HunnyBee16...again...

What made High School Fun??

The Class of 2009 Graduation rate for Prince George's County Maryland, has dropped to 87%. According to the Washington Post article titled, "Graduation Rates Reach 13-Year Low in Montgomery County" (23 Sep 09), for PG County, "That is the lowest graduation rate recorded since 1996...". After going through almost an entire week of trainings and orientation, and especially after reading this article, the question I want answered, is what's going on? Why don't this new generation of teenagers feel its necessary to complete high school? While the rates may not be as low as other surrounding districts and counties, this focus group of teenagers, are primarily the students I will work with and try to motivate for the next 4 years plus- hence- I need answers!!!!

I LOVED high school- I loved my teachers for the most part, I loved after school activities, homework wasn't soo bad, field trips- and not to mention just wanting to go to school to flirt with my boyfriend or crush!! Lol- I mean- that was my life at 16- stayin fresh, flirting with guys, hanging out with friends at school and the mall- that summed up all of my teen years! Really HunnyBee's- what else was there to do at 16?

All this to say, how can I motivate my teens to not only want to stay in school, but to succeed in school, grow from high school, and create a life where they realize their education is key to a successful life- and hate to get all "Pro-black" for a second, but its KEY for us African Americans to use education versus just our talents, our looks, and our bodies, to progress as a race!!

HunnyBeeLuvYourSelf!

You all already know I'm digging into this topic ("good" & "bad" hair, the color complex, light skin/dark skin)-Before I dig into my feelings and thoughts- let me know what you all think!

I know I'm not a Wannabee or Jiggaboo- but society will make us think this way towards eachother ladies-

P.S.- Ladies! have you heard about the new Perm Pill? I have to get more info on it before I start to post the "untruths" lol, but once I do- Please believe HunnyBee is ALL OVER IT! - The things we do for beauty that could harm us later in life! Go Figure!

HunnyBeeMindful!

Hey HunnyBees!

I don't have a lot of time to post today, however I do want your thoughts on this poem by Black Ice called "Imagine". As most of you all know, I'm very passionate about African American history, culture, and advancement. Just this week I accepted a position working in a local highschool to work with "At-Risk" youth. I think this is very important to discuss, and as soon as I have my foot in the door with this new position, I'll definitely start to post more topics about how to reach my teens! My main goals with my teens (wish I haven't met yet, but already know I'll love), is to build confidence/self esteem, build respect and teach them how to act like young ladies and gentlemen, raise GPAs, build on professional skills, create goals, accomplish goals, build paths toward graduating HS and moving towards college, and writing skills for scholarhips, etc.

Please leave your comments!

HunnyBeeFree

I'm OBSESSED with this commercial! I think it's brilliant and it's exactly how I plan to be as an older woman!



SPREAD HEALTH LADIES! Get those Mammograms!

HunnyBeeHOME

Hey HunnyBees!

I know HunnyBee has been away from the blog world for a few weeks now! I do have to apologize! Between Thanksgiving and Christmas preparation, resolution thoughts, etc. - i've been kind of out of it~!

Over the past few weeks, I've been digging through record crates and making new playlists for the holiday. I'm not a huge fan of holiday music, other than Jackson 5 Christmas album (yes album), along with the all time Christmas anthem Donny Hathways' "This Christmas"- but my family LOVES music, and I can’t wait to bust out my new playlist for some holiday seam busting, finger snapping, soul train line moving, hand dancing moves! Something about music and the holidays make me drift back and give me warm happy feelings!

Remember those days when you could wake up Christmas morning, run downstairs, and expect that most of the gifts under the tree were for you! lol- Remember those days of pacing back and fourth trying to figure out what kind of gifts you were going to wake up to Christmas morning, as well as figuring out how your parents could have possibly thought you still believed in Santa Claus even after you knew that no white man in a super size-it red velvet suit was climbing down a chimney in NW DC after a week of hearing about homes being robbed blocks away from your house! LAWD! smh lol! Those were the days!

Honestly though- Christmas used to be the bomb with all of the gifts & playtime! But now, versus spending the time trying to figure out what gifts I'm buying my family members, as well as figuring out what gifts they're giving me, I find myself wanting to hold on to those memories and appreciating the time we get to spend together, as I am one that knows that time with loved ones is valuable!

