Diary of a Content Black Woman

A SEASON OF RE-INVENTION

contentblackwoman@yahoo.com (Content Black Woman) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 01:44:00 +0000

Allow me this opportunity to apologize for not posting for some time. It has been a whirlwind of a time.

I want to say thank you to each and every reader of this blog. You have laid witness to my emotional voyeuristic tendencies. Most time it was without judgement, although I am well aware that my musings were not always politically correct.

I have engaged in much introspection over the last couple of weeks. My life over the last six years has been through a series of crises, disappointments and perceived failures that would have taken out most people. Yet, I arise one more day to the fact that I am still here.

Previously, I have alluded that the massive economic downturn being experienced these days is nothing more than the re-set button being set on all of our lives. We can have the courage to move forward or to die emotionally and psychologically where we are. For most, it is a choice that is solely ours.

For those of you who have not been regular followers of this blog, I started this blog for the purpose of healing. My anger was misplaced pain, resulting from gross frustration and an immense desire to be understood as it is for many women - particularly Black women. There is goodness within. It just came to a point that I felt that every time I attempted to demonstrate or share that goodness, life was kicking me in the teeth one time too many.

I committed myself to spiritual honesty and integral truth. I cannot fake it. I cannot be someone whom I am not, nor do I want to be. I have paid an enormous price for this choice. Yet, it is a choice I still do not regret - in spite of the pain.

I will be taking a break from blogging for a while. Don't get me wrong. I haven't given up on the blog or writing. It's just that the time has come to engage in the next chapter of my life. It has almost been a year since I endured the unthinkable, however, I have learned more than ever that I am a survivor and in a million ways, my journey is just beginning.

What I have gotten most from this blog is the value of loving oneself right where one is...the good, the bad and the ugly. I have struggled to get back to the person I know myself to be. By nature I am loving, kind, generous, smart, compassionate and forgiving. However, we live in a world that will test our resolve in relation to such quality in an effort to make you as ugly as it sometimes can be. Overtime, anger and frustration began to take its toll and I lived, moved and achieved out of fear and not out of love. I have committed myself to a life of doing things out of love.

I do not have all the answers, nor have I reached the ultimate state of enlightenment. Yet, I am confident I am well on my way.

I know that I am loved and that I am blessed. I know that I am to live my life with passion and courage with a faith and trust that only is required of those who are called to a purpose beyond normal human comprehension.

The next year will be crucial as I prepare to send my only baby girl out into the world. I am convinced I am the most blessed parent in the world. If there was only one thing I would be forced to name that I've done right, it would be her.

Feel free to continue to post comments. I will continue to check periodically, yet I will not be posting for some time. I appreciate your patience, understanding and support in this regard. I will answer comments though.

I encourage you to be strong and hold on to your faith. God is always with us even though there are times we may not feel like it. Embrace the peace of God that does exist and surrender to living in the now, in this moment. When life gets ready, it has a way of showing us that we are not always in control. However, it is in these moments we can turn to the Christ consciousness that let's us know we do have the power to arise. We may just need to go through a wilderness experience prior to our spiritual resurrection.

Wishing you love and peace now and always.

And always remember...

Be free. Know peace.

SONIA SOTOMAYOR IS TAPPED BY OBAMA TO SERVE AS THE FIRST PUERTO RICAN JUDGE ON THE SUPREME COURT

contentblackwoman@yahoo.com (Content Black Woman) — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:21:00 +0000

By Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's choice of Sonia Sotomayor to join the U.S. Supreme Court will generate a sharp political battle in the Senate over her liberal positions but she is likely to prevail.

Sotomayor's selection would do little to change the court's 5-4 conservative majority as she replaces another liberal. Republicans promised to her give her respectful, rigorous scrutiny during the summer months.

She would be the first Hispanic and second woman on the high court, and fulfills Obama's objective of choosing someone without a privileged background, given that she grew up in a housing project in the Bronx in New York City.

* If confirmed by the Senate, she would replace the retiring David Souter, who was a reliable liberal vote for the court's minority.

Souter was known as "Bush's mistake," because he was far more liberal than the Republican President George H. W. Bush realized when he chose him.

Obama's choice was evidence that he did not intend to make the same mistake, since Sotomayor, unlike Souter, has staked out fairly liberal positions on many issues.

Story comes courtesy of Reuters.

Does this mean we'll be celebrating Puerto Rican Day Parades at the White House? I sure hope so. I'm truly digging the new flavor of America's melting pot.

