Category Archives: 101 Days Project

Day 99: 9/11—Day of Remembrance

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The true legacy of 9/11 will not be one of fear or hate or division. It will be a safer world; a stronger nation; and a people more united than ever before. ~ President Obama during the September 11th Observance Ceremony at the Pentagon Memorial, Sept. 11, 2012: http://wh.gov/WrlO

Rest in peace to the many who lost their lives on 9/11. My prayers go out to their loved ones. We will never forgot you. Humanity is doomed in a world where hate prevails. May we continue to strive for harmony, unity, and peace in this world.

Day 98: I’m Voting for Progress – Obama Biden 2012

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Image courtesy of San Antonio Express site.
If you reject the notion that this nation’s promise is reserved for the few, your voice must be heard in this election. ~ President Barack Obama, DNC 2012 Speech

I want to live an America where we all have the same opportunities.  An America where we all have the chance to live up to our fullest potential and achieve our dreams.  An America where we all have access to the resources, services, and programs to maintain acceptable well-being, welfare, and livelihood.  Because it’s about access, equality, and leveling the playing field, and not about entitlements or what we “deserve.”

I want to live an America where the wealthy are not rewarded for being wealthy and held accountable to the same standards and expectations of the working class and the poor.  I want to live an America where I don’t have to make a case or fight for rights that are inalienable, because they are human rights granted for all.  I want to live an America where the rights of corporations do not trump the rights of the people.  Because after all, there wouldn’t be any corporations if it weren’t for the hard work and service of the people.

I want to live in an America where those that fight for the civil rights and freedoms of Americans and our brothers and sisters from nations abroad are not left to falter when they return home.  An America that will look to its people to help maintain its competitive edge instead of looking abroad just save a few bucks.  An America that will treat all of its people equally regardless of whether we were born here or are immigrants.  Because we’re all here for the same things…we’re all dreamers.

For those of us that believe and share in the dream and this country we call home, we’re more than willing to be diligent and work collectively to move this nation forward.  We must not succumb to the propaganda, lies, and false promises of those who hold their personal interests above the interests of the people they represent.  We must stand for up what we believe and support the officials who share in these beliefs, and will honor them while holding office.  That’s why I’m voting for President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.  They have and will continue to fight for America, its people, and the promise of its future.

I’m voting for progress, not regression.  I hope we all will do the same.

  

Day 97: Making Dreams Happen

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Image from OutWrite 2012 in DC, taken by Author Donald Peebles

When everything else falls short, our dreams are sometimes the only things that can pull us through.  When you wake up each morning and go to bed every night yearning to break out and bring your passions to life, you’re eventually going to have to make a decision.  Either you’re going to continue living a life unfulfilled or you’re going to commit yourself to working towards a fulfilled life where you achieve your dreams.  I’m glad that I finally made the decision on November 27, 2011 to make a serious push towards achieving one of my lifelong dreams.

On November 27, 2011 I submitted the initial draft of my manuscript to be self-published through iUniverse.  For at least three years, I’d been toying with the idea of publishing my first volume of poetry.  For whatever reason, I was conflicted.  I take that back.  For several reasons, I was conflicted.  I’d given so much of myself away to my job and school and other entities outside of myself, that there didn’t seem to be much time or energy left to focus on what truly mattered to me.   I doubted my talent and wondered if I really had what takes to make it.  And I got caught up in others’ and society’s expectations of what I should be doing with my life.  I found myself trying to adhere to standards and live a life that I didn’t want and that didn’t fit me personally.  I suffered because of it and had to work to rebuild and get myself back on track.

So in the months leading up to submitting my manuscript, I eventually said, “Fuck it!”  I was tired of being depressed.  I was tired of doing things I wasn’t passionate about and could really give two shits and a side of fuck about.  I realized that there was no better time than right now to go after what I wanted.  I couldn’t blame anyone else but myself if I got to a point in my life where I was completely frustrated, disappointed, and angry about what I did and did not accomplish.  The blame would definitely fall within no realm but my own if I committed to the quest of living the life dictated by others.  So I went to work.  I did research on how I should go about getting my work published, talked with friends and others about their experiences publishing and what advice they had for me moving forward, and continued nurturing my craft.  And in roughly six months time, my book Prevail: Poems on Life, Love, and Politics was available for public consumption.

