First Lady Michelle Obama Wants You & Your Kids To Help Her Break World Record For Jumping Jacks!

/in /by

By Team BLAM

An essential part of building healthy relationships, families, and communities is through BUILDING OUR HEALTH. We love how First Lady Michelle Obama has committed herself to raising the nation’s awareness of health and wellness through exercise and eating right.

She hopes to break the title for the most people doing jumping jacks in a 24-hour period and in doing so land in the Guinness World Records book.

The first lady will lead hundreds of local children in doing one minute of jumping jacks on the South Lawn on Tuesday.

National Geographic Kids is leading the effort to break the record. The event will be reviewed by an official from Guinness World Records and will signal the beginning of a 24-hour challenge.

To break the record:

More than 20,000 people around the world will need to do jumping jacks for a minute.

The exact record to break is 20,425 jumpers, set on March 22, 2011.

BLAM Fam: Will you make a commitment to improve upon your health and the health of your children? Get up and move! 🙂

In The Spirit Of Black Love…Can We Ever “Bury” The N-Word?

/in , , /by

By Ayize Ma’at

During my matriculation at Bowie State University, I was an outspoken opponent against the use of the n-word.  I participated in several spoken word events where I firmly expressed my disapproval and disdain for a word which I believed had outlived it’s historical necessity.  Initially, embracing the word nigger may have been an appropriate coping mechanism meant to minimize psychological scars from slavery.  Unfortunately, the consequence of adopting maladaptive behaviors to deal with a hostile environment may be more injurious than they are uplifting because they leave you with habits of holding on to “useless stuff” when it should’ve been let go a long time ago.  Instead of remixing the word (nigger into nigga) how bout we release the word and replace it with two words that also have two syllables “brotha” and “sista”.  I believe once a “nigga”, always a “nigga” ….unless you stop calling yourself “nigga”.  Brotha’s and Sista’s…. Stop Playin’ and Start Pushin’.

In the excerpt below from TheGrio.com Tammie Lang Campbell, founder and executive director of the Honey Brown Hope Foundation makes her position about the n-word clear: No one should be using it. Period. In an interview with the CBS affiliate KENS 5 in San Antonio, the Houston native explained, “We do a disservice to our fore-parents, to ourselves, to our mothers and fathers, to our children to use that word or to accept anyone using it.”  She along with many others share the common belief that eradicating the n-word from our vocabularies would bring about a dramatic shift in how we relate to each other, how we relate to the world, and how the world relates to us.  CLICK HERE to read more from The Grio.

BLAM Fam what do you think?  In the spirit of black love…can we ever “bury” the n-word?

Are Black Women Invisible? Domestic Violence In The Black Community…It’s Real As A Heart Attack

/in , /by

By Nsenga Burton/TheRoot.com

Have you ever heard of Margaret “Missy” Allen or Nikki McPhatter? In July of 2008, attorney Margaret “Missy” Allen was killed by a boyfriend who was a former client. Calvin McKelton was found guilty of strangling Allen and then dumping her body in Cincinnati’s East End. He was also found guilty in the shooting death of Germaine Evans. Prosecutors said Evans was killed because he was going to testify against McKelton. Even with the salacious details surrounding this case — a defense attorney murdered by her former client and boyfriend — the case got scant coverage in the media.

Margaret Missy Allen

How about Nikki McPhatter? In 2009, the Charlotte, N.C.-based U.S. Airways employee had gone to South Carolina to break off a relationship with her boyfriend, Theodore Manning IV, whom she had met online. Manning shot her in the back of the head, called another girlfriend to help him dispose of McPhatter’s body, put her lifeless body in her car, set it on fire, and then went home and had sex with said girlfriend. You might have missed the case, since the media was focused on Bonnie Sweeten, the 38-year-old crackpot and Philadelphia mom who told police that she and her daughter had been abducted by two black men, when in fact she had taken her daughter to Disney World. This woman’s lies prompted a national search and media frenzy, while McPhatter’s body lay burning in her car. No one knew McPhatter’s whereabouts for weeks, and the national media did not get involved in the search, as they did with Sweeten, who was actually lying.