FRIDAY LIVE - MORE SPOOFS ON OBAMA

contentblackwoman@yahoo.com (Content Black Woman) — Fri, 22 May 2009 14:12:00 +0000

Alright all. It's the Friday before Memorial Day. Feeling good after a great week. I'm in the process of finding out more about this Obama impersonator. If anyone has any info, please share. I think his stuff is comedic genius.

Let me know what you think.

GLENN BECK ON THE VIEW

contentblackwoman@yahoo.com (Content Black Woman) — Wed, 20 May 2009 20:33:00 +0000

While Glenn Beck is getting his butt whupped, pay close attention to Elizabeth in the process. By the way, the beauty is that now "angry conservative commentators" can be finally held accountable for their arrogance and gross exaggerations. I love it!

BLAME IT - BARACK OBAMA SPOOF

contentblackwoman@yahoo.com (Content Black Woman) — Mon, 18 May 2009 22:49:00 +0000

O.K. All, I think I just had the best laugh I've had all year. You have got to check this out! Hilarious!

66 YEAR-OLD BRITISH WOMAN TO SOON GIVE BIRTH

contentblackwoman@yahoo.com (Content Black Woman) — Mon, 18 May 2009 22:07:00 +0000

Is it fair to say that when God made us, He knew what he was doing - so now why does he need help?

She's a 66-year-old successful career woman about to become a first-time mom. Elizabeth Adeney, now eight months pregnant, will be one of the oldest new mothers in the world.

Chatter on the Internet ranges from wonder at the miracle to harsh criticism, with one post calling Adeney's decision to have in vitro fertilization an example of "breathtaking selfishness." When she's 85 years old, her child will still be a teenager.

Dr. Jamie Grifo at the New York University Fertility Center told ABC News that although "pregnancy has risks associated with it at any age & the older the woman, the greater the risks."

Older women who get pregnant could have trouble with "high blood pressure, which can complicate placental development. They can develop diabetes in pregnancy, which has to be monitored. Preterm labor is an issue in the older patient and of course, Caesarian delivery and the associated surgical risks."

But, Grifo added, these risks are "very treatable, so as long as an older woman has a healthy heart, their outcome for pregnancy is very good."

In 2004 New Yorker Aleta St. James became the oldest American woman to give birth when she had twins. She was nearly 57. A year later, a 66 year-old Romanian woman became the world's oldest mom. Then, in 2006, Carmela Bousada of Spain, who was nearly 67, took the title.

And last year, Omkari Panwar from India stole her crown. Desperate for a male heir, she underwent IVF at age 70. She got her wish when she gave birth to twins, one of them a boy.

According to Grifo, "There haven't been that many women over the age of 50 who have attempted pregnancy and now that the technology exists more are doing so."

But should they be allowed to? Grifo told ABC News that "We don't tell a 14-year-old unmarried woman she's not allowed to have a child. Why should we tell a 66-year-old woman who is healthy and wants to have a baby that she can't. Who's to say?"

Guess what? There is no way you will see me pregnant at 66. Wow!

For more on this story, visit, ABC News.

OBAMA GIVES ASU A LESSON IN BUILDING A BODY OF WORK

contentblackwoman@yahoo.com (Content Black Woman) — Fri, 15 May 2009 01:43:00 +0000

I can't help but wonder just how ridiculous those regents must have felt sitting and watching President Obama captivate the audience with his words of wisdom. It was as if he showed them that he was way too good for an honorary degree from ASU anyhow.

Very proud to call President Obama my president.

OBAMAS HOST A POETRY JAM AT THE WHITE HOUSE

contentblackwoman@yahoo.com (Content Black Woman) — Fri, 15 May 2009 01:20:00 +0000

So can we officially call the White House the Black House?

The Obamas hosted a poetry showcase at the White House Tuesday night, with a bassist, candles and soul claps to properly set the mood.

The spoken word extravaganza was laced with a DJ spinning tunes in the hallway for wine sipping guests, including acclaimed director Spike Lee and TV broadcaster George Stephanopoulos, as the President and First Lady paid homage to the art of spoken word.

“We’re here to celebrate the power of words and music to help us appreciate beauty and also to understand pain,’’ Obama said.

According to the New York Times, the headliners included James Earl Jones, who recited a monologue from "Othello," Brandon Bennett from New York, who dedicated and translated his poem into hand signs for his deaf sister and Chicago poet Mayda del Valle.

