faced both of our race and sex.
Beverly Johnson was the first black model to be on the cover Vogue magazine and the first black model to be on the French edition of Elle magazine. Modeling is still a white dominated industry, so it had to be hard to believe in yourself enough to get out there and do what she did. She helped make some changes in how we view beauty.
I love being smart and I love being stylish. These women let me know I can both. What I take from them is confidence and fierceness. I can be whoever I want to be and even be written down in history one day.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Dancing for her People
Every February my history curriculum focuses on Black people. What I love about this time is that I always learn about so many heroes and sheroes. Because I love to dance my mom suggested that I study Katherine Dunham.
Katherine Dunham was a dancer, choreographer, songwriter, writer, educator and activist. She was born on June 22, 1909 and died on May 21, 2006. She was African-American and French-Canadian (on her mother’s side). Ms. Dunham grew up in Glen Ellyn, Illinois and started a private dance studio for young Black children before she finished high-school. She went to Joliet Junior College and later moved to Chicago where she studied at the University of Chicago.
Ms. Dunham is important to the world because she was the first person to incorporate African styles of dance into her choreography and she also built institutions when there wasn’t much support for Black people at all. Those institutions are still today. But Ms. Dunham also supported her community in other way. In support of the people in Haiti who were escaping the deadly Duvalier government, she went on a 47 day hunger strike.
Katherine Dunham is important to me because she is an iconic dancer and she always loved her people. I would like to be that kind of dancer and human being.
Katherine Dunham was a dancer, choreographer, songwriter, writer, educator and activist. She was born on June 22, 1909 and died on May 21, 2006. She was African-American and French-Canadian (on her mother’s side). Ms. Dunham grew up in Glen Ellyn, Illinois and started a private dance studio for young Black children before she finished high-school. She went to Joliet Junior College and later moved to Chicago where she studied at the University of Chicago.
Ms. Dunham is important to the world because she was the first person to incorporate African styles of dance into her choreography and she also built institutions when there wasn’t much support for Black people at all. Those institutions are still today. But Ms. Dunham also supported her community in other way. In support of the people in Haiti who were escaping the deadly Duvalier government, she went on a 47 day hunger strike.
Katherine Dunham is important to me because she is an iconic dancer and she always loved her people. I would like to be that kind of dancer and human being.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
A New Year, A New Me!
Today is my blog is going to be about my New Years Resolutions. My goals are: to be a better friend, to be a healthier person, and to be other-centered.
Being a healthy person changes so much about you. You look better and feel better. Working out and eating right is all about being healthy. I have started to work out four times a week with my mom at the gym. Instead of having dessert everyday I have it once a week. My mom joined Weight Watchers which is teaching me how to eat right also. I feel accomplished and proud of myself.
I want to be a better friend because I know that I have very dear friends who I wouldn't want to lose. I know I can be bossy and I will change by being aware of how much I am. If my friend wants to do something her/his way I won’t question them all the time. For example, when I am around younger kids I tend to be very bossy but, instead I will let their parents tell them what to do. I also want to be a more understanding because when my friends tell me something that is weird to me, I judge them. I will think before I speak instead.
The last goal I want to achieve is working on how I can be other-centered. Sometimes I pay too much attention to my looks and I forget that there are things that are more important. I have decided to do more community service because when my community is beautiful I am beautiful. I'm going to do it even when I don’t want to do it because I am committing to my community. That’s what matters right now.
I have already started to archive my goals except for the last one because I haven’t found someplace where I could do it but, I still help my mom at work so I am still doing some type of service. I hope I get to complete all my goals . What are your goals for this year?
Being a healthy person changes so much about you. You look better and feel better. Working out and eating right is all about being healthy. I have started to work out four times a week with my mom at the gym. Instead of having dessert everyday I have it once a week. My mom joined Weight Watchers which is teaching me how to eat right also. I feel accomplished and proud of myself.
I want to be a better friend because I know that I have very dear friends who I wouldn't want to lose. I know I can be bossy and I will change by being aware of how much I am. If my friend wants to do something her/his way I won’t question them all the time. For example, when I am around younger kids I tend to be very bossy but, instead I will let their parents tell them what to do. I also want to be a more understanding because when my friends tell me something that is weird to me, I judge them. I will think before I speak instead.
The last goal I want to achieve is working on how I can be other-centered. Sometimes I pay too much attention to my looks and I forget that there are things that are more important. I have decided to do more community service because when my community is beautiful I am beautiful. I'm going to do it even when I don’t want to do it because I am committing to my community. That’s what matters right now.