Nikki McPhatter

Black women who are the victims of domestic violence that results in murder rarely receive the national media coverage that white women who are murdered as a result of domestic violence do. To be fair, a lot of women are murdered whose local stories do not become national stories, but local stories about missing black women or victims of domestic violenence rarely get elevated to national headlines. Do we have to be blond, pregnant, married or housewives to get coverage? We get coverage when it comes to disease, death, getting butt implants and being unable to find a man, but not when we are victims of domestic violence.

Both of these cases went to trial during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, yet few have heard of these stories, both of which have all of the details needed for national coverage. The point is, if you haven’t heard of these two women, you should have. You probably didn’t, because black women who are victims of domestic violence are largely invisible in the media, unless we’re an international recording star being beaten up by another international recording star. That is the continued tragedy of domestic violence and how it impacts black women. Nobody is checking for us — at least the “regular” folks.

Source: The Root

Read More Here.

Marriage 101: What To Do When You’re Weary Of Going To Church Alone…

/in , , /by

By Cindi McMenamin

Do you know what it’s like to sit in church, week after week, and feel lonely?

For years, Debe longed to have Randy worshiping alongside her. She was tired of sitting in church alone, singing songs of praise alone, taking notes on the pastor’s sermon alone. Her heart ached for her husband to experience what she did through the music and the message at church.

Because her heart was focused on her husband’s need to be there, Debe remembers filtering every sermon through her husband’s life. Randy needs to hear that, she would think. Or, This verse is for Randy.

After several years of worshiping alone, Debe became discouraged – and sometimes even depressed – that her husband was not joining her in the most important quest in her life, and she was not growing because of it. She finally decided it was time to leave the marriage so she could find someone who would share her heart, worship alongside her, and encourage her in her walk with God. But Debe’s pastor talked her out of it. He encouraged her to start focusing on her growth with the Lord, not her husband’s. As Debe began to do that, she discovered that there was a whole new side of God she never really knew before.

Worshiping alone then took on a whole new dimension, Debe said. “The intimacy of my worship began to increase as I looked to God – and not Randy’s presence beside me – to fill the longings of my heart. It became more one-on-one with Jesus and me. My spiritual and even emotional needs were being met during those times.”

The day Debe realized that worship was not about who was – or wasn’t – sitting next to her was the day she really learned to worship. And she also came to realize that being alone in worship could be a wonderful thing!

Embrace the Alone Times

There are powerful stories in the Bible about women who were alone in worship. One of them was Hannah, the mother of Samuel. She knew well what it meant to worship alone, pray alone, and carry burdens on her heart alone. She desperately wanted a child more than anything else on earth. And one day she bitterly poured out her heart to God about it. She told Him of her longings, her sadness at seeing all the other women around her with children, her frustration that she couldn’t give her husband a child, and her sorrow at being the brunt of jokes from her husband’s other wife. She prayed, cried, and told God that if He would give her a child, she would give him back to the Lord for service in the temple all his life.

This woman laid it on the line with God, and she did it alone. Her husband, Elkanah, must have been in another part of the temple worshiping and offering his sacrifices. But Elkanah didn’t need to be with Hannah. God met Hannah there as she prayed and worshiped alone. And He gave her that child she prayed for.

After weaning her son, Hannah again went to the temple, but this time she went to praise God for His gift to her and to leave her son with the priest. And she appeared to do that alone, as well. Do you ever wonder why she didn’t ask her husband, Elkanah, to pray with her for her child? Do you find it odd that it’s a mother’s prayer and song of praise that is recorded in First Samuel 2 and not one that is shared by the father, too?

I tend to think that Hannah had such a deeply personal experience with God when she begged for a child that she wanted to be alone when she went back to God again. In her earlier visit to the temple, she had some “pouring out” to do and she did it alone. Later, after being given a child, she had some praising to do, and apparently she wanted to do that alone. It was personal -between her and God. And it didn’t matter to her, apparently, whether or not a man or someone else was beside her.

