2011 Reading List

In between reading books for my anthropology and African American studies class in 2011 I will squeeze in time, mainly on bus rides to and from campus, to read entertaining books. My 2011 book list is below. If I’m lucky I’ll finish half the list. Don’t judge me; when it comes to my anthro and AFA classes I’m up to my neck in books, articles, and chapters to read. However, if I don’t make the time for some light reading (or should I say ‘self proclaimed light reading’) I’ll blow my brains out. Check out my list… I’ll most likely be writing blog entries on them as I finish them.

1.  Wild Seed by Octavia Butler 

 My last Octavia Butler Book! Ok, I’m cheating with this one, because I’ve already started it, but I intend to finish it within the next few weeks. Once again the late Ms. Butler has stolen my heart with yet another promising book that tackles race, gender, religion, poverty, power, politics. 

2. Sistah Vegan by Breeze Harper

 This anthology discusses veganism from a racial standpoint while discussing "nutrition, food, ecological sustainability, health and healing, animal rights, parenting, social justice, spirituality, hair care, race, gender-identification, womanism, and liberation that all go against the (refined and bleached) grain of our dysfunctional society” according to www.amazon .com.  I'm excited!

3. The Vegetarian Myth by Lierre Keith 

4.  Archaeology of Violence by Pierre Clastres 

5. Finders Keepers by Craig Childs

6. The Naked Ape by Desmond Morris 

7. The White Man's Burden by William Easterly 

8. The Trouble With Diversity by Walter Benny Michaels

9. In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan 

10. Get the Sugar Out by Ann Louise Gittleman 

11. The Hunger Game by Suzanne Collins 

12. A Thousand Spendid Suns by Khaled Hosseni 

13. Little Bee by Chris Cleave 

14. The Help by Kathryn Stockett

15. Mama Miti:  Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya by Donna Jo Napoli

The links are all to Amazon because my wallet loves them. If you're a student for a year you can get free shipping on their already cheaper than Barns and Noble books. Happy Reading!

Peace

So Let's Sweat!

I was surfing the web for different health statistics on Black women (yes because I’m a little nerdy) and sure enough the first ones that pop up were obesity and heart disease. According to www.womenshealth.gov and a number of other sites heart disease is the number one killer of Black women. Heart disease is almost always directly connected to diet and life style. One in every four Black women is obese and one in every four Black women over the age of 55 have type 2 diabetes. The stats are tragic and disheartening. The main solution that is always given to counter and prevent obesity, heart disease and diabetes is exercise. The main plague that seems to flow among Black women is an overall lack of activity. We’re not exercising.

I have to admit that before I embarked to holistically take charge and change my mind, body, and soul I was never exercising. My rational was very stereotypical.

1. I never made the time to take care of myself and set aside time to exercise.
2. I was receiving positive feedback about my body type from males.
3. I didn't want to mess up my hair that I spent 100+ dollars on at times to relax and straighten
4. Eating whole foods always seemed out my wallet’s range

Now, exercising has become more than just a 30 minute run and weight lifting; it is a physical and mental activity that affects not just the body but the spirit as well. However, I can’t help but notice the general lack of black women when I’m at the gym. There could be a number of reasons for this, the main ones that come to mind are the ridiculous prices of gym memberships these days and their strategic location away from minority areas. Lucky for me the gyms on campus are free to students; however that doesn't draw in many black female students.

Another thing I notice, because I love to surf the net for exercising blogs, was the lack of blogs written by black women on health. This isn’t to say that blogs written by women of other racial or ethnic backgrounds are of no help to Black women, but sometimes information is retained better when the face it’s coming from looks like yours and more importantly the blogs that have drawn me in tend to take a black feminist approach to health.

Some of my favorite blogs written by Black women are:

http://sistahvegan.wordpress.com/

http://thefitnessgoddess.blogspot.com/

http://byanygreensnecessary.com/blog/

http://www.nattral.com/

Dear 15 Year Old Ayana

I recently stumbled across a blog post where the author wrote a letter to herself five years ago. I love the idea of being reflexive and thought this would be the perfect spot to do so. The only problem is that at 15 I never really enjoyed reading so my letter to my 15 year old self will be in list form.

Dear 15 Year Old Ayana,

1. Don’t freak out on the first day of high school! Everyone gets lost and trust me you will end up lost on the first day of classes for the remainder of your academic career.

2. You love writing! Don’t be scared to really dive into newspaper. That classroom, teacher, and those students will become a home away from home.

