grace callwood {full of grace}

grace callwood is our little angel.  after being diagnosed with cancer, she had every right to pout about her unfortunate luck.  but instead of wallowing in self pity, grace conquered cancer and began her mission to help children in unfortunate situations (the sick, the homeless and poverty stricken).  after convincing her mother of her capabilities, grace created a non-profit organization known as "can-serve" with a board full of kind-hearted  young people like herself.  grace's vision soon became a reality as they successfully raised money and pulled off projects that made children happier.  this includes children in her home state of maryland as well as kids in kenya.  besides donating clothing, toys and beauty products to shelters, can-serve's initiatives include creating "transfunners,' a self decorated pillowcase to hide the IV apparatus and donating books with homemade dolls of the characters to children's wings of the hospital.  grace is certainly a Godsend.  both she and her mother have proven to be black girls full of grace and worthy of praise.  

mrs. juju harris {garden godmother}

many believe that how much money and fame you've accumulated are what matters most in life.  they are wrong.  what you've done to impact others positively is what truly counts.  that is why juju harris (and others like her) are the real heroes of our time.  

juju's dream was to become a national park ranger.  unfortunately, life got in the way and that dream was deferred.  however, juju did seize the opportunity to join the peace corps at the age of 32.  in paraguay, juju's mission was to help local farmers with their crops.  in addition, she found herself arming the women and children with her knowledge of nutrition, business and education.  

there would be more bumps in the road for juju when she returned home.  postpartum depression, lack of money and a growing young family forced her to sign up for the government WIC program.  but to improve her and her family's physical and mental well-being, harris began supplementing the food provided with her own healthy additions.  she began baking bread and tending a garden that would 'provide' vegetables and fruits not available to her otherwise.  neighbors would come by and juju taught them how to cook healthy meals.  this eventually led to harris teaming up with the Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture, a D.C non-profit organization.  with their help, she created the Mobile Market, a bus that takes healthy produce right to the doors of the poor.  she provides them with the greens and the information they need on how to cook them as well as their nutritious value.  she also created a healthy cookbook that is given out free of charge to those who visit the mobile market regularly.  the cookbook provides shopping lists and recipes that pair well with the staples provided by the government.  mrs. harris is now working on getting the book translated into spanish since many of the visitors are spanish speaking.  she also plans on focusing her attention on seniors who face challenges such as dietary restriction or inability to chew food well.  

juju harris has found a way to not only help herself but so many others who would normally be ignored.  for that, we are extremely grateful.

beverly bond {our bond girl}

beverly bond has conquered practically every mission she set her mind to, it.  before turning to philanthropy, she was a successful model with an impressive resume, and an enviable record collection.  beverly soon ditched the runway to become a deejay.  and like all of her endeavors, she became a success, spinning for the likes of russell simmons and kimora lee, sean combs, hugo boss and numerous others.  it is no exaggeration to call her one of new york's most sought after deejays. later, bond's philanthropic efforts would lead her to create the non-profit organization known as 'black girls rock.'  it's mission is to empower young, black girls and provide them with the tools they need to thrive (sound familiar?).  beverly bond and black girls rock eventually began rewarding outstanding black women/girls who have achieved great feats within and outside of their communities.  BET network now televises the annual event so be sure to catch it.  it's more inspiring that i can explain.  as for ms. bond, for being a black girl who rocks and for shining a spotlight and providing assistance for other black girls who rock, we salute the incomparable bond girl: beverly.

every woman {whitney houston}

if you were around in the eighties, you probably can't forget whitney's infectious, groundbreaking pop hits even if you tried.  hit after hit after hit.  the nineties were no different. when i was in seventh grade "i'm your baby tonight' was major.  later on in high school (the latter part of the nineties), mrs. houston reigned supreme with the movie "the bodyguard" and it's phenomenal soundtrack.  "i have nothing" gave me and my teenage angst life.  whitney maintained her spot on the throne with the 'waiting to exhale' movie and soundtrack contributions.  by the time i was in college, she hit us hard with the 'my love is your love' album.  at that point, i recall working in a claire's accessory boutique in a mall.  the radio station was always glued to KTU and KTU was devoted to whitney.  it's not right, but it's ok, heartbreak hotel, my love is your love.  once again, hit after heavenly hit.  whitney was always a golden girl.  (check her grammy stats)i chose to include a picture of her wedding day with purpose. she loved bobby brown. he was her choice and, it appears it was something special and passionate. nothing for us to pass judgement on.

