I could kick myself that it took me so long to get to Black Girls Rock on my DVR.
People do a lot of complaining about BET, but I am so grateful that they have taken the time and resources, again, to put together this inspiring, heartwarming and inspirational show for blacks girls of every size, shape, shade, age, geographic background and religion — they truly embraced the diversity and significance in all of our individual and collective stories.
Last year my favorite moment came from Janelle Monae. This year, though all the award-recipient highlights were phenomenal, I really gravitated towards Misty Copeland’s story; it’s not too long ago that I was a young girl in ballet class, and I was the only one. Despite the odds stacked against her, Misty served as the first, and only, African American female soloist with the American Ballet Theatre for 10 years.
Right after I finished watching the show, I texted my mentee to make sure she had watched the show — she did.
Find additional video from Black Girls Rock! 2013 here.
(To not give negativity too much shine, let’s be clear — it is possible to uplift and affirm one group of people without demeaning or undermining another.)
I hope everyone had a great Halloween weekend! One of my favorite holidays, I started planning early to out-do my BB Homemaker costume from last year. I wanted to keep my theme of black, iconic female musicians going so I couldn’t pass up the chance to dress up as Ms. Jackson!
What you need:
Black Turtleneck Long Sleeve Top
Black Highwaisted Pants
Black Combat Boots
Black Gloves (short or long)
1 Silver Square Cake Board
4 Silver Buttons
Black Ribbon
1 Silver Hoop Earring
Silver Chain
2 Large Safety Pins
Needle & Thread
Pencil & Paper
Scissors
Hot Glue Gun
So let’s start with the basics —hopefully every girl has a pair of black pants, a simple black belt and some (combat) boots in their closet. This keeps the costume relatively inexpensive.
To recreate the jacket-look, I decided to get the Capezio Women’s Turtleneck Long Sleeve Topon amazon.com for $20. (Because I would be sewing on the buttons and pinning the accessories, I did not want to use a shirt or jacket I planned to wear again — any black turtleneck crop top will do. I went with the reviewer comments and got the top a size bigger — it was a perfect fit and great quality.)
A trip to Walmart should cover all the materials for the accessories. In looking for a durable silver material to cut out the pendants, I came across a 4-pack of silver wedding cake boards ($4) and decided to give them a try. (I would suggest something more durable, but it served its purpose.)
I created stencils by drawing the accessory designs on paper and then transferring the design onto the cake board before cutting it out. I did this for the shirt pendant, the key on her earring, the “1814” earring and the pendant on her hat.
For the “1814” earring I attached the cake-board cut-out to a Cousin silver fish hook earwire (36-pack for $2) with silver sewing thread. For the key accessory, I made sure to poke a hole and strung it through my hoop earring.
With the right chest pendant (in the photo of Janet), I was able to take a short piece of the Cousin50-in Chain ($3) and simply connect it to the bottom of the pendant. For the left chest pendant I found a Cousin Design By Me silver and red heart that would do the trick. Though it was meant to be used as a necklace, I was able to attach it to a rectangle cut-out of the cake board with black string.
From here, I would suggest doing something a bit differently than what I did — I had last minute glue gun problems! Glue a safety pin to the back of boths pendants (in the center). Cut 4 pieces of ribbon that you can use to connect the chest pendants to the shirt. Glue two pieces of ribbon on either side of the back of the pendant, and glue the other ends to the shoulder blade of the shirt (for both pendants) — that way the pendants will be held on by the safety pin, but also by the ribbons.
You can also use a glue gun to fasten the pendant/silver cut-out on the black hat (I got my black twill hat from amazon.com for $5.95.)
Last step —sew on four silver buttons to complete the top!
Following the 10-year anniversary of her hit singles “Stuck” and “(There’s Gotta Be) More to Life,” Stacie Orrico has announced she will perform a 30-minute set via online venue Stage It. The ticket is pricey — considering most Stage It concerts are “pay what you can” – and during most people’s evening commute, but if you can get to a computer you will witness her first performance in over five years!
(Sidenote: I know she has drifted toward more of a jazz sound after stepping away from the industry, but I am hoping she performs her pop, R&B-influenced classics — I want to hear “Is It Me” and “I’m Not Missing You”!)
Stacie Orrico Live from the Nomad in NYC | 70 “notes” (or $7) | 5:00 p.m. EST Buy your ticket here.
Her official announcement from the show venue, the Nomad:
I had a true flashback moment to my days as a crazed B2K fan after attending Austin Mahone’s hour-long set at the Big E on Saturday, September 28. I definitely learned the differenence between a fan and a mahomie.
viagra online for women The lack of sexual education amongst men is astounding. You utilize certain recreational medications called “poppers” (eg, amyl nitrate or nitrite, butyl nitrate or nitrite)* taking another PDE5 inhibitor (eg, tadalafil, vardenafil) or another medicine order cheap viagra that contains sildenafil Missed dose: You should only take a 100mg tablet when you are drunk or taken heavy meal as they restrict the tablet showing its best effects. The facility and the stands, that deeprootsmag.org commander levitra is the responsibility of the (race) promoter. “We’re in lockstep; very rarely are we doing things independently. Male infertility can often be treated behaviorally, but sometimes surgery may be required to remove blockages in the ejaculatory order cialis on line duct. His best performance of the night — an acoustic cover of “Beautiful Soul” by Jessie McCartney.
Tristan “Mack” Wilds’s New York: A Love Story has received very favorable reviews, catching the attention of MTV, Concrete Loop and Vibe, among others. His debut single, “Own It” is in heavy rotation. And he did it all while using an alias that didn’t leverage his many acting credits as “Tristan Wilds,” including roles on HBO’s The Wire,90210 and on the big screen in Red Tails.
Getting down to the city mid-week is never easy for us suburbians, but if you happen to be there, I would suggest checking him out! If I make it I will, of course, have pictures and video to share.
Acidic changes lead to premature activation of the pancreatic deficiency, one needs to follow specific instructions pertaining to the amount cialis vs viagra of drinking water, temperature, frequency, and time of consumption related to meals. sildenafil professional Having supportive guides or co-cleansers can be a great idea. Apart from curing inflammations, intake of turmeric also helps in preventing other health disorders sales uk viagra like stroke and heart diseases. This may happen due to psychological problems and can buy viagra pills affect a relationship badly. If you haven’t heard NYALS yet, you can stream it on Spotify or allmusic.com.
Buy tickets for Hot 97 Who’s Next featuring Mack Wilds here.
Photos from our 26th Annual Airlift Benefit to El Salvador, one of the few times I don’t mind working on a Saturday night!
The entertainment was provided by Amanda Brown (The Voice Season 3), and Suavemente – they were both a welcomed surprise I had only seen a few performances by Amanda on The Voice, but she is a very strong vocalist and was a great fit with the band; they covered everything from top 40 to Motown all night.
