Treyning Day

29 Days of Black History, Day 9

2012-02-09T19:15:00.000-08:00

I interrupt your regularly scheduled Black History Month postings to share with you a video that I saw on Twitter (via @nicolewyche). I wish I could say that at least one thing in this video surprised me but alas....

Their breadth and depth knowledge about historical black figures.
Their use of "white" and "classy" interchangeably.
Their supposed black history month celebrations.
Their impressions of black people.
Oh, and the icing on the cake: "...but one of my best friends is black".

NONE of it surprises me anymore, g.
Anywho, out of curiosity, what do you do to celebrate black history ~~month~~? Just something to think about. See you folks tomorrow. Same place. Same time.

29 Days of Black History, Day 8

2012-02-08T00:30:00.000-08:00

Who? Charles Scott (born December 15, 1948 in New York City, New York)
Where? UNC-Chapel Hill
What? He became the first black scholarship athlete in 1966, and averaged 22.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game during his career at. He also led his team to two back-to-back Final Four appearances.

Scott paved the way for players like MJ, Worthy, Perkins, Jamison, May, V. Carter, Lawson, Cota, McCants, Felton, Chamberlain, 'Sheed, Forte...the list goes on. Now, 42 tournament appearances, 31 Sweet Sixteens, 25 Elite Eights, 18 Final Fours, and 5 Championships later, here we are! ~~#OurBlacksAreBetterThanDooksBlacks~~
Oh yeah, hit the read more link for an interesting tidbit about the UNC-dook rivalry, considering the fact that the two teams play tonight.

On March 4, 2006 #13 North Carolina played #1 dook in the most-viewed men's college basketball game ever. EVER! (Look it up if you don't believe me.) Just under 4 million households tuned in to watch Carolina beat dook, IN Cameron Indoor, ON dook's senior night, 83 to 76. Go. Heels. Go. America.

29 Days of Black History, Day 7

2012-02-07T05:00:00.001-08:00

"National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day #BAD2012 was founded by five national organizations funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 1999 to provide capacity building assistance to Black communities and organizations.

February 7, 2012 marks the 12th year for National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a national HIV testing and treatment community mobilization initiative targeted at Blacks in the United States and the Diaspora."

Visit http://www.blackaidsday.org to learn more about the history of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, the impact of the disease on our community, how you can get tested, among other things! Also, you can go to http://t.co/0ESLUPMK to find a testing site in your area!

29 Days of Black History, Day 6

2012-02-06T04:28:00.000-08:00

I alllllready know what you're thinkin', and no, this couple did not invent swagger! However, in 2008, 105-year old Herbert Fisher, and 103-year-old Zelmyra Fisher held the world record for length of marriage for two living persons. These North Carolina natives got hitched on May 13, 1924 and had been married for 86 years, g! Unfortunately, Mr. Fisher passed away in February of last year. Some people don'eem live to be 86, much less be married that long. Kudos to these two and RIP Mr. Fisher.

Pot Callin' the Kettle Cheap

2012-02-05T06:13:00.000-08:00

In the days of fairy-tales and rom coms, it seems as though traditional dating expectations, such as men footing the bill, aren't going anywhere anytime soon. But what happens when a man is unable (or doesn't feel obligated) to abide by this old-school etiquette? Should he simply stop approaching women until he can afford to pay for dates or should he try his luck in hopes of finding a woman who doesn't mind going dutch, or worse, treating him?

For many women, it's a deal-breaker if a man tries to play a friendly game of Who's Gonna Grab The Checkbook First on a date. I can't say I blame 'em. However, a line has to be drawn retnah between expressing your preferences and alienating everyone and everything that doesn't meet your standards. I'll never understand why some women feel comfortable calling men "cheap" or "broke" if he is unable (or unwilling) to do what she expects. Reason being, isn't it a common dating objective among women to get as much free stuff as possible?

"My birthday is coming up, I want..."

"Valentine's day is coming up, I want..."

"Tuesday is coming up, I want..."

So if the average woman's M.O. is to be wined and dined on someone else's dime, how appropriate is it to call men broke? Broke relative to whom? Other men, I'm assuming? Cause it's obviously not compared to the amount of money she's planning to spend. Now ain't that the pot callin' the kettle cheap....

