Friday, August 26, 2016

Fiercely Fighting To Be Fearless

You know what they say about never being able to go home again? Welp, it's true...ok well not entirely but to some degree it is...I mean think about it. Think about how much you've changed since you set out to explore the world and try new things. And then think about how some in your inner circle have not! And while this isn't necessarily a bad thing it is a thing!

Because while you are proud of the changes that you've made both in your lifestyle and character, your loved ones don't exactly feel the same way. While they may be  proud of the financial and or professional gains they are more than just a tad bit confused, intimidated and fearful by other changes that they see in you!    And while you'll find this disheartening it's not a bad thing or the end of the world. OR at least it shouldn't be! But let met tell you that fear changes people.

Believe you me, fear can make the sweetest person you know turn into #@$%^& as they try to protect their loved one and the world as they know it from what they don't understand or are fearful of. Since I've been back I've been warned by everyone that the city has changed and that I might not want to go here because someone was shot around that area last week. Or are you sure you want to take that Uber to the city? I heard on the news a few months ago that an Uber driver attacked their passenger.


While we love our family we must be careful to not allow them to project their fears of the unknown or what they don’t understand on us! Some of the people that you are closest to are the same people who keep you trapped in the fearful zone when you're working so hard to be fearless. 

Friday, July 15, 2016

Family + Fun + Finding My Footing in 30 Days

Wow, I can't believe it!

I've been home for exactly a month now....like dang y'all where did the time go? I know I spent a week or two catching up with all of my cousins on my mom's side ....yep that Server-Relf set (truth be told it's the Server-Relf/Henson -Potts crew...yep both sides of my mom's family tree). Check out the pic's of me and a different group of cousins, than you have seen before. I know you're wondering how many cousins does she have?!  IDK!  Just trust me when I say that there are a LOT! As my Big Momma used to say, "Girl as long as you got family...you got all you need!"  And the older I get the truer that statement seems to be.

Y'all being back in the Bay with family and seeing the water every day sure has given me the boost my body and soul were craving! Does being around your family give you a spiritual lift too?
Parents + Cousins*Nephew=Family
Oh yeah and by now I'm sure you know that my BELOVED  Golden State Warriors lost the NBA Finals and after traveling all this way back to the Bay... I've still not been able to go to a championship parade! But you best believe will be chasing the title again next year!

Went to one of my cousin's 50th birthday party.  Don't I look pretty in my pink dress?

Partying with the Family


But I've been doing more than re-connecting with family....I've taken a few meetings out at Google,,,a few at Cal....Cal Berkeley. got set up to review movies on the west coast with Warners . reached out to the city of El Cerrito and Richmond to talk tech and interviews,,,interviews....I'll let you  where I land....

In the meantime and in-between time I went to Bezerkely with my GodPrincesses to soak up some culture and to my surprise the city is being GENTRIFIED! So I snapped a few pic's of the zaney things that were left. Take a look.


GodPrincesses + Bezerkeley= Fun Fun Fun







I hope you enjoy the collage of pic's of my favorite hidden gem spaces in my hometown Richmond, Ca. aka Rich City and that it truly is! Rich in culture....everything that makes me the divalicious blerd that I am!
Views from Point Richmond & The Shore

Friday, July 1, 2016

Not So Fearless After All


I'm just an average girl with an average life


I work in Social Tech, hey hell,I pay the price


But why do I always feel like......Somebody's watchin MEEE!





Naw.....I'm still FEARLESS & FABULOUS!!

Enjoy the 4th y'all!