Ms. del Valle, 30, said the she never imagined an opportunity to display her poetic talent, inspired by her Puerto Rican upbringing, amongst political Washington elites.

“To be able to go in the White House and to represent my grandmother and my ancestors, it really means a lot,” she said. “It’s a generation of women that don’t often get heard, you know, these old Puerto Rican women that no one ever really thinks about. To be able to use my voice to represent them on this kind of platform is really powerful.”

Former First Lady Laura Bush, who had to cancel her her 2003 poetry symposium when several performers planned to poetically protest the war in Iraq, was also in in attendance. Mrs. Bush brought along with her writers who highlighted the works of Langston Hughes, Mark Twain and women writers of the West.

The poetry jam is one of many hip soirèes the Obamas have hosted at the White House since their arrival in January. Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder and Sheryl Crow are just a few who have entertained an enthusiastic crown in the East Room.

White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers said in reference to the gathering, “our goal really is to bring the house alive. We’re all American, but all of us come from different backgrounds. We want to expose Americans to other Americans that are doing brilliant work.’’

Poetic justice has officially been served at the Black House, ahem, the White House.

This story comes courtesy of Livesteez.com.

OBAMA SPEAKS AT ASU GRADUATION WITHOUT AN HONORARY DEGREE

contentblackwoman@yahoo.com (Content Black Woman) — Wed, 13 May 2009 16:26:00 +0000

As President Barack Obama prepares to give the commencement address at Arizona State University, I struggle not to be angry with the university for choosing not to give the president an honorary degree. Is ASU just out and out racist?

Hey, the question has to be asked and I am not afraid to ask it.

Meanwhile, Arizona State University officials have created what one professor calls a public relations mess with conflicting explanations about why Obama will not receive an honorary degree.

The school's spokeswoman, Sharon Keeler, initially said Obama — who earned his own Harvard Law School degree in 1991 — hadn't established enough of a "body of work" yet to warrant a degree. If this is not a crock, I don't know what is.

ASU President Michael Crow says that's not the case. He says the school has had a policy since 2003 not to give honorary degrees to donors and sitting politicians, but the school is thrilled to have Obama deliver the commencement address at Sun Devil Stadium. To honor the president, Crow says, the school has named a scholarship program after him. "His election is a fantastic historical turning point," he says. Whatever!

Following Obama's address, university president Michael Crow was to award five high school students with scholarships named after the president. The President Barack Obama Scholars program will offer them up to $17,000 annually to pay for tuition, books, room and board. So, it would have been a problem to name a scholarship after the president AND give him an honorary degree from one the most consistent top 10 party schools in the country?

Virgil Renzulli, an ASU spokesman, said ASU hopes the scholarship will serve as a national model for universities aiming to make college more affordable.

"We know that for Arizona to be competitive and the U.S. to be competitive we have got to produce more college graduates," he said. "We hope this (scholarship) will have a lasting effect.
Whatever!

The bottom line is the line of logic to not give the President of the United States who has made significant achievements a honorary degree is disgraceful. However, leave it to the president to always do it up in style. He's still going to speak. I know I am inspired as well as impressed.

Let me know what you think.

Portions of this story come courtesy of USA Today and the Associated Press.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

M - Th 11p / 10c

Arizona State Snubs Obama

thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Economic Crisis

Political Humor

MICHELLE OBAMA ON SESAME STREET

contentblackwoman@yahoo.com (Content Black Woman) — Sun, 10 May 2009 22:05:00 +0000

Wow! I love this!

WANDA SYKES KILLS AT WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENCE DINNER

contentblackwoman@yahoo.com (Content Black Woman) — Sun, 10 May 2009 18:29:00 +0000

PRESIDENT OBAMA GETS LAUGHS AT WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENCE DINNER

contentblackwoman@yahoo.com (Content Black Woman) — Sun, 10 May 2009 17:47:00 +0000

MY DAUGHTER, MY HERO: A MOTHER'S DAY REFLECTION

contentblackwoman@yahoo.com (Content Black Woman) — Fri, 08 May 2009 12:18:00 +0000

When it comes to myself, I have never been big on Mother's Day. I am all for celebrating other women with children, however, for me, it's never been a holiday I necessarily looked forward to.

I always felt a bit inadequate, incomplete because I didn't have the perfect picture Mother's Day complete with husband, mothers-in-law and a couple of extra kids. Yet, despite all of that, my daughter - my beautiful, loving daughter has always had a way of making me feel special. With her, everyday is Mother's Day - yes, even with her being age 16.

