Millennial, The Third Strike

Let me start by saying the world we live in is a crazy one.  It seems to get even stranger by the day.  The things we as a people become fixated on are so miniscule and ridiculous.  A majority of these things can be altered, but what about the things we cannot change?  It's not enough that I'm black.  That's THE topic of discussion these days.  It always has been, but now it's more prominent than ever. People hate me because of the color of my skin.  That's it.  How ignorant is that?  Next up, I'm a woman.  Do you all realize that there are people out here who will not vote for Hillary Clinton simply because of the fact that she is a woman? This is not a joke people.  While this whole election has been a mockery of humanity, we must face a very real thought; Donald Trump could end up being our next president.  Not because he's here for change, not because he's a great politician who cares about the people, but simply for what is between his legs.  If you think this is far fetched, take a moment to speak to some of these older men, particularly those who are of retirement age and spend their days out on the golf course.  Many of these men just CANNOT (strong, sarcastic emphasis) vote for a woman for anything.  Unfortunately, there are just as many women who feel the same way.   So now, I'm also hated because of the sex I was born as.  To rub salt in the wound, as some of my relatives would say, now I have to deal with being hated because of my age. 

If I hear another thing about "millennials" I think I am going to scream.  It's one thing to be generally concerned about the state of the economy and the mystery that surrounds this group I am apparently a part of, but it's another thing to place us under a microscope as if we are some creatures being dissected in Biology class.  I am over it.  It's just another way to separate and discriminate and the reasoning baffles me.  Some of the craziest things I've read (yes, I actually read) about us are, we're spoiled, entitled, the worst generation, don't know life without cell phones and computers, we didn't know who Prince was and the list of complaints go on and on and on.  And yes, it is just as ridiculous as what you just read.  I probably should throw in my towel anyway, I have 3 strikes against me, and those are just the primary dimensions of diversity, we don't want to get into secondary.  I guess getting rid of us all would make the world a better place, right? I couldn't even type that without chuckling, perhaps that's the narcissism in me.  We should be the least of your worries.  Let me just go on the record and say, we're only doing what our "Baby Boomer" (I guess I should mention I'm on the older end of the millennials) parents taught us to do.  Go to school and get an education because no one can take that away from you, be better than we were, be strong, love one another and you'll prosper!  That's what society told them was the right thing to do.  We do that and then get criticized for it.  Many of us weren't taught to hate like many of the previous generations were.  But I can tell you hate always has the most damning influence.  I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth.  I wasn't given anything but food to eat, a roof, bed, and a dream.  I  was taught to work hard for everything and that life wasn't going to be easy for me because of strike 1 and 2.  I don't think my mother could've imagined that the year I was born was going to end up being another hindrance to my American Dream, oh I forgot, being a dreamer is frowned upon and is something only the millennial brats do.  It's one thing to have your opinions about us, we all are entitled to that, but the problem I have is when I start being treated differently because of it, which is something I have started to experience more and more on my career journey. 

The next time you're struggling with why you aren't able to find talented people who are ready and willing to work, with keeping talented employees, or even with selling your products to us, perhaps you should do a self check to determine if you are in fact allowing your personal opinions about a person's age group affect how you are treating him or her and how you are acting.  A lot of behaviors are learned and the media does a great job with influencing our minds; therefore, you may not even notice you're doing it.  Millennials are able to hold an educated conversation outside of mobile devices, so if you have such a desire to know this group of people better, why not get a panel of us together and just talk to us.  Take the time to learn and educate yourself instead of placing stereotypes on us and literally running with it.  But, I'm just a millennial, what do I know?

What Freedom Looks Like...

I am finally starting to calm down enough to really listen and take in all the things that have been going on lately.  I went through many different emotions last week, but I am inspired.  Even in my moment of inspiration, there are still some disappointments.  There are some pertinent people we still haven't heard from on the matter of black lives, police brutality, and our safety and security as a whole.  It's really interesting to me how we can spend so much time being concerned about other countries, but black people, have you all given any thought to the fact that we could end up being the next group of refugees? Just something to ponder. I am still waiting patiently for our presidential hopefuls to speak up.  They've been mighty quiet...and no, a simple tweet or Facebook post is not going to do.

"If you have a critique for the resistance, for our resistance, then you better have an established record of critique of our oppression. If you have no interest in equal rights for black people then do not make suggestions to those who do. Sit down." -Jesse Williams


I realize everyone isn't about this life and that's fine, however, don't discourage your friends or family members by trying to impose your fears unto them because you are too afraid of being left behind.  If you can't hang with the big dogs, get off the porch.  If you're just going to hang around the porch, then shut up and make yourself useful.  For those of you who still don't believe it has anything to do with race, then please explain the difference between these videos we've seen lately and the one with the white guy pretty much beating up the police in McDonald's.  Research it yourself, I am not going to post it here.  But if anyone can explain why he was handled differently, outside of the color of his skin, then perhaps I'll give another opinion some consideration.  If you, as a police officer, are afraid of black people, then perhaps you chose the wrong career field. 

Be blessed and stay safe!

Angry Black Woman!

For the second morning in a row, I have been awakened by a plethora of texts discussing police shootings.  I am over it.  I took a moment to listen to  Jesse Williams' speech from the BET Awards again and the more and more I listen to it, the stronger this little pit in my stomach gets.  There was a time when I'd feel myself getting all worked up about the police and I'd take a few moments and watch "End of Watch."  Very profound movie that really gives the viewer a peak from the other side, but again, I am over it.  How long is this going to continue?  As far as the shooting of Alton Sterling, the black man shot in Baton Rouge for those of you who don't read and like to avoid the obvious, it strikes an eerily similar feeling as the Rodney King beating.  Only this time, the man is dead.  I can only imagine what's going to come next. 

These moments make me wonder if Martin Luther King Jr, Malcom X, and even Tupac, were still alive, what would they have to say at this very moment.  America is becoming more interesting, for lack of a better term, by the day.  But realistically, until we show this same uproar and passion within our communities, they're going to continue to hunt us down and prey on us.  I want to see this same anger when we turn against our own.  We have to stand together.  Black people- GET IT TOGETHER! Now, not later. We cannot afford to wait.  Your husbands, sons, brothers, etc. are being used for targeting practice! Wtf are you doing? Taking selfies and sending eggplant pics?

To my black men, I really hope you all get it now, (check my last post).  While many of you are out here worried about jewelry, cars, and which woman you can smash and/or disrespect today, you are being killed off slowly.  You are an endangered species and if you don't get it together quickly, you are going to be extinct.  Y'all better wake the hell up! Stop being so distracted by miniscule things that don't matter.  Here is your chance to really take a stand against something.  What are you going to do?  Are you awake or still sleeping?

I'm going to go ahead and end this, but I want to leave this little gem right here:

https://youtu.be/6F4Or0pRQ3Y

Just copy and paste into your web browser and let it sink ALL the way in.