It's that time.

Sitting in the library staring aimlessly at words on a page, trying to find the urge to carry on reading. That's right, revision. Well an attempt at it. Be well equipped for work/study, reward yourself with play.

Yessir, the sunshine has decided to grace us ever so slightly with its presence. Why not spend a few hours with your head in the books and then take a trip to the park, but don't let the weather get the best of you! Yes it's calling, it's a little irresistible, but how much more rewarding will it be to see that goal grade on your certificate?!

So, a few inspiring words, keep focussed and work to the best of your ability, it won't be soon before you can actually swamp yourself in meaningless activities, lazy days, extended periods of sleep or whatever tickles your fancy.

I've got my books and those much needed but a little too tattered highlighters.  Last but not least that iPod. The minutes are ticking away...Better start revising!

Best of luck to everyone for their exams and essays, assignments, dissertations etc! Work hard and prosper.

Love and good wishes,

EACS x

Ignorance is bliss, until it hits you.

Scrolling down The Voice Newspaper's tweets, I came across a tweet which caught my attention. Opening

with the hash tag 'HealthMatters', my brain registered that the few characters may be worth looking at. What followed was the fact that 'Black men are 3 times more likely to develop prostate cancer than White men'.

 I was watching the television a few days ago (yep, that's right guys, a tv - I'd almost forgotten how to use it) and an advert about prostate cancer came on. The male actor and his wife were both white, seemingly middle class and it crossed my mind that the advert was targeting White men. The first thought that passed was: aren't Black men more likely to develop prostate cancer? Second thought: so why is the actor a white man? Okay, I get that there's only room for one male actor in this particular commercial, but shouldn't you tackle the majority first? It's a Utilitarian principle which can be pretty useful at times.

For those of you that don't know what I mean when I mention Utilitarianism, it's a normative ethical theory which proposes that any action must maximise utility and happiness and reduce suffering. That's the theory in a nutshell but obviously, as with many theories, there are several different and interesting branches that stem from the basic principle, look it up.

Denton Wilson Click to find out more.

But back to 'business', prostate cancer and men's health. The fact is, there's often a lot of publicity and raising awareness concerning women's health, but not men's, and it's no secret that African and Caribbean men are not really big on talking about their health. I don't know, maybe it's something to do with Pride. But honestly let's get real now. Pride verses Sickness, Suffering, Pain and Death leading to suffering of the family and friends...it's absolutely nothing to just go get yourself checked out. Sometimes there aren't any symptoms. Take Denton Wilson as an example, so he's was 42 and most of you are the reverse of those digits, but you won't be for long. So, Denton might also be an actor, this I am unsure of of, but regardless, the point he's making is important.

Guys, you may be young, girls, your brothers may be young, but what about your fathers? Let's be Health Aware, and not consumed with pride What good is being ignorant and proud? Ignorance may be bliss but when the crap hits the fan and it rebounds and sprays up in your face, pride becomes redundant and you just look like a fool. You can be proud, but be proud and wise.

Keep it in the back of your mind...

Find out more about prostate cancer.

Yours,

EACS x

Success starts with schooling: Septima Poinsette Clark

Septima Poinsette Clark (1898-1987), a Charleston native, an educator and civil and human rights activist, was one of the mothers of the modern civil rights movement.

Clark began her career as a teacher on John’s Island. In 1929 she began teaching in Columbia. At that time she also became active in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), working to obtain equal pay for black teachers who were paid substantially less than whites. In 1956 she was fired because South Carolina prohibited teachers and state employees from maintaining membership in the NAACP.

One of Clark’s greatest contributions to the civil rights movement was the development of citizenship schools. Working with Esau Jenkins, Bernice Robinson, and later, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, she organized schools throughout the South. From 1962 to 1964 she trained more than 10,000 teachers for the schools and registered 700,000 black voters.

*Courtesy of Kim Katrin Cosby

Dark Girls are not Smart Girls, not Pretty Girls or Relationship Girls.

"Dark-skinned women, I don't really like dark-skinned women...they look funny beside me. I'd rather not date a dark-skinned woman."

What IS it with the issue regarding skin-tone? Didn't anyone hear Tupac when he said: "The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice"!? 

Beauty and 'The Skin'; we'll be looking into this a little further, look out for pieces, interviews and maybe some media posts tackling/discussing the topic.

For now, take a look at the video posted below:

Yours,

EACS x

Fed up with Eggs?

Eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, EGGS. Quite honestly, 'Eggs' doesn't look like a word to me anymore! If you're fed up with eggs for Easter but still love to eat that chocolate (and don't mind baking), why not try something else chocolately. Cornflake Cakes. They're quick and easy to make and you only need a few ingredients to make 20! Be creative!

Ingredients:

• 100g butter
• 5 tbsn golden syrup
• 200g dark chocolate
• 