Natasha On Life

First String TV: Ace the Artist - "Constellations" #TurbulentTues...

2013-01-15T18:55:00.001-05:00

First String TV: Ace the Artist - "Constellations" #TurbulentTues...:

Wow, It's been forever!

2013-01-09T05:39:00.002-05:00

It's been since December 2010 WOW! This blog is like a snapshot in time, when I lived in another place both physically and mentally. I've changed so much - my life in general, but I've also stayed the same in many ways. I think that's exactly why I don't want to remove this site. Hopefully, I'll be back soon. NB

First String TV: "Standing Ovation" by @AcetheArtist prod. by @JRo...

2013-01-09T05:32:00.001-05:00

First String TV: "Standing Ovation" by @AcetheArtist prod. by @JRo...:

Nina "Lyrispect" Ball at Soul Revival Exhibit

2010-05-19T11:49:00.001-04:00

The talented Ms. Nina Lyrispect Ball performs at the opening of Soul Revival, an art & poetry exhibit at the Meroe Art Gallery in Baltimore -open through Aug. 1, 2010. Soul Revival is co-sponsored by Authentic Contemporary Art and the Meroe Art Gallery.

In honor of World Aids Day...

2008-12-01T21:41:00.005-05:00

...I'll leave you with something I posted a year ago today.

Dreams

2008-05-31T23:32:00.005-04:00

We were in 10th grade. My God sister and I were up late, on the phone until about 3 a.m. I remember, clearly. It was a school night, and we were talking about all the things we were going to do when we got older, you know, age 25.

She and I agreed that no matter what happened, we'd be sure to have our nightclub up and running. It would be a little like D.C. Live, with different music on each floor, the best DJs, only our spot would be much better. I wanted the club lighting to make my skin glow like Keish's from "Belly". We'd both be owners and managers, and we'd have the premiere night club in the city. Each night, we'd feature something different. I just wanted a night for poetry, where I could read my latest creations live.

I forget what we called it, maybe "Chocolate City" or "City Lights," something extremely cheesy I know.

I remember other dreams, too. After undergrad, I was going to move to New York, no matter what. I even traveled to Times Square and interviewed with MTV. But after I didn't get the gig, then NYU didn't accept me, that dream soon went to the clouds.

What else? I was going to be a published author, and while I have published, some of my best work, according to friends and professors, is still hiding in between the pages of composition books. It seems I've let go of the idea of publishing those manuscripts.

And then, I was going to be a Spanish translator...start a literacy non-profit... live in Africa...have four children...and on, and on, and on.

Many would be tempted to tell me that my life isn't over. There's still a chance to make my dreams come true. And this is correct. I'm really not sure where this is going... Maybe, I just needed a space to reflect on the dreams that I've dreamed, those that will never be accomplished, and those that I'm still dreaming. Maybe I just needed to reconnect with my creative soul. An ambitious me.

Possibilities

2008-05-27T22:11:00.009-04:00

Sometimes, relationships get very difficult to handle. It's tough sometimes trying to figure out what went wrong. Then, you think about all the things that are right, but the wrong is still there, right? How do you determine when to apologize, when to let go, when to let the love in your heart take over and forgive.

Forgiveness

It's such an easy word to think and say, but the concept, the mixed emotions keeps you from doing so. It's hard, because when you love someone you automatically want that love to be enough to allow yourself to forgive, but, you just can't.

It aches. Love hurts and feels good, fulfills you and takes you to another place where the world around you doesn't exist. But it does. How do you let that world go. Imagining you and her all by yourselves on this earth where no one else matters. Is that really possible?

I can tell you I apologize a million times, but will it matter if you don't accept the apologies? I smile and live my life without you here for the moment, and it's crazy, because I know and you know that our lives don't exist without one another. This is our weakness and our strength.

When two people are totally different, but connect on levels unlike the connections we can make with other people, how do you determine if those connections are enough to take you into a zone where you and she exist alone?

Is it possible?

I miss you and want you and love you and am miserable because all that's not enough it seems.

"Teenage Love Affair" video gets 2 thumbs up. Plus "School Daze" props...

2008-05-18T13:11:00.008-04:00

A little late, but still so necessary

I recently saw Alicia Keys' "Teenage Love Affair" video for the first time, and I immediately fell in love with this song all over again. The video was just simply amazing. Director Chris Robinson has definitely done it again.