My friend, Sara, can relate. “Prayer is such a deeply personal thing between me and God, and I treasure those times alone with Him. My husband does pray with me, when I ask him to, but why would I want anyone else in the room with me when I’m pouring my heart out to God?”

God had to show me – a pastor’s wife who many times feels alone in worship because my husband is in the pulpit ministering, rather than being alongside me – that praying to Him, and worshipping Him should always be a priority, no matter what the situation, and no matter who comes along.

Make It Personal

I was encouraged recently – while looking through the Bible’s “song book” – that more than half of the Psalms were written from a personal perspective, recounting a personal experience with God. Only about 25 songs referred to corporate worship, using the terms “us” and “we.” This seems to indicate that much of worship takes place as a personal encounter with God. While we are not to forsake assembling together with other believers for corporate worship (Hebrews 10:25), we can’t live off of church worship services as our extent of worshiping God. And we can’t depend on someone else being there beside us for it to be meaningful. Worship must flow from our personal lives, and much of that flow will happen when we are alone.

When Debe switched her focus from who was sitting next to her and onto who was above her, worship became a much more fulfilling experience – to the point that God’s presence alone was what she longed for.

I know you’d prefer someone beside you as you worship, dear friend. But as long as you and I keep our gaze heavenward, we won’t feel as if we’re worshiping alone.

Cindi McMenamin is a national speaker and the author of several books, including When Women Walk Alone, When God Pursues a Woman’s Heart, and Women On the Edge. For more on her books or ministry, see www.StrengthForTheSoul.com

New Report Says Teens Who Have Family Dinners Together Less Likely To Engage In Risky Behavior

/in , /by

By Shani Collins

ABC News reports that teens who have several dinners each week are less likely to engage in risky behavior.

The study was conducted by Columbia University’s National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. The center reports: “Compared to teens who ate with their families five to seven times a week, teenagers who had fewer than three family dinners a week were almost four times more likely to try tobacco, more than twice as likely to use alcohol and 2.5 times more likely to use marijuana.”

William Doughtery, a University of Minnesota professor of family social science said, “Family meals are the strongest factor that we’ve come across in any activity that families do. It really tops them all as a predictor and contributor of a wide range of positive behavior.” The benefits of family dinners include fostering a sense of belonging, security, and stability among teens. The family dinners also allow teens to better communicate with their parents. Doughtery continues, “So much of the rest of the day, kids, especially teens, are spending with their peers by themselves. They have a chance for talking and connecting at family dinners.”

Other studies have shown that having several family dinners throughout the week reduced instances of purging, binge-eating and frequent dieting among adolescent females. Also studies have shown that children who ate breakfast with their families at least four times a week were more likely to eat fruit and vegetables.

For parents looking to connect with their teenages, Doughtery said, “I recommend one family dinner a week. The more you do it, the better. One is better than zero. It’s quality, not quantity.” He also encouraged parents to turn off their cell-phones, and avoid using the opportunity as a time scold children:

“Make it a connecting meal,” said Doughtery. “It’s the quality of the connecting. Just try to have a good conversation. Don’t grill them about their grades.”

Shani K. Collins is a freelance writer completing doctoral studies in social work at the University of Alabama. You may visit her at www.shanicollins.com.

Shani’s article was originally published on Yourblackworld.com

Give Away! Win Self Esteem Boosting Book & Tee From Mom Author: “Mama When Will I Be Popular?”

/in , , /by

By Team BLAM

We are soooo excited! We had the awesome opportunity of interviewing Thomasina Johnson, author of the inspiring book “Mama, When Will I Be Popular”. Thomasina is not just an author, but a wife and mother of 7 beautiful children which she homeschools. She currently attends college in her “spare time” to receive a degree in journalism and is also very active in her local community.

Thomasina, has been writing since she was a child. Her short stories and poems were always the delight of her life. She sought refuge in a pen and paper, to express any and all emotions of her life. Thomasina also openly admits that she has had to struggle with her fair share of “bullies” in one form or another. That is what brought her to a place where she can encourage her own children as well as others to “hang in there, life gets better and makes you stronger.”

