He wants you to know you’re worthy.

He wants you to know that nothing else is more important.

via Clutch

• We will tell our own stories. There is just something to be said about Black women directing movies about Black women or Black women conducting studies about our own struggles. Perhaps it‚Äôs authenticity. Instead of complaining when we see distorted representations of our experiences, we vow to seek positions of power and/or find ways to support other Black women to do so, so that we can write our own narratives‚Äînot men, not Whites, not anyone else.

• We will not rely on the Internet (or any other form of media) to be our relationship mediator. One of the main reasons that the viral videos and special news reports on the state of Black relationships hit such a nerve is not because they perpetuated stereotypes we already knew existed, but because we weren‚Äôt already having these conversations openly, honestly and constructively with one another (i.e., men with women).

• We will feel safe in our neighborhoods. When did it become acceptable for us to be afraid to walk home after dark? When did we become naturalized to the random acts of violence committed against us each day? It is not okay. And we will no longer let another catcall or invasion of our personal space go unaddressed‚Äîwhether it‚Äôs speaking up to the perpetrator or alerting the nearby authorities.

• We will remember that we are human. Contrary to popular belief, we are not the mules of the world. We are not superhuman. We will allow our selves to hurt, so long as we allow ourselves to heal.

• We will whip our hair. No matter if it‚Äôs long, short, permed, natural, or weaved, we will nurture what‚Äôs underneath. We will not pit women against each other because of our hair preferences. Hair is like religion. We each have our own rituals. We vow to respect each other‚Äôs rituals.

• We will open our minds and hearts to love. We will embrace the possibility of finding a mate who is outside of our race, income bracket or height range. We will remember that these attributes are not measures of one‚Äôs character or compatibility.

• We will love ourselves and each other. We pledge to speak positivity into our lives and the lives of others. We will mentor other Black women and uplift them. We promise to acknowledge other women with a smile or a simple ‚Äúhello‚Äù . . . and mean it. Sisterhood is essential for our survival.

via Clutch Mag

OMG…If I had a dollar for everytime I heard each one of these lines. Make sure you watch all the way to the end…ladies, it’s worth it.

Fellas, feel free to chime in at any time. This should get interesting.

Check out the most recent study published on Black Web, suggesting that while African-Americans don’t have much of an online presence via Desktop…we have the mobile game on lock:

While African Americans might not being using desktops to access the Web, the mobile sector is a whole new ballgame. According to the report, Latinos and blacks are more likely to own a mobile phone than whites and outpace whites in mobile app use.

Compared with white cell phone owners, blacks and Latinos are significantly more likely to use their mobile devices to:

• Text message (70% of¬†all African-Americans and English-speaking Latinos use text messaging, vs. just over half of whites)
• Use social networking sites
• Use the internet
• Record and watch videos
• Make a charitable donation via text message (this finding is particularly interesting since white internet users are¬†more likely to have made a charitable donation online‚Äî25% of online whites have done so, compared with 17% of African-Americans and 14% of Latinos.)
• Use email
• Play games
• Listen to music
• Use instant messaging

NerdLike, what are your thoughts on this?

Dear Stayve Jerome Thomas,

You should be ashamed of yourself.¬† If not for your completely insane commentary, then definitely for your inability to efficiently use the English language.¬† It’s called a comma and spell check…please make them your friends.

Moving on, I am not even sure why I am getting so worked up over your recent blog post.¬† I keep re-reading your slanderous remarks about Black women and comparing the situation to arguing with my eight year old son.¬† It really isn’t a fair fight, is it? But, something inside of me can’t let it go.¬† Now, I don’t pretend to be some sort of feminist or activist, but what I AM is a Black woman…and I assure you, you do not speak on behalf of me.¬† To say that we are unable to be trusted because we are essentially all gold diggers and looking for someone to pay our way is damn near blasphemous. ¬† We are living in a time where women all over the world are picking up their destinies and taking control of their lives.¬† 25 year old CEOs, band managers, photographers, recording artists…the list goes on and on.¬† Just like the residents of WhoVille, WE ARE HERE…and newsflash, we aren’t going anywhere.