Teenage Love Affair is based off of Spike Lee's 1988 film, "School Daze" (which brought to light the black-on-black racism that exists within the African American community - i.e. light skin vs. dark skin... good "pretty" hair vs. bad "nappy" hair). School Daze - which is set on an HBCU college campus - is a classic. Kudos to Spike Lee for bringing these issues to the forefront during a time that was so crucial to the black American journey.

Keys' video also loosely reenacts some of the best scenes from School Daze, only this time, they feature Ms. Keys. If you've never seen the movie, at least check out the "Be Alone Tonight" (featuring Jasmine Guy) and "Straight & Nappy" scenes. And even if School Daze is in your DVD collection, watch "Straight & Nappy" for a reminder of another horrible effect of slavery on black men and women.

-Note, the abovementioned scenes are linked to videos.

Alicia was gorgeous and sexy in her latest video. The video was light-hearted and cute. My guess is that it will go on the map as one of the best videos of 2008.

Watch it now.

Commitment

2008-02-15T23:37:00.005-05:00

It's the day after Valentine's Day, and you'd think that by the title of this post, my comments would be about relationships...

Commitment to my relationship; family (my new niece was born this week); graduating; and the Presidential Campaign--getting the word out about Barack Obama whom I support for President--along with work and travel, have left me little time to connect with you in recent weeks. I do apologize, but if you bear with me, I promise the upcoming interviews and conversations will be provocative as always.

In the meanwhile, I've added some media to the site. Check out the Throwback Hit of the Week, my favorite new blog U People, and Al Gore's stance on Gay Marriages. Just scroll to the bottom of the page for the latter two. And you can always find the Throwback Hit on the right side of the page.

Until next time ~ Peace.

35th Anniversary of the historic Roe vs. Wade Decision

2008-01-23T22:49:00.000-05:00

This week marked the 35th anniversary of a court decision that enhanced women's rights - Roe vs. Wade. It was January 22, 1973 when the Supreme Court overturned the Texas interpretation of abortion rights, making abortion legal in the United States.

This anniversary comes at a monumental time in our existence when human, women's and equal rights are dependent upon grassroots action, political action, court action and you...

The effect of this important decision was that laws in states that had previously denied women the right to choose were immediately invalid.

While I'm certainly not advocating abortion, what I do advocate are personal rights, the right to choose. I am also a strong believer that people should mind their own business.

Remembering Dr. King, Reflecting Truth, Distracted by Idiots

2008-01-21T10:29:00.000-05:00

It's January 21, 2008, the day in which we honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I woke up this morning to the Fox Morning news after wifee's alarm went off several times.
She had to work today, a day when most people are off. I see nothing wrong with a school holding classes on Dr. King day, but I just hope that there's some school wide evet that will educate these students on the importance of what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood for.

... I want to share a few quotes from Dr. King that are just as relevant today as they were in the 1960's.

1. If we were just "approaching" spiritual death in 1967 when Dr. King said this, we've long committed spiritual suicide.

A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.

Martin Luther King, Jr., Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?, 1967.

2. This next one not only made me think of the war, but also the city in which I live, Baltimore, and the one where I grew up, DC. Violence, especially Black on Black violence, must end.

Man was born into barbarism when killing his fellow man was a normal condition of existence. He became endowed with a
conscience. And he has now reached the day when violence toward another human being must become as abhorrent as eating
another's flesh.

Martin Luther King, Jr., Why We Can't Wait, 1963.

3. This next quote is not only true of Black people, but also people in the LBGT community. As a triple minority, these words stung my soul as I realized that we still have not achieved the dream in which King spoke and the equality that he promoted. Discrimination is ugly no matter what form you try it hide it in.

Discrimination is a hellhound that gnaws at Negroes in every waking moment of their lives to remind them that the lie of their
inferiority is accepted as truth in the society dominating them.

Martin Luther King, Jr., speech, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, August 16, 1967.

..................................................................................

The distraction that really got to me this morning, was a story I heard and then later read. White supremacists are using this day to protest in Jena, LA against not only the Jena 6 march but also this holiday.

According to the AP, "The Nationalist Movement, a self-described "pro-majority" group headquartered in Learned, Miss., plans to stage "Jena Justice Day" on Monday. Nationalist spokesman Richard Barrett said the group wants to voice its opposition to the holiday and the Jena Six."

I'm not going to provide more space or energy to these negative distractions on a day that should stand for service, reflection, and equality in action.
..................................................................................