I have already started to archive my goals except for the last one because I haven’t found someplace where I could do it but, I still help my mom at work so I am still doing some type of service. I hope I get to complete all my goals . What are your goals for this year?
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
All I Want for Christmas
Today my blog is going to be about the Christmas present the United States really needs. A lot of people want laptops, game systems, and other gifts, but this Christmas we need to think of something that doesn’t just satisfy our wants, but satisfies our needs as well.
If I could give a gift to the United States, it would be to elevate the education system here. When my mom was traveling all over the country she was learning about the education systems in every state. I came with her to some places and learned about the systems. Some stories were very hard to hear. A lot of the schools weren’t safe environments for the kids. For example, students in New Orleans would have to be in a school with armed cops. Even though there are many other problems I could have written about, the problem about education stuck with me the most.
I used to go to a charter school where there was a lot of violence that almost never got resolved. I was bullied at that school and it was very hard for me. My mom did everything in her power to help me, but nothing worked. Finally, she took me out of school and started to home-school me. I’ve been doing that for a year and a half. This is really why I am so concerned about the education system.
If I could create a school system, I would be sure that it had these parts to it: an equal education and a safe and loving environment for all students. I picked these two parts because I think that these are the most important qualities to have in a school. If every student had an equal education in a safe and loving environment then the percentage of kids dropping out wouldn’t be so high.
Having a good education is very important because knowledge can lead you anywhere in you want to go. It will give you the opportunity to be anyone you want to be. All students deserve a place on this planet to shine.
Happy holidays to everyone!
If I could give a gift to the United States, it would be to elevate the education system here. When my mom was traveling all over the country she was learning about the education systems in every state. I came with her to some places and learned about the systems. Some stories were very hard to hear. A lot of the schools weren’t safe environments for the kids. For example, students in New Orleans would have to be in a school with armed cops. Even though there are many other problems I could have written about, the problem about education stuck with me the most.
I used to go to a charter school where there was a lot of violence that almost never got resolved. I was bullied at that school and it was very hard for me. My mom did everything in her power to help me, but nothing worked. Finally, she took me out of school and started to home-school me. I’ve been doing that for a year and a half. This is really why I am so concerned about the education system.
If I could create a school system, I would be sure that it had these parts to it: an equal education and a safe and loving environment for all students. I picked these two parts because I think that these are the most important qualities to have in a school. If every student had an equal education in a safe and loving environment then the percentage of kids dropping out wouldn’t be so high.
Having a good education is very important because knowledge can lead you anywhere in you want to go. It will give you the opportunity to be anyone you want to be. All students deserve a place on this planet to shine.
Happy holidays to everyone!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Becoming a Vegetarian
As a part of my health curriculum I watched a documentary called Food Inc. Food Inc. examines food corporations in the United States. They talk about the abuse animals have to go though when they live in industrial farms, and how these companies are environmentally harmful. I saw baby chickens getting their eyes stapled shut and also the chemicals they use on the farms are dangerous and go out into the air. I learned that the meat they package is filled with hormones, antibiotics and more toxic chemicals. Once I watched the whole documentary I didn’t have a craving for chicken of beef any more. When I saw those animals in Food Inc. get abused, I wasn’t able to eat them. That is how I became a vegetarian.
Becoming a vegetarian was difficult at first but my mom helped me by becoming one as well. We went shopping at special food stores so I could have special vegetarian meals. We still went to the same restaurants but we just had vegetarian meals. My mom and I were eating more fruits and vegetables. I even created new recipes. I was reading more vegetarian and vegan cook books and that helped a lot with changing my diet. It was a big change for us and we think it made a little change in the world.
As I changed my eating habits I saw changes in my body. I started to have more energy and my skin was brighter. I would have better sleep by not eating dessert before bed and drinking tea instead. I was also introducing myself to a healthier state for my mind and for my body.
When I became a vegetarian there were only a few people who supported me. Many of friends and family wanted me to eat meat and I couldn’t. This change was one of the hardest but I had to keep faith in myself and never give up. This was the accomplishment that was most important to me. I wasn’t going to let temptations of friends stop me from making a change. This was most important to me because I knew I was helping a lot of things: the Earth, animals, and my body.
I wish people would become vegetarian because they would be healthier. If people can’t become vegetarians they can start out with four things so they can be healthier. First, you shouldn’t eat foods being produced from a large industrial farm. Choose small family farming. Second, stay away from fast foods. Fast foods are just high in calories and low in nutrition. Third, eat organic foods. Organic foods aren’t sprayed with pesticides. They don’t fill meats with hormones or antibiotics. Fourth, make foods at home instead of eating out. You always know what you put in your food at home, not like restaurants.