I recall when she was born. People like my grandmother were quick to say that, "she had been here before." She truly is an angel. That's not to say she's perfect, but in my eyes, she's pretty damn close. Her patience and constitution for life's challenges are amazing and encourage me daily.

Lately, she has been working so hard. She has had three AP exams this week - English Literature, U.S. History and she'll have Biology on Monday. With our challenging year, there were those who gave me flack for allowing her to take on such hard courses with all the turmoil we were faced with. However, I believed she had an opportunity to show what she was made of in the face of adversity. I never pressured her and daily I told her I believed in her.

It is paying off. With letters and contacts of interest from schools like Wesley, Yale and USC, I know the sacrifices I have made on her behalf and on behalf of her future will be worth it.

Although painful, I don't regret my choices that involved putting my daughter first in the context of attempting to live my truth. I want her to know the value and triumphs that come from such decisions in living her own truth, no matter how hard it may seem at the time. I cherish the relationship I have with my daughter. I make a concerted effort to not yell at her and seek to dialogue with her on an arrary of issues, in spite of how hard it may be sometimes.

There is much debate on how much discipline our children need and how hard we need to be on them to get them ready for the real world. That may work for some children, but not all. My approach has been to shower as much love and respect upon my child as possible. Life will provide enough hard lessons. My goal is to be an example of what it is to know and have faith in the midst of hell breaking loose and not lose hope no matter how hard you may have worked. I want to be there for my daughter and for her to know she can count on me for a soft place to land because in life we all occasionally have need of a soft space to land. My goal is to be ever present.

So, in honor of Mother's Day, I salute the children that make everyday Mother's Day for us. It's o.k. to celebrate our children - especially the ones who are doing all the right things right. They are worth receiving the same love and devotion they show us.

MICHELLE OBAMA AND HER HAIR

contentblackwoman@yahoo.com (Content Black Woman) — Tue, 05 May 2009 13:52:00 +0000

First it was her arms, now it's her hair. Yet, hasn't it always been about her hair?

I have been waiting for an article like this from someone who is not Black. I and most Black women knew that hair would become an issue sooner or later. When I saw the article on the First Lady's hair written by The Huffington Post's Gioia Diliberto, I had some serious misgivings about such an article written by a white woman. These misgivings were based on my perception of her potential inability to understand the social and personal challenges for Black women when it comes to our natural hair.

Yet, I believe Diliberto does a fairly good job in her article. I particularly like the discussions that take place in the comment section following the article. Be sure to check it out.

In the meantime, here is an excerpt:

Black women, meanwhile, undergo time consuming, costly hair rituals. The First Lady is no different. Almost every week since she was eighteen, until she moved into the White House last January, Michelle visited Flowers' Van Cleef Salon on Chicago's Gold Coast for a wash and styling. Every six weeks during those years, Flowers straightened her hair. She continued to visit him throughout the campaign and even after the election before moving to D.C. It was Flowers who changed the flip Michelle wore at the start of the presidential race to the smooth look she now favors, because the flip was too hard for her to maintain between salon visits.

Flowers showed Michelle how to wrap her hair around her head and cover it with a scarf at night to keep its sleek shape. "In the morning, she could comb it out, and it would be nice and smooth," he said.

After the inauguration (for the festivities Flowers not only did Michelle's hair but also her mother's and daughters' hair) the 54-year-old stylist, declined to give up his venerable Chicago salon, where many of the city's most prominent black women get their hair done, to move to D.C. Johnny Wright then took over as the First Lady's hairdresser.

If Michelle wore her hair ethnic, adds an African-American friend from her Princeton days, "she'd get attacked. She'd get appreciation, too, mainly from black women, but she'd get attacked for not looking the part. She also would be criticized generationally, regardless of race, so older black people would complain too, because it's too ethnic and not professional. A lot of black people have internalized this white standard of beauty, so they would lay into her."

I would love to know what you think.

Here is one of my favorite comments to the article by a white woman who goes by the username mwoman:

I never knew AAWomens' hair was such a sensitive topic. Well, maybe I did. But I can't belive the number of wounds this subject is hurdling. Fine nuances I had never thought of have come out, and I feel better educated for it. Some women saying, Don't tell us what to do with our hair. It's our hair, not yours! Others professing cultural and psychological roots to the problem, because as apparent here, there IS a problem. AAWomen taking offence not only at the ignorance of Whites, but of other Black women here. White women feeling clueless. Not very good openers for discussion. I don't know about you, but I have, dare I say it?, Black women friends, One was an elementary school Principal, who wore her hair in extensions, and she was absolutely stunning! Another friend chooses a close-cropped Afro, which also is stunning on her. I don't care what they do with their hair. They're my friends.