It fills me up with so much pride and joy seeing my book in print.  It’s a major accomplishment, and I’m glad I finally pursued it. Now that my book is out, work hasn’t stopped.  I’m still writing, networking, and planning for signings, readings, and other appearances to promote my work and myself.  I’ve also begun work on my next project (more on that in another post, I promise).  The focus for me is becoming a full-time writer.  Outside of my writings about music, entertainment, pop culture, I’m most interested in writing about the human condition and the many things that we experience in our day-to-day lives.  My writing—be it poetry, song lyrics, short stories, or prose—can, at times, be raw, confrontational, and confessional.  As people who’ve read my writing have said, it’s engaging and it’s real.  I’ve long since realized my style is not for everybody.  However, if my writing resonates and touches just a few people, then I’m on the right path.

While writing is one of my passions, the dreaming doesn’t stop there.  I’m in the process of achieving two other dreams.  The first is finishing my MBA (which will be completed December 2012) and the second is becoming a voice over actor/artist (which I’m training for as we speak).  And I have others, that, in time, I will continue to nurture and work to achieve.

It’s great to have dreams.  We should all be encouraged to dream.  But nothing is sadder than when we don’t go after or put in the work to make our dreams come to life.  It’s critical that we do not let anything or anyone (and that includes ourselves) stand in the way.  And you can’t give up if success doesn’t happen immediately or happen in the way you think it should.  Always be open and flexible to what the universe may bring you.  It may be better than anything you ever dreamed or anticipated.

Whatever you do—keep dreaming and keep achieving.  Live your destiny.

Prevail: Poems on Life, Love, and Politics is available at iUniverse, Amazon (Paperback | Hardcover & Kindle, Barnes & Noble, Book-A-Million (Paperback | Hardcover), and other retailers.

Day 96: Michelle Obama at the DNC 2012

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Image courtesy of The Washington Times Communities site.

Michelle Obama is the epitome of what a First Lady should be.  She exudes class, grace, eloquence, and wisdom.  She hasn’t forgotten where she came from and she will not allow us to forget where we’ve come from either.  We cannot sit back and allow ourselves to falter. We have to bring each other up.  It’s about OPPORTUNITY.  When you have it, make sure you’re leaving the door open for others to follow.  Set the example.  Lead with character, honesty, and integrity.

Day 95: Inspiration from Chinua Achebe

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Image courtesy of the Chinua Achebe FB page.

I believe myself that a good writer doesn’t really need to be told anything except to keep at it. Just think of the work you’ve set yourself to do, and do it as well as you can. Once you have really done all you can, then you can show it to people. But I find this is increasingly not the case with the younger people. They do a first draft and want somebody to finish it off for them with good advice. So I just maneuver myself out of this. I say, Keep at it. I grew up recognizing that there was nobody to give me any advice and that you do your best and if it’s not good enough, someday you will come to terms with that. ~ Chinua Achebe, 99U & The Paris Review

When it comes to writing, if you want to get better at it—write.  Just write.  And keep writing!  Believe in yourself and what you’re writing and do the very best that you can when writing.  There simply is no other way.  You must continue to work at your craft.  Write, rewrite, edit, revise, finalize, and repeat as many times as it’s necessary.  Don’t be scared to do the work.  It will pay off.

You have everything you need within you already.  You must trust what lies within.  It will very rarely steer you wrong.  And write about what you feel.  Write about what moves you.  Write about what you’re most passionate about it.  Let that be your guide.  Write from your heart first.  Be critical about it later.  Use the feedback you get from others to help fine-tune and guide your work.  But please, don’t take it personally.  If you can do this, everything should fall in place.

Don’t be scared to take risks either.  You never know how it may help you grow not only as a writer, but also as a person.  If it proves to be a bust, so be it.  It’s still a learning lesson that will help guide you as a writer and as creative being as you move forward.

Day 94: The Ultimate

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Your tongue dances all over my body.
Your kisses walk upon my face.
Your hands swim into my skin.
Your valley is my playground,
once I enter I never want to leave.
Your love saved the stomach of my heart from being
     love-starved.
Your mind nourishes my mind.
Your body is the sculpture of my passion.
Your are the essence of perfect love,
And I am your reciprocal makeup.
We are two rivers,
Connected by a stream of love.
We flow into each other–
Sharing, giving, transporting, and providing nutrients,
     nurture, and nourishment.
The ultimate is this existence of love.
© BuddahDesmond

Day 93: RIP Chris Lighty

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Image courtesy of the BrooklynVegan site.
‘”I am utterly, utterly devastated…It feels unfair to us. He was our wealth. Chris was like the fruition of all that could be. He was loved.”‘ ~ Harry Allen, Hip-Hop Activist (NY Daily News, 2012)
When I first started seeing tweets on Thursday that Hip-Hop mogul Chris Lighty had passed, I couldn’t believe it.  I immediately started doing some research to see if these claims were true.  Eventually, site after site confirmed that he had in fact died.  Suddenly it seemed as if my day was at a standstill.  I couldn’t do anything.  His passing saddened me so.  Lighty was, at only 44, yet another pivotal figure gone too soon.