3. Keep more positive people around you. The negative energy will try to clog your vision and your school work will suffer!

4. Stop covering your teeth when you smile, and stop wearing clothing to deliberately hide your body. You are beautiful with all your imperfections, embrace them.

5. Study harder in your math classes and try to retain as much information as possible because the GRE is no joke and I’d like a decent score.

6. The first guy you kiss will become a lifelong friend, so tread lightly because both of your futures are intertwined.

7. Eat healthier food! It’ll cleanse your mind, body and soul… trust me there is nothing natural about Burger King

8. Be happy and don’t sweat the small stuff, it’ll all work out in the end.

Peace!

Another New Year

With January 1^st  rapidly approaching I began thinking about what the last year has meant for me academically, emotionally, romantically, spiritually and physically. The last year has been busy and I must admit that I’m tired. I’ve always had a sankofa mentality when it came to life, so for me the best way to plan for next year would be to reflect on last year for all its highs and lows.

Academically:

I have definitely grown within my academic sphere. I’ve fallen in love with anthropology and archaeology to the point where it is difficult for me to see me doing anything else. Next year seems just as promising. In addition to my completion of my African American Studies minor, I’m crossing my fingers and hopefully by the summer I’ll be writing blog post from Tanzania (the thought of it excites me! I’ll keep you posted).

I’ll be graduating next year!!!! It is so scary to write, but I guess we all have to move on at some point right? So in less than 365 days I should be a graduate…that is if everything goes according to plan…and let’s face it, plans have a funny way of changing. Needless to say I’m excited to start my graduate school applications. All the schools I’m applying too are up north and have harsh winters that I’m not sure I can deal with… me and thermal underwear were never friends.

Emotionally/ Romantically:

I have always been a rather emotionally unstable person, I’m happy (or am I unhappy) to admit that that still hasn’t changed much. I can’t help but have my heart speak before mind does. Romantically, no big changes have occurred. I have come to the realization that I do like to be in intimate relationships, but thankfully not enough to put myself second in my life journey.

Spiritually:

I’m dedicating this coming year to being more in tune with my spiritual self. I’m excited and will keep you posted!

Physically:

I’ve dedicated the most this year to my physical self and being more in tune with myself by simply showing my body some love by taking care of it. In turn this has really positively affected me emotionally and spiritually. At first the changes that I wanted to make were purely for physical fitness but it soon became this holistic pursuit for balance in my life. Next year the pursuit will continue!

So what will be in store for next year? I have no idea… does anyone ever really know? Nope! I can just plan and be prepared with the knowledge of my past to face the changes that are ahead.

Peace 

A Love Affair

I am currently engaged in a love affair with Anthropology. Our relationship started in the summer of 2009 and I’ve been hooked ever since. It whispered in my ear sweet paradigms of thought that preached diversity and diffusion.  The first side it reviled to me drugged my insides with tales of culture and eroticized Others. I was in a haze. It knew this and took advantage of the situation. It grasped me by the hips and we started dancing in the dirt.

 Archaeology was… intriguing.

The dirt would kiss my hands and the objects would sing songs about people long past; people who were waiting to be heard and stories that were waiting to be told. Histories were waiting to be constructed, reconstructed, and deconstructed. We got dirty together and I liked it. And I loved that I liked it, because it brought me happiness.

However, happiness comes and goes.  When Anthropology began to divulge its past and creation to me my heart felt weak.  How could I love something that codifies otherness built on xenophobia and xenophobia’s friend, racism? It told me not worry. Told me that its past endorsement of colonial powers was gone. It lied. It still shows that ugly side every now and then, but I’ve told myself to only see the beauty. Only see the strength that dwells in its soul not the destruction it can cause.

Now, when we dance it isn’t as graceful. The lithe rhythms have been replaced with hard stances attempting to flow like water. I’m constantly questioning my love now and all it does is provide more questions instead of answers. The emotion felt isn’t happiness all the time, but it is stability. Our relationship is an  ebb and flow of knowledge, constantly changing yet is balanced.

The Next Step

“We do what we have to do so we can do what we want to do”

For the past two weeks between classes and experimenting with new cooking recipes I've watched The Great Debaters about ten times. I’ve watched it for the simple fact that it opens with the quote I placed above.

My peers and I are at a time in our lives when we are constantly being asked what we want to do after we graduate.  Yet many of us forget what we have to do in order to reach and achieve our goals. I am an Urban Flower Child and the world is too fast pace for me. Sometimes I lose sight of what I have to do because I’m too happy in the present and not focusing on the future. 