This just goes to show why I love my blog; to foster more dialogue and encourage more understanding.

RICHARD PRYOR: SPEAKING OF FIRST BLACK PRESIDENTS

contentblackwoman@yahoo.com (Content Black Woman) — Tue, 05 May 2009 00:25:00 +0000

This clip gave me a much needed laugh.

JAMES EARL JONES AS THE 1ST BLACK PRESIDENT IN "THE MAN"

contentblackwoman@yahoo.com (Content Black Woman) — Tue, 05 May 2009 00:11:00 +0000

I had been looking for this movie for some time. I remember falling a sleep on it late at night when I was about 16 years old.

BTW, something tells me that if an older Malia or Sasha behaved this way, Mama Michelle would get a good smack in before they could even finish their sentences. I am sure there is loads of respect for Daddy - President or no President.

Interesting stuff. What is even more interesting is Jones' take on this role and on President Obama.

JANET JACKSON'S WARDROBE MALFUNCTION BACK IN THE NEWS & IN THE COURTS

contentblackwoman@yahoo.com (Content Black Woman) — Mon, 04 May 2009 18:11:00 +0000

We are still dealing with this?

The Supreme Court wants a lower court to re-examine its decision throwing out a $550,000 fine against CBS over Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" incident, the Associated Press reports.

The lower court had ruled in CBS' favor, saying the Federal Communications Commission had strayed from its long-held approach of applying identical standards to words and images when reviewing complaints of indecency. The FCC had fined the network over Jacksons' breast-baring performance at the 2004 Super Bowl.

The order to revisit the case follows the Supreme Court's ruling last week that narrowly upheld FCC's policy of threatening fines against even one-time uses of curse words on live television, the AP writes.

(Photo by David Phillip, AP)

A BATTLE FOR THE MIND AND SOUL

contentblackwoman@yahoo.com (Content Black Woman) — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:25:00 +0000

As I continue along my journey in life, I continue to engage in the assessment of the why - why I am where I am that is so far and away from where I had expected to be. The exercise in perpetual self-examination gives me a sense of peace ensuring that wherever it is I am going - it is in the right direction.

One of the revelations I've recently had is that the last six years for me has been a battle between my mind and my soul - the creative being vs. the pragmatic being. I can say without doubt that the creative self has royally kicked the behind of the pragmatic self. After years of feeding the pragmatic self - although there have been some benefits - creative self has emerged triumphant in my life in ways I could have never imagine.

It's because I purposefully summons the creative self to emerge forth through my prayer request for a life that was a function of spiritual truth. The translation for Christ is known to be truth as well as spirit. So, it would only make sense that the essence of my soul had been resurrected after long awaiting my invitation.

The creative self emerges not only in my writing but in my ability to do business as well. I have no idea how some of my most creative ideas come forth. Yet, when they do, it's like striking a natural spring in the middle of a desert of the slavery of boredom and imprisoned creativity.

When I prayed to God to allow my life to emerge as a reflective source of His light -all that was pure, real and unadulterated - I sensed in my spirit a warning that taking on such a journey would not be easy, but the rewards would be immeasurable. I moved full speed ahead with nothing but my faith and a conviction in a God that is beyond comprehension and a spirit of full- blown optimism.

While the storms have been rough and the battles has been emotionally and psychologically bloody, each day as I arise from my sleep, I emerge victorious to the dawning of a new day of opportunities.

Everyday, I realize this journey is not for the weak, but for those who inherently know of the joy and manifestation of promises that lay in waiting on the other side of pain.

The brick walls are there to stop people who just don't want it enough" - Randy Pausch.

JACK KEMP SUCCOMBS AT AGE 73

contentblackwoman@yahoo.com (Content Black Woman) — Sun, 03 May 2009 03:37:00 +0000

I had the pleasure of meeting and working with this man at one time. He was one of the few Republicans I ever met who seemed to understand the value of inclusion and working with others for a benefit of the greater good. He will be missed.

==============

Jack Kemp, the nine-term Congressman from Western New York, Housing Secretary under George H.W. Bush and Bob Dole's 1996 running mate, has passed away, his family announced Saturday night.