This Christmas, I want everyone to take time, sit back, and observe your family. Watch the corky things they do, listen to the sounds they make, listen to the laughter, and remember how the warmth of family makes you feel! It's time to reflect on your love for one another so you'll always have those memories!

Also- Homework for every1- GIMME SOME SONGS! So far I have a pretty good Xmas/ family reunion playlist, but I need some more! HunnyBee needs some Results!!






& Because We're putting the Christ back in Christmas!

HunnyBeeSlowJammin'

Sorry Fella's but I gotta throw it back for the ladies 2day!

Ladies! I know you all remember these slow jamz! Listen up to help make the rest of the day go by!


Tracey Spencer- Tender Kisses


Miche'le- Something in my Heart


Sade- Cherish the Day


SWV- Weak


Mokenstef- He's Mine

HunnyBeeListenUp!

Hey HunnyBee’s!

Listen UP!

The Barry Farms Projects is one of the most discussed communities in Washington D.C. Known as one of the most proverty stricken areas in America, Barry Farms residents are now becoming victims of Gentrification.

What is Gentrification?
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, Gentrification is, "the process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces poorer residents"

How does is Gentrification affect our youth?



What can we do??
I'm taking comments! We need to start defending our communities wither you live in Washington D.C., the suburbs of Maryland, or in other cities across America! These are our communities, these are our families, and this is our youth!

To see what new developments and condos are being placed in these areas where our aleady proverty stricken familes are supposed to go back and rent- check this site out:

http://www.dcgentrification.com/

To read other articles about gentrification, check this out:

http://blogs.blackvoices.com/2008/10/31/gentrification-is-it-good-or-bad-for-us/

HunnyBeeOl'Skool

Hey Everybody!

I know hunnybee has been MIA for a few days! I definitely have to apologize! Work HAS BEEN CRAZY!

To get back on track & to try to keep everyone UP BEAT for the rest of the day, I figured I'd take everyone back to the Ol'Skool, well atleast my ol'skool! I'm a 80s baby at heart, but the early 90s is when I really started learning all the dance moves, wanting all the hottest Cross-Colour shoes & overalls, and always wanted to make sure my mom kept my "baby hair pumpin lip-gloss shinin", or made sure my braids were always tight! Back in the 90s when Kris Kross was fresh to deaf, MC Hammer was teachin us how to sign "2 Legit", and when females groups we listened to could actually sing & make a quality videos without taking their clothes off- Even though they were singing songs like "Ain't too Proud to Beg" & "Mercedes" (big up TLC/Pebbles/SWV/EnVogue)- back in the 80s/90s when Black TV ruled the ratings (Cosby Show, A Differnt World, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Living Single, Martin, Amen(luv that show), & 227)- Back in the days when life was just a simplier before BUSH jr.

With setting that mood- Don't you guys just wanna go back! Back when things were simple- bills were paid by your parents & all you had to worry about was what fly outfit you were gonna rock to school the next day?

I know we can't go back, but maybe these songs will help you bring back those memories from the good ol' days!

Ahmad "Back in the Day"


Will Smith - DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince "Summertime"


Arrested Development - Tennessee


SWV "Anything"


TLC "What about your Friends"

HunnyBeeFocused

Hey Everyone!

I know today is Monday, and I promised you all that I would dedicate Mondays to the theme of music- BUT- hunnybee has to be free today (lol), and write randomly. Forgive me for my random post, but today I feel we all need to get focused on other things!

As the New Year starts to approach, I've already started thinking about what 2009 meant to me, and what new things do I need/want to accomplish for 2010. I definitely want to travel in the 0-10, start really thinking about grad school (if God provides me a way to pay for it), as well as really think about my career path. FIGURE OUT WHAT IN THE WORLD IT IS I WANT TO DO, AND WHY AM I HERE!- A purpose! For me, I believe my career path will lead to the ultimate reason why I'm here, (sorry got a little spiritual on you all)- and how I can impact lives outside of my own! I really think it's necessary to make a difference in someone else's life in a positive way, and I need to figure out how I can do that and still be happy and excited about what I do on a day to day basis.