Recently in one of my classes a peer of mine asked me what my academic goals were. My answer was to be balanced and be at peace. Anthropology thus far has allowed me to do just that. Now as the fall term comes to an end I’m asked to look for the next step. Is the next step graduate school, the Peace Corps, or is it simply a break from it all for a year. I’m not sure, but for the last year I’ve pushed the question to the back of my mind mainly out of fear.

This fear was based on the fact that I simply didn’t know what Life has in store for me. People are always scared of the unknown; I am one of them. I’m working on countering that fear and so far my main solution has been to prepare myself; to do what I HAVE to do and always be prepared for Change.

I plan to graduate within the next year. Typing those words is terrifying, saying them out loud is even worse. Change has a funny way of creeping up on people. It hides clandestine on people’s journey through life. It masks itself in the form of chaos, shock, and destruction. But very often, like for me, it stands very visible in front of people.

Do what you have to do. Prepare for Change.

Peace

Ramble over…

Self Is

"Self is. Self is body and bodily perception. Self is thought, memory, belief. Self creates. Self destroys. Self shapes. Self adapts. Self invents its own reasons for being" - Parable of the Talents

Anyone who knows me personally knows I have a sweet and positive obsession with Octavia Butler. For those of you who don’t know, she’s basically the black matriarch in science fiction/ speculative fiction writings. The first work I read by her was Dawn. I fell in love.

My favorite work is the Parable series; which includes Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents. The quote I’ve opened this entry with is my favorite from the series. It has become a testament that explains my current perspective in regards to myself and the space I occupy in the universe.

“Self is”. We exist. We exist physically and metaphysically. Our perception of ourselves is based on “thought, memory, and belief.” We are shaped by our experiences in the world. What we remember and what we choose to forget or silence shapes us body and bodily. “Self creates. Self destroy. Self shapes. Self adapts. Self invents its own reason for being.” Self is constantly changing. Change is both progression and digression. These changes shape our being.

I am currently going through a progressive phase in my life, where I’ve begun to understand what self is and how self is shaped. In order for me, and for that matter anyone, to truly come to terms with themselves they need to understand and conceptualize their life experiences thus far (thought, memory, belief). This is my first quest: coming to terms with my past and understanding how it shapes what I’ve determined as my present and what I hope for my future. It’s a sankofa mentally at heart.

Ramble over.

-Peace  

Salt Roads

I haven't written a poem in a while, so I thought what the hell let me post this one. I wrote it a little over three months ago. As Erykah Badu said "keep in mind that I'm an artist and I'm sensitive about my shit."

I wrote this poem while daydreaming in a class. It is based off a book that I pretty much fell in love with called The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson. Get the book, read it, then pass on what you've learned to others.

Salt Roads


We’ve lost ourselves in the oceans
Drifting, our souls left in the water
The salty water
It use to fill our souls

That water once led to Congo beats
And cosmology long past
The water gone
The skin lightened
The hair forced and pressed the water out

Now we are left with roads
Salt roads
Roads once filled with the ocean water that lead to Ibo land, sea
breeze, drum beats and lack of clothing
The water… gone
The clothes cover the body once glorified
Now demonized as, ‘other’
Covered by cloth that dried the water

Now we are left with roads
Salt roads
That use to hold ocean water that lead to lands now forgotten
That led to histories now untold
That led to languages now unspoken
That led to a beauty now unseen

Being Full of Yourself

I’m full of myself. Not in an arrogant kinda way. I’m full of all my good and bad qualities to the point that I’ve begun to spill over into the minds of others. People usually think being “full of yourself” is negative. I, on the other hand, don’t. To me, being full of myself means that I’ve embraced every aspect of my body and soul; both negative and positive. It’s a wonderfully empowering feeling.


Once you become full of yourself, there is no space for anything other than you. Your mind and body can’t become corrupt with the negative ideas of others. The socialization of your mind ends. Everything in you becomes who you truly are. Like I said, its wonderfully (yes wonderfully) empowering.


I'm starting a list of those who are full of themselves:

1) Sade

2) Jill Scott

3) Erykah Badu

4) Alice Walker

5) bell hooks


add to it!!

Forgetting the “Veg” in Vegetarian

I’ve been a fish eating vegetarian all my life (pescatarian). Only in the last two months have I truly become a reformed vegetarian cutting out all sea food and embracing various vegetables in my diet.

