A New Adventure: Reflecting on Destiny and Stanley Ann Dunham

It’s a bright and sunny Sunday morning – my favorite time of day.

Despite it being Easter Sunday (which is sacred in itself for spiritual rebirth and family fellowship), this time of day offers my favorite reading material of the week – the Sunday Edition. Today, I was lucky enough to be given today’s New York Times paper with an interesting magazine cover on top of the piling. The cover was a vintage picture of a young white mother with black shorts with her adorable son dressed up as a pirate in brown sandals for Halloween with the title “Why She Went: When Barry Obama was 6 years old, his mother moved him to Indonesia. It was a decision that would define his life and hers.” That adorable pirate and that Barry Obama are one in the same – he would later become our President Barack Obama.

His life story is the stuff of folklore almost – absent father, caring and supportive grandparents and mother raising him, having to figure out where he belongs as a teenager and young adult, finding his footing to go to Columbia for undergrad, law school, working as a community organizer only to ascend even higher and higher as a senator and finally, the President of the United States. If you haven’t read his memoir, it is definitely a requirement for any educated person. But little is known about his mother, the woman who fell in love with and married a charismatic and articulate Kenyan from the University of Hawaii, producing a baby boy that would be “king” so to speak.

After the divorce, she met and married a grad student named Lolo Soetoro from the Indonesian island of Java. She later moved to Indonesia with her young son in tow to begin her international adventure of raising children, working, and travelling the world. It’s kind of incredible to have a mother like that.

All the while, she was instilling in her six-year-old son the manners, morals, and widened, world perspective that would be his signature persona as an adult. The new Mrs. Soetoro had her son reading from workbooks, encouraging him to be “a combination of Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, and Harry Belafonte.” High standards for sure but somehow I think she succeeded in her task.

What internal strength it must have taken to move away from everyone and everything you know to submerge yourself in a completely new culture and country to marry the man you love. Bravery and courage almost seem too simple to use in describing such a feat. It was something steely and powerful inside of this “mild-mannered” Kansas native – almost like Clark Kent with the heart and soul of Superman.

I reflect on this chapter of her life with relief, relief to know that my new adventure has been travelled by one of the most influential people in American history. Okay, this is just MY OPINION but the mother of President Barack Obama was the person that shaped him to be the man, leader, father, husband, brother, and human being that we all have the privilege to know and respect. Therefore, she is a part of American history, one of the many stories from the American Dream.

I’m not going to say that I am not afraid of this new adventure that I am on in a week but I will say that I am more calm and even resolute to this new chapter. I think I have that travelling spirit of Stanley Ann Dunham, ready to meet my destiny no matter where it takes me. I pray that God will lead my heart to that destination and that I will trust in His plan for me.

Happy Easter, everyone!

To Be Human Is To Be Current on the Latest Developments of Human Events – How To Help the Victims of the Japan Disaster

Last year, the global (and digital) community came together to help the victims of Haiti after the terrible earthquake murdered thousands and displaced even more people from their homes, families,  and friends.  We now have the unfortunate opportunity to do the same for the people of Japan.  Please visit the following link and find out how you can help with this tragedy.  Every little bit helps! Thank you in advance!

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20473235,00.htm

Top 30 Things You Should Know About This Blogger

So I realized something about this amazing blog and equally extraordinary audience – if you are new to my blog, you probably don’t a great deal about me.  And I further realized that my life has been a testimony to chapters of extraordinarily interesting and fascinating life experiences (yes, I just got a little wordy but it’s for a point).  Here is an ironic list  numbering 30 items  that offer some more insight into who I am as a person, more than just an educator.

#30:I love Christmas music during the holidays!
#29:I love Eggnog! No one in my fam likes it but I get it every year! Then I know it’s Xmas!
#28:I have a special reverence for The Nutcracker – I was a toy soldier and rat (not in the same production) in my dance school’s production when I was a kid. Yes, I was a ballet dancer and I still miss it!

#27: When I got into DC, a strange feeling comes over. I feel this sense of pride and awe being in the region where major decisions in our country are made. And I am THAT CLOSE to meeting the Obamas! Hey, it could happen!

#26: I am so proud of my younger brother! He is my rock (even if he doesn’t know it and gets on my nerves sometimes)!

#25: I hate the smell of chitterlings! When I was younger, my parents would love to cook it on the stove and the entire house had its disgusting smell. To this day, I will never eat a bite of it!

#24: I learned how to type so fast from the Mavis Beacon computer program. When I graduated from middle school, my dad put me on this schedule to work on the program every day, almost all summer. To this day, I rarely have to look down at the keys (really just for the numbers because I don’t use them as much as letters).

#23: I used to be really jealous of my brother when we were little. When he was a toddler and my mom was filming him with the video camera, when she wasn’t looking, I would knock him down softly. LOL! But eventually, I got over it.