A professional quarterback for 13 years in the NFL, CFL and AFL, Kemp was diagnosed with cancer in January, after seeing a doctor last year about pain in his hip. "It's not good," said one friend of his at the time. "But he's telling people that he's going to deal with it and fight. It's just Jack Kemp being Jack Kemp."

He played a pivotal role in the ascent of the Republican Party, moving the party to embrace supply side economics and making tax cuts a central element of the party platform.

From 1977, the Buffalo-area congressman advocated in favor of the Kemp-Roth tax cut, which became law in 1981 under President Reagan. Kemp served in the House from 1971 to 1989.

He was seen as a rising star in the party in the Reagan years, but his 1988 presidential campaign against Bob Dole and George HW Bush flamed out.

Kemp served as Bush's HUD Secretary, but was always viewed warily by Bush loyalists.

For the rest of this story, visit POLITICO.com.

OBSESSED: DID YOU KNOW THERE WAS A LIFETIME VERSION?

contentblackwoman@yahoo.com (Content Black Woman) — Fri, 01 May 2009 19:22:00 +0000

O.K. all. Give me your opinion on this one. You can watch the whole thing on Youtube in 10 minute increments. I think as far as plot goes, I like this one a whole lot better. It seems to keep you in suspense to the very end.

PRESIDENT OBAMA TO GET FIRST CRACK AT SUPREME COURT NOMINATION

contentblackwoman@yahoo.com (Content Black Woman) — Fri, 01 May 2009 03:53:00 +0000

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- After more than 18 years on the nation's highest court, Supreme Court Justice David Souter is retiring, a source close to Souter told CNN Thursday.

Souter will leave after the current court term recesses in June, the source said.

Filling Souter's seat would be President Barack Obama's first Supreme Court appointment -- and the first since George W. Bush's picks of Samuel Alito in 2006 and Chief Justice John Roberts in 2005.

Souter, 69, was tapped for the court by President George H.W. Bush in 1990, but disappointed many conservatives when he turned out to be a typical old-fashioned Yankee Republican -- a moderate, with an independent, even quirky streak.

Souter's departure will leave the two oldest justices -- and the most liberal -- still on the bench. Retirements for John Paul Stevens, 89, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 76, have been rumored for years, with many expecting that one or the other would be the first to give a new Democratic president a Supreme Court vacancy.

Souter's decision came as something of a surprise, although he has long been known to prefer the quiet of his New Hampshire farmhouse to the bustle of the nation's capital.

Story comes courtesy of CNN.

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S FIRST 100 DAYS

contentblackwoman@yahoo.com (Content Black Woman) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:32:00 +0000

Have you seen it? All the frenzy concerning President Barack Obama's first 100 days. Pretty amazing, isn't it?

There are those who are quick to say that there is so much emphasis on this particular milestone in the Obama administration only because it is led by a Black man. I would agree, but only a little bit.

Our country has been and continues to be in a financial upheaval. We had people in Washington who just ran our country into the ground. Between excessive deregulation, and us as Americans "living the good" with little or no regard for our future, we are all paying the price one way or another. A change for the good was critical.

When I think of the Obama administration and its first 100 days, the first word that comes to mind is "leadership". I've said it before and I'll say it again, all leaders are not politicians and all politicians are not leaders. We are an electorate that was in desperate need of effective leadership.

When I see President Obama on the daily news, I think of someone who gets up daily and goes to work like I do. He puts a new face on what it means to be a government worker. When he or members of his administration conducts a press conference, I feel like as an American I am being kept in the loop as to what is happening with my country.

As an entrepreneur, I know the value of quality information from those whom I work with as we complete projects with the goal of a successful end result. Obviously, the Obama administration understands that value as well. It is competent, effective, purposeful, focused, goal oriented and prides itself on a common sense approach for service and just plain getting the job done.

It is my hope, that through the example of the Obama administration, faith and values can be reignited in the name of work ethics.

For the first 100 days, the Obama administration from me gets a solid "A".

MICHELLE OBAMA'S FIRST 100 DAYS

contentblackwoman@yahoo.com (Content Black Woman) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:29:00 +0000

WHY BLACK WOMEN NEVER HAVE TO BE OBSESSED ABOUT ANYTHING

contentblackwoman@yahoo.com (Content Black Woman) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 03:44:00 +0000

OBSESSED: THE REAL REASON THIS MOVIE IS #1 - PART III

contentblackwoman@yahoo.com (Content Black Woman) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 03:11:00 +0000