And don't get me wrong. Some men fully expect (and some are successful) to gain access to the box after a 2 for 20 at Chili's, and they ought to be 'shamed. But in the same token, some women expect full access to a man's wallet off the rip, just for being a woman ~~cause we know half y'all don't cook and cater to anymore, and definitely ain't tryna fix no plates~~. What part of the game is that? I'm just rappin', doe....

29 Days of Black History, Day 5

2012-02-05T05:41:00.000-08:00

It's Super Bowl Sunday, shawty, frequently the most watched American television broadcast of the year. Most tune in to watch the game, but a good bit of people just want to see the creative, beefed up commercials (with companies spending an average of $3 million for a :30 second slot). Today, I'll fall into the latter category. Anywho, without cheating, can anyone tell me who was the first African-American head coach to win an NFL Championship game? Hit the read more link for the answer.

Tony Dungee (born October 6, 1955) is a former professional American football player and coach in the National Football League. He was head of the Indianapolis Colts from 2002 to 2008, and became the first black coach to win a Super Bowl in 2007.

Sidenote:
The Rooney Rule, established in 2003, requires National Football League teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior football operation opportunities. At the time of its inception, Dungee was 1 of just 2 black coaches in a league of 32 teams. Since then, 11 minority coaches have been hired. (Among those is Mike Tomlin, the youngest coach ever to win a Super Bowl at 36.)

29 Days of Black History, Day 4

2012-02-04T15:53:00.000-08:00

If you were one of the several people who camped out this morning for the highly anticipated Metallic Red Foams and you thought that paying $220+ for them was steep--hol' up a sec'. Without the skills and ingenuity of this famous black inventor, you probably would have had to pay $500 or better for those ~~really, really ugly~~ shoes. Hit the read more link for the scoop.

Jan Ernst Matzeliger was an African-American inventor in the shoe industry. Back in the late 1800s, the upper part of the shoe had to be sewn onto the sole by hand, a process called "lastering". A skilled hand laster could do around 50 kicks on a good day, but one day Matzeliger said, "Nah, b. This ain't gon' cut it" (verbatim). After years of trial and error, he invented and obtained a patent for a machine that could produce between 150 to 700 pairs of shoes a day, cutting shoe prices across the nation in half. So you all have Mr. Matzeliger to thank Mr. Matzeliger for your "foam swag". Tis' all.

29 Days of Black History, Day 3

2012-02-03T17:37:00.000-08:00

Before Jemele Hill, before Reischea Canidate, and before the love of my life, Sage Steele, there was this woman. Hit the read more link for the scoop!

Jayne Kennedy (born October 27, 1951 in Washington, D.C.) is the first African-American female to host a network sports television broadcast. She got her start on NFL Today in 1978, back when the sports broadcasting scene was almost exclusively male. In a TVOne interview with Sinbad, Jayne talks about how she got her start on NFL today. Check it out:

29 Days of Black History, Day 2

2012-02-02T20:16:00.000-08:00

~~Ten bucks~~ a virtual high-five to the first person who can tell me who this young gentleman is?

Give up? Hit the read more link for the scoop.

Fred Hampton, public speaker and non-violent community organizer

Studied law at Triton Junior College

Best known as the founder of the Chicago chapter of the Black Panther Party in November 1968

Formed a nonagression pact between Chicago's most powerful street gangs, stressing the importance of ethnic unity; created what he called a "rainbow coalition" (a multiracial alliance of black, Puerto Rican, and poor youths)

On December 4th, 1969, Hampton was murdered during a raid by the Chicago police, who fired ~100 rounds into the apartment where he slept. He was just 21 years of age.

To check out more about his story, click HERE.

29 Days of Black History, Day 1

2012-02-01T18:11:00.000-08:00

Today marks the beginning of Black History Month, y'all! *cue Harmonyx rendition of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" appropriately followed by Tyga's "Rack City"*

If you've been following my blog for a while now, you may remember that I did a series last year 'round this time called 28 Days of American History. My goal was to highlight an important figure in ~~Black~~ American history each day of the month.

Welp...I'm back at it again. And I thought to myself, who better to start with than my mom, Sheila Washington!