Friday, June 10, 2016

Friends, Family, Faith & Fearlessness




Fearless

  adjective


   1. without fear; bold or brave





After getting stuck up on a hill in the middle of the night WITH NO PHONE SERVICE just outside of El Paso, Texas during a thunderstorm/flash flood and having a"God, you better do something!" moment with the Lord. The Doggy Diva Diamond and I made it to Pheonix, talking to various cousins along the way(when there was service). Chatting with"the cousins" not only provided me with companionship but allowed me an audience to discuss what it means to be fearless and live life fearlessly. Two of my older cousins that are part of the 50 & fabulous club felt that simple things like moving across country, to a new city and starting a new career over the age of 40 was a fearless and slightly bad ass thing to do! While another set of cousins in the 40 can't last forever club was like "Girl, what took you so long!...You're such a slacker" frame of mind. And when specifically asked what type of life changes would they think it took to add someone to the "living life fearlessly" club, they specifically stated things like living and working abroad, starting their own business, trying things that most black people wouldn't (or what the media tells us aren't stereotypical black things) like learning to fly a plane, zip-lining and jumping out of a plane (apparently some of my cousins are secretly bad ass too)!  So, now I'm getting a glimpse of what other people see in me and why some of them would think that I'm fearless! I mean, after all, I did move across country, to a new city, no job, and very little family. And while I have yet to learn to fly a plane but I have jumped from a plane, zip-lined while on vacation and well I did have my own start-up (remember Goszip Mall, y'all?) Wow! Looking at things from a new perspective I'm looking at the palm trees that are coming up on my left and pop in Pac's, "California love" and I'm feeling a little bad ass and thinking yep I'm experiencing a bit of fearlessness and you know what? I think I like it! 
Chatting with "the cousins" helped keep me focused, entertained and gave me a new perspective on what "living life fearlessly" really is! And you know what else happened on the ride back to Cali? I conquered my fear of driving across country by myself! I only had 2 panic attacks on the ride home and hey don't judge me,you never know what you'll do when stuck in a flash flood & thunderstorm in the middle of texas, at night! 
Hope you enjoy the pic's and yessssssssssss ,I took a meeting at BuzzFeed before reaching my next set of cousins! More about that later.
Anyhoo I'm gonna shut it down for a bit I'm gonna visit with my lil cousin and talk Warrior's basketball y'all! 
Conquered My Fears
  


Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Connecting With Family & Becoming Fearless

Fearless





  adjective


   1. without fear; bold or brave

As I was leaving NOLA, headed towards Houston where I intended to stop and see my cousin whom, I've not seen since I became a mother, let alone a Bella! 

I got a call from my ex who just may also be my next! Ok, ok so that's probably not gonna happen but it's a nice idea to flirt with.
Anyhoo he called to chat while I drove and he too told me he liked my kick-ass and fearless spirit!  
Now y'all I'm like what are people seeing in me that I'm missing! Like, for real, though.  Cuz, when I think about the moves that I've made lately, I just see a Lil Black girl from Richmond California trying to survive and make lemonade out of the lemons that life has thrown at her and rise to the top! I mean where I'm from you're either constantly striving to be the BEST or........OMG, I don't even want to think about it.....

So back to the Ex and him enlightening me on what in the heck I've done to make people think that I'm fearless.

So apparently chucking it all and moving across the country to chase your dream is an act of fearlessness and wait doing simple things like booking a room on Airbnb and driving for Uber they count too!

So basically living life outside of the stereotype is an act of fearlessness! Because when I finally got to Houston and met up with my cousin and told her that I'd be staying at an Airbnb while in town...she was like my aren't you brave! We shared experiences that happened in our lives since we last saw each other in person...it was great!

There's nothing like being with family...for me connecting and sharing ideas,dreams and stories of adventures from the past with those who have the same bloodline is powerful! And I'm not just talking about my foolishness either....I mean stories of brave, bold and plain ole badassness by my parents, grandparents, great-grandparents great aunts and uncles too!

As fate would have it we spent so much time catching up that before I knew it the sun was up and it was time to go!

Life can be funny...especially when memory meets reality...when I was a little girl my cousin came to visit and I remember her as being super duper tall. I used to tell people I wanted to be tall like my cousins on my dad's side... well...it worked because guess what we're the same height!

Yep, she's 5'8 too! LOL,I guess I was really short when I was little because she seemed a lot taller back then! In my mind, she was like 6ft. tall. See for yourself....



Queue the music...On the road again I just can't wait to get on the road again.... ok ok that's a stretch cuz y'all know that I am not a fan of driving for more than 45 mins...lol


On the road again...seeing things I may never see again...I can't wait to get on the road again...
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Sunday, June 5, 2016

Living Fearlessly With Family

When we last chatted, I'd left  you to ponder what the word "Fearless" means to you and then I gave you the dictionary's definition of the word (see below).

