"Hard Times At Douglas High: A No Child Left Behind Report Card" is a new documentary scheduled to air today on HBO at 9pm/ET. It brings forth the issues a lot of black communities are dealing with today. The one thing that can help black youth is now being taken away.

I-like everyone else-was once a teenager so I am familiar with the feeling of not wanting to go to school but to now go to a school where there is a shortage of teachers and there are budget cuts left and right!! oh, and you're getting half of what the private schools are or schools located in better neighborhoods are getting, can't you say that that would be very discouraging to a teen who wants to further academic learning.

Education is one of the only things that can guarantee success. Once you're educated it can not be taken away from you by anyone. HBO has always pioneered the way by shedding light on issues that affect communities through their documentaries and this is another documentary to add to their resume. This is an issue that is seldom spoke of but holds so much importance. Children in general are the future and if we don't take care of the future today they won't be able to take care of us tomorrow.

Why are we our worst critics? We tend to make fun of our own people more than others especially on the topic of skin color. "Black as tar", "black as night", "purple black", "skillet", "nestley snipes", etc.

These are just some of the nick names we give our brothers and sisters; and if I had all day I would name all the different names we call those who are dark skin. The truth is everyone was once black but because during evolution a lot of us migrated to different parts of the world our skins became lighter and that was how races were created.

But underneath it all we are all African because life started in Africa. You can disagree with me if you want to, but studies and many many many books can back me up on that one :). There isn't one skin tone that is more inferior to another, it really all is perception. What some may see as too dark in America is what many would see as desirable in Africa or any other foreign land. Black is beautiful love the skin your in.

This might strike some of you as ridiculous but really think about it. I have yet to find a black woman who has been completely happy with themselves their entire life. In fact, from my experience at one point in every little black girl's life she wanted to be white;or better yet has wanted straighter hair then what she had( I know I'm not the only one who put the towel on my head and imagined having long flowing hair lol).

You must ask yourself why would we feel this way? One word television but most importantly commercials. Now we can't blame tv for everything because tv has offered us great knowledge as well,but even today when you turn on your television set you hardly see a sister, I don't mean a biracial sister[much love to yall :)] I mean a sister with an fro, dreads, or even twists. Today there are more appearances by the dark sisters but it is still not enough. If your anything like me, I was in front of a tv before and after school, of course after my homework was done, but I spent a good portion of my time watching it. When that is all a young black girl see's she will come up with the idea that that is what beauty is.

No one really to look up too. In a lot of tv shows the dark sister would always be portrayed as the less attractive one or the sidekick. Don't get me wrong, there were the days of Foxy Brown and Cleopatra Jones but can you name another? I'm trying and I can't think of one. When you get a chance make sure to look up the word white and black in the dictionary, I will discuss this in a later post. I am not going to place all of the blame on the media because we have a choice to just not watch it or most importantly parents have the choice to turn it off.

Encouragement and appreciation from our black parents in the home is very important no matter how small you or they may think it is, every little bit counts. Tell your little black princess she is beautiful every chance you get because hearing that from a mother or father does wonders to the self-confidence and psyche. In the future I will be doing a research study that will lead to an article examining the effects of the media on society and the black woman and will be conducting interviews. If you are interested in being a part of this project feel free to e-mail me or leave a comment.

This comment will forever live in infamy I believe. It was not only racist but sexist and although this happened in March 2007 it still has a ringing affect on women as a whole. A lot of people didn't see why this would be offensive to black women. And I don't blame them because I know that it takes empathy to understand why something bothers a person and not everyone wants to empathize.

So the real question is did it hurt because it was broadcast for everyone to hear? Did it hurt because the word nappy is used negatively? or did it hurt because they were referred to as hoes? I say all of the above. I say it hurt because the majority of his listeners were white (because I can honestly say I didn't know who Don Imus was before this comment and I don't know anyone who knew who he was) and may follow by example. I say it hurt because the word nappy and it's association isn't portrayed positively and I say it hurts because the word hoe and the black woman have been associated for way to long.

After the comment was made it brought on a storm of blame. They justified the comment by saying that rappers use it all the time to describe a black woman or woman in general. Although to me that doesn't justify it it is true. I've heard a lot of women of color in general say "this is my song",and in the song the rapper is referring to the women as hoe, bitch, jump-off, bust it baby, etc. I've also heard women say that "just because its in a song and I'm dancing to it doesn't mean I am it" but you are supporting it by enjoying it and you know when called that in public it pisses you off.

I'm here to say you can't have it both ways you have to respect yourself 24/7 365 days of the year, once you do that respect will be given undeniably. With that said I say yes I am nappy-headed but I am not a hoe. And underneath it all our souls has no color. Respect!

Oh yes you knew I was going to talk about our hair. Are we at war with it? More than ever, black women are relaxing their hair to achieve the European look. I have friends who don't even remember what their natural hair textures look like because they have been relaxing from as young as 10 years old. Do you know what's in a relaxer? In "lye" relaxers a chemical sodium hydroxide is present.

In "no lye"(which is said to be "less harmless" but harmless none the less to the hair)contains calcium hydroxide and guanidine carbonate. The point of a relaxer is to break the chemical bonds of the hair in turn making it straight. But what this is doing is slowly damaging naturally thick hair. A lot of black women say they relax their hair because their hair is to thick and uncontrollable. I say so be it. Our hair has been portrayed in a less positive aspect as appose to in the 1970's when afro's were what was sexy and empowering. So why have our perceptions changed? The "nappy-headed hoes" comment sure didn't help(we will definitely talk about that next).

The same chemicals found in relaxers "lye" and "no lye" are the same chemicals found in products used to unclog drains. We run the risk of having our scalps burned and our hair falling out just for straight hair. I've seen women who have had very damaged hair from relaxers yet they continue to straighten their hair with relaxers. The safest way in my opinion to achieve the straight look is by using an old fashioned hot comb or blowing it out. Tights, wedges, and high waisted jeans are back in style now its time to bring the fro back!

Here are some sites to check out that give you some ideas on some natural hair styles and hair care. You'd be surprise how beautiful you hair truly is.
Motowngirl.com
www.nappturality.com
www.naturalhairguide.com

What I have learned is that going natural is more of a psychological acceptance of one's self and I know it is easier said than done but give yourself a treat by educating yourself on how you can achieve a super sexy natural look and how you can care for it. And remember, India Aire said it best... you are not your hair you are the soul that lies within. As always peace and love :)

A monumental point in the year is upon us in the media. CNN on July 23rd and 24th will be airing a special called "Black America" highlighting the lives of black men, women, and families in America. Make sure you mark your calendars and tell all of your friends to tune in because this will definitely be ground breaking. Check out the preview below.

For a very long time I've wanted to start a blog bringing forth the problems black females have had to face living in America. Believe it or not forget what you heard if you are black you are African! Your roots can be traced back to Africa.

A lot of Black-Americans try to distance themselves from the mother of all continents and I've always wondered why? Is it because of the media? Is it because we don't know the truth about this so called "dark continent"? Or is it because we have been taught to be ashamed of our heritage?

Well this blog will explain it all. This blog is dedicated to all black women and girls. It will raise awareness to the different issues black women and girls face throughout their lives. It will highlight the many ways we are affected by American culture including the media. And most importantly it will show how beautiful and rich we truly are. Take a bow sister you are a queen.