Where have I been? Lloimincia Hall competed in February 2013 and earned a perfect score of 10, but hey, better late than never. Watching this, I just can't stop smiling. She is clearly doing her own thang, and doing it to perfection.
From the YouTube description: "LSU sophomore gymnast Lloimincia Hall earned a perfect 10.0 score on floor exercise at Missouri on 2/8/13. It was the first 10 of Hall's career and the first 10 for an LSU gymnast since Ashleigh Clare-Kearney did it on vault during the 2009 season."
And isn't it just wonderful how her teammates and the crowd supported her? There's hope, I tell ya, there's hope!
Ayanna Nzinga, my daughter and U. of Illinois econ/sustainability senior, interviewed her fellow Illini students about their natural hair raising experiences. Enjoy!
Love your body exactly as it is right now: pillowy, pudgy,
saggy, floppy, billowy, fleshy. Loving your body puts you in the right frame of
mind to achieve the body you want. Throughout the day, say these simple,
powerful words: “I love my body as is.” Now that you love your body, you have
developed a strong foundation for creating the new and improved body you want. But never forget, "I love my body as is."
Live and let live, that's my motto – at least I try not to judge. I'm not always successful, but I try. Who am I to think I'm always right, anyway? Besides, being constipated with grudges and judgmentalism clogs the spirit and backs you up with negative emotions, stress, and illness. I want none of that.
Are you with me? Need an antidote to runaway judgmentalism? I give you En Vogue...
Prejudice, wrote a song about it.
Like to hear it? Here it go.
I wear tight clothing, high heeled shoes
It doesn't mean that I'm a prostitute, no no
I like rap music, wear hip hop clothes
That doesn't mean that I'm out sellin' dope no no
Oh my forgive me for having straight hair, no
It doesn't mean there's another blood in my heir
yeah yeah
I might date another race or color
It doesn't mean I don't like my strong black
brothers.
Why oh why must it be this way
Before you can read me you gotta learn how to see
me, I said
Free your mind and the rest will follow
Be color blind, don't be so shallow.
Free your mind and the rest will follow
Be color blind, don't be so shallow
So I'm a sistah
Buy things with cash
That really doesn't mean that all my credit's bad,
oooh
So why dispute me and waste my time
Because you really think the price is high for me
I can't look without being watched, and oh
You rang my buy before I made up my mind, OW!
Oh now attitude, why even bother
I can't change your mind, you can't change my color
Why oh why must it be this way?
Before you can read me you gotta learn how to see
me, I said
Free your mind and the rest will follow
Be color blind, don't be so shallow…
Why oh why must it be this way?
Before you can read me you gotta learn how to see
me, I said
Free your mind and the rest will follow
Be color blind, don’t be so shallow… FREE YOUR MIND!
Forget about your models in skimpy bikinis. Little League World Series pitching star, Mo'Ne Davis, has taken over the cover of Sports Illustrated! See photo highlights of her outstanding performance here.
A role model to girls who love sports, Mo'Ne has a 70-mph fastball, and she's the only girl on her team, the Taney Dragons.
Not that I keep up with Sports Illustrated covers, but I can't remember when a 13-year-old black girl from Philly dominated the cover of any magazine, not to mention SI, but there she is, in all her skilled, disciplined, gorgeous glory.
That's not all. Jackie Robinson West, the Little League team from the south side of Chicago, won the U.S. title! I will never, ever, forget that last play FOR AS LONG AS I LIVE!!
To watch these young people play ball was a thing of beauty. Congratulations to their parents, and double props to their coaches. Even the commentators had to give it up: these kids have skills. And I loved their sportsmanship. Beautiful.
Mo'Ne and the boys have restored my faith in youth, and I know I'm not alone in feeling this way. When coming home the evening after JRW's big win against Nevada, a young football team was waiting for us at the stoplight off I-57. They were trying to raise money for their upcoming season. Helmets in hand, they walked in a dignified manner in between the lanes as their coaches kept a watchful eye.
I gave money, as did nearly everyone who stopped at the light. When children work hard, we must support them. Whether they win the game or not is not always the point. Mastering a skill develops self-esteem, discipline, time management, and a strong sense of team in kids.
In my family, we put our children in music (see SugarStrings), but sports is equally powerful in developing physical, social, and cognitive skills. Like I said, a beautiful thing.
I bet Jackie Robinson is up in heaven giving the angels high fives!