Fearless



  adjective


   1. without fear; bold or brave


After sliding through Slidell I was able to get my brother from another on the phone again and asked him to explain why he thought that I was fearless. His response because you never let ANYTHING stop you! I was like WOW is that what people think? I mean ...WOW...as I'm about to pull up to my glamson's house with a police escort (Y'all ain't ready for that story yet)! I'm thinking and feeling like my move back to the Bay is a retreat....like I've lost the battle and I'm turning tail and running home to Daddyo! I mean sure I was able to launch Goszip Mall and I held the Sassie's Festival back in 2013 and my Cupcakes & Code events turn out cool all the time. AND I did move across country just me and the Doggy Diva Diamond buuuut I'm not really sure if that makes me fearless or not.

Welp the Boys in Blue, got me to the GlamSon's house, but before I go, "What makes a person fearless to you" ? Leave me a note in the comments.
Police escort to GlamSon's house

Before getting back on the road I'm going to share a collage of some of the time I spent with my Glambabies. O, the things the glamkids and I got into while spending 5 amazing days in NOLA(you really are different there)

We attended one of  A3's first ever little league games; he was totally awesome! Not afraid to hit the ball at all and you should have seen him run those bases like a vet! He was the only one that the coach didn't have to tell what to do and when.

 Now that glamdaughter of mine.....she's the epitome of the word FEARLESS and YES her superpowers are in her tiara. Just like her Bella she wears one everyday (YES, she has several different ones. Bella will have to step up her tiara game).  Look at the pictures of her in the collage you will see her sitting in the fire truck...well she asked the fire chief if she could use their bathroom and when we came out, she ran straight to the truck and climbed up and asked for a picture. Mi Chanta had to join her because well Bella wanted her to be safe anyhoo that lil girl knows no fear!





So while I don't believe that I, myself am fearless those Glambabies of mine definitely are!


Ahh well it's time to head west....sigh...bye NOLA 

Bye NOLA

Saturday, June 4, 2016

Live Life Fearlessly & Fabulously

Wow, I can't believe that the day has come for me to pack the car and head back to the Bay Area! 

And here we go.....called Family Mobile and assured continuous service from ATL to NOLA to the Bay...CHECK ...car packed ....CHECK.....lunch packed....CHECK....car gassed up...CHECK....Time to roll out....

On the road again ...I can't wait to get on the road again!

Right if you know me well and by now you should, you know that I hate to drive and I'm anxious as all get out about this drive I'm about to make across country but anyhoo the Doggy Diva Diamond and I are now on I20 and headed south until it turns into I10 and takes us right on into Slidell, Lousiana!
Doggy Diva Diamond

What a beautiful drive it was from Atlanta to Alabama; believe it or not it was quick and easy too!!

Talladega Forest
Because I'm not really a fan of road trips I either stop too much or not enough and as luck would have it I probably should have stopped a bit sooner as I had to make a mad dash when I finally stopped the car.  Hang on y'all I'll be right back.


Now where was I? Oh, yeah y'all the roads are so beautiful, lush and green. The view was nice and the weather was great! My parents had me all worked up about some impending storm but God cleared the path for me and there was no rain in sight. I was zooming along as fearlessly and fabulously as could be!

YES, y'all I wore my tiara to give  me a bit of confidence!



As I'm rolling through Mississippi my phone rings it's a really good guy friend of mines calling to ask if I'd gone back to the Bay Area to watch the NBA  West Coast Semi-Finals series between OKC and my BELOVED Golden State Warriors. Well, I had to come clean and admit that while I was on my way back to the Bay....I wouldn't be going to the games and that I probably wouldn't get home until sometime during the Finals. After, giving my brother from another mother the run down on my return to our beloved California and in particular our "Bay Area" ...he surprised me with telling me how he loved the fact that I was kick ass and FEARLESS!

But before I could get him to explain the line went dead and I couldn't get a signal until the Doggy Diva Diamond and I rolled right into Slidell!

A photo posted by Karen (@socialmmmdiva) on


But before I go find those Glambabies of mine.......  What does the word fearless mean to you? I'm not sure if that word can be used to describe me, however, I'm honored that someone thinks that it does!  Let's talk about this some more as I continue on to the Bay! 
But for now here's how the dictionary describes the word. 