Growing up I only liked two vegetables: spinach and broccoli. Everything else was out of the question. That left lots of space for junk foods. My lack of vegetables and over consumption of junky processed foods left my body nutrient depleted. I literally became a non-vegetable-eating vegetarian. Sounds crazy right?

I was a meatless, vegetableless, dairy loving vegetarian who was always fatigued, slightly over weight, and comforted by marshmallows. That equation didn’t add up to a healthy life style. I decided towards the end of spring this year that I was going to change. Climbing slowly, but surely, towards the 200 pound mark was enough for a wake up call.

I make a point to mention that I’m a broke college student often, and I’m going to say it again.

I’m a broke college student, from a lower middle class family who found that 76 cent bean burritos loved my wallet more than healthy foods did. My freezer was filled with red and green Morning Star, and Boca Burger boxes (more on that later). My pantry was filled with sweet treats that gave sugar rushes in the afternoon and crashes towards night. I had begun to sacrifice my health to save a buck or two.

This summer, besides getting dirty and sweaty at an archeology dig (more on that later), I made a major shift in my eating habits. I emptied out my pantry of sweets and discarded the remains of my Morning Star and Boca boxes. I ate fresh fruits, vegetables and cut back on everything with ingredients I couldn’t pronounce and artificial dyes.

I’ve got a long way to go, but I’m satisfied with my progress. Fresh herbs, spices, vegetables, and fruits have never tingled my senses the way they do now. I’m making strides towards veganism and these baby steps are helping me get there.

End of the year goals:

1) Buy only organic vegetables and fruits to avoid pesticides.

2) Experiment with different grains

3) Have fun with various teas and flavors

4) Stop eating cheese (Hardest one)

5) Invest in vegan and vegetarian cookbooks

Urban Flower Child?

What does it mean to be an Urban Flower Child?

It means being the wildflowers that grow along the streets. It means being the vines that creep up the skyscrapers. It means being the weeds that crack the sidewalk. The Urban Flower Child is the constant reminder to the busy world that surrounds her that life should be taken as a breeze. Like the wildflowers, vines, and weeds the Urban Flower Child is a symbol of Earth’s natural beauty. The pavement may close us in. The brick buildings may push us up and the concrete sidewalks may try to cover us, but we live. We break through and live our free spirited lives against the obstacles that try to obscure us.

Sometimes people don't want the wildflowers, vines, and weeds. Some people want to pave over the wildflowers. Some want to cut down the vines. Some people want to kill the weeds. Some people just don’t want to be reminded of the connection we have to nature; and ultimately to earth. Some people would rather be encased in their man made heaven when the wonders of Earth are right outside waiting for them. It’s the job of the Urban Flower Child to remind others.

I named this blog Urban Flower Child, because I want this space to act as the wildflowers, vines, and weeds. I want this space to remind others of the beauty and simplicity of life. But, I also want to remind others of the beauty of nature, I want to uproot sidewalks with discussions on current events, and line buildings with talks of music and fashion. As a broke college student, I strive to make the most of my life on the simplest of terms. My happiness is never complicated. I’m an Urban Flower Child.

Intro

Who I am:

• I’m an urban flower child mixed with a little neo-soul and a lot of hippie who wishes she was born in the 70s.

• I’m a vegetarian student with a mug of tea in one hand and toasted pita bread in the other.

• I tend to rant, rave, and ramble.

• I’m the daughter of a hippie turned psychologist. Have you heard the stories about the children of psychologist… I promise I didn’t turn out too bad

• I have a afro and I’m lovin’ it

• I’m a broke junior in college who loves organic food. Why the hell is organic food expensive?

• I’m a young woman who wants to travel the world by backpack. You can find me in Senegal, or maybe Papua New Guinea, or maybe Moldova. Stay tuned to find out.

• I suffer from a Peter-Pan complex

• I love to read anything by Octavia Butler

• I’m a wannabe shovel bum

• I want to be an Orange Moon- Erykah Badu reference…sorry had to do it.

• I’m an urban flower child traveling at a slow pace trying to find her place in a world that moves too fast.

What I write about:

I write about what I love. I write about what I hate. I write about what inspires me.

• Food

o I’m a vegetarian trying to become a vegan who dreams of becoming a raw foodist who loves anything with sweet potatoes.

• Love

o Currently conducting anthropological research on the topic. As of right now no conclusive conclusions have been drawn…

• Earth

o Every time I walk outside I see its wonders.

• Music

o At all times there is a song playing in my head.

• Clothes

o The 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and the remakes that people wear today.