With that in mind- below is one of my favorite episodes of "A Different World"- I think those lost souls out there may benefit from this episode and maybe take something out of it- My friends put me in the category of a mix between Whitley Gilbert, and Freddie- I think in this episode I'm definitely Freddie!

Let me know what you think about your future life in the 0-10...

HunnyBeeADancer

Hey Hunnies!

Below are clips of my favorite MJ dancing videos. It's pretty random, but it wouldn't be a hunnybee post if it weren't... Check them out- Mike could really DANCE!...

Origin on the "Moon Walk"


Dancing Machine- (best part is 1:04 of clip- CRAZY)


Smooth Criminal


And just to tie in history- Michael vs. James Brown & Prince

HunnyBeeLiftYourVoice

Hey Hunny’s!

Status count- How many people know that African Americans have their OWN National Anthem? In addition, how many people actually know the words? Was it ever sung in your house? Church? School? Have you ever heard it on anything current outside of 1960s documentaries, and possibly MLK Day? This topic may not be as glittery & controversial as other African American history topics I’ve discussed, but I’m finding that my generation knows very little about African American history, and the most common facts that we should know, we have no idea about.

According to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), The Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing, also called, National Black Anthem, “… was written as a poem by James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938) and then set to music by his brother John Rosamond Johnson (1873-1954) in 1899. It was first performed in public in the Johnsons' hometown of Jacksonville, Florida as part of a celebration of Lincoln's Birthday on February 12, 1900 by a choir of 500 schoolchildren at the segregated Stanton School, where James Weldon Johnson was principal.”

Since then, the song moved throughout the South. Teachers taught it to their students, pastors preached it to the choir - in turn they preached it to the congregation, and parents passed it on to their loved ones. The song was officially adopted as the "National Negro Anthem" in 1919 by the NAACP, formed under Harvard professor W.E.B. Dubois. The third verse was even used during our President Obama’s Inauguration, to summarize the racial triumph of the moment. This song embodies the African American struggle, the rejoice of our freedom, and love for the Most High.

The African American History lesson for this day:

Read the lyrics to “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing”. This is your history, learn it, live it, love it. Pass this along to show that we are still proud of the ones that came before us!

Lift ev'ry voice and sing,
Till earth and heaven ring.
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise,
High as the list'ning skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on till victory is won.
Stony the road we trod,
Bitter the chast'ning rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet,
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered,
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past,
Till now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.
God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who has brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who has by Thy might,
Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,
Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee,
Shadowed beneath thy hand,
May we forever stand,
True to our God,
True to our native land.

Hey Everyone!

Busy Busy Busy today at work. Friday's Halloween office party set me back a little. Can't talk much today, hope you all forgive me- before I go, PLEASE listen to the song below. The song is called "Becky" by Plies. I know songs these days seem to get raunchier & roudier by the minute, but seriously- this song is horrible! I want to dig futher into young mothers, and babies having babies- think this is a good start.

PLEASE Let me know your thoughts

HunnyBeeHaveFun- It'sFriday!

What happened to real dancing?





And just because this is funny has Hell-

HunnyBeeTelltheTruth!

(Betye Saar- The Liberation of Aunt Jemima)

"The Truth about Mammy: Did she really exist?"

Round, Black, Buck Teeth, & Happy- these are thoughts that come to mind when one thinks of the Mammy stereotypes. The Mammy caricature was set in politics & social arenas to perpetuate thoughts that African American women were content and happy as slaves. The Mammy character beard white children as if they were their own, cooked, cleaned, and shuffled to a happy beat, for the masters/employers. They even rested under unlivable conditions singing at night humming all American tunes as happy as they could be.

These women were thoughts of the imagination, placed into society to make Northerners believe slaves were pleased with life in a "simple and controlled" Ante-bellum South.