Chances are you may not have ever run across a woman like me or the chicks in my Wolf Pack because you are looking in the wrong places.¬† If she is in the club half naked, hanging ‘close’ to the roped off area of the VIP, or backstage with your entourage, chances are SHE is the woman you are talking about.¬† Desperate.¬† Longing.¬† And while they are all over the place trying to get men like you to put a ring on it, we are still here…the minority, but surviving.¬† We have the right to have our noses in the air from time to time, we are the shit.¬† And if we want something, we go out and get it…

And to take it further, you attack men like my father, my brothers, my friends.  Just because they are not all rappers or producers does not make them invalid.  They have regular 9-5s, they are taking care of their children.  And even if they are working three jobs, going to school at night and living to check to check..they are still there.  They are committed.  And they deserve every ounce of respect that the world has to give them.

Even if this never reaches you.  Even if you do not care.  Know that every day 2000 people come through my little space on the web, and they will read this.  They will email this to their friends.  They will tweet this.  And if you thought your fan base was  smaller than the balls on the little Chinaman  in The Hangover, just wait until this episode is over.

- Jazerai.

Later, QuestLove tweeted that he would be taking a small break from Twitter, as it seems NBC wasn’t too ecstatic about his twitpic LOL.¬† What do you think, offensive or comical?

Check out the shoppers’ reactions, or lack there of in some cases.¬† Thoughts?

While the entire world is busy tweeting about what the hell bubble boy is doing, an interracial couple was denied a marriage license today…and it almost went unnoticed.

Keith Bardwell, justice of the peace in a Louisiana Parish was quoted as saying that he refused to marry Beth Humphrey, 30, and 32-year-old Terence McKay, because he was concerned about their hypothetical children. In his experience, ‘interracial couples don’t last’ and he doesn’t believe he’s mistreated anyone in this matter, or the four other times he denied licenses.¬† Bardwell was also quoted as saying this:

“I’m not a racist. I just don’t believe in mixing the races that way,” Bardwell told the Associated Press on Thursday. “I have piles and piles of black friends. They come to my home, I marry them, they use my bathroom. I treat them just like everyone else.”

What.the.hell.

And just in case you are as pissed off as I am…don’t worry, the ACLU sent a letter to the Louisiana Judiciary Committee, which oversees the state justices of the peace, asking them to investigate Bardwell, as well as asked that “the most severe sanctions available, because such blatant bigotry poses a substantial threat of serious harm to the administration of justice.” via Huffington Post

Check it out here or pick up a copy from Amazon

[Via NYTimes]

Morris Brown College, a historically Black university in Atlanta, will more than likely not reopen its doors next month for spring semester, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. After continued financial problems for the last few years, the 127-year-old institution has no funds left to pay faculty and staff salaries. The school is sinking in $380,000 of unpaid water bills, along with a hefty debt of $1.5 million dollars, following embezzlement and other alleged crimes by former administrators. The city has cut off water to the college.

14 copies of the new, popular game Animal Crossing: Wild World comes complete with racial slurs. While testing the demo game, a user had a sheep approach him and say, “How are you, nigga?” Nintendo recently released a statement regarding these copies:

“Previously played copies of the 2005 DS game Animal Crossing: Wild World were sent to 14 members of the media to demonstrate the ability of players to transfer items to the new Animal Crossing: City Folk for Wii,” Nintendo said. “We regret that an offensive phrase was included without our knowledge via a wireless function that allows user-generated catchphrases to spread virally from one game to the next.

“This version is limited to 14 copies created for media review purposes only and is not available at retailers. We sincerely apologize for the incident and are working with media who received the game cards to return them to Nintendo immediately.”

Thoughts? In all of the efforts to advance technology are we making the world of tech a little too social? This game is mainly marketed to children, which means that if people are able to insert their own phrasing, who knows what could be said?

[Via MTV]