"Is life worth living? Should I blast myself?" - Tupac

"Wake up in the morning and I ask myself,
 Is life worth living? Should I blast myself?
I'm tired of bein' poor and even worse I'm black."

"It seems like every time your come up something happens to bring you back down."

"No one knows my struggle"

"Things that make it hard to smile"

"Somebody help me tell me where to go from here"

"I know ti seems hard sometimes but remember one thing. Through every dark night, there's a bright day after that. So no matter how hard it get, stick your chest out, keep ya head up... and handle it"

-Tupac
 

RIP Nelson Mandela

“I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

-Nelson Mandela's Court Statement before he served 27 years in prison on April 20, 1964.

Someone will always be...

12 Years a Slave: Patsey

Based on the autobiography of Solomon Northup, was published in 1853 as "Twelve Years a Slave: Narrative of Solomon Northup, a Citizen of New York, Kidnapped in Washington City in 1841, and Rescued in 1853, From a Cotton Plantation Near the Red River, in Louisiana." The movie was really hard to watch at times especially when it shows the brutal beatings that Solomon Northup, played by Chiwitel Ejiofor, had to go through. Could you imagine being kidnapped away from your family then forced into slavery to do harsh labor. My heart goes out to him but also Patsey, played by Nyong'o. Who is a victim of rape by master Edwin Epps that cause jealousy wife to take her anger out on her. Once she hits her upside her head with something that cause to fall to the down bleeding out the side her face. You couldn't help but feel sympathy for her because heres a woman thats being molested by her master then torture by the wife. Another terrible scene is when Patsey leaves the plantation to wash up Epps get mad that she has left so he stripped her naked and tied her to a post. After striking her a couple of times he orders Solomon to take over but he strikes are too light. Epps yells "strike her until flesh is rent and meat and blood flow." 

Then Epps threatens to kill the other slaves if he doesn't so whips her harder. Still not satisfied Epps grabs the whip blood splatters everywhere he almost killed her. She wanted to die anyways, the picture is the scene of her begging Solomon to end her misery by killing her. Imagine all the other slave women like Patsey who would rather die than live.

Shopping While Black: Barneys New Slaves

Despite the recent allegations Jay Z decided to continue with his Barneys collaboration. The jewelry and clothing line will include $70 t-shirts to $33,900 watch. I don’t expect any too many African American going to buy anything from the line because a petition called “Barneys New Slaves”. The petition wanted Jay Z to drop his partnership with Barneys New York but now we know that not going to happen. This all started with 19 year old college student Trayvon Christian who was arrested after being reported to authorities for purchasing a $349 belt at legendary luxury retailer Barneys New York. It has been said that the retail accused of using fake ID to use a debit card to purchase the belt. After finding out it was he debit card and ID he was released. Also Kayla Phillips 21 mother and nurse student says she was stopped by four plainclothes cops after using her debit card to purchase a $2,500 orange Celine bag. She had just opened up a bank account with her tax return and used a temporary debit card that did not have her name on it. Both of them are sueing. Personally I don’t understand why would he spend $349 dollars on a belt being a college student also why would a young mother would spend her tax return on $2,500 Celine bag thats just my opinion. I wouldn’t mind to go to Barneys New York to do some Shopping While Black I need a lawsuit I’m broke and a college student. Just kidding I can’t even afford to walk into the door. But anyways something positive is coming out of this Jay Z has said that 100 percent of the sales from the BNY SCC collection will go to the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation. Barneys has also agreed to donate 10 percent of the retail sales on November 20 from all the stores nationwide and Barneys.com to the foundation.

You're pretty for a Dark-Skinned Girl

Don't tell her she's pretty for a dark skin girl like dark skin girls aren't beautiful. The prejudice toward dark-skinned women is within our own community. That's lowering the self-esteem level of girls. It's pretty clear that's it's a preference for lighter skin complexion in the media. Little girls don't have many positive role models to look up to. On Oprah's Next Chapter: African-American Women in Hollywood the actresses talk the challenges they face in the entertainment industry. I can image it's hard for them because of having a darker skin tone. I I admire the fact that they didn't believe a victim to society and bleach their skin tone like other celebrities in the entertainment business. In the documentary "Dark Girls" by Bill Dukes opens up the conversation around colourism.  To some people it's a new version of the 1940s doll experiment by Kenneth and Mamie Clark. The experiment showed a clear preference for the white doll and exposed the self-hatred among African American children. A shameful discrimination in our own community basis on skin color. "Who taught you to hate the color of your skin? Who taught you to hate the texture of your hair? Who taught you to hate yourself from the top of your head to the soles of your feet? Who taught you to hate your own kind?" - Malcolm X .