For years, we have watched the Mammy caricature in movies such as “Imitation of Life”, on Syrup commercials and advertisements, and more presently, on TV shows like the 1990s hit TV show, “Thelma”. While these are the teachings folklore, history, and movies have taught, by digging further, you will notice that there was much more to Mammy than what was told. Historian Catherine Clinton of Queen's University notes in her book entitled, "The Plantation Mistress: Woman’s World in the Old South":


Records do acknowledge the presence of female slaves who served as the “right hand” of plantation mistresses. Yet documents from the planter class during the first fifty years following the American Revolution reveal only a handful of such examples. Not until after Emancipation did black women run white households or occupy in any significant number the special the special positions ascribed to them in folklore and fiction. The Mammy was created by white Southerners to redeem the relationship between black women and white men within slave society in response to the antislavery attack from the North during the ante-bellum period. In the primary records from before the Civil War, hard evidence for its existence simply does not appear.


So who gets the last laugh?

Actress Hattie McDaniel, starred in several movies between the 1930s-40s as the Mammy character. Although portraying such as degrading character on screen, in 1939 she won an Oscar for best supporting actress for “Gone With the Wind”. McDaniel is noted to be the first African American to win an Academy award. When asked about portraying such as character, she opened her mouth, stood straight, and responded, “Why should I complain about making seven thousand dollars a week playing a maid? If I didn’t, I’d be making seven dollars a week actually being one.”


While Ms. McDaniel’s did capitalize on making a fortune doing what other women had to do to make a living for their families, I believe just like the Mammy caricature imaged above, Hattie had the last laugh, and while white faces in the old South laughed at her, she had the shot gun in her left hand ready to point and shoot for the unimaginable- A successful Black Woman!



It's More than important you check this A Different World clip out as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3cGgr-Rz-w

And just because I'm in argument with myself (i.e. comments below) about Hattie McDaniels & if she's a "sell-out" or not....

Quote from Song of the Day -
"When we talk about black maybe
We talk about situations
Of people of color and because you are that color
You endure obstacles and opposition
And not all the time from...from other nationalities
Sometimes it come from your own kind
Or maybe even your own mind
You get judged..you get laughed at..you get looked at wrong
You get sighted for not being strong
The struggle of just being you
The struggle of just being us..black maybe"

Common- U, Black Maybe

HunnyBeePutEm’OnBlast

Hey Everybody!

Welcome back to PutEm’OnBlast Music Monday’s!

Today I figured we’ll cover my beloved Jay Z. While I can’t deny it, Jay Z is definitely the best MC in the game hands down, Jigga Man has definitely had his share of sampled hits. This MC definitely believes in producers who have done their homework, dug through vinyl, and have found those old skool beats that make us all want to have that “Diamond in the back, sunroof top, digging in the scene with a gangsta lean- woo hoo woo” affect!-

Mr. Carter has been in the Hip Hop game since 1996 with his debut album “Reasonable Doubt”, (not counting his first few cameos and first video- “Hawaiian Sophie”- yikes). Since then, this master of Hip Hop has conquered the unimaginable, and has opened the doors for future Hip Hop artists in Chi-town, New York, & even more recently, DC with the Washington Post proclaimed “The Great Rap Hope” Wale!

As for putting Jay Z on blast, even though he’s sampled over 140 songs, this is definitely a time where I “Can’t knock the Hustle” –

Check out these few tunes Jay Z sampled to build the his “Empire State of Mind”~


“Empire State of Mind” (2009)


VS

The Moments “Love on a Two Way Street” (1968)



“Run This Town” (2009)


VS

The 4 Levels of Existence “Someday in Athens” (1976)



“Already home” (2009)


VS

Gladdy’s Allstars- “Mad Mad Ivy” (1972)




“Can’t Knock the Hustle” (1996)



VS

Marcus Miller- “Much too Much” (1983)

HunnybeeHEALTHY

A Cure 4 Zoom- THINK PINK!

Today I came across a note from my mother. It was a birthday card that she signed a few years ago with a note that read, “U, me, buddies”. Even though she’s been gone for almost four years now, it still amazes me how I remember every detail of everything she did. After all the time & space between us, I remember how she crossed her hands when she slept; the way she jumbled her keys when she walked into the house; and the way she threw her head back and laughed at things we would say- I remember all!