The day before Dr. King was assassinated, he delivered "I See the Promised Land." You can view this prophetic speech below.

Conversation: How would you feel if your son or daughter were gay?

2008-01-17T22:22:00.000-05:00

This is one of the questions that I've been asking my interview respondents. And, interestingly enough, the most open-minded answers have come from people who society would view as conservative.

Today, I spoke with a retired college professor who is also Catholic and a former republican who had this to say in response to the question:

I have son. If he came home and told me he was gay, I would love him anyway. It might make me a little more compassionate toward some of his struggles, but I would also be sad to know that I most likely would not be having any grandchildren.

I don’t think it’s a choice for someone to be gay. I think there’s a whole lot of people out there behaving like there’s a choice. For some, they're saying that they are bisexual, and I wonder how much of that is that they're exploring their sexuality. I don't think people who are genuinely gay made that choice. I think nature made that choice for them. I think some people play with the idea, but others genuinely are, and they want the right to live in a sanctioned union.

This 50-year-old heterosexual woman has been married for 28 years, and she admits that she has not quite reached an opinion on whether gay marriage and/or civil unions should be legal. "It's a very complicated issue, and anyone who says there is a simple answer hasn't thought it through," she added.

I Have a Dream

2008-01-15T22:32:00.000-05:00

On this important day, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday, I'll leave you with a video of his legendary "I Have a Dream" speech. For more information on this great man, click the headline above. My personal dream is that one day we can make King's dream a reality--that one day we can all experience freedom and equality.
One Love...

It was a movement.

2007-09-20T23:24:00.000-04:00

Just got back from the Jena 6 rally in Baltimore at the New Shiloh Baptist Church, and it was a proud display of unity and a time of both love and pain.

I loved to see the sea of black people in black. But then, it reminded me or made me wonder about the many Jena 6 stories that we never hear about--those that don't make the news or attract the protests.

During the rally, the local NAACP President spoke, local radio personalities and political leaders were also in the meeting, but the most moving comment for me came from a Baltimore City school teacher.

She pleaded with parents to educate their children about the hate that they'll face and their history. Tell them to walk with their heads held high, she said. And let them know that their history didn't start with slavery. The last comment really hit home for me. I agree with the City teacher in that children should be taught that their history was a great one, or else we risk a generation of young people growing up with low self-esteem, negative views of themselves, and low respect for life. Jena 6 must become a time when we come together on one accord. It needs to be the catalyst that makes us stand for all injustice everywhere. It's not over people.

Wear all Black.

2007-09-19T20:50:00.000-04:00

The Afro-rockin' sistah above is Angela Davis, a Black Panther from back in the day protesting over what seems to be a serious social issue--probably dealing with race.

Tomorrow, over 50,000 people will protest and march in Jena, LA in support of the six young brothers whose lives are under attack. Millions more will hold local protests on their jobs, in their schools, on college campuses and in their back yards. Me personally will be at the New Shiloh Baptist Church Rally or either the rally tomorrow afternoon at Coppin University.

If there was ever a time when Black people united to bring all races, ages, and classes together it would have to be now. September 20, 2007 will mark an important event in our history. It will go down as the day that Black people everywhere stood for six young brothers-the day when we said enough is enough.

This evening I was making my final rounds before the Jena 6 Day (calling family, e-mailing friends, checking local news sites to get detailed locations of all the local rallies ) when my older brother called me. Our conversation went like this:

Leon: What's up Tash, what you doin?

Me: Chillin'. You wearin' Black tomorrow right?

Leon: Wearing Black, for what?

Me: For the Jena 6.

Leon: The Jena who?

After my Sprint phone stopped breaking up, I was able to explain. Come to find out, Leon had heard something about it. But him, being a busy father who manages the most popular car dealership in the Washington/DC area hasn't had time to stay up on top of this issue. That's what little sisters are for. After a minute, he put me on the phone with 'Bo who grew up with us and is now working with my brother. I explained to Bo why he too should wear Black. "Oh this is about the nooses, right?" Right.

And just like that Leon was on the intercom speaking to all his employees in the building, "Attention everyone, tomorrow remember to wear your all Black in support of the Jena 6."

"We can wear all Black tomorrow?" I heard a girl say in the background. One by one, employees came up to him asking questions.

Simply put, the word was spread. No matter where you are, what you're doing, you too can stand up for justice and the rights of the Jena 6 and all young, Black men and women everywhere.

