FAREWELL MAYA ANGELOU: APRIL 4, 1928 ~ MAY 28, 2014

'Listen to yourself and in that quietude you might hear the voice of God.'

There are numerous tributes on line, in print & all media outlets on this esteemed woman whom I've followed since the late 60's.   I've been able to grasp important lessons from her successes and wisdom as well as her ability to learn and grow from her own failures and flaws. The latter preceded her ascension  to becoming  the griot and the sage the world has come to know and love.  God Bless you Ms. Angelou and I must believe that upon graduation; you now sit in the academy of truth and you have begun your studies on what all this was about! 

God Bless And Keep Our Mothers!

Here we are again about to embark on May 11, 2014. It's that time to recognize our mothers and enjoy the commercialism of the day, e.g., dinner, gifts, flowers and extra TLC.   To honor and cherish our mothers on a daily basis should be the refrain and for many of us; our daily acts of love reflect that ideal.  To participate in a national recognition of our mothers is the icing on the cake. I've decided for 2014; to provide links to a few of my previous favorite posts on motherhood featuring that wonderful poem by Sherry Martin, "Your Mother is Always With You" and to touch on the various tributes by other bloggers.  Maya Angelou's tribute to her mother in her book; "Mom & Me & Mom"provides a honest and soul searching account of the complexities that are inherent in many of these relationships. There will always be that continuum from the 'super' to the deeply flawed mothers as well as that chance of reconciliation and gaining wisdom from the lessons learned.

  God Bless Our Mothers     

'Circle of Love': Black Art Depot

Dr. Maya Angelou's Tribute

Photo Credit:  Ken Charnock

                                                                                          
       

          Abuja:  Nigeria's National Assembly

 Aggrieved Mothers of Chibok

As we celebrate our mothers this Sunday; we must also be mindful of those who are suffering great anguish.The plight of the Chibok Mothers in Nigeria and their abducted daughters have now moved on to the world stage. Mothers of many countries/nations/townships as well as those who believe in fairness and the rights of human beings to excel and reach their highest potential are speaking out. They are urging Nigeria and the global power brokers to bring "our girls home"! 

THIS IS AN OUTRAGE....BRING OUR GIRLS HOME!

There is a cry throughout the land reaching across the globe for the Nigerian government to take definitive steps to find these young women taken against their will a month ago by an Islamic terrorist group.  The latter justifies this action based on a dated view of the Koran's teachings in regard to the 'established' roles of girls and young women. What makes this all the more discerning is that this was a Christian school that they attacked which is a violation of freedom of religion.  Mothers are leading the fight to get their daughters back and I'm so glad that the news media in the US has also joined them. 

Image Ownership:  CNN News

Joy Reid of The Reid Report interviewed  Melissa Harris Perry on her program today to discuss this matter as well for this event was also a  violation of  human rights.  I believe the UN and other countries must apply pressure especially on the Nigerian government to disband or remove the influence of this group known as Boko Haram  {western education is a sin}.

Joy Reid Report

Social media has stepped up to the plate and #bringourgirlsback is dominating Twitter. As always the struggle on many fronts continues!!!

Heather McGhee's Case for Raising the Minimum Wage

Photo Credit:  Demos

I've been  reading and viewing Heather McGhee articles and appearances  on the various news programs and political/economic panels for over a year.  She's an impressive and knowledgeable expert on economics and the financial practices and crises that impact us as a nation and as a global community. Her credentials and recent promotion as President of Demos deserves our perusal and clearly substantiates her current position.  Demos is a think tank with various experts  focusing on the empowerment of all people in our democracy with a bold mission statement.  I'd like to re-print their "three overarching commitments" that she engineered as follows:

1. Achieving true democracy by reducing the role of money in politics and guaranteeing the freedom to vote.
2. Creating pathways to ensure a diverse, expanded middle class in a new, sustainable economy.
3. Transform the public narrative to elevate the values of community and racial equity.