For some people, a mother- is just a mother. A person you see and maybe talk to only on holidays, and a person who you complain about when you may not see eye-to-eye with all the time. In my situation, my mother was my best friend. I couldn’t wait to turn 21 and have wine with her and laugh at funny nothings; I couldn’t wait to watch her grow old, and marvel at the way her beauty never changed even while her hair slowly turned to silver. I also couldn’t wait for the day I could call her to tell her to run to the hospital, her grandchild is coming… Most of all I couldn’t wait for the day I could bring her into the home & family I helped to build, sit her down in her favorite rocking chair, and watch her as she rocked my daughter to sleep whispering to her, “U, me, buddies”.

February 7, 2006 marked the day all of those “I can’t waits” came undone. Breast cancer was the cause of death, and while I’m left with more grief than anyone could imagine, I’m also left with a cause for wanting to spread the news about Breast Cancer to African American women!

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), AIDS is the leading cause for death among African American women. Breast Cancer is the second. Both Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the American Cancer Society state, “White women have a higher rate of developing breast cancer than any other racial or ethnic group. However, among women under age 40, African Americans have a higher incidence of breast cancer than white women. They are more likely to be diagnosed with larger tumors than white women.” In addition, according to Susan G. Komen for the Cure “Racial & Ethnic Differences” pamphlet, “African American women are less likely than white women to survive for five years after being diagnosed with breast cancer. The five year survival rate for African American women is 77 percent, compared to 90 percent for white women.”

With this, I SAY NO MORE! Licensed practitioners advise not to start a yearly routine mammogram screening until age 40. After reading this information, it almost seems as though by the time I turn 40, my risks may have doubled mainly because of my race! While the topic of Health Disparity is one of the many issues our sun-kissed- President Obama must tackle, this issue is something we all need to work on improving! Ladies, please educate yourself on all of the health issues that could come your way if you don’t defend yourself and schedule routine check-ups, mammograms, STD screenings, etc. Men, understand that breast cancer not only effects your counterpart, but also you, as men, especially African American men, are subject to Breast cancer as well!

Below are a few links on places you can follow up with for mammogram testing, as well as information on Breast Cancer, and how it’s affecting everyone. In addition, below are also products you can use that donate money to Breast Cancer research!

Know your worth! Know your body! HunnybeeHEALTHY!

Funding for a Cure:

http://www.pinkribbonshop.com/

http://www.savethetatas.com/

http://www.yoplait.com/slsl/?WT.mc_id=paid_search_300402_636117&WT.srch=1

Education on Cancer:

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/breast

http://ww5.komen.org/

http://www.cancer.org/

Locations for Mammograms:

http://www.womenshealth.gov/faq/mammograms.cfm

http://www.ucomparehealthcare.com/mammography/mammogram_dc/

HunnyBeeARevolutionary

"I am...A REVOLUTIONARY"

At age 10, I lived in Montgomery County, MD., and “preached and teached” African American pride to my schoolmates. I passed out homemade fliers and pamphlets about African American history, I made my friends sing freedom songs, and I asked all my friends to recite the Black Panther Party FOR SELF DEFENSE Ten-Point Program, (a list of demands to promote a form of Reparations African Americans). Even though this was a small act, I knew I was a Revolutionary at age 10, even if it was on the playground of my “middle-class” suburban elementary school.

Growing up in a house where it was common to get an everyday dose of African American history, I was taught to read between the fine lines and learn about my ancestors, our history, and to not settle for the way society may look at my race. After school, I mainly spent my time in the libraries in NW D.C. with my gram, learning about the history of my ancestors, conditions and struggles they went through, and narratives of how they made it through injustices. “Sick days”, my gram and I spent hours driving back and forth to old slave Plantations gathering information. Summers I spent reading though autobiographies of some of my favorite leaders.

For those reasons, I chose to graduate from the University of Maryland College Park, with a Bachelors degree in the Cultural & Social Analysis of African American History.

