Is
different from any other.
For
the young lady, the young man,
It’s
a different sense.
A
feeling only some really experience.
Young
Black Love is natural,
It’s
not planned or pre-arranged.
It
happens at moment’s notice,
And
at times, ends just as fast.
But
still the experience to love
A
Black young man for a Black young lady
Is
something her heart will never forget
And
if her love is real, he won’t forget either.
Whether
it be going to the “Friday night parties”
Or
spending Sunday evening in the living room.
Talking
every night on the phone about nothing
Or
listening to Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway.
Black,
young love is unique.
Together,
hip, bad, and a good thang.
If
you got it, keep it!
If
you don’t, get it!
SAM
What
do Tamara Jones, Taraji P. Henson, Kerry Washington and Meagan Good all have in
common? All are actors of
African-American descent who currently star or co-star in network (ABC, CBS,
NBC) television series. And we’re
talking about drama series, not sitcoms.
I don’t believe that’s ever happened in the history of television.
We
know Hollywood has difficulty creating original, positive roles for minorities,
and it is rare for there to be so many opportunities at the same time. I’m not sure why it’s happening now, but
these women are part of successful shows; and the one thing that Hollywood does
best is copy anything that’s successful.
The
roles that these women portray are serious, intelligent roles. They have substance. They have depth. As a writer I try to create similar roles for
my female characters. They are smart,
accomplished, and confident women. Yes,
they might be a little devious at times, but overall they are positive
portrayals.
Tamara
Jones, Taraji P. Henson, Kerry Washington and Meagan Good have all starred in
movies produced primarily for African-American audiences for years. And now to see them all having success in network
television is a success worth recognizing.
I think this is
a moment in time that we need to pay attention to. Not because network television is that significant
in the overall scheme of life, but because these women represent positive media
influences. It is a refreshing diversion
from the characters so prominent in fake “reality TV”.
SoulVisionTV.com
The
other day I was watching some video of a toddler learning to walk outside in
the grass. The toddler would take two or
three steps then fall down; but as fast as he fell, he jumped back up and tried
to make steps again. The toddler had no
concept of failure or that he couldn’t do it.
All the toddler knew is that whenever he fell down, all he had to do was
to get back up and try again.
As
adults, we tend to lose that understanding.
Inevitably something along life’s journey will knock us down, but we often
don’t have enough faith in our own abilities to get back up. Instead, we lay there wallowing in our
sorrow. We blame others for allowing us
to fall down, and expect others to help us get back up. We forever play the victim.
The
toddler had no ideas about the power of faith, but only reasoned that being
down on the ground was not going to get him where he was trying to go. All he knew is that he had to get back up. He did not wallow in the grass. He didn’t cry for his parents to help him. The
toddler held no doubt that he could get back up and did so over and over
again.
There
is a lesson here. Grown folk should
understand that our ability to over come life’s obstacles is embedded in the
faith in ourselves generated by our faith in the Power. Even as we believe in ourselves to overcome
life’s discomforts, we should also be wise enough to understand that our
strength to overcome comes directly through the Power. The toddler wasn’t able to understand it that
way, yet he still kept getting up.
The
Power is always with us, even as we fall.
It is there to lift us back up if we so believe.
SoulVisionTV.com
The United
States embodies the definition of diversity.
From race, to ethnicity, to gender, to religion, to age, the U.S.
provides a context where diverse groups can function within a common society.
And
yet with all of the diversity, there are some basic needs that Maslow says
binds us together. We all require clean air to breathe. We need food for nutrition and water for
hydration. We all want to be safe, and
we all need love and affection. These
are what we call the Human Factors.
So
when a crisis hits it is these Human Factors that take precedence over any differences
we may possess. When disaster hits, you
don’t see one group of citizens refusing to help another group of citizens. You see people from all demographics coming
together to help each other. Partisanship
no longer matters. Extremism has no
place. When humans need help, humans
come to help.
Maybe
it is through disaster and crisis that Providence is trying to guide us to be
better. The Master commands, “Love ye one
another, as I have loved you.” When
crisis hits, we do not hesitate to follow that commandment, but as soon as some
sense of normalcy is restored, we go back to our prejudices and biases.
Something
tells me that we’re missing it. We were
put here to love and live and care for one another. The Master asks nothing else of us. It shouldn’t take disaster or crisis for us
to get that.
SoulVisionTV.com
