I came across an article online which labels The Roots as “America’s Band,” and I have to say I agree:

The Roots represent “how we live now.” When The Roots joined Fallon for Late Night, folks still used the term “sellout.” Now that’s a quaint, old-fogey notion from a time when your career represented “you” as a person. Now your Facebook page or Twitter feed does the selling out, and every job is just another “gig,” whether you’re a blogger, rapper, or financial consultant to the subhuman demons on Wall Street. Throw in Quest’s fluency with Twitterese, and generally avid use of social media (even breaking some Occupy Wall Street news), and add a pinch of their newfound  political prankishness and you have a band that represents America in a way that runs deeper than sales and digital downloads.

It’s cool to see a hip-hop/soul band become a mainstream, (almost) household name especially since their talent is not based solely on their often politically-driven lyrics but on their instrumentalism as well. (If you’ve seen ?uestlove work the drums, you know what I mean.)

What do you think? Do The Roots qualify to be “America’s Band” of today? If not, who would you choose?

Read the rest of the article here

I’ve returned home after completing my first semester of law school and I’ve been through a lot of difficult experiences in my life…

BUT these past four months have been FAR from easy.

I’ve proved to myself that I can survive on my own, in a new environment, and even build relationships in the process.

I don’t know how well (or not) I did this past semester but I do know that I worked hard and learned that most things don’t come easy and require A LOT of hard work and I proved to myself that I can handle that hard work.

This past semester has both tested and strengthened my faith. I’ve learned a lot about myself and had a lot of fun in the process.

It’s a refreshing feeling to be moving closer to my dream of getting a law degree and becoming an attorney and I’m interested in seeing what this next semester will bring besides thousands of pages of reading, networking, and numerous hours in the library.

Derrick Bell was the first tenured  Black professor of Law at Harvard University and dean of University of Oregon School of Law. His achievements and values strike a cord for me especially since I am currently working my way through law school. He is one of the people who is responsible for opening doors and paving the way for me and other law school students of color. Without his work and commitment to justice and equality, my road to and through law school probably would have been tougher than it already was/is.

Though the legal profession continues to be grossly underrepresented by Blacks, I am thankful for his inspiration to seek “a life of meaning and worth” as well as his sacrifices of money and prestige in order to protest Harvard’s hiring practices.

He has taught many about law and race in addition to fighting for civil rights and his academic contributions have made a lasting change.

Lately I find myself being more organized and less cluttered. I’m exercising more, praying more, with more drive to get things done. Don’t get me wrong, I still have a lot of things to work on and I’m not where I want to be in my life. I still hate doing dishes and laundry and I haven’t fully adapted to the routine of going to the gym consistently throughout the week. As long as I’m living, I will always be a work in progress but I’m grateful for the progress I have made these past few weeks.

Lesson: A change of scenery can provide just the push for progress that you need.

I don’t think this requires moving to a new place but maybe spending a weekend away, going somewhere new, or taking time alone to reflect and renew yourself in the space you are in.

This transition into a different phase of my adulthood, into another era of schooling, into a new environment has been far from easy and it is not always fun. However, I am learning a lot about myself, life, people and I am enjoying this new adventure. I plan on making the most of it all, learning as much as I can and becoming a better, wiser individual as a result.

If you know me or read this blog, you’re aware of my passion for writing. Among my many dreams and goals for my life, one of them is to be a published author. While catching up on her blog, I came across an “Ask Belle” video in which she discusses what she’s learned about the writing career. She also offers advice for those pursuing such career and how to move forward not only in writing but as young professionals, in general. One of the things that struck out from the video was her emphasis on being unique and sharing your story rather than trying to mimic another’s style or story. I found it to be very encouraging and motivational:

So as this site continues to grow and change, I hope I can inspire and engage you with my story and the themes and experiences that interest me.

Even though I’m currently focusing on my goal of completing law school, I still work on other areas of my professional and personal life, one of which is writing. I may not blog all the time but I do journal and write poetry every now and then so that when the time comes for me to focus more on my writing, I will be prepared and equipped with material, ideas and advice from various sources.

There’s so much I want to do and experience in life and I feel like I’m just getting started…

…now it’s becoming my reality. It started when I was a little girl and blossomed throughout high school and most of college. There were valleys of self-doubt when I didn’t believe in my own abilities or qualifications to make them happen but I’m here. Ready to embark on this new journey called law school which most administrators during orientation described as the true beginning of my professional career as a lawyer.

While it is gratifying and humbling to see this dream come to fruition, it is a blunt reminder  that now the real work begins…

Now is when the diligence, perseverance and risk-taking takes place so that I can keep the dream going and not let my goals slip away. I am excited to begin law school but also nervous. However, meeting and communicating with upperclassmen has been somewhat comforting because they too were in the same position I am in, feeling the same emotions, wondering the same things, doing the same work and they reminded me that while will be a lot of work, everyone in my class is going through it at the same time and will experience some of the same fears, confusion and questions as myself whether they express it or not.