#22: In middle school, I used to like this boy but he wouldn’t be honest if he liked me or some other girl. He called me up at home and I got so tired of his crap that I played the chorus in Janet Jackson’s song “If” and hung up the phone. Look it up, kiddies. Boy, did I have some guts as a kid!

#21: My cousin let me ride with him on his motorcycle when I was a teenager. We went REALLY fast! It was so much fun but my mom was so afraid for me. I couldn’t stop laughing!

#20: My mother has an obsession for all things Ralph Lauren, especially when she was pregnant with me. She named me after her favorite designer and perfume.

#19: I am the oldest sibling in my immediate family. My younger brother is my new roommate.

#18: Initially, I attended college in hopes of being a doctor. I took an internship in HS with an orthopedic surgeon and fell in love with the practice. But once I started taking the required math and science courses (and started failing those classes even with all help in the world), I quickly switched to English.

#17: I worked in the Human Resources Department in the University Library when I was a sophomore at UF. I learned a great deal about the inner workings of payroll (like library staff gets really agitated when their checks aren’t correct).

#16: No, I have never been married (and I have no kids) but I would like to be someday.

#15: For a school trip in HS, I went to Europe. The class and I went to Italy (Venice and Verona), Germany and Switzerland. Talk about a great Spring Break!

#14: I am a chronic bibliophile. Currently, I’m reading Think Like A Man, Act Like A Lady by Steve Harvey and I just got uploaded Grimm’s Fairy Tales (you got to know the classics, right?),  a lot of Oscar Wilde, Louisa May Alcott, Jane Austen, and W.E.B. DuBois on my E-reader application on my laptop!

#13: I love Spoken Word Poetry. I have two locations in Miami that I used to when work wasn’t too hectic. I have yet to find a new place in the DMV area.  Any suggestions?

#12: If I had to choose a TV character that was the most like me, I would say either Brenda Lee Johnson from TNT’s The Closer or Kate Reed from USA’s Fairly Legal. Their mix of strength and vulnerability is something I can DEFINITELY identify with.

#11: I met Hill Harper at Yale where he held a luncheon for young people for his book Letters to a Young Brother. He is incredibly nice and well-spoken. My HS students were trying to hook me up with him. How embarrassing (but he did call me “exquisite”)! Not bad for a HS teacher!

#10: I am a closet romantic. I hate to say it but it’s true. I love listening to my fave love songs (mostly from MJJ) to go to sleep to.

#9: I buy at least two new fashion/celebrity gossip magazines every other Friday. I am also a loyal follower of The Young, Black, and Fabulous celebrity blog since 2003. A lady has to stay current on ALL kinds of news!

#8: I secretly want to be a DJ. I actually tried it out at a friend’s party and I was terrible (but I loved every minute of it!). I have this secret talent of creating the most amazing mixed tapes/playlists for every mood. My iPod and Blackberry are full of them.

#7: My parents raised my brother and me to appreciate the rich history of African-American music and film. We listened to all the Motown greats (The Temptations, The Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Jackson 5/The Jacksons), Sam Cooke, James Brown, 70′s and 80′s Soul/R&B singers (Earth, Wind, and Fire, The Emotions, The Pointer Sisters, Phyllis Hyman, Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross, Freddie Jackson, The Commodores, Lionel Ritchie, Donny Hathaway), and 90′s R&B (Michael Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Janet Jackson, Anita Baker, Vanessa Williams, Tevin Campbell, Boyz II Men, Usher, TLC, En Vogue).  I tend to gravitate to those greats and compare everyone else on the music scene to them – sorry, new artists!

#6: I was not popular in HS. I was/still am really tall (almost as tall as the teacher), a tomboy (I played volleyball and preferred jeans and Chapstick to dresses and lipstick to wear to class), was a novice writer (I wrote a vampire novel for fun and it became a Freshman sensation) and liked to listening to SKA and rock music (long live No Doubt, Prince, and Lenny Kravitz!).

#5: After not having an “exit strategy” for graduating college, my parents moved me to CT in hopes that I would go to grad school at Yale. Yale didn’t work out (I worked full-time in a bookstore and in retail for a year instead) but Columbia eventually did. Not bad for a runner-up.

#4: I lived in NYC for two years. While at Columbia, I stayed in Harlem with my great uncle. It was wonderful and I miss it terribly.

#3: I saw the musical The Color Purple two times: once on my own dime in NYC and once when my parents came to NYC. As far as the rest of my family goes, I have become an adopted New Yorker.

#2: As a result of #4, I am a huge fan of  Sex and the City. Yes, I have seen the entire set of the series and yes, I own the movie (and I have seen it at least three times so far).  Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed with its sequel – Carrie, you married the love of your life! Work stuff out TOGETHER! You don’t need to go OUTSIDE your marriage to feel complete in your marriage! I’m just sayin’.

#1: I have fallen love in with New Orleans a year ago at a conference and hopefully, I will be able to spend my summer there for some volunteer work that can beef up my resume.