Fearless




  adjective


   1. without fear; bold or brave


Monday, May 30, 2016

Continue to Dream

I’m down to my last 4 days here in Atlanta and I’m still attending advance screenings right up to the end!  I sure hope the West Coast PR Reps from the various studios and film festivals are as generous to me. Not sure though because there aren’t as many premieres and advanced screening events in the Bay Area. But anyhoo let me tell you about my latest adventure.
On Wednesday, evening I head over to the Landmark theatre to attend the advance screening of Presenting Princess Shaw, and as with all of the shows that I am allowed to attend an advanced screening for, I do a bit of research on the movie before I go. While I was at Starbucks, saying goodbye and working on a new project with one of my sisterfriends, I took a peek at the trailer. It looked really interesting it seemed to be a modern day Cinderella story about a youtuber of color!  Sound familiar? Well we’ll see…
Anyway since they gave me two tickets and I’m down to my last few days in Atlanta, I decided to ask this younger guy who I think is totally hot and haute to accompany me, and as always he said, YES!  
Unfortunately, though I lost track of time when I was working on my project with my sisterfriend and there was no time for me to go home to make myself younger than I really am (GG’s quick ginger, lemon, hot pepper scrub, normally does the trick).  So instead I’m in the ladies’ room pouring ice from the concession stand into my hand and holding my freshly washed face into it.  It helps some, the shine is gone and those bags under my eyes (stayed up too late packing) are now easily covered with makeup.  
Finally, it’s 7 and my friend has arrived. He smells sooo good that I can barely focus.
Anyhoo, the movie is starting so we grab a couple of seats and as we do this great husky yet very soft and feminine yet powerful voice, is filling the theater. And even though Princess Shaw has an awesome voice I’m totally distracted because this man smells so freakin good and he’s leaning in so we can talk about the movie like Black people do (focus Diva focus).
Meanwhile on the screen the story of Princess Shaw and her amazing voice is unfolding, her journey to reaching her dreams of becoming a famous singer. We see her struggling to keep a roof over her head and the lights on as so many of us do here in the good ole US of A, especially those of us with a creative artsy spirit.  Princess Shaw has such a calming and uplifting spirit through-out her journey, most often than not she is very positive and keeps chasing her dreams no matter what happens. Through the disappointment of family and friends not supporting her by coming out to hear her sing or dealing with hurt from her past, she keeps pressing forward, unaware that her world is about to change!

You know, my pastor is always saying that we should not lose sight of our dreams and to dream bigger, because if we do not grow weary and give up we will achieve all our dreams (Galatians 6:9)! And Princess Shaw is doing exactly that! Even though she was growing weary, especially after not making it as a contestant on the voice and then they took the tires off her car and left it sitting on blocks. She kept pushing on. As I get ready to move back across the country this story resonates with me…as the time is fast approaching where I just may find myself in a dead end job waiting to die….anyhoo enough about me. Back to the movie. The best part about this movie was as the viewer, we shared a happy secret about what was going to happen next for Princess Shaw with Kutiman, who Princess had yet to meet! When Princess Shaw is finally made aware of her guardian angel, I wanted to cry.  I’m not going to tell you all of it but I strongly encourage you to watch the trailer below and check it out at your local theater.

This story was amazing!

Ta-ta for now I’m off to chase my next adventure.  

O, yeah remember to dream and chase your dreams feverishly… 

Sunday, May 22, 2016

The Kids That I Met Last Night Were Sooo

Amazing!

These kids at Hack'd Mini, were truly amazing!

What's Hacked Mini you ask? Well, it was a really cool event put on by 100 Girls of Code organizer Danithea Ward, put together this past Friday.  And I had the honor of being a judge! 




The night started off with a Pizza party .....never knew how good Mariano's pizza was! So anyway once we'd pigged out on the pizza the kids headed into the classrooms with their coaches to get some basic training on how to develop a basic app using "made with code" lessons by google.After 30 minutes of learning the basics for creating a "flappy bird" type of game. The children were set free to design a similar game of their own! There would be two winners one boy and one girl.

About an hour later myself and the other three judges ventured throughout the auditorium to get a sneak peek at what the participants were working on. After checking in with various participants like Jayla and Justin who took the time to explain what "flappy bird" was and why it was being used as the template for the children to pattern their games off.  For those of you who are not familiar with "flappy bird" it was a fairly popular and addictive game that launched in 2014, the object of the game is to guide the bird through a set of pipes and if you run your bird into a pipe you lose.