whitney was a part of several successful soundtracks, we know. we now know she was a part of THE most important soundtrack of all, the soundtrack of our lives. she's gone now. it's not right; it's NOT okay. i just hope she realized how much of a blessing she was to so many of us.

belle of the ballet {michaela deprince}

michaela deprince is the complete embodiment of a survivor.  thanks to a country in the midst of civil war, both of her parents were killed when she was very young in sierre leone.  michaela was then ostracized at the orphanage where she ended up because of a skin disease (vitiligo) that she had no control over but made her look different.  but in the orphanage is also where michaela (known then as mabinty) would find inspiration.  there was a picture of a ballerina on the cover of a magazine she came across.  michaela would become enamored with this the tear out, promising herself that if she ever got out of the situation she was in, this was what her life should look like.  as luck would have it, she would be adopted by a great family in america who encouraged her to pursue her dreams of dancing.  even in america, this wouldn't be easy. a dark skinned black girl dancing ballet was not the norm and michaela would face plenty of discrimination and ridicule.  thankfully, michaela deprince would not let the naysayers get in her way.  she would go on to become a very successful ballerina despite the obstacles.  she is now a member of the Dutch National Ballet Junior Company and is slated to join the main company next year! michaela even lived out her dream of playing the lead in the classic Swan Lake production at Lincoln Center.  and did i mention that she is only 19?!  what we love most about deprince is her need to help others.  she recognizes and relishes her position as a role model. 

"Because I’ve been through so much, I know now that I can

 make it and I can help other kids who have been in really 

bad situations realize that they can make it too.” 

shine bright like a diamond {diamond shakoor}

diamond shakoor is known as 'the chess prodigy.'  inspired by her well educated dad who teaches chess to older kids, diamond quickly moved from novice status to beating her father. she has now participated in over 250 tournaments and took first place in the girls primary Susan Polgar National Chess Championship. as of 2013, she was ranked in the 71 percentile nationwide and in the 90th percentile for female chess players.  with her dad (who has had sole custody of diamond since she was a year old) by her side, diamond is able to set and reach her goals in chess while maintaining good grades and other hobbies like dancing and singing, too.  she practices chess for an hour and a half each day.  

 "My dad gives me a lot of advice – ‘grind now, shine later;’ or ‘win with dignity, lose with grace,’ which is by Susan Polgar.” source stlpublicradio.org

when she grows up, diamond hopes to follow in her father's footsteps and teach chess.  she is even considering opening up her own school.  whatever her future, diamond is likely to be a success thanks to her discipline,
intelligence and positive attitude.

"... I inspire myself because like I said, I’m a role model and not a follower..."  

we agree, diamond!

{memorializing maya}

i was going to write about the legacy of dr. maya angelou, try to capture how important she was to our lives.  fortunately, mrs. obama did such a fantastic and eloquent job at angelou's funeral, i didn't think there was much more to add.  instead i'll share what one amazing black woman had to say about another:


“To the family — Guy, to all of you — to the friends, President Clinton, Oprah, my mother Cicely Tyson, Ambassador Young — let me just share something with you: My mother, Marian Robinson, never cares about anything I do. But when Dr. Maya Angelou passed, she said, “You’re going, aren’t you?” I said, “Well, Mom, I’m not really sure, I have to check with my schedule’ she said “You are going. Right?” I said “Well, I’m gonna get back to you, I have to check with the people, figure it out.” I came back and said that I was scheduled to go and she said “That’s good. Now I’m happy.”