Read on to get an inside look at this Super Woman Wife, Mom, & Author as BLAM got up close & personal to find out where the inspiration behind the book comes from.

BLAM: Please tell us a little about yourself, who you are, and what you do.

Thomasina: My name is Thomasina Johnson, I am a wife of 11 years and mother to 7 beautiful children and a published children’s book author. I write books that inspire!

BLAM: I know you’ve been writing since you were a child. Have you always wanted to write books for children?

Thomasina: Actually no, I started writing poems and eloquent letters. Ha,ha,ha

Writing was my refuge a means of expressing feelings. It wasn’t until I had children that I felt the need to tell their stories and reach them and others through mine.

BLAM: What is your book “Mama, When will I be popular?” about?

Thomasina: “Mama, When will I be Popular” is about a young girl who triumphs over teasing, through the loving insightful words of her mom. The message is you can make it past this stage in your life and you don’t have to focus on your here and now letting it change who you are. But you can be stronger because of it and build character that you will take with you in your future.

BLAM: You openly admit that you have had to struggle with your fair share of “bullies” in one form or another. Are some of your past experiences reflected in the book?

Thomasina: Definitely! I have been the odd one and I was greatly impacted by the hurtful words. The page that reads:

“I’m too short. Too tall. Too big. Too small. My hair is not pretty to the other kids at all”.

I wanted to reach every girl with that. I have been all of those things! Sometimes we can be made to think nothing about us is good enough. I have been there too many times.


BLAM: The title alone lets us know that this isn’t your average children’s book. Why is it important to you to encourage and empower children in their struggles?

Thomasina: Because I know where they have been, children are very literal. And they tend to think that their current circumstance is all they have to hope for. It hurts me to share this, but I was blessed… I attempted suicide at 12, because I couldn’t cope. Thankfully I was not successful. I want to give children a glimmer of hope. So they will look at themselves different. They will view others different. And we will all gain a greater appreciation for one another.


BLAM: Wow..your story is truly a testimony. As adults and parents, we sometimes overlook the things that our children are dealing with and going through. How can parents and adults better connect with their children so that they know they have someone to go to when times get tough?

Thomasina: Never ignore the signs. WE know our kids. And we know when something is wrong. Don’t ignore your intuition. Stay involved with them and be on their team. Don’t allow someone else to be on your child’s team more than you. Reach them when they are young. If they are older keep the door open. Let them know after others are done with them that they can always come home.

BLAM: How can people buy your book and connect with you?

Thomasina: I have a website www.booksbythomasina.com I have a face book page www.facebook.com/booksbytj

And my handle on twitter is www.twitter.com/@booksbytj

BLAM: Well, thank you so much Thomasina for talking with us and for being willing to use your past hurt and pain to bring healing, wisdom, and love to others. You are truly an example of what it means (as we say here at BLAM) to “Stop Playing & Start Pushing.”

Read more

What The Troy Davis Case Can Teach Our Youth

/in , /by

As my husband and I sat on the couch glued to the television this evening watching every report we could find on the status of Troy Davis’s execution; I could feel my children’s  eyes on us wondering what was going on. Our oldest son then asked “Mom, who is Troy Davis?” As I looked into my 9 year old’s eyes I did my best to explain…. some might think he’s too young to understand but I know better. There are so many lessons that can be learned by our young people especially our black youth—our black boys in particular. I think Christopher Edmin , Urban Education Expert, speaks to this so well. Read well some of the lessons from his article for The Huffington Post and then sit down with your child, anybody’s child, and teach them.

1) Urban youth must be aware of this case. In many ways, they are Troy Davis.

This is especially the case for black males. Parents must let youth know that Davis has been placed in a situation that many of them could potentially be placed in as well. Many urban kids exist around crime and it’s possible that they could be a witness to one, or be accused of something they did not do. Parents should introduce their children to the case, and discuss any potential risk they have of being in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Let them know that it’s important to voice complaints about what they feel is unjust so that they can make the world better. Encourage your children to write letters, or even write a reflection about how they feel about the case. Making them feel like they are part of a social movement empowers them, and also lets them vent their frustrations constructively.