Now it's time for the judging to begin and the young people are assembling in front of the judging table to present their creations to us. First up were the young men...now y'all I must admit I thought this was going to be a breeze but yeah NO!   It was very challenging because our task was to give each competitor a score from 1-10 for the following Functionality/Completion of the game; Creativity/Originality(This was the hard part all of the games had the same underlying premise...or so I thought!) Presentation.  Anyhoo back to the judging. So the first young man was an 8 yr old Seth who created a game called Rocket Rush that functioned similarly like "flappy bird", Seth did a great job! He changed the basic "flappy bird" background to look as if you were in space and changed the avatar to be a rocket. Boy, was I impressed, so initially I gave him a 27! But as more boys presented to us one after another the games became fancier and fancier.And the way that they were presenting and explaining what they had developed and why, I was blown away.  Some had added music and background noises that coincided with the theme of their  projects.  And then the girls came and  HOLLLY GOODNESS!! These girls are going to take Silicon Valley by storm when they are finished acquiring their coding skills! Let me tell you about Jayla, this little lady was a precocious 9 yr old who'd created a game called Honey Bee, she's turned the columns into flower stems. Her avatar was, of course, a bumble bee and she had added the buzzing sound. Her game would deduct points the 1st and 2nd time the bee ran into the flower stems.If you hit it a 3rd time your bee died. Jayla did a great job functionality and creativity but a few of the other judges felt that she could have done better on her presentation. Sidebar ladies if you are reading this....you know what we have to do....that's right start prepping our girls to look people right in the eye and tell'em what they want!

Ok back to the story, so by now you're probably like come on, girl, who won, already! Well, the winner was a young lady named Torie, If you ask me Torie had an unfair advantage as her mom was one of the coaches. Anyhoo Torie had designed the game to look like the seascape from the upcoming movie Dories Adventure and titled her game as such. Torie had included all of the bells and whistles that were available in her game.! It had music, ocean sounds and the sound most games make when your avatar dies. She's also set it up so that her columns moved when your avatar moved. And goodness could she present. Torie started her presentation with why she made the game, then how she made it and why she choose to include the elements that she did. She also explained how to play her game and got one of the other judges to play the game and asked the judge, how did he enjoy the game! Like I said before those kids were amazing! For most of the kids who attended the hack, it was their 1st time attending this type of event. They all had a great time and were looking forward to the next event. And let me tell you something so where the judges.















                          Torie

I guess the theme of last week was about doing things that are sometimes uncomfortable and finding yourself having an amazing time! With that being said head on over to Code.org, and download the instructions and the templates to try building your own "flappy bird" game.
 
Cheers to a great weekend and now to a busy week of packing and preparing for the next chapter in trying to make lemonade out of the lemons that are being thrown my way.

Saturday, May 21, 2016

Even A Diva Is Unsure Sometimes

Alright y’all a few days have passed and now I’m wishing that I would have went to go see Queen Katwe this interesting show that Disney is about to release! Lupita Nyong’o and David Oyelowo star in the movie and the initial quote that goes across the screen is totally awesome and inspiring!  Also, I love how they chose to open the movie with this quote and then a picture of the beauty of Uganda.

The size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve them. Ellen Sirleaf Johnson President of Liberia

Maybe one day I’ll have enough followers or I’ll have launched my digital media company and can have the film sent to me to screen and review at my leisure…but today I’m not there! Shoot I’m just happy that I get to go for free right now.

Anyhoo take a look at the trailer the trailer


I also love the quote, “Sometimes the place you have become used to, is not the place that you belong.” Meaning that in order to reach your goals at times you have to make uncomfortable decisions and move around to position yourself for greatness.

 And so I’m going to share it here first, that my time in Atlanta has come to an end! Yes, y’all!! Yes!! Unfortunately, I was unable to break into the Silicon of the South! Everyone believes that Atlanta is the “Black Mecca”; that it’s easy for African American’s to reach their goals here, well unfortunately, I must admit to myself and everyone else that while I’ve had some highlights since moving here. I can’t quite call my time here successful and as Kenny Rogers (No relation), says, You gotta know when to hold’em, know when to fold’em, know when to walk away….. So the doggy diva and I are preparing to move.

And I have to ask y’all does this ever happen to you that when you finally decide to make a life changing move that things start to appear as if they might actually work out where you are? Yep as the time closes in on me packing up the Blessed Pearl (my totally connected Ford Fiesta) and hittin the road… seeds that I planted last year are coming to fruition but thankfully I paid attention to what my de facto mentors were saying and I set it up so that if anyone was listening and decided they would finally give me a chance to get my Sassie and Techie dreams off the ground, I could achieve them from anywhere!
So please keep comin back y’all and enjoy more stories as I keep chasing my dreams!