I am excited and nervous but I refuse to be worried because of my faith and because of my support system. I am thankful for the six weeks I sacrificed during the summer to prepare for school because I feel equipped with even more sources of encouragement and motivation around the country. The CLEO program provided me with a variety of skills, resources and personal connections that will help me throughout these next three years and beyond.

It feels surreal to finally be living a dream I’ve had since I was a little girl. It’s especially surreal since this experience is a lot different from what I imagined so far.

I say all of this to say, if you have dreams try not to let them go. They’re there for a reason and with work, faith, resourcefulness and support from others, it is possible to turn your dreams into goals which, when attained, shape your reality.

GIL SCOTT-HERON (1949-2011)

A prolific poet and often known as the “godfather of rap” died but his words will live on. He spoke and wrote power, pride and honesty. His words were moving and his voice empowering and I’ll let his words speak for themselves:

You will not be able to stay home, brother.
You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out.
You will not be able to lose yourself on skag and skip,
Skip out for beer during commercials,
Because the revolution will not be televised.

The revolution will not be televised.
The revolution will not be brought to you by Xerox
In 4 parts without commercial interruptions.
The revolution will not show you pictures of Nixon
blowing a bugle and leading a charge by John
Mitchell, General Abrams and Spiro Agnew to eat
hog maws confiscated from a Harlem sanctuary.
The revolution will not be televised.

The revolution will not be brought to you by the
Schaefer Award Theatre and will not star Natalie
Woods and Steve McQueen or Bullwinkle and Julia.
The revolution will not give your mouth sex appeal.
The revolution will not get rid of the nubs.
The revolution will not make you look five pounds
thinner, because the revolution will not be televised, Brother.

There will be no pictures of you and Willie May
pushing that shopping cart down the block on the dead run,
or trying to slide that color television into a stolen ambulance.
NBC will not be able predict the winner at 8:32
or report from 29 districts.
The revolution will not be televised.

There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down
brothers in the instant replay.
There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down
brothers in the instant replay.
There will be no pictures of Whitney Young being
run out of Harlem on a rail with a brand new process.
There will be no slow motion or still life of Roy
Wilkens strolling through Watts in a Red, Black and
Green liberation jumpsuit that he had been saving
For just the proper occasion.

Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Hooterville
Junction will no longer be so damned relevant, and
women will not care if Dick finally gets down with
Jane on Search for Tomorrow because Black people
will be in the street looking for a brighter day.
The revolution will not be televised.

There will be no highlights on the eleven o’clock
news and no pictures of hairy armed women
liberationists and Jackie Onassis blowing her nose.
The theme song will not be written by Jim Webb,
Francis Scott Key, nor sung by Glen Campbell, Tom
Jones, Johnny Cash, Englebert Humperdink, or the Rare Earth.
The revolution will not be televised.

The revolution will not be right back after a message
bbout a white tornado, white lightning, or white people.
You will not have to worry about a dove in your
bedroom, a tiger in your tank, or the giant in your toilet bowl.
The revolution will not go better with Coke.
The revolution will not fight the germs that may cause bad breath.
The revolution will put you in the driver’s seat.

The revolution will not be televised, will not be televised,
will not be televised, will not be televised.
The revolution will be no re-run brothers;
The revolution will be live.

- “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” (c) Gil Scott-Heron

‎”Sometimes, its better to stay silent, and listen to the world around you. Always speaking and never listening leads to never learning.” – LD

This quote sums up my current state of life and my lack of writing. The prime examples that I’ve been in a self/life-imposed writer’s block is that my last written journal entry was in March and my last entry on this website was even earlier. A lot has occurred and changed in the past few months (not much thatI care to share on here, except that I’ll be moving and starting law school this Fall!) but instead of documenting it all as it happened and keeping you all updated and empowered here, I’ve chosen to simply listen and live and learn from those lessons forced upon me.Now that I feel the deep need to write again, I’ll be posting (and writing) more frequently (not necessarily daily but possibly weekly or every other week at least) so stay tuned!

“Until a man selects a definite purpose in life, he dissipates his energies and spreads his thoughts over so many subjects and in so many different directions that they lead not to power, but to indecision and weakness.

With the aid of a small reading glass, you can teach yourself a great lesson on the value of organized effort. Through the use of such a glass, you can focus the sun’s rays on a definite spot so strongly that they will burn a hole through a plank. Remove the glass (which represents the definite purpose), and the same rays of sun may shine on that same plank for a million years without burning it.” - Napoleon Hill