Hello Spring | Feelin the Warm Sun

Culture, Education, Lifestyle, Poetry, Travel

It’s May 1st

Can you believe it’s already May 1st! Time is going by so quickly, but I don’t mind at all because spring is here and I am totally loving the weather and beautiful blossoms! I tend to appreciate my campus most during this beautiful time of year. The grasses are always plush and bright, the flowers are blooming and the sunshine just adds life and freshness to the landscape. I loved today’s weather so much that I just had to lay out under the trees enjoying the warm sun and cool breeze.

Graduation is Coming Up

The countdown is definitely on for Queens College 2018! I’ve bought my cap and gown, I’ve RSVP to my department graduation and I’m ready to celebrate my achievement. It’s been quite a journey adulting, living life and doing my thing, but I have endured and enjoyed the good times and the bad times.

During the past four years of college I didn’t have much of a social life because I was so focused on working and going to school. Being goal oriented is all well and good, but I do wish that I would have spent more interest in building connections and exploring life outside school and work. Knowing that I’m nearing the end of another chapter in my life has afforded me the opportunity to finally stop and smell the blossoms! These past few bright spring days has really been God’s reminder to me that no matter how hard things could get, “this too shall pass” Come May 31st, this too shall pass, as I embark on another journey into the world of work!

Interviews Galore

I am lucky enough to have scheduled at least two interviews per week for the next couple months and I am really looking forward to them all. I’ve been applying for jobs like crazy since last September to no avail and I was a bit worried, but I am so grateful that things seem to be panning out quite nicely.

More Fun to Come

I know I haven’t been blogging as consistently as I should be, but bear with me, I’m really trying my best not to get too distracted from my final assignments. Nonetheless I have great plans for a fantastic and exciting summer so stick it out with me guys because there’s more fun to come!

Blogger Feature | Diva Named Dom

Culture, Education, Fashion, Lifestyle

All Black Everything

Miss Diva Named Dom is always slayed to the Gods! I just had to feature her again, not only because of her awesome photos and fashion sense but she has that Naomi Campbell confidence that every woman should always aim to exude!

Diva Named Dom

All this talk of Beyonce at Coachella made me wanna step my shit on up and step on out on the scene.

Because I don’t have Coachella ticket money but I’m obsessed with Coachella fashion, I decided to mix it up a bit. Check out this gorgeous Black Lace Dress I got from Forever 21. I know I need to stop shopping here, but my wallet is holding on to the relationship for dear life. Besides, they’re adding a contemporary line for women like me that literally wanna stay Forever 21 25.

Thigh high boots are a hot commodity for thick’ems like myself. Imagine how elated I was to find a pair that actually went up my size 12 thighs?! You can grab the same pair here.

I paired it with a bold red lip and a lace choker (also Forever 21). I purchased this one quite a…

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Prose for Her | The Blood Diamonds

Culture, Education, Lifestyle, Poetry

Culture | Is H&M Up To Some Monkey Business?

Culture, Education, Fashion, Lifestyle, Music, Uncategorized

H&M is under major scrutiny for what many are claiming to be a racially suggestive hoodie. It didn’t take long for social media to catch on to the fashion brand’s biggest uh-oh yet. Black Lives Matter advocates accused H&M for its blatant racist imagery and slammed them for trying to subliminally make fun of the young model.

The billion dollar Sweden based retailer, with stores all around the world, even issued an apology over the controversial image of a young black child modeling a hoodie with the words “coolest monkey in the jungle” printed on it. A spokesperson for the company told the EW on Monday, “We are deeply sorry that the picture was taken, and we also regret the actual print. We have removed the image from all our channels and the sweater is no longer for sale in our stores. We will also look into our internal routines to avoid such situations in the future.”

The likes of Lebron James, Diddy, Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku and even The Weekend who also partners with the retailer expresses outrage and disappointment at the company’s carelessness.

Lebron James uploaded this remake of the photo to his instagram saying, “@HM u got us all wrong! And we ain’t going for it! Straight up! Enough about y’all and more of what I see when I look at this photo. I see a Young King!! The ruler of the world, an untouchable Force that can never be denied! We as African Americans will always have to break barriers, prove people wrong and work even harder to prove we belong but guess what, that’s what we love because the benefits at the end of the road are so beautiful!!” Many of his followers expressed the same sentiments yet some were a little reluctant to see his point. One of his followers said, “I don’t think @HM meant to offend anyone people come on. Shit happens!!!! Why is this being taken as racism? It’s a picture man, the parents obviously allowed the kid to take that picture wearing that hoodie. Didn’t offend them! Are we that sensitive as a society?”