Leave a comment from time to time and please do share your Sassie adventures with me.      

Laughter, Really Is The Best Medicine!

Y’all, as I prepare to drive across country, just me and the doggy diva I've been feeling a little melancholy. Not really sad but just a bit funky and could really use a pick me up. And as luck would have it I got an e-mail from a fellow PR (public relations) professional inviting me to attend the screening of Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising. So I grabbed my keys and headed to Atlantic Station to claim my free ticket, popcorn and soda.

While I was on my way to the theater, I got a text message from another PR friend who invited me to Queen of Katwe, so at the stoplight I googled the film (because I'd not heard of it). While, the movie produced by Disney looked to be an extraordinary thought provoking story being told about the African Diaspora and I have to admit I'll end up buying a ticket for if I'm not invited to another screening of it. But sometimes you just need a laugh sooooo I texted back that I had a previous engagement and I would have to pass but please keep me in mind for future screenings and to please send me an e-mail with as much info as possible about Queen of Katwe to include in a future post.

So I pull into the parking garage at 5:45 and as I get out of my car and head to the elevator a group of young People of Color (Indian to be specific) almost ran me over the young lady who was driving apparently had watched too many stereotypical movies of African Americans and became aggressive with me!  I was like JEEEZUZ take the wheel. I'm on my way to "work" technically... don't let this Chile kill my vibe!  

 So I take a deep breath and get in the elevator and continue on to the theater. When I get upstairs there's a line for screenings and I give my name and the theater rep says, Ms. Robinson which movie will you be reviewing tonight? You're on the list for both! I have to be honest I almost switched from the comedy to the thought provoking Queen of Katwe....but y'all I really needed to laugh!  So I asked what perks came with the Queen of Katwe vs Neighbors 2 Sorority Rising. Stop laughing y'all!! Yes, it does matter if you're getting free popcorn and a soda when you're reviewing these shows! I mean come on, you know it makes for a better experience!   Anyhoo the rep advises that the best perks come with the original movie I was invited to review Neighbors 2 Sorority Rising.  I tell the theater rep, Neighbors 2 Sorority Rising it is! Don't judge me, but the popcorn & soda were gonna help with the viewing experience and the healing of the melancholy.   

All of a sudden there is a lot of yelling & cursing behind me as I head toward the concession stand and guess who I see running into the theater acting like a bad stereotype? That’s right the young ladies from the parking garage! And its true God don’t like ugly! They were ushered right on out of the theater! Isn’t karma great?  Anyhoo back to Neighbors 2 Sorority Rising! So the crew from Dish Nation was in the house to open up the show Da Brat and crew really got the party started.

And then the show started… no previews straight to the opening…y’all I never stopped laughing! I laughed from the time the movie started until the credits rolled! Take a look at the trailer and get your laugh on y’all and if your soul needs a pick me up….go see Neighbors 2 Sorority Rising this weekend.



For those of you wanting to know more about Queen Katwe check my next post! Alright Tahtah for now....

Friday, May 13, 2016

Buzzing about Legends And Legacy


Seems like it was just the 1st of the month, when I received my invitation from the Center for Civil and Human Rights to attend the screening and Q&A of the History Channel's reproduction of the mini-series Roots.  As I reserved my ticket and tried to figure out what I would wear as I walked the red carpet, I couldn't help but think why on earth were they making a new version!?! I mean after all the awards and records that the original won and still holds (i.e. most watched mini-series of all time! 37 Emmy nominations)

Anyhoo the days flew by and it's the night of the screening...turns out it was business casual attire, so I threw on a simple t-shirt dress & heels... then I made my way to the "Center".

I'd watched the trailer (watch it below) and it did look good but I kept wondering, aren't there other African American stories that could be told?  Still a bit miffed as to why they were doing the remake...I followed everyone into the auditorium the lights were dimmed and we were about to watch the re-make of ROOTS.



                  Whew what an awesome adventure that was! 

I know after watching the trailer, you kinda know what I'm talkin about.... but baaaaby wait until you watch the first episode.  