It is such a profound honor — truly a proud honor — to be here today on behalf of myself and my husband as we celebrate one of the greatest spirits our world has ever known, our dear friend Dr. Maya Angelou. In the Book of Psalms it reads, “I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are your works, my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.”
What a perfect description of Maya Angelou and the gift she gave to her family and all who loved her. She taught us that we are each wonderfully made, intricately woven and put on this earth for purpose far greater than we could ever imagine.
When I think of Maya Angelou I think of the affirming power of her words. The first time I read “Phenomenal Woman” I was struck by how she celebrated black women’s beauty like no one had ever dared to before. Our curves, our stride, our strength, our grace. Her words were clever, and sassy. They were powerful and sexual and boastful. And in that one singular poem, Maya Angelou spoke to the essence of black women but she also graced us with an anthem for all women, a call for all of us to embrace our God-given beauty.
And oh, how desperately black girls needed that message. As a young woman I needed that message. As a child, my first doll was Malibu Barbie — that was the standard for perfection. That was what the world told me to aspire to.
But then I discovered Maya Angelou, and her words lifted me right out of my own little head. Her message was very simple: She told us that our worth had nothing to do with what the world might say. Instead she said, “each of us comes form the creator trailing wisps of glory.” She reminded us that we must each find our own voice, decide our own value, and then announce it to the world with all the pride and joy that is our birthright as members of the human race.
Dr. Angelou’s words sustained me on every step of my journey. Through lonely moments in ivy-covered classrooms and colorless skyscrapers. Through blissful moments mothering two splendid baby girls. Through long years on the campaign trail where at times my very womanhood was dissected and questioned. For me, that was the power of Maya Angelou’s words — words so powerful that they carried a little girl from the South Side of Chicago all the way to the White House.
And today as First Lady whenever the term “authentic” is used to describe me I take it as a tremendous compliment because I know that I am following in the footsteps of great women like Maya Angelou. But really, I am just a beginner. I am baby authentic.
Maya Angelou, now she was the original. She was the master. For at a time when there were such stifling constraints on how black women could exist in the world, she serenely disregarded all the rules with fiercely passionate unapologetic self. She was comfortable in every inch of her gloriously brown skin.
But for Dr. Angelou her own transition was never enough. You see, she didn’t just want to be phenomenal herself. She wanted us all to be phenomenal right alongside her.
So that’s what she did throughout her lifetime. She gathered so many of us under her wing. I wish I was a daughter. But I was right under that wing — sharing her wisdom, her genius and her boundless love.
I first came into her presence in 2008, when she spoke at a campaign rally here in North Carolina. At that point she was in a wheelchair hooked up to an oxygen tank to help her breathe. But let me tell you, she rolled up like she owned the place. She took the stage as she always did — like she’d been born there. And I was so completely awed and overwhelmed by her presence I could barely concentrate on what she was saying to me.
But while I don’t remember her exact words I do remember exactly how she made me feel.
She made me feel like I owned the place, too. She made me feel like I had been born on that stage right next to her. And I remember thinking to myself, “Maya Angelou knows who I am! And she is rooting for me! So now, I’m good. I can do this. I can do this.”
And that’s really true for us all. Because in so many ways Maya Angelou knew us. She knew our hope, our pain, our ambition, our fear, our anger, our shame. And she assured us that in spite of it all — in fact, because of it all — we were good. And in doing so, she paved the way for me, and Oprah and so many others just to be our good ol’ black women selves. She showed us that eventually, if we stayed true to who we are, then the world would embrace us.
And she did this not just for black women but for all women. For all human beings. She taught us all that it is okay to be your regular old self, whatever that is. Your poor self, your broken self, your brilliant, bold, phenomenal self. That was Maya Angelou’s reach.
She touched me, she touched you, she touched all of you she touched people all across the globe — including a young white woman from Kansas who named her daughter after Maya and raised her son to be the first black President of the United States.
So when I heard that Dr. Angelou had passed, I felt a deep sense of loss. I also felt a profound sense of peace — because there is no question that Maya Angelou will always be with us. Because there was something truly divine about Maya. I know that now as always, she is right where she belongs.
May her memory be a blessing to us all.
Thank you. God bless.”