Sheila Washington (February 1960 -- ) is a single mother of one girl and three boys, including Yours Truly--Trey aka Trey Dub, aka Croissanwich Shawty, aka Swaggamore Radmanovich--but this isn't 'bout me though.

Originally from New Haven, Connecticutt, Sheila relocated to North Carolina to raise her family in a small town called New London. Unfortunately, in 1991, she sustained a head injury from a near-fatal car accident that lead to memory loss, headaches, and the threat of seizures. With years of therapy, she was able to recover. But in her words, "The therapist were satisfied with the level that I had reached but I wasn't." She took it upon herself to continue building her cognitive skills by doing daily reading exercises.

She later went on to earn a 1-year degree in accounting from Stanly Community College, being inducted into Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. In 2007, she earned a 2-year degree in nursing and received the Caring From The Heart Award. She states, "I am more proud of that than I am of the Honor Society. I had worked my way from a disability to independence! Not only that, but now I could help others the same way the therapist team helped me."

Finally, in 2010, at the age of 50, she earned a B.S. in nursing from Winston-Salem State University. Most importanlty, she did all of this while working full-time and raising four kids alone, 3 of which she sent to UNC-Chapel Hill!

So, long story short, my mom made history. She may not be in our history books, or in your local news, but she was able to overcome obstacles and pass on a legacy of hard work, determination, and an unwavering faith in God. For that, I am forever grateful!

THANK ME LATER

2012-01-28T14:58:00.000-08:00

Stream and cop the 'tape HERE.

Shouts to @TreyDub for the heads up!

The Natural Hair Saga, Continued...

2012-01-22T17:41:00.000-08:00

Bruh, I LOVE natural hair--braids, twists, dreads, low-boys, big fros like Foxxy Cleopatra, or curls like Corinne Bailey Rae--gimme all of the above in copious amounts, please. The reason for my adoration is that these styles are, in large part, unique and exclusive to women that look. like. me. Plain and simple.

Dismissing a woman with natural hair is the equivalent of me saying that I don't like the appearance of hair that grows out of my very own scalp, g. The day y'all hear me downplay something on MY person, just know that the end is NIGH, y'hear me?!

Not to sound preachy 'cause at the end of the day somey'all gon' ~~continue to be willfully ignant anyway~~ do what you wanna do, but I think black people gotta cease and desist with the "natural hair ain't for everybody" stuff...which, to me, basically says "unless you have naturally curly waves like Traci Ellis Ross then natural hair prolly ain't for you". NAH, g. There is no natural hair heirarchy with curly hair being at the top and matted hair being at the bottom, as far as I'm concerned.

And while I'm at it, allow me to debunk the myth that the majority of black men are anti-natural hair. 'Tis false. A lie from the pits of hell in fact. Whether you're wigged up, relaxed up, or natural'd up, men still gon' choose 'cause that's just what we do. I can't really provide empirical evidence to back up my claim but know that I don't stand alone in my adoration for hair of all types.

Until next time, stay fly and uhhh, watch this completely random, unrelated video. Peace.

Question du Jour: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

2012-01-16T04:23:00.000-08:00

image source

I just have one simple question on this celebratory day. Is Barack Obama and his presidency the full fulfillment of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream? Why?

Dear Future Me

2012-01-15T12:49:00.000-08:00

I disliked change a lot when I was younger. I 'clare, if it was up to the old me, I would've worn the same thing every day like a cartoon character, hung with the same people, and did the same things. When your routine is the same, it's easy to manage your expectations. But as I've gotten older, I've grown accustomed to constant change and growth. I look forward to it!

So, when I came across this dope little site called FutureMe, which allows you to write an email to your "future self", I jumped at the opportunity to pen a letter righ'quick that'll be delivered to my inbox a year from now. I know it's going to trip me out when it finally comes!

I encourage everyone to take a minute to write yourself some future words of inspiration. Or a note reflecting on the present, so you can see how things have changed (hopefully for the better). Or some motivation for something that you should be working toward 6 months, or a year from now. Shoot, write about something great/funny that happened recently that'll brighten your day later on down the road.

Enjoy!