So after the screening, there was this fantastic panel that was hosted by Jeff Johnson from BET; with producer Will Packer, Ambassador Andrew Young, T.I. and Phaedra Parks. There were also quite a few Bravolebrities in attendance as well as a handful of social influencers such as myself. But the real "stars" were the millennials who were present!

These young people ranged from our talented 10th as the saying goes, to the extremely street savvy youngster and they had a ton of great questions for the panel. By the time they’d taken the third question though it was revealed to me why it was important for the History Channel to partner with Will Packer and do a re-make of the series. While each of the millennials (all born & raised in Atlanta), asked some pretty poignant questions of Jeff and the panel, all three said that they had never watched the original, read the book and only one had heard of the story before! I was flabbergasted!

In 1976 when the book came out I was 9yrs old and I had read the book,before watching the series! Not because anyone forced me to, but because I read about it in Ebony Jr. and my older cousins were reading it…shoot, they were even reading it at church!

I was confused as to how so many African Americans had yet to read this story!

My son had read Roots and The African before he started school (truth be told, we took turns reading pages from those 2 books the summer he turned 5) I used reading those books with him as quality family time! A distraction for the fact that he wasn’t going to be watching TV in the evenings, that summer, since he did so much of that at his grandmother’s during the day.  And then it was also a requirement for him to read Roots in high school!

I’ll say it again, Will Packer did a phenomenal job of adding a back story of realism and truth to the series; a truth, that the world wouldn’t have been able to handle in 1977! 

Frankly with all that is happening in the Race for the White House, this re-make was right on time. Hopefully people will watch and conversations will be started, that will get people fired up and registered to vote!

So have a viewing party this coming Memorial Weekend and start a conversation about race and legacy, because as GG and Big Mama Relf always said to me, to know from where you and your people come from is a road map to your destiny!

Go ahead start a conversation with your family and leave them with a legacy of wanting to know from whence their people came.

Alright I gotta get back to work!  It's aMays-ing how quickly the month of May is buzzing by, smooches!

Saturday, April 16, 2016

OMG Can You Believe It?!

OMG where has the time gone???

I can't believe it's April already!

Seems like just last week it was March 17th and I was attending the Red Carpet Premiere of Barber Shop The Next Cut ! 

Y'all that movie was soo good! If you're going to the opening tonight or for a matinee this weekend to support the "Black Out" movement you're going to have a great time!

The movie was comfortable it felt like we were looking in on a group of our old friends; possibly from our own local barbershop or beauty salon. Although I must admit it was a bit out of character to have both the stylist and barbers performing work on their clients in the same room. I know my girls back home in the Bay would not be cool with getting their weaves sewn in with some fine men in the room!

Anyway for the purpose of laying out the storyline for this movie the ladies appeared to be cool with it. The new main characters played by Common, Nicki Minaj and Regina Hall seemed to fit very well with the established characters from the 1st two films and the storylines flowed so easily, one might get caught up and forget that they weren't in the other films.

Cube & Cedric did a great job not only with how well the new characters fit in but also how they approached the subject of the real life gang wars that the southside of Chicago residents are being forced to deal with today.

So grab your keys, a sweater your kids, girls or a date and get out there and support  Barber Shop The Next Cut ! 

Here's a few pic's from the premiere that I was blessed to attend.




I really enjoy this part of blogging! I get invited to movie screenings and screenings of new TV shows and web series all the time, however the best part is getting to see the stars at the priemeres because from time to time every diva needs the glitter and glitz from time to time.


Anyhoo grab your keys, a sweater, your kids, girls or a date and get out there and support  Barber Shop The Next Cut ! 



Monday, January 4, 2016

Whew I Made it !!

WOW, life was such a roller coaster that I really didn't post to my personal blog!!!

Yes, it WAS!

January 2015 was filled with hope and enthusiasm and then came February and it all went down the drain. You read it right life went from sugar to shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh to shhhoot I just gotta roll until the wheels fall off.

Here are some pics from different social media/public relation events,film festivals and movie premieres that I attended. As well as a few cool blerdy things like Dragon Con and a hackathon or two.





Ok...Ok things weren't all bad in 2015 but it was a struggle and I'm blessed to have survived it! I even came out with a lil gift from God! That's right I was blessed with a connected car....O the adventures we've had...wink wink

Anyhoo I made it to 2016 and the lessons I learned in 2015 are sure to come in handy!