Overall I decided to become a vegetarian because I was disgusted with the way the large industrial farms were treating animals and our Earth and I wanted to do something about it.
Becoming a vegetarian was difficult at first but my mom helped me by becoming one as well. We went shopping at special food stores so I could have special vegetarian meals. We still went to the same restaurants but we just had vegetarian meals. My mom and I were eating more fruits and vegetables. I even created new recipes. I was reading more vegetarian and vegan cook books and that helped a lot with changing my diet. It was a big change for us and we think it made a little change in the world.
As I changed my eating habits I saw changes in my body. I started to have more energy and my skin was brighter. I would have better sleep by not eating dessert before bed and drinking tea instead. I was also introducing myself to a healthier state for my mind and for my body.
When I became a vegetarian there were only a few people who supported me. Many of friends and family wanted me to eat meat and I couldn’t. This change was one of the hardest but I had to keep faith in myself and never give up. This was the accomplishment that was most important to me. I wasn’t going to let temptations of friends stop me from making a change. This was most important to me because I knew I was helping a lot of things: the Earth, animals, and my body.
I wish people would become vegetarian because they would be healthier. If people can’t become vegetarians they can start out with four things so they can be healthier. First, you shouldn’t eat foods being produced from a large industrial farm. Choose small family farming. Second, stay away from fast foods. Fast foods are just high in calories and low in nutrition. Third, eat organic foods. Organic foods aren’t sprayed with pesticides. They don’t fill meats with hormones or antibiotics. Fourth, make foods at home instead of eating out. You always know what you put in your food at home, not like restaurants.
Overall I decided to become a vegetarian because I was disgusted with the way the large industrial farms were treating animals and our Earth and I wanted to do something about it.
Friday, October 1, 2010
All Life Matters!
Hi it’s me and I’m back blogging again! I’ve been away for the summer doing many fun things. I traveled around the country visiting different cities, and went to my New Afrikan Scouts camp in Mississippi. I hope you had a wonderful summer just like I did.
But what I want to talk to you about right now is something that came up when I was recently with my mom’s friend. She told us about how people who live near the Brooklyn college she attends, torture cats. She’s seen cats with their legs purposely broken just laying there and crying. That’s horrible! I am an animal lover and a lover of all life so this really concerns and hurts me.
People shouldn’t be harming any living thing. It worries me because killing any type of animal can lead to its extinction or endangerment. This has happened to a lot of fish in places where humans over-fish. And if you are a kid hurting animals, I’ve read where it can lead to you being a killer as you get older. Kids who torture animals become less sensitive to suffering, which makes it easier for them to kill as adults. This is a big problem that we need to solve.
My big question is: why somebody would hurt animals in the first place? I think it’s because people want to feel powerful as if they need to control something. Little cats and dogs are easier to control then somebody older than you (or even a very big animal like a lion). This is just being a bully and bullying is always wrong. If you’re a kid, it might also be because you have felt peer pressure from a friend. Either way it is wrong and we need to do something about it.
Here it what we can do about it. If you see someone hurt an animal, do something about it. Tell your parents or tell them to stop. Get help. Don’t just watch it or ignore it. Also, you can get a parent or friend to help you join a group where people are trained in fighting animal cruelty. Whatever you decide, stand up to bullying wherever you see it!
But what I want to talk to you about right now is something that came up when I was recently with my mom’s friend. She told us about how people who live near the Brooklyn college she attends, torture cats. She’s seen cats with their legs purposely broken just laying there and crying. That’s horrible! I am an animal lover and a lover of all life so this really concerns and hurts me.
People shouldn’t be harming any living thing. It worries me because killing any type of animal can lead to its extinction or endangerment. This has happened to a lot of fish in places where humans over-fish. And if you are a kid hurting animals, I’ve read where it can lead to you being a killer as you get older. Kids who torture animals become less sensitive to suffering, which makes it easier for them to kill as adults. This is a big problem that we need to solve.
My big question is: why somebody would hurt animals in the first place? I think it’s because people want to feel powerful as if they need to control something. Little cats and dogs are easier to control then somebody older than you (or even a very big animal like a lion). This is just being a bully and bullying is always wrong. If you’re a kid, it might also be because you have felt peer pressure from a friend. Either way it is wrong and we need to do something about it.
Here it what we can do about it. If you see someone hurt an animal, do something about it. Tell your parents or tell them to stop. Get help. Don’t just watch it or ignore it. Also, you can get a parent or friend to help you join a group where people are trained in fighting animal cruelty. Whatever you decide, stand up to bullying wherever you see it!
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