dreamfleur

In the past few years I’ve done several projects for Black History Month events and specials for different organizations. Here are a few of my favorites:

YBS Black History Makers

A few years back I designed a Black History Month project for a youth website YoungBlackStarz.org, to inspire young people to learn about great figures in history as well as young people today in entertainment who are making positive strides.

Here are some of the interviews we did with the teens and tween performers on the site:

Interview with Justin Martin (Actor, “A Raisin in the Sun”)

Interview with Rhyon Nicole Brown (Actress, “Lincoln Heights,”)

Interview with Chelsea Tavares (Singer, Actress, “Nickelodeon’s Just Jordan”)

Interview with Nickayla Tucker (Actress and Singer, “Law & Order SVU”)

Interview with Blake Hightower (Rapper, Actor, “Everyone Hates Chris”)

Interview with India Scandrick (Singer, Dancer, Actress, “Lion King on Broadway”)

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Woman With a Dream Ida B. Wells Barnett: Crusader of Freedom

Ida B. Wells Barnett was a journalist and pioneer of freedom in the 19th century. This project (click here to view) was actually the first website I ever created in high school for a multimedia contest that was aimed at chronicling the life of a leader in history. My two friends and I created the site to show the history of African Americans in America and how Ida B. Wells fought against injustice through the power of her pen. The site actually won first place in the competition and the opportunity allowed us to contribute to the National Urban League’s publication that following year.

“Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”

- Ida B. Wells-Barnett, (1862-1931) Anti-lynching crusader, suffragist, women’s rights advocate, journalist, and speaker

During the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century in America, many injustices rang out in the hearts of African Americans. During this time of intense turmoil including lynching, discrimination, and violence, a passionate woman with a courageous and determined spirit rose up to battle the injustices in society. She led a national campaign against lynching that opened the eyes of the nation to the horrors taking place in a land that had supposedly guaranteed freedom for all citizens.

Through fiery articles, unwavering speeches, spirited marches, and compelling actions, this woman risked her own life to save the lives and freedoms of others. She was a woman with great hope that inspired her to take action to change history instead of passively letting events take their own course. Her name was Ida B. Wells-Barnett.

November 1st kicks off National Novel Writing Month, when people all over the world will take part in penning their own books. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30. The website encourages the participants to just get writing and not worry about mistakes or scrutiny: “It’s all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.”

The site is really interactive in that you can discuss your progress with others, and at the end you’ll paste your story into the site’s word counter for it to verify that you’ve reached the 50,000 word mark. The power of deadlines and having others sharing the same experience makes the journey more energizing.

I decided a few weeks ago to sign up for the challenge, though the thought of it makes me a little nervous whether I can complete it on time. It’s been my dream since I’ve been a little girl to write novels, so whatever the outcome, this will help propel me in the direction of getting my dreams out on paper; to just do it.

If you’ve always wanted to write a book, I encourage you to try it out as well. What could it hurt to take a little time to nurture a dream. Go to the website to learn more, sign up, and get tips and encouragement from the forums. I’ll let you know how I do.

Here are some writing tips that inspire me from some of my favorite authors:

“Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.” - C. S. Lewis (Author of The Chronicles of Narnia Series)

“There is enormous value in listening and reading and writing—and then putting your words away for weeks or months–and then returning to your work to polish it some more. Read the very best writing and understand why it is considered the best. Maybe you will do better, which is great, but try not to do worse.” - Sharon Creech (From Women on Writing Interview)

“The writer has to force himself to work. He has to make his own hours and if he doesn’t go to his desk at all there is nobody to scold him.” - Roald Dahl (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach)

“If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, you must be the one to write it.” - Toni Morrison, (The Bluest Eye, Tar Baby)

I came across this cute costume created by Zavi and was blown away by her creativity. She made this giant Nike Dunk costume, designed a huge replica of a Nike Shoe box, and finished off the look with “Barbie sneaker earrings, shoe strings braided into [her] hair with pink Barbie sneakers at the end, and a pink swoosh on [her] face.” The finished look is really cool and creative.

Raven Symone, one of my favorite actresses and business women, was on one of my favorite shows last night, “The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch.” She’s only 22, and is already an extremely accomplished young woman who sets the standard and rises above it as a musician, actress, producer, and entrepreneur. Raven not only has her own television show on the Disney Channel and a growing media empire, she has also starred in numerous movies (including ‘College Road Trip,’ now in theaters), TV shows and has won countless awards for her lively talent. We all knew her as the adorable Olivia Kendall on the ‘Cosby Show’, and now she is a mature, energetic, and hilarious role model for young people everywhere.

I was so excited, then missed it when it came on because I was too busy studying. I found these clips of it online today on the Disney Society Blog. Raven describes her brand as “positivity, confidence, being yourself and self-respect.” I was really inspired by what she had to say about building her brand, overcoming naysayers and her movie coming out, "College Road Trip" which I would love to see. Here’s what she had to say:

Happy New Year everyone! I am recovering from a minor surgery but will be back with more updates very soon. In the meantime, the quotes in the banner above are motivation for me to get my dreams out and into reality in the New Year. How simple yet true is the last one, “To begin, begin.” - William Wordsworth. I have a feeling it will be a Great 2008 (as my friend Evy calls it)… I wish everyone the best in the New Year!