2) All youth must be wary of the company they keep. They should be taught that if something doesn’t look or feel right, they should leave immediately.

One of the most powerful pieces of the Troy Davis case is the set of events that led to the murder of an innocent man. Allegedly, Davis, was at a party, left with a friend, and got into an argument with another group of men. He then met with another man who was arguing with a homeless man. The second situation quickly escalated into the shooting of MacPhail, who came to the rescue of the homeless man. It is important for youth to know that any scenario where voices are being raised or someone is arguing with someone else has the potential to escalate into violence. When this happens, they should leave as soon as they can.

3) Remind youth that the unspoken “No snitching” rule is useless.

For many urban youth, their negative interactions with the criminal justice system have caused them to develop the idea that they should not “snitch” on each other, no matter what. The common belief is that a code of street ethics is broken when someone tells another person (especially the police) about a crime that has been committed. It is important to let youth know that this belief is often the source of an innocent person being implicated for a crime they did not commit. In the case of Troy Davis, he witnessed the shooting and did not report it. Instead, another person who has been accused to be the shooter, told police that Davis committed the crime.

4) Youth must be encouraged to describe exactly what they see. Nothing more, nothing less.

In the Troy Davis case, many witness statements that were the anchor of the case against Davis were later recanted. Witnesses mentioned that they felt pressure by the police to make statements, and in one case, mentioned that she believed that the shooter had gotten away. This pressure by the police happens too often to urban youth, and has serious implications on who gets accused and/or convicted of crimes. Parents must let youth know that they do not have to bend to pressure by those who have more power than them. The truth is always sufficient if it is told respectfully.

5) Youth must know that when all is said and done, things may not go their way. However, they must handle every situation with dignity and grace

In the Troy Davis case, one of the most powerful things has been the response of Davis and his family to the recent decision to deny clemency. Even in the face of what they feel to be unjust, the family continues to remain in good spirits and fight until they can no longer do so. This response has done a lot for furthering their cause, and brought much needed visibility to this case. This certainly does not mean that what is right has been done. However, youth must see that this response does much more to further their cause than reacting violently.


CLICK HERE for the full article

Taylor Fikes Is Making Her Dream Of Becoming A Professional Ballet Dancer A Reality

/in , /by

By Team BLAM

Ever had a dream? Hopefully, you still do. We all (should) have dreams that inspire, excite, and empower us. 17 year old high school senior Taylor Fikes has a dream.

She is an accomplished ballerina who has just been invited to attend The Bolshoi Academy of Ballet in Moscow, Russia. Bolshoi is one of the oldest and most established schools for classical ballet in the world.

She must raise $18,500 by the end of October. Her mother has created an online fundraising campaign. There are more details about Taylor and her goal and accomplishments on this site. Check out the video below that talks briefly about the The Bolshoi Academy of Ballet in Moscow, Russia and the intense training that Americans undergo when given the awesome opportunity to study with some of the great teachers of ballet.

And, don’t forget to visit Taylor’s Fundraising Site. African Americans don’t always have long lines of wealth to precede us but we do have community. The community truly can make a difference.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

There’s No Time For Fancy Words. They Are Going To Kill Troy Davis

/in /by

*UPDATE* Georgia’s State Board Of Pardons and Paroles has denied clemency to Troy Davis on Sept 20,2011 despite a lot of high-profile support for his claim and a last ditch plea effort on Sept 19th 2011 stressing that he was wrongly convicted of killing a police officer in 1989.  Troy is scheduled to die on Sept. 21 2011 @ 7pm by lethal injection.  Call DA Chapman (912) 652-7308 and ask that he withdraw the warrant for Troy’s death sentence!!!! CLICK HERE to read more.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Two days.

As of this writing (09/19/2011), that’s how long Troy Davis has to live.

