Halloween: Say No to Appropriation

Each year, thousands of adults and children run and gather to participate in Halloween. While this spooky holiday can be a lot of fun, everyone should be conscious of the various costumes they choose, especially in a time frame with such high racial tensions. While many people don't mean harm in the attire they choose, there are others who dress in black face and wear condescending and stereotypical attire that subjects others to cultural appropriation

Traditionally, black face was used by individuals as a form of entertainment to mock black people and their culture. It was used in stage plays and films, usually with the characters performing idiotic and unruly acts that were comedic for the viewers as a part of minstrel shows. Although this was most popular in the early late 1800 to early 1900's,  black face can still be seen today in many popular Halloween costumes. While it is okay to dress as your favorite character, one should be mindful of how to articulate this appropriately and with class.

Some may say, "It's not that big of deal," well unfortunately it is. Black face wasn't okay in the 1800 and 1900's and it's not okay now. Like most things, if the roles were reversed, it would be relevant issue. There shouldn't be any excitement in making a culture look foolish or parading around in a "costume" that cultural appropriates an entire group of people. Ultimately, everyone should consider their costumes this and every Halloween.

Alone: Black Students at PWIs

As a recent college graduate, I often get asked about the college experience, especially as a minority student on a predominately white campus. While my experience was not holistically negative, there were several times where I didn't feel like I was really apart of the institution like the majority of other students.  In the three years that I attended my institution there were more than a few occasions where I was the only or one of a few minority students in a class. Transferring from institution that was diversely rich, this came as a complete culture shock. I felt the cold shoulder and puzzled looks as I walked in to my class, and a sense of loneliness would overwhelm me. Fortunately I managed to survive by not feeding into stereotypes surrounded by my culture and I benefited from having a relatable personality. I felt the "two-ness" and didn't feel as though I could be myself in my truest form in fear of innately being judged.

But what about the students who aren't relatable? What about the students who just happened to fulfill some of the stereotypes associated with their race of culture? Institutions of higher learning should take the initiates to make sure that the student body is unique, without making minority students feel like they were only accepted to meet a quota. Reach out to these students in a variety of ways which include organizations geared toward to diversity and ask for feedback on how to make their experience better and improve it for the next group of students.

Although I do sometimes ponder on what my experience would have been like at a HBCU or diverse campus, I am grateful for this experience as it taught me a lot about people and how to make the most out of an uncomfortable social situation. My horizons have broaden and it also showed me who I AM as a individual and what ideals and values are most important to me. Most importantly, this experience brought me closer to my culture and my people that I was lacking before and I am internally grateful for such an awakening.

Let It Go

As I grow older, I have to learned, to take many things with a grain of salt. That being said, learning to forgive people and situations is an inevitable portion to the growing up process. Although I have always been an emotionally involved person, when I was child, I often let my emotions get the best of me. Oddly enough, I have always been a forgiving person and still willing to lend a hand to those in need, even when we were not on the greatest terms.

As I continue to proceed into my womanhood, I have learned to forgive in a different way, one that privileges me with peace and joy. When I was younger I forgave people because it was the "Christian thing to do" or the "right thing to do." While I still hold these values, I am learning to forgive for myself, so the burden doesn't become a permanent part of my everyday mental and emotional posture. When you can't forgive the perpetuating thought of how someone mistreated you, the thought lingers much like a contagious sickness. And just like any other sickness if you don't treat it, it will only continue to become worst over time. I have found that when someone has done me wrong, it is not them who suffers from remorse, but me who suffers from the constant focus on the issue.
By no means is this an easy thing to do, it takes time, especially when you've been hurt by someone who you've called a friend, family, or even a spouse. This takes will power and strength that is much more delicate than erratic retaliation to hurt the other person/people. You have to rise above your initial reaction, take time to think, and regroup. While there are some things that appear to be the most unforgiveable, in due time you still have to make the choice to overcome it.

Let It Go.

Working in Silence - Speech Rights in the Workplace

The development of technology over the last several decades has proven to be very beneficial as communication tools for people across the world. The internet, specifically, has been used as an outlet to express ourselves and opinions on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Unfortunately, with in the last few years, organizations have become privy that the utilization of social media can be both a blessing and a curse when it comes to their reputation. Because of this many companies have began to enforce guidelines that employees must abide by when posting on both company and personal social media outlets. There have been several cases with in the past five years of employees being terminated from organizations because they did not abide by these guidelines or the company did not agree with what they posted. This poses the question as to what speech rights employees should and should not be granted and how much control should organizations really be able to have over employees' personal social media?

While organizations should have guidelines to ensure that employees aren't discussing private and important information on their social media, employees should not have to alter or limit their views just to appease their employers. United States citizens are granted the freedom of speech, therefore they should be able to express their political, religious, and other controversial views on their personal social media outlets. Many organizations try to protect their reputation by get rid of employees who they feel shed a negative light on the company or have views that may reflect negatively on them. Companies should protect their brands and reputations but not at the cost of their employees, unless the acts of the employee put the company or it's customers in harm's way. For example, in 2009 Domino's Pizza faced a major crisis after two employees thought it would be comical to record them completing grotesque and unsanitary acts with ingredients of a local franchise in North Carolina. The employees then posted a series of five videos to their personal YouTube account, receiving over one million views in just two days. In a situation such as this, Domino's was put in a dilemma where the acts of their employees on social media could affect their entire brand. Rightfully so, the employees were fired and Dominos used strategic communication of social media to combat the situation,

Ultimately, organizations should have specified guidelines about employees utilization of social media and clearly define what could possible result in termination if posted. At the same time, organizations should be mindful not to infringe on the rights of their employees, and consider that they are human and don't need to micromanaged and monitored to the point they feel like they can't express themselves in an accurate way.

Timing Is Everything...

Timing is everything.

Often times we as people, are so eager to reach our goals and grow that we are in a rush. A rush to get that new promotion, a rush to jumpstart that new relationship, a rush to make things happen faster. I myself am guilty of all of these things, but I am in the process of learning that everything is not in my control. As someone who likes to be in control and pro-active this can prove very triumphing. While there aren't but so may hours in a day, we can choose how to spend our time, but unfortunately we have no control on when the universe will provide us with everything we want. Sometimes the best thing to do is be grateful for the situations that we are currently in and be patient. Patience is a virtue, and learning to be resilient can be very difficult. As a full-time graduate student, full-time employee, daughter, and bestfriend, I beg for more hours in the day, but I can only work with what I have. It isn't easy, but utilizing and make the most out of the time you do have will prove to be beneficial in the future. If you're reading this post, take a moment to realize all that you are grateful for, and look forward to all that you will be presented with in due time because...

Timing is everything.