Lighty, CEO and co-founder of Violator Management/Brand Assets Group, was a fixture in the world of Hip-Hop since the late 80s.  It was impossible to experience anything in Hip-Hop without feeling Lighty’s impact.  He truly was one of the last great power moguls in the entertainment industry.  Lighty began his career carrying records for Kool DJ Red Alert and acting as a party enforcer for the DJ and their Violators crew (The Grio, 2012).  Also a DJ, Lighty was known as “Baby Chris.”  He went on to become a respected manager, managing the careers of several Native Tongues acts, including the groundbreaking, influential groups De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest.

Lighty credited his time working in several executive positions under Russell Simmons and Lyor Cohen at Def Jam and Rush Artist Management as being pivotal to him becoming an entrepreneur.  Under their tutelage, Lighty, in a 2011 Black Enterprise article, said,
‘”I learned you are only as strong as the people around you,” he says. “You’ve got to build a good team–from your accountant to your right-hand man to employees–the whole nine yards,” he says. “I also learned you can have a plan [for what you want your business to look like], but you need to know when to deviate from it. You have to be able to bend and sway with the moment…“‘ 
And it’s clear that the he applied (and expounded upon) what he learned from his experiences when establishing his own business, Violator Management/Brand Assets Group, with co-founder Mona Scott.  Lighty was a highly lauded and favored, achieving stellar success managing the careers of artists such as LL Cool J, Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, Foxy Brown, Mariah Carey, Diddy, and 50 Cent.  Lighty was also praised for brokering multi-million dollar endorsement deals for his artists, most notably for LL Cool J and 50 Cent.

Lighty, in a 2011 Black Enterprise article, said one of the keys to success in the entertainment industry is diversification.  
‘”From my point of view you have to be a multi-tasker and know every aspect of the entertainment business,” says Lighty, whose marketing firm has inked deals with Adidas, Coca Cola, Sprite, Reebok and Motions Hair products and others. “Back in the day you could get away with focusing on one thing, like A&R. Now whether its digital, marketing, A & R, radio, whatever–you have to know how to get your artist from A to Z, even if you need help pulling it all off.”‘
Other important keys to his success, as highlighted in 2011 by Black Enterprise, were 1) thinking outside of the box, 2) consistent common courtesy, 3) always adapting to your environment, 4) believing in your business or failing in your business, and 5) using persistence to overcome resistance. 

Lighty was respected, admired, and loved by so many, within and outside of the entertainment industry.  The outpouring of love on Twitter was more than enough to signify this.  Devastating already, the news that his death was a suicide made the impact, I’m sure, even more so affecting.  You never know what a person is truly going through, especially when it appears from the outside that everything is cool.  News reports state he was having financial woes, and that he’d gotten into a spat with his estranged wife over the phone just before taking his life (NY Daily News, 2012).  We may never know or understand the full extent of what Lighty was going through, but sadly—he was troubled. 

With Lighty’s untimely death, I hope our community takes it upon itself to say enough is enough.  It perplexes me why mental health remains such a taboo subject in our community.  So many of us are suffering in silence.  There’s no need for it.  It must stop.  If we have to look beyond ourselves to get the help we need, so be it.  Prayer is not always enough.  Ignoring and suppressing our issues is not cutting it.  Self-medicating with alcohol, drugs, and other addictions—thinking it will make everything better—is no way to win the battle.  Sometimes we need an intervention from trained professionals in the form of counseling, therapy, and/or medication.  As someone who’s battled with depression, I know.  We must not be afraid to speak on our issues and get the help we need.  There’s always support available.  We have to take better care of ourselves.  Good mental and emotional health is critical to sustaining our overall well-being.  We have to prevail.

