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.

America's Not So American League?

Over the past week, America's favorite teams in the National Football League, unified to protest again President Trump and kneeling during the National Anthem. While athlete Colin Kaepernick took a stand against police brutality and race inequality nearly a year ago, several of the NFL teams, along with teams outside the sport, are now participating in act of solidarity. President Trump's recent reaction to the players stormed up negative reactions toward the league as he and many others believe it is un-American and disrespectful to kneel during the National Anthem. Well Mr. President, why is okay for you to practice your First Amendment right, while these players remain silent?

Nearly 70 percent of the NFL is comprised of Black players while making over $10 billion in revenue each year with all 32 teams. NFL players are not only athletes, they are role models and leaders to much of the youth in this country, and while they are not obligated to take stance on social issues, they can make an impact and a difference. Many minorities in this country face social injustices on a daily basis and the support that the players are giving Kaepernick and minority communities across the world is amazing, noble, and legendary. These players should not be retaliated on from the United States Government nor the NFL, their jobs should be secure, and they should continue to make a difference and take a stand. Kneeling during the National Anthem is a nonverbal, nonviolent protest that practices the First Amendment right of the players.  For those individuals who believe that this is disrespectful and un-American, is it not just as contradictory and un-American to evoke someone of this right? Furthermore, if we can only expect players to be simple puns for our viewing pleasure, maybe we shouldn't glamorize them in media and put forth billions of dollars into our favorite teams.

It is heartwarming to see these teams all over the country and world unify, and I hope they implement change.

Learning Continues at Home

Teach.Your.Own.Kids.

This seems like a simple message, but it is far from common. Many parents believe that it is solely the jobs of educators to make sure their children are knowledgeable on a multitude of subjects, but this isn't the case. Learning does not start at school and end at home. Parents should be working with their children at home and supplementing the efforts of their child's teacher(s). Teachers can only do so much in a eight hour day, and it's the jobs of the parents as well to make sure their child is worldly.

While teachers are employed by the school system to provide children with the necessary knowledge to be successful in life, they are not perfect. We, society, should be grateful for educators and all that they accomplish, but parents play a major role in the development of their child's learning. Teachers are more often then not required to provided lessons mandated by the state, unfortunately this can leave out a vast amount of information our children need to know. Sit down with your children, look over their homework assignments and class projects. Ensure that your child has a understanding of what they are learning and help them if they need it. Be apart of your child's education processes, put books in their hands instead of cellphones.

Don't simple leave the education of your children in the hands of overworked and underpaid educators, instead help make their jobs easier by continuing the learning process at home. Use this time as a parent to bond with your child, influence them to be successful and continue their education, because knowledge truly is power.

Fenty Beauty -- Where Have Thou Been?

On September 8, pop queen Rihanna launched her first makeup line, Fenty Beauty. The beauty industry was amazed and millions of people across the world waited anxiously to order on the website while Sephora had lines out the door. Fenty Beauty, dropped with 40 foundation shades along with several contour and highlight sticks, a single universal lipgloss, along with multiple highlight shades including the overly anticipated "Trophy Wife." According to thousands of reviews from beauty influencers and makeup fanatics alike, Fenty Beauty is a diverse and authentic line that beats other competitors who have been in the industry for decades due to it's affordable price point as well as its sophisticated quality that one may have not imagined possible for a first launch. Unfortunately, there were still many people who weren't appeased by Rihanna's efforts in the community.

It's no secret that being a minority in the beauty community can be a real hassle. Many men and women struggle to find adequate color matches in products including deeper foundation shades, lip products that appear the same on all skin complexions, and even contour/highlight shades that can correlate with various yellow and red undertones that many minorities tend to have. Women and men in black and brown cultures often have difficulties finding products that work well and match with their chocolatey skin. Individuals with the deepest complexions struggle the most as expensive brands such as MAC, Too Faced, Nars, and Marc Jacobs don't cater to them. Oddly enough, minority women hold the largest buying power and much of that money is spent on cosmetics and skin care products compared to other races.

Fenty Beauty is one of the first and only cosmetics lines that cater to individuals with a multitude of undertones in shades in regards to foundation. Still, there were many people in the brown and black communities who felt that Rihanna should have had more shades for people of color, especially with her being a Black women. Well, those people should probably sit down, be humble, and be grateful.


There are currently over 50 cosmetics brands in the United States alone. A great majority of them don't focus on the minority demographic and leave women of color out of the beauty world (but what else is new). Rihanna made a profound effort to create 40 shades, which isn't a simple task. Brands who have been in the cosmetic industry for several years haven't been able to achieve this goal and people are expecting the pop star to get it perfect on the first attempt. It seems as though women in  black and brown communities would be praising and uplifting her for at least attempting to support them and their needs. Rihanna made a significant impact on the beauty world and I commend her efforts. Unfortunately, you can't please everybody, but hopefully all of the positive feedback of Fenty Beauty will continue to push Rihanna and her team to create more amazing products.

Fighting Harvey - Who's Responsibility Is It?

For the past two weeks the United States has been plagued by the devastation of Hurricane Harvey. The lone star state of Texas was predominately impacted leaving thousands of citizens homeless, without food, and trying to maintain. Hurricane Harvey is the most impactful hurricane the United States has experienced in nearly ten years as the state and surrounding area has been flooded and destructed due to strength of this natural disaster. Making matters worst, the citizens and their families are struggling each day to try and rebuild their lives and regain some safety in the area. Homes, pets, and businesses have been left behind as they wait for the return of security and safety.

As the development of Hurricane Harvey continues there has been several issues surrounding the support of the victims in order to provide hurricane relief for Texans. The finger has been pointed in every direction

on who is and isn't supposed to be providing the bulk of the support for these tireless victims. So, who's responsibility is it to help these people regain their livelihood and recover from a natural disaster such as this one? Government? Leaders? Public Figures?

While millions of dollars have been raised in efforts to help by celebrities, athletes, and not-for-profit organizations such as the Red Cross, it seems as though one of the main focuses of us as a society is who should be contributing the most as opposed to what we've already been able to accomplish and gain thus far. Instead of being concerned about why Joel Olsteen isn't opening up his mega-church's doors, let's focus on those individuations and groups who are putting forth endless efforts to rebuild the state of Texas. It's so easy to look at the negative when everything seems to be going wrong, but a grain of faith is all we need to make a change and make a difference.

There is hope for Texas.