Diddy also uploaded a similar photo to his twitter with the caption, “Put some respect on it!! When you look at us make sure you see royalty and super natural God sent glory!! Anything else is disrespectful.” He too received a mass of tweets, retweets and comments agreeing with his position on the matter yet there were also those who disagreed with the general opinion.

Was this really just a careless accident? Or was H&M intentionally trying present the image of this young model as the butt of their monkey joke? Regardless of their intent, what remains true is that in 2018, race is still a major defining factor in the way we view others, but more importantly in the way we view ourselves. This “coolest monkey in the jungle” caption became very personal to those who took offense but the question must be asked, if the model in the ad was white, would the picture still receive the same response? What if the caption said “coolest lion in the jungle” would it still create the same negative connotation against black people?

Is it the unforgettable knowledge of slavery and the negative comparisons of the features of a black person and that of a monkey what makes this advertisement racist?Understanding that history plays a major role in the way society sees race and color, will there ever come a time when a person’s race or the color of their skin not predicate one’s judgement?

Senior Year | Fall Midterm Jitters

Education, Lifestyle, Uncategorized

So I am finally a senior! It’s been five long years and I am so ready to cross that finish line. This year was supposed to be smooth sailing, I’d planned to finally have a social life, go parties, make friends, go out on dates and everything fun. Oh boy how was I fooling myself. As an English major I’m just stuck reading books and writing papers all day. I’m finding myself working overtime to get my gpa up after a horrible first year at Queens College.

My dedication throughout my first two years at community college rewarded me with my AA degree in Literature and Writing Arts and a 3.4 gpa but sadly life at a small school like Borough of Manhattan Community College was nothing life at Queens College. The classes are bigger, the work load is significantly heavier and the professors are less likely to make accommodations for the everyday circumstances of life. Don’t get me wrong, they aren’t assholes but I’d wished someone would have warned me that things were gonna be so different.

Last year I when I started school at QC, I wanted to be involved on campus, I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself, I wanted to be a sorority girl! I thought it would have been a great way to make friends and build life long connections, someone should have also told me that Greek Life, given my age, personality and circumstances, wasn’t the way to go. I was a 24-year old pledge among bubbly playful 18 and 19 year olds but I figured that some way, some how we could still build a bond beyond the constraints of age. Wrong again! I was able to become acquainted with a few of the girls, I had a mom, a big and a twin of whom I was happy to get to know and love but after being unable to afford to pay dues, I saw our friendship fade away. I never became a sister but at least I thought the girls in my pledge class would still be willing to be my friend but, you guessed it, wrong! I was so disappointed, and looking back now, I’m disappointed in myself that I allowed that situation to affect my mood and also my gpa. I even tried to pledge again in the spring when I was more prepared financially but, they didn’t give me a bid, denied! I thought at least I would get a bid because they knew me and we did get to build some kind of connection, but maybe paying for friends wasn’t the way to go.

It’s fall again, and no, I’m not pledging but I did join the yearbook club and I have been trying to be present at meetings however the schedule of a working college student isn’t as free as the average college kid. I can’t believe it’s almost midterm of my senior year already and the jitters are here too. I hate to admit it but I have been sucking up and kissing ass lately. I need these As! Do you know that you need at least a 2.0 gpa to graduate? Having a 1.7 gpa and being on academic probation really puts the odds against me but fortunately there’s a great possibility that my two INC grades from the spring may be a bitter sweet opportunity to push my gpa over the borderline. It’s not going to be easy but I am determined to get all As this semester. My math isn’t all that great, but if my calculations are correct, if I get at least three As this semester and 3 As next semester I will be able to graduate with at least a 3.0, not too shabby for a girl who spent both of her entire junior and senior years on academic probation right?

Hope without work yields no results so I need to be consistent in my efforts toward my academic success. Although it seems like I may never get the oh so amazing college experience that I’ve always wanted, I value my long term success way more than a few shallow friendships and frat parties.