My condolences to Chris Lighty’s family and friends.  As writer Danyel Smith said in a recent NPR story,

“Chris Lighty made history. He helped make hip-hop. He was a success story. He was a sweet and brilliant man. But there will be no more knowing of him — the complexities, the simple s—-, nothing. The man in the liner notes, the kid backstage, the dude counting the show money, the father with his children. It’s beyond tragic. Everybody’s Baby Chris is gone.”

We’ll miss you Baby Chris.  Rest in peace.

Day 92: The Kitchen, My Other Home

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One of my favorite things to bake – Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Aside from the stage, studio, and classroom, the kitchen is my home.  I’ve been in the kitchen since I was about 7 or 8 years old.  Learned so many things from my mother and grandmother in the kitchen (still learning).  I’m so glad I received this gift.  I come from a long line of gifted cooks/bakers, especially on my mother’s side of the family.  Good food (and drink) has been just as much a centerpiece of family gatherings as the communion and the entertainment (mostly us acting crazy and talking cash shit—doing what we do best, in other words…lol).  There’s nothing wrong with loving good food, especially if you’re blessed enough to make it, share it, and enjoy it!  
One of the things I’ve learned over the years with cooking/baking is that food truly tastes good when you’ve put your heart and soul into it.  The love emanates through the food and touches the spirit.  This is why people enjoy it so much, and why we find some eating with their eyes closed (totally enraptured with the taste, how it makes them feel, and memories it conjures up).  The best advice:  if you’re not feeling it—step away from the stove!  Put the utensils down and the pots and pans away!  Get out of the kitchen and call for takeout/delivery!  Because the food will tell the story.  I apply this to many of my creative gifts and talents.  I have to feel it.  I have to be able to get into to it.  I can’t do it just for the sake of doing it.  If I’m not feeling it, I can’t do it.  It’s that simple.  
So let me get back on schedule.  I have a Honey Cornbread, Orange Cream Cheese Pound Cake, Baked Yams, Buddah’s Teriyaki Pork Chops with Apples, Onions, & Peppers, and Spinach to make. Happy cooking, baking, and eating! Enjoy!

Day 91: Happy Birthday Michael Joseph Jackson

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Image courtesy of the Eurweb site.

Today would’ve been icon Michael Joseph Jackson’s 54th birthday.  It’s been over 3 years since his untimely passing.  His presence and influence are just as strong now as they were before.  Jackson was a supremely talented being that blazed trails and inspired generations of fans and stars alike.  With each release, he delved deeper and deeper into himself.  He bared his soul, opened his heart, and provided us with what many would consider the soundtrack of our lives.  His albums went beyond music and entertainment.  They were events—monumental, genre-bending, shape-shifting events.  I don’t know how many fits I had in the record store as a child because I wanted latest Michael Jackson album.  

Aside from Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Prince, and Jody Watley, his music shaped much of my childhood and young adulthood and love of the arts.  Jackson’s (along with the aforementioned artists) videos changed the game, revolutionizing the visual presentation of musical artists (with everything from fashion, style, choreography, overall stage presence, special effects, and cinematography to name a few).  I, like many I’m sure, would break my neck to see Jackson’s music videos.  Glued to the screen, I was totally in awe of the sheer talent, artistry, and ingeniousness of it all.  Still to this day, I can’t help but be pulled in completely whenever one of his videos comes on TV or one of his songs is played on the radio.  The feeling, the soul, the spirit just goes right through you.  

Jackson gave so much of himself to us through his art and philanthropic efforts.  It’s unfortunate that he had to go out the way he did.  But he was called home.  He fulfilled his destiny.  But the legacy he left behind will be cherished for decades to come. 

So today, let’s celebrate the icon that Michael Joseph Jackson was/is.  The King lives on!!!

Also check out, Day 1: MJ’s This Is It and Day 58: In Remembrance – MJJ (Repost).

Day 90: Kindred The Family Soul – Sticking With You

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For the last 10 years, Kindred The Family Soul has been making heartfelt, soulful music.  Their music touches the core, speaking frankly, openly, and honestly about life, love, and relationships. Often compared to Ashford & Simpson, Kindred The Family Soul write songs that get down to the heart of the matter in an accessible way.  Their most recent album, Love Has No Recession, continues in this vein.  But aside from their signature love songs, Love Has No Recession, has some poignant tunes about the social and political ills of the day.  Overall, it’s a solid album which conceptually, musically, lyrically, and vocally makes it timeless.  Check out one of the singles from the album, “Sticking With You,” which is a sweet confession of true love and devotion.