To me, it’s amazing that today, even though we have a sun-kissed President, there are still children living in Southeast, Washington D.C., that have never visited the Fredrick Douglass house, even though they may live within a 10 block radius of the estate. You can talk to children all day, and hear all the gossip about Beyonce, or who Kanye stole the mic from last week, but if you ask, some may only know the extent of African American history as just consisting of Martin Luther king Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jackson, and President Obama. Recently, I’ve even heard adults discuss the topic of African American history, but stumble upon whether Lauryn Hill came up with the clever title of the “Mis-Education”, or if it was Carter G. Woodson. I also find it dangerous and distasteful that not only our local news stations broadcast live news and call President Obama, “Mr. Obama”, but also when we engage in this act ourselves in professional commentary. Sometimes I have to remind myself, “Was I confused, is he not the President???” Imjustsayin-

With this in mind, below is a quiz. Basic African American facts I gave my students last year while teaching African American history/Genealogy, to my 7-14 year olds in Washington D.C.- If you don’t know the answers, then go back-learn African American history, and understand why it is important for you to understand its worth in today’s society. If you happen to be African American, I have to except that “to each his own”, and maybe it wasn’t taught in your house, or taught in your school, but today, you should start to search to help brighten your future.

You can’t go Forward without Knowing your PAST! Go back and Reclaim it! Sankofa!

Who was the first Black American Supreme Court justice?

a) Nelson Mandella
b) Jesse Jackson
c) Thurgood Marshall
d) Richard Wright

Which well-known scientist displayed ways of making various products out of peanuts?

a) Benjamin Banneker
b) George Washington Carver
c) Garret A. Morgan
d) Carter G. Woodson


Black History Month began in:

a)1926
b)1976
c)1895

What College did Martin Luther King Jr. Graduate:

a)Harvard University
b)Howard University
c)Morehouse College
d)Hampton University

What was the name of the abolitionist newspaper founded by Frederick Douglass?

a)“Freedom”
b)“North Star”
c)“Call to Arms”
d)“The Supporter”

Please keep in mind this is just a glimpse into the Wednesday posts to come.



Happy Revolutionary Wednesdays!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...& Just Because

And Jay Z


Please comment and let me know your PERSONAL feelings about Puffy..Puff Daddy...P Diddy...Diddy...Dirty Money Diddy- (is anyone else confused on what to call him?)

HunnyBee Put Em’ On Blast!

"Beat Biter!Dope style taker! Tell it to your face you ain't nothing but a faker!"
M.C. Lyte "10% dis"

Old Skool vs New Skool- Who gets the K.O.?

So for those that Tweet, you already know that each Monday is “Music Mondays”! Most people post new music/underground music, which I think is cool, but a lot of people don’t realize that most of this new music that’s being blasted over the airways, are just flashbacks from the past with a little auto tune or chop and screw over the main beat. Since I’m new to the game of Blogging, I figured adding a “Special Trend” on Monday’s would be Hot! A topic that you can be sure to get a dose of each week-


Put Em’ On Blast!

Jay Z "Can I Live"


VS

Issac Hayes "The Look of Love" (Origin)


Busta Rhymes "Touch it"


VS

Daft Punk "Technologic" (Origin)




Asher Roth "I Love College"



VS

MC Lyte "10% dis"(Origin)

Jay Z “Show Me What U Got”


VS


Afro Rock Band “Darkest Light” (Origin)




Dr. Dre & Snoop Doggy Dog “Nuthin' But a G Thang”


VS

Leon Haywood “I Wanna Do Something Freaky To You” (Origin)



Junior Mafia "Get Money Remix" and Tupac "Hit Em Up"



VS


Dennis Edwards "Don't Look Any Further" (Origin)



2Pac "Me Against the World"



VS.


Issac Hayes "Walk on Bye" (Origin)

HunnyBeeHaveMorals

"When Virgin Mary meets Pussy Poppin’ on a Hand Stand"

PEOPLE, what is up with gospel music making a special appearance in the club scene? Is the sudden craze to play Jesus music and R. Kelly all at the same time? Please let me know whe this phase is over because I'm too deep in the hole with my Hell Mary's to be a participant! It’s a funny topic of discussion, and I know you all love the Virgin Mary title, but seriously, has our generation lost all of its morals? - Now I know that in theory, Christians are to believe that God is everywhere. He see’s you through the good, and in the bad- but do I really want God in the club with me while other ladies are “pussy poppin’ on a hand stand” in the club? I think not! Not only have I heard gospel songs in the club, but even early morning talk shows (i.e. Russ Parr Morning Show), play gospel songs and in the same mix segment bump R. Kelly’s “12 Play”, or Trey Songz “Invented Sex”.