Convicted in 1989, a jury in a Savannah, Georgia courtroom said Troy Anthony Davis murdered an off-duty police officer in cold blood. Based on inconsistent statements from eyewitnesses, Davis received the death penalty.

Not unlike many people facing the death penalty, Davis has always maintained his innocence. But, this time there’s reason to believe him.

No gun was ever found and there is no DNA or blood evidence and nearly every prosecution witness has recanted their testimony in the 22 years since the trial. Learn more below and when you’re done CLICK HERE to sign the Amnesty International Petition, share this link, say a prayer for Troy  and his family because there is just too much doubt.

THERE’S NO TIME FOR FANCY WORDS. THEY ARE GOING TO KILL TROY DAVIS.

There’s no time for fancy words. They are going to kill Troy Davis on September 21st, 2011. Please find any petition you can, on the Internet and sign it. Search for: “If I knew then, what I know now, Troy Davis would not be on death row”

WATCH PETITION DELIVERY OF MORE THAN 660,000 SIGNATURES

#TOOMUCHDOUBT

On September 15th, Georgia State Conference President Edward Dubose led a delegation of representatives of the NAACP and other ally organizations to deliver more than 660,000 petitions in support of Clemency for Troy Davis.

LISTEN TO TROY’S SISTER TALK ABOUT THE DETAILS AT THE ALLEGED CRIME SCENE.

Troy Davis is on Georgia’s death row for the 1989 murder of Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail, despite a strong case of innocence. A new execution date might be set at any time. Visit www.JusticeForTroy.com for more details.

Woman Starts Group That Seeks To Preserve Black Families

/in /by

By Victoria Ellison

Black family month is celebrated in July by having family reunions or promoting healthy lifestyles for African Americans. However, there is an organization doing something different not just in July but every day to help preserve and develop healthy Black families.

Black Family Preservation Group, a faith based advocacy organization which has programs geared toward preserving the Black family. The agency was founded in 2007, by Sharon Brooks Hodge who saw a need for strengthening the Black family.

“I was troubled by the poor image of Black families, lack of importance Black youth place on marriage, insignificance of fathers in Black children’s lives and the general culture war against families,” Hodge said.

“Some blame Black men, claiming they have neglected their responsibilities. Others point to Black women. Presumably, we are so difficult to get along with that we make it almost impossible for Black men to stay in their children’s lives. Our organization is less interested in finding fault and more concerned about doing something to save Black families.”

Working through Black churches, Black Preservation Group helps strengthen the Black family by conducting several programs with emphasis on marriage preparation and enrichment, parenting, reentry, education, healthcare, housing, and plans to launch a program in wealth building. They have offices in Phoenix, Arizona, Cleveland, Ohio and Martinsville, Virginia.

Black Preservation Group assists a variety of people who find themselves in unique situations. “Here’s an example” Hodge said. “A woman in southern Virginia is raising 4 grandchildren under the age of 5 because her son is in prison and they have different mothers. We pay for the children to go visit their father. During the visit, he reads to them. We are working with the prison staff to help him with getting a job when he gets out, which will be accompanied by parenting classes and healthy relationship classes so that hopefully he will make a permanent relationship with one of the ‘baby mommas’ and they can provide a family for all of the children. We also deliver fresh produce to this family every week.”

When asked what to say to people who claim the reason Black people are in the situation they’re in because they won’t seek an education or by other reasons caused by themselves and not by society, Hodge replied, “I would say that they are correct. That is why Black Family Preservation Group is necessary. We need to educate our young people, not just in academics, and give them a strong foundation for life. We can’t expect the broader society to do to it for us.”

Black Family Preservation Group, a faith based advocacy organization which has programs geared toward preserving the Black family. The Black Family Preservation Group advocates for black families by:

Identifying the obstacles that tear our families apart

Disseminating news, information and published research studies about African-American families

Conducting and publishing research on black families and efforts to strengthen them

Promoting positive images of black families &

Encouraging the preservation of the traditional two-parent family to black youth, teens, young adults, married and unmarried couples.

Visit them at BlackFamilies.org