Love Between the 'Shet'

2012-01-08T11:10:00.000-08:00

She actually doesn't start singing until the ~1 minute mark, but watch the beginning simply because it's funny. Shoutout to the musical beasts, Gene and Tyler, for tweetin' about her videos. I love it! Hope you do, as well!

In other news, Beyonce and Jay-Z had a baby today and they named her Maroon Five or something crazy. Anywho, peace and blessings to them.

Why Complicate Life?

2012-01-08T08:52:00.000-08:00

Saw this on one of my friend's Facebook page and had to share because it's just that simple. :-)

Grace + Nothing

2012-01-06T04:45:00.001-08:00

I wrote this at work on my cell phone so please excuse me if anything is unclear, g!

I'm amazed/worried about the sheer number of folk who attend church faithfully but aren't taught/know little of God's grace and what actually merits salvation.

We give our lives to Christ and begin to have our hearts and minds renewed but somewhere along the line we decide to continue, in the flesh, what was started in the spirit. Meaning, we take on the burden of trying to be "good enough" for salvation by adhering to man-made benchmarks for what a Christian is SUPPOSED to be like. We try to reach heaven by looking the part on Sundays in our Steve Harvey Collection suits, praying verbosely in King James English, giving x-dollars in tithes, quoting scripture on impulse, trying to appear sinlessly perfect, etc. We allow these worldly standards to overshadow the importance of being humble, having empathy for the poor, shouldering the concerns of he oppressed, loving our neighbors as ourselves, giving cheerfully, forgiving freely, etc.

But most importantly, we lose sight of the fact that salvation is a GIFT. We are saved by Grace through faith and nothing more. We don't have to be perfect, we don't have to earn it through good deeds, and we can never be "good enough" for salvation. Thankfully! I know that I fail too often to leave it up to myself.

*Update
Someone tweeted a very well-written article on the topic of Grace and I thought it'd be good to share. My post, written hastily on a cell phone, doesn't cover the topic as extensively as it could. Peep the article here. Peace!

#MonogamyOvaEverythang: The Lebron James Edition

2012-01-01T05:46:00.000-08:00

So apparently Lebron put on his plaid, "Big Boy" pants (I personally prefer the selvage denim ones - sold exclusively at Gap) last night and proposed to his long-time girlfriend, Savannah Brinson. DOPE! It has been met with cries of "took him long enough" but I don't think marriage is something that you should rush into...at all. But that's just me, doe.

Anywho, I ~~hope a prenupt was attached to the ring to protect his investments~~ wish them all the best and that he is able to stay focused enough to bring that championship home this year because he, no, we need it.

via JenniferBrix

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T08:41:00.000-08:00

Goodbye to 2011! It surely will not be missed! Nevertheless, I hope that you all had a wonderful year and that 2012 treats you just as well. I appreciate all the blog support and I hope that you all continue to rock with me in the coming year. Be safe in your celebrations tonight.

Love, peace and chicken grease!

-Dub

THANK ME LATER

2011-12-30T07:45:00.000-08:00

The Kang back, with a little help from the Snowman, Travis Porter, Future and others!

Cop the 'tape here.

The Book Swap

2011-11-27T05:11:00.000-08:00

“No two persons ever read the same book.” - Edmund Wilson

So I thought it would be really neat to set up a book exchange between my friends, readers of the blog, and anyone else who's interested!

Pretty much, all you would have to do is pay the shipping cost to exchange books (using USPS reduced pricing for "media mail"). But unlike the library, there will be no "late fees" because you can set the duration of the exchange with whomever you trade books with.

You'll get an opportunity to share books that you love and you'll gets suggestions from others about books that you may have never heard of.

Most importantly, doe, you'll be READING. And like the late Mark Twain once said, "The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them." Check out the The Book Swap link above (located beneath the header). Peace!

My Conversation With Probe Ministries About Homosexuality and Christianity

2011-11-26T13:57:00.000-08:00

There has been an alarming number of LGBT teen suicides in the news lately. What's equally unsettling is the subsequent anti-gay funeral pickets by churches such as the Westboro Baptist. It takes a real special kind of evil/ignorance/absurdity/sacrilege to protest at a funeral in the name of Christianity, with signs reading "God hates f*gs". And because people carelessly define religious belief systems by a single person (or small subset of people) who commit evil acts, it creates a huge hurdle for those who are actually trying to spread the real truth of God's love.