What happened to morals people?

Let me say first and foremost that I am NOT one to point fingers! I’ll always be the one to say, “hunnybee, do you!”, but I really think something is wrong when a lady can dance as provocatively to gospel, as she can to Uncle Luke- lol- and that’s just my opinion. I guess the question I’m concluding to, is what happened to morals? What happened to respecting ourselves, our parents, and GOD? Are we that far gone to the point where we can’t decipher if “God in Me” playing in the club, or if that’s “Ass Clap”? Imjustsayin-

When I talk to my grandmother she constantly talks about how disappointed she is with our generation, and how she doesn’t understand how clubbing, dancing, drinking, and “sexing” has replaced education, morals, and GOD. Suddenly after seeing visions of girls “Rockin that Thing” even harder to gospel tunes than DREAM himself, I’m taken aback and have to say for the first time in LIFE I almost agree with my gram- YIKES!

I know that not everyone in the club enjoys watching ladies pussy pop on a hand stand to Jesus music, or enjoy hearing Shirley Caesar and Pretty Ricky all in the same 10 min block (even though Pretty Ricky are my boys)- so what do we do? Do we allow ourselves continue to just breeze past these opportunities and say nothing? Do we keep ignoring this while our youth grow up thinking Shirley Caesar and Pretty Ricky are one in the same? How do we stop ourselves from becoming moral-less?

HunnyBeeBold

Lately I’ve been kind of down on the fashionista tip. Not sure about all you other ladies, but when the cold seasons start to hit, they put a DRAG on my spirit, my wardrobe, and most importantly- MY HAIR!! Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about “changin’ it up on ya’ll right quick”- (lol, my country colloquialism of the day), but I’m just not sure what to do!?!

Just for the rundown, Jlynne is ALL ABOUT THE HAIR! I’ve worn tracks, I’ve cut the hair, I’ve done curly, I’ve done straight, I’ve done highlights…I’ve basically tried all the looks in the book, but I’m still not satisfied with my hair… Like I said before- I’m a TRUE blood Pisces, and I like a little change in my style- Dare to Be Different!

This weekend I’m hitting up the Big Apple with my girls- (the Black Sex and the City crew)- so I think to get ready and pumped for a very stylish occasion, I’m thinking about getting colored track (weave) pieces to try out! Maybe go for a turquoise and purple look…. Check this chick out- You like?

Granted homegirl went a little far from what I want, but I commend her for keeping it different & Bold!

You can find out how to achieve a more sensible way of doing this by watching the FoxNews clip below- the clip basically tells you how to clip the pieces in instead of paying more than a lot of money to get the actual streaks.

http://www.foxnews.com/search-results/m/21742980/colorful-extensions.htm

The Low Down:

For those ladies living in more of a urban setting- I’ve realized that the local beauty store- (my other best friend), sells HUMAN hair tracks in small pieces. The pieces come in all different types of colors, and range from $1-$10- depending on how many and how long you want them! Although you either have to sew or bond these pieces, they look really HOT once styled correctly. If you work in a corporate office, you can take them out when you go to work, and when you go to party later with the girls, you can “shake it out" with your colorful tresses!

Now Ain’t that sexy!

HunnyBeeInspired

So Ladies,

Being that this is my very first blog, I figured I would dedicate it to the fabulous women I love and adore, the women I look up to, and the women who move me in life, fashion, and struggles. Now just so everyone knows, I am a 20-something year old woman with a Biggie Size amount of personality! I’d like to think I get my compassion, patience, and frame from my mother; my love for life, freedom, culture, and need to entertain (goof troop all day)- from my aunt; and my FIRE, sense of history, and keen eye for fashion, from my grandmother (very foxy lady…seriously)! With that said- there are a plethora of other women out there who have not only inspired me to become the gorgeous woman I am today- (embracing) - but also, sculpt me into being the woman I plan to be!

So- here they go…

The Thinker: Mz. badu...

The Solider: Elaine Brown

The Strength: Tina Turner

The Poet: Nikki Giovanni

The Boss: Oprah Winfrey

Who are your favorite woman?