Angela Davis, a Black Panther and social revolutionist stood as a Black woman for us. Tomorrow, if someone comments on your attire or they notice how many people are in Black. Let them know that we're supporting the Jena 6. Tell them about the 50k plus march and the millions of people around the world who are paying attention to this issue. If they still seem confused, tell them to Google it, or visit nspiritonlife.blogspot.com.

Tomorrow, September 20, 2007 is the day that we wear all black in support of the Jena 6.

Peace and Love.

Wear Black. Sign the Petition. Act Now. Jena 6

2007-09-17T19:58:00.000-04:00

Get mad about the racial injustice surrounding the Jena 6. Yes, charges were dropped against Mychal Bell, but the prosecutor is unapologetic and there's still much more work to do. But first, I must applaud Mychal Bell (go ahead, you should too). He's a soldier. Instead of pleading this case out and returning to life as a rising high-school football star, he held on. That's why the recent events surrounding his case should not prevent us from taking further action. The protest must go on, for Mychal Bell and all the other young people who are wrongfully accused and imprisoned.

I recently e-signed the petition on the NAACP's web site www.naacp.org/action_center/, but is that enough? I don't think so.

See, the issue isn't just that there's racial injustice, nor is it an issue that only Black people should care about. It's deeper. There's no justice in a justice system that will take the lives of six teenagers (because of a racially charged school fight) as the Louisiana DA Reed Walters is trying to do. Children's lives are at stake and if we don't stand up for them, nobody will. If you care about young people and your own civil rights, then you should take action.

(It's not enough that the outrageous attempted second-degree murder charge of Mychal Bell was overturned. There's still five more lives to fight for and honestly, Mychal's legal woes aren't over yet). That's why we all need to MAKE NOISE.

Today, I was listening to the Michael Baisden show, who is broadcasting live from Jena on Sept. 20. Iyanla Vanzandt was on the air and she said something that I won't forget. "They stood up for us, now it's time for us to stand up for them." Rosa Parks, MLK, Malcolm X, Angela Davis, Nikki G., etc. etc. etc. They stood up so that we can sit down (anywhere on the bus!) So let's stand together; sign petitions; WEAR BLACK on the 20th; tune in to the radio shows: www.blacknews.com/pr/earl_ofari_hutchinson201.html,
www.thenation.com/doc/20071001/sorkin
www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Mychal+Bell?tid=informline

WEAR your ALL BLACK on the 20th and stay informed. OH yeah, and E-MAIL YOUR LOCAL NEWS STATIONS and tell them that you care more about the Jena 6 than Michael Vick's dog fighting, Brittney Spears' embarrassing MTV performance, Paris Hilton's jail stint and OJ Simpson's foolish alleged criminal behavior.

Make your word work for these young people.

Peace,
NSpirit

Want more news about the Jena 6?
friendsofjustice.wordpress.com/blog/
www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/10/america/NA-GEN-US-Sharpton-School-Fight.php
www.eurweb.com/story/eur36764.cfm
www.blackamericaweb.com/site.aspx/sayitloud/weathersbee912

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDufKvCUlSM&mode=related&search =

11 years this day, a real lyricist was taken away

2007-09-13T22:13:00.000-04:00

I remember September 13, 1996 like it was yesterday. To my friends and I, it was the day that our social-hip-hop hero died. Us, like many people to this day fed into the conspiracy theories. To young teenagers, Tupac Amaru Shakur was a warrior, he had too much work to do, he couldn't be dead.

My family and I were in my dad's white and brown van on our way home from a trip to the mall. The music on the radio--I think it was WPGC 95.5--stopped. I yelled to my parents in the front.

"Turn that up. What did they just say about Tupac?"

We waited quietly at a light on Rt. 301, as the somber voice of the DJ repeated. TUPAC SHAKUR DIED TODAY...the rest was drowned out by afternoon traffic. I was silent the entire way home, and I tried to hide the tears by rushing into the house once we pulled up in the driveway. But there was no hidin' them. My mom noticed.

"Oh Natasha, why are you crying he was just a rapper." Someone else ( I think it was my dad) said, "You live by the gun. You die by the gun."
I wanted to curse.

To know his legacy is to know that the coined term, "greatest rapper of all time" cannot be spoken without a mention of his name. It's no doubt that Tupac Shakur influenced my generation. The countless arguments on HBCU campuses and amongst lovers of hip-hop culture validate that.

Tupac's the greatest rapper.

No Biggie.