United Negro College Fund Leadership Conference 2010 in New Orleans, LA

So I am in Day 3 of the UNCF Leadership Conference in New Orleans, LA and it has been really interesting and helpful for both the college students and me.  The trip up to the Crescent City was just like a restful road trip, alternately between long naps and fun movie watching of Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married. It also felt a little like I was going to a Youth Retreat but I didn’t know anyone on the bus. The students were sleeping most of the ride to LA yet strangely, it was almost natural to fall into Advisor/Chaperone-mode. The trip took about 12 hrs.

We arrived in New Orleans at about 2PM Miami Time (3PM NOLA Time) and checked in.  My room is at the top floor of the first half of the hotel (29th) so I have a great view of Canal Street from my window.  Strangely, Canal Street reminds me a lot of the Canal Street from NYC (small greasy spoon eateries mingled with nationally recognized stores like CVS, Payless, and Popeye’s).  The further uptown you went, the nicer the area became.

I learned on the hotel’s public access channel that in the 19th century, Canal Street was supposed to an actual canal so it was widened. But I guess the plans fell through. It later became a boundary between the American and French Creole cultures and communities during the 19th century. The cultural diversity was so strong that the money at that time in NOLA was written in English on one side and French on the other.

Another thing that I noticed when I took a trip to Bourbon Street was that the younger local New Orleans citizens don’t eat Creole and Cajun cusine regularly at all; they rather eat soul food like fried chicken, red beans and rice, Popeye’s chicken, etc.

Stay Tuned!

This is a picture I took with the Social Secretary for the White House and Personal Assistant of President Barack H. Obama.  Her name is Desiree Rogers.  She was very welcoming and humble when I met her, a true extension of the First Lady herself.  I told her that it was an honor to meet her and that I also admired her strength in the face of adversity communicated in the current news.

For those who don’t know what I am talking about, let me give you some background . . .

About 3-6 months ago, Mrs. Rogers planned a wonderful party at the White House for dignataries from the country of India.  It was a very exclusive affair; only the best of the best were admitted.  Unfortunately, there was a couple who was invited to the event but because they were dressed appropriately and looked like they belonged, the Secret Service admitted them without question.  

It was later found out that Mrs. Rogers did compile the guest list that was circulated to the Secret Service (the ”bouncers” at the event) but at two checkpoints, the Secret Service did not have the list but let the couple in anyway.  The news got a whiff of this story and it was publicized everywhere but the blame was laid upon Mrs. Rogers, claiming that she was socializing with the guests instead of checking the invitations.  But what was not publicized was that her job responsibility for that night was to generate the guest list and make the guests feel comfortable.  The Secret Service was in charge of screening, “bouncing” out anyone who did not belong. 

The news got so bad that many people in Congress demanded that Mrs. Rogers confess to the fault in open court.  Rightly, the White House blocked that request.  So she didn’t lose her job and stayed true to the truth.  We all can learn a great deal from this wonderful woman.

Rainy Day and Wednesdays

Well, I just woke up. Did you know that in the ATL, the sun doesn’t come out until 8AM? It’s really weird.  My doctor cousin is so used to it.  She leaves her condo at 7AM and gets home at 7PM (in constant darkness).  I hope she gets a lot of vacation time because I don’t think I could maintain that lifestyle all the time.  Actually, I know I wouldn’t.  That’s why I’m on vacation right now!

So I got up late yesterday because of this strange morning phenomenon (and I didn’t mind it at all).  I did 30 minutes of cardio on my cousin’s elliptical machine (my personal trainer was so proud of me), watched a rerun of Gilmore Girls (I love that show so much!) and got ready to go exploring.

Here in Atlanta, there is a subway system called the MARTA that everyone takes to get around. It’s wonderful! So I walked along Peachtree to the North Ave Station to go to the CNN Center. 

Aside from being filmed in NYC with Wolf Blitzer, CNN is also located in Atlanta. It was cool! The center is like a huge atrium with a food court and all of the departments of CNN you can think of.  Check out the pictures!

Because I started my day late, I couldn’t get tickets for the studio tour (which was okay because I was only exploring).  I will go get a ticket today. 

After browsing some books at the Waldenbooks store (that is strangely closing) and looked around, I was ready to head back (at least get back to Peachtree). 

As I promised my dad, I started reading Steve Harvey’s Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man and I’m actually liking it.  He writes straightforwardly and with great humor. 

But I had a thought (sorry I think too much) . . . Even if I absorb all of his teachings and advice about men like understanding Man’s DNA, will that guarantee that the seas will part, the heavens will open and the perfect man (or a grouping of pretty good men) will appear to date??  I’m just saying!  My demographic outnumbers African-American men everywhere so is it really fair to idealize my chances when statistics don’t lie?  What do you think?

I’ll keep reading . . . stay tuned!

P.S. Don’t be shy! Leave me a comment!

A Whirlwind Trip to Atlanta with an Exciting Exclamation Point