Music Inspiration and Tumblr

Here's a little music inspiration talking about the things I love best, black men, unity and love. Check out this throwback by Angie Stone. Also if you're a Tumblr user, follow me @ http://struggleisbeautiful.tumblr.com/  Im new to Tumblr and would much appreciate the love. My posts on there will often be reblogged from here, yet it'll offer a wider array of content that I find relevant to my overall theme, which is always peace, love and liberation.

Love act #2- Inner and open Gratitude

Gratitude is the act of simply being thankful. Much has been reported about those who regularly make an effort to express gratitude towards others, such as an increase in loving supportive relationships, an increase in happiness, and an overall greater sense of purpose due to a more positive outlook on life. Today I'm challenging you to reflect on at least 5 things that you are grateful for and then reach out to someone related to an item on your list, and openly share your gratitude with them. I'm hoping that by reflecting on what we're thankful for in our lives and then openly thanking someone, this will lead to a greater appreciation for life and others and it may even brighten the day of the person who unexpectedly becomes the recipient of your thankfulness. 

*As always, if you choose to join TheLoveMovement remember there aren't any strict rules, so feel free to adapt the love acts to an appropriate action that you can take. My only requirement is that you make a genuine effort to try.~Peace, love and liberation.

Love Act #1- Listening

When's the last time you really listened to someone?

Today have a face to face conversation with someone and FULLY listen to them. Don't pull out your cell-phone or some other gadget and half listen, don't interrupt, don't drift off, disengage or tune out to what they're saying or get distracted, but give them the respect of eye contact and simply listen. Listening to understand can be an act of compassion and love to let the other person know that you value them and their voice. Just try it and see what happens #TheLoveMovement.

The Love Movement

It's safe to say that today, the world is out of control. It seems like everywhere you turn there's another catastrophic natural disaster, inhumane crime, and injustice among people and the planet occurring more rampantly than before. With many people claiming that we're now living in 'The last days of time' as detailed in the book of Revelations in the Christian religion, and the widespread  belief that the Mayan prophecy of 12/21/12 would bring about an apocalyptic event for humanity, it seems that many are behaving as if the end is near. Although I'm not one to believe every end-of-the-world prophecy that I hear, the current chaotic state of the world's affairs led me to do some deeper reflection on my life; its purpose and meaning. While riding home on the trolley (activists take SEPTA too lol) I asked myself, what would I do if I knew how much time I'd have to live on earth? How would I live my life? What would I do differently than I'm doing now? I came to the conclusion that essentially, I would be more caring towards others. I would open my heart more, not in a romantic way, but in a genuine compassionate stance towards humanity, because it seems at the core of our societal issues, we have forgotten to love one another.

Where I live, the community is filled with tension that seems to hang in the air and permeate every corner of urban black life. During a simple walk to the store, I'll happen to witness people cursing each other out,  hear someone blasting the most violent-misogynistic music, and see people interact with one another in a very guarded, disrespectful and aggressive manner.  For awhile I struggled with labeling those people as simply apathetic, violent and complacent until I challenged myself to see beyond and realize that the current state of the black community is a direct result of a history of oppression that has been continuously perpetuated and allowed to exist in America. While my knowledge and experience in social justice activism is still developing, I know that if we don't care about  the state of our communities, the future of our children, and not only our own wellbeing but that of our neighbor as well, then nothing will ever change.

From this conclusion on recognizing the extreme importance of love, I began to think of what I could would do to make a difference or bring about the change that I want to see and the idea of inspiring a love movement was created. My goal is to inspire a love movement, and not some commercialized bs that you show your feelings for someone through material gifts, but real open and honest efforts that aim to build unity through understanding, compassion and celebration of the beauty of diverse peoples working in solidarity. No matter the movement or cause, a wise person said a threat to justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, and I believe the future of our planet and race depends on whether we can recognize the humanity in each other and not let our differences divide us. Make no mistake, I believe that any relevant struggle for equality and justice requires vigilance, determination and resistance, which tactics may not always be the most civil or non-violent. However without the essential element of love(be it for the cause or for your people), what makes the fight worth it? Right now I'm thinking of doing a series of simple yet revolutionary love act challenges that I will practice and ask others to practice as well  to promote unity and  maybe build to something larger. The challenges would ask people to do one act of kindness for someone else a day, even if its simply meditating on positive thoughts for someone else's situation, because thoughts and words have the power to heal.

I don't know when the world is going to end, but I do know that I don't want to die with any regrets and if I have the power to make a difference in this world, however big or small, that helps to make the world a more loving place, then that is a life well lived. ~Peace, love and liberation 

An introduction

~Assata Shakur:A revolutionary woman; my hero~

What is the beautiful struggle you ask? The beautiful struggle represents and characterizes my experiences as a college student, poet, and my development as a radical activist. As a first year student in a predominately white institution, I'm experiencing first hand all the joys and challenges of what many claim are "The best time of your life". Even though I've barely completed my first semester, I've had many moments of despair, a few failures(two math exams to be exact) and poor decisions as a result of the party scene(another post for another day..). I can now say I've dipped my toes into college life and as I delve deeper into the water, I'm looking to fuel my passion for social justice. Growing up in West and Southwest Philly, as a youth I saw up close the varied facets of black urban life, from the struggle on the block, the rundown public schools, to the everyday beauty and vast potential of my people for greatness. When violence and poverty happen to be the strongest forces in your community, one can either choose to succumb to the negative environment or they can resist, which is what I've been committed to doing since my eyes were opened to the larger systemic oppressive forces that function to keep the black community uneducated, unemployed and mentally enslaved. There is an invisible war going on. Different from the blatant racism my grandparents faced in the 60's, this sneaky system lurks in the budget cuts and mass closings of public schools, the poor quality of food existing within our communities, the increase in funding for prisons, the epidemic of lives lost due to gun violence, the execution and brutality of blacks by the hands of police,  and countless other instances of systemic oppression that are being used on communities of color. Yet where is the public outrage? Where are the protests? Where is the movement? I'm yearning to build and learn from those who are active in the struggle and share the knowledge I gain along my path. I invite you to follow my journey and join the movement. ~Peace,Love and Liberation