I remember my freshman year of college. I was on Pac's team. Cats from New York claimed that their city had produced the most lyrically talented rap, hip-hop icon in Biggie, but to my young ears, this was blasphemy. But now as an adult, I can give Big his props. He's just no Pac.

But Pac, Pac was known for socially conscience music (I'm talkin' before the Death Row days), but even the most famous 'dis song ever recorded spoke truth in between anger and profanity, "Hit em Up." His voice rang through with so much passion that you could feel his heart beat through every syllable. When he rapped, my friends and I blasted his music. We were so serious about it.

I'd like to convince you of what I'm talking about. Before the East West Coast beef, and long before today when rap artist fake beef to sell records. Pac spoke the truth.

I hear Brenda's got a baby
But, Brenda's barely got a brain
A damn shame
Tha girl can hardly spell her name
(That's not our
problem, that's up ta Brenda's family)
Well let me show ya how it affects
tha whole community
Now Brenda never really knew her moms and her dad was
a junky Went in death to his arms, it's sad
Cause I bet Brenda
doesn't even know
Just cause your in tha ghetto doesn't mean ya can't
grow
You remember the rest, right?
And what about this one...
Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice
I say the darker the flesh then the deeper the roots
I give a holler to my sisters on welfare
Tupac cares, if don't nobody else care
And uhh, I know they like to beat ya down a lot
When you come around the block brothas clown a lot
But please don't cry, dry your eyes, never let up
Forgive but don't forget, girl keep your head up
And when he tells you you ain't nuttin don't believe him
And if he can't learn to love you you should leave him
Cause sista you don't need him
And I ain't tryin to gas ya up, I just call em how I see em
Damn, that ["Keep Ya Head Up"] was one of my favorite Pac hits, regardless of how commercial it was. He was just so real. I miss that.

Remember "Changes"?

I see no changes, wake up in the morning and I ask
myself is life worth living should I blast myself?
I'm tired of bein' poor & even worse I'm black
my stomach hurts so I'm lookin' for
a purse to snatch
Cops give a damn about a negro
pull the trigger
kill a nigga he's a hero
Give the crack to the kids who the hell cares
one less hungry mouth on the welfare
First ship 'em dope
& let 'em deal the brothers
give 'em guns step back watch 'em kill each other
It's time to fight back that's what Huey said
2 shots in the dark now Huey's dead
I got love for my brother but we can never go
nowhere
unless we share with each other
We gotta start makin'
changes learn to see me as a brother instead of 2 distant strangers
and that's how it's supposed to be
How can the Devil take a brother if he's close to me?
I'd love to go back to when we played as kids But things change, and that's the way it is
In his core, Tupac was a Black Panther, and so to his core, he loved Black people. I urge you to remember Pac's spirit and think about your loved ones who are still here, speaking knowledge in your ear.
Peace and love, RIP Tupac, the greatest rapper-hip-hop artist of all time.

Spirit

Dreaming Nightmares

2007-09-12T23:10:00.000-04:00

Our room is purple, but it might as well be black...

When I was younger, people would tell me that eating late at night would cause me to have bad dreams. I've tested that theory...

The other night, this dream I had was horrible...but you know how dreams are, sometimes you can't remember them when you wake up, but you just know you experienced a nightmare...

Lately, my nightmares surround me in between a lot of space, spaced out, out of touch, touching the sky, without the one who helped me reach the stars. Let me explain...

Recently, I've embarked on a journey, physically alone, but mentally positioned in a place of indescribable love. The universe has physically separated us, but mentally...I notice that we're in a different place. A place where our love will be made stronger, or...

We've both been dealin' kind of well given our past circumstances and the physical closeness we've been spoiled with for four years. But separation has a way of changing the dynamics of a relationship...

This must be the cause of my dreaming nightmares. See, in these escapades, I'm alone, faces are blank, the sky's wide open, and I'm sitting on top of the middle of nowhere. My love is not there. I don't have support and I can't figure out where to get it from. I wake up in our purple room, in our big ol' bed, alone. And all I see is black. Then, I'm reminded of the physical separation, and I start to wonder, what the hell did that dream mean anyway?

You know I've been reading, listening and talking to people about same-sex marriages. Well the thing is this. It's not really about the words you call it, or the limits people may put on it, the truth is, when you find love and companionship, the thought and existence of separation is equivalent to a black room, a married couple's divorce, the sudden removal of one life partner, a nightmare.

~Spirit