It really got me thinking about the role that religion plays in the persecution of LGBT persons and the responsibility that the church has in rectifying or alleviating the problem. In an effort to seek some clarity, I submitted some pressing questions to Probe Ministries, a Christian Apologetic resource that makes a case for faith through logic and factual evidence. Hit the "read more" link to see my conversation with them regarding homosexuality and Christianity. (Keep in mind, my questions are posed from a biblical worldview perspective. However, their responses may provide some insight for you even if you don't subscribe to the same beliefs as me.)

Dear Trey,

Thank you for writing. I think you're asking some very important questions.

"Why is homosexuality singled out as the lone, cardinal sin in many instances?"
Good question. And yes, this is a serious problem that we Christians need to work to correct and I see you are trying to do. But I also see you are trying not to overcorrect. That's good too. I'll tell you why I think homosexuality is singled out. I think people are afraid. What people do not make any effort to understand, they fear, and what they fear, they demonize. People are also afraid that the gay agenda to normalize homosexuality is a threat to marriage and the worldview of our children. But what if we spent time actually engaging the nuances of the issue, equipping our people, including our kids, to engage lovingly too? I also think the gay community is an easy target. Frankly, Christians have no business pointing the finger at homosexuality and rolling over on divorce. But it's just easier to point at "them" than to deal with the messes in our own house.

"So, is it biblically justifiable for me to NOT make issue of someone's sexual preference in hopes that the Holy Spirit will convict them if they experience the same Grace the I, a heterosexual male, experience?"
Tricky. I definitely think it's important not make an issue right of the bat----"Hello. I'm Trey. You're gay, right? Did you know that's a sin?" Probably a bad strategy. But I think when you're friends with someone, it'll come up naturally, so you definitely want to be prepared to speak the truth in love to your friend.

Think about how the Holy Spirit convicts you. Sometimes he'll do it through the Bible and sometimes, probably most of the time, he'll offer loving conviction through other people. Right? God uses people to spread his message of Grace-Truth. It's messy and imperfect because people are imperfect messes, but that's how God has always chosen to work. And when I think about how God accomplishes his work through us! I'm amazed at his power.

"Is it OK not to support laws prohibiting gay marriage, as I feel it is not my responsibility to prohibit choice--because love of God without choice isn't really love at all?"
Yes. It's okay not to support laws against gay marriage. But the reasoning you give is a bit shaky. After all, it is illegal to do lots of things that people technically have the choice to do... murder and speeding, for (extreme) example. Personally, I think we do more damage than good in trying to legislate gay marriage. Even when we win the battles, I think we're losing the war. But most Christians, especially in the South, won't agree with me. The Culture War seems to focus on fighting certain types of people; where I come from: democrats, abortionists, gay activists… Ephesians 6 instructs us that our fight isn't with people, even when they are attacking us---and they are. We're not to play by their rules. We have another King.

"If I speak out against oppression of the LGBT community, am I in essence, endorsing sin?"
Certainly not! Look to Christ who spoke out (remarkably calmly and remarkably little in this instance) against the oppression of the woman used by the Religious Leaders as a trap for Jesus in John, chapter 8. "Let he who has not sinned throw the first stone," Jesus says to the Religious. And to the woman he says, "I do not condemn you. [In order that you may be able to] leave your life of sin." Christ neither compromised grace nor truth; and of course, neither exists apart from the other: truth without love is not an extension of Christ, the Word, but merely a clanging noise, an irritation; and grace without truth is not at all a kindness.

I hope that's helpful, Trey. Please write again if I can ever be of service, and may the Lord bless you as you continue to think through your Christianity.

Renea McKenzie
www.reneamac.com
www.ThinkingThroughChristianity.com

Juslisen.

2011-11-13T16:35:00.001-08:00

UK artists sing CIRCLES around US artists. This is not up for discussion.
Thanks, Jade, for the vid'!

VLOG - Are You Really "Grindin'"?

2011-11-13T12:50:00.001-08:00

ENJOY!

LAUGH OF THE WEEK

2011-11-12T08:22:00.000-08:00

Just a little satire to get you through next week. ENJOY!