Motivational music monday

I don't know about you, but I need some happy music. The mistrial in the Michael Dunn case, Juror #8, unrest in Ukraine and Syria--and lets not forget about Jonathan Ferrell and Trayvon Martin.


It's easy to feel down. So here is a song you can listen to that will help you keep on keepin' on. It's family-friendly, and if you would like to read the lyrics you can click here.




Some of my favorite lines:

I'm a gladiator like Russell Crowe

Your job is what you get paid to do, your calling's what you're made to do

Instead of talking about how stressed you are, should be talking about how blessed you are


I also like how he says, I've got faith in you, you gon' make it through--even though he has no idea who he's talking to. This reminds me of counseling, because a good therapist is going to believe in his or her client's ability to make positive change regardless of the current circumstances.

And at 3:21 when he starts talking about how to respond to racism, I noticed a lot of parallels between what he said, and what I said to that guy outside of the restaurant. I hadn't heard this song at that point, but I am glad to see overlap in the messages. It just reminds me that even people that I don't know are doing the same work that I am doing, and trying to make the world a better place. cheese. forgive me.

I liked the shoutsout to the political prisoners at the end. It's also nice to see that Troy Davis has not been forgotten.

So my friends, remember to keep moving forward. If things are bad, there is still good to be found. And you have always have power (however limited it may seem,) to make things better.


If you've got comments, you know I want to hear them! So leave me one, if you'd like.

Happy Monday (:


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To follow me on twitter (@myblackfriend) click here.

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to...

Those of you that know me in real life probably know that I had a birthday recently. I'm 35 now--don't be jealous ;).

What you probably don't know, is that I witnessed an act of blatant racism at my birthday celebration, which really put a damper on the whole evening. Let me explain...

One thing I love is crab. Another thing I love is the concept of all-you-can-eat. Put those two together and you have all you can eat crab, or as I like to call it--a crabstravaganza.

Being the great guy that he is, my husband made reservations for us at a local seafood place that has all you can eat king crab legs on Thursdays. I personally wouldn't describe it as fancy, but they have tablecloths on the tables. And it's seafood for a landlocked state, so it wasn't cheap.

Anyhoo, we're there and we are enjoying ourselves talking. We had already paid the bill and were just kind of sitting there when all of a sudden we start to hear this commotion. All of a sudden, I hear someone say,

"GHETTO?! Something something something FUCKING GHETTO."

So, I turn to look and I see a youngish black man yelling. There are a few white people around him, I'm assuming trying to get him to stop. He starts to leave the restaurant and his date/girlfriend (who is white,) goes with him. I quickly got my coat and started to follow him out of the restaurant. As I get to the door, I hear someone talking on the phone saying, "He's leaving right now." I make two assumptions here: 1) That person is the manager and 2) The manager is talking to the police. I acknowledge that both of those things could be false.

So I'm trying to catch up with him and he is outside, still agitated, and now being followed by a cook at the restaurant. So I get to him and calmly say, "What happened?"

He tells us that he came in, was talking with his server and asked a question about the menu. Someone near him (he didn't know who,) said,

"Go back to the ghetto."

Yep.

Now, some of you might be wondering...Well, what did he ask the server?

To you I say, "WHAT IS A QUESTION THAT YOU COULD ASK YOUR SERVER THAT WOULD JUSTIFY SOMEONE SAYING, 'Go back to the ghetto.'"?!?

Those same some of yous may also be wondering, Well, what was he wearing?

Again, "HOW WOULD A PERSON NEED TO BE DRESSED TO JUSTIFY SOMEONE SAYING, 'Go back to the ghetto.'?!!?"

The white cook listened for awhile and then said, "Well, if that happened, I'm sorry." They shook hands and the cook went back inside.

So then he and I talked for a few minutes more. I told him that I was sorry that that happened to him, and that the person who did it was wrong. I told him that he should just keep doing the positive things that he was doing in his life. He had basically told me his whole life story in the few minutes that I was talking to him. I honestly think that what had just occurred was so jarring, that he was just still trying to comprehend what happened, so he was talking a mile a minute.

At the end of our conversation, he asked me if he could give me a hug. I was glad that he asked, because I wanted to give him one, but didn't want to offer. Then we all got in our respective cars and left.

I wish I had done two things differently:

1.) I wish I had given him a better hug, because I am an awesome hug-giver.

2.) I wish I had said, "Keep your head up." That exact phrase, because a stranger said it to me several years ago, and it had a profound impact on my life. It was random, but I guess the stars were all aligned that day or something.

My husband and I talked quite a bit about what happened, and like the title says, I did cry about it. I can already tell you that Anonymous doesn't like that, but you know what--I don't care. I am a sensitive person, and seeing people be cruel to one another makes me sad.

One of the things that we talked about was how the person that made the comment is probably feeling quite satisfied with himself, because he sees the outburst that happened as proof that his feelings were justified. Completely forgetting the fact that he is the one that started the whole pathetic scene by being a complete a-hole.

I mean, really--is it too much to ask that a person be free to go to whatever restaurant they'd like without wondering if some other random diner is going to try to insult him? I don't think so.

Then I wondered what all the other white diners did, after we left. I know other people heard what was said, how did they react?

Some suggestions from my id:

What the f-ck did you just say!? also,
You're an embarrassment to white people.

Some better ideas:

That was uncalled for. I know you think everyone agrees with you, but I don't.
From the manager: Please leave.

But who knows what happened? I don't.

I honestly believe that incidents like this are part of the reason that black people's life expectancy is 4 years shorter than white people's. Experiences like this raise your blood pressure. And even if they don't happen, wondering if they are going to happen when you're with unfamiliar people has to have an impact on your stress level.

I also thought about what allowed me to go out and talk to him, really without even thinking about it. I decided it was love.

Because it was my birthday, I had been showered with love that day from my friends and my family. People I've known since elementary school, new friends I've recently made, people I've never met except on the computer, people I only met once but thought were cool and made be my friend on Facebook--these people took time out of their day to show me that they cared about me. I was also blessed to grow up in a house where I felt valued and appreciated. I had just finished a dinner with a man that loves and respects me. All that love pushed me out the door to try and bring comfort to someone who needed it.

So, like I said in my status update the next day--try to spread love into the world. I think the guy who made the comment needed some more love in his life.Even if you're scared, just do what you know is right, and don't let fear hold you back. When you don't live your values, you let yourself down. That is worse than any likely negative repercussion you would face from speaking up.

I could say more, but I'll end it here. If you're thinking/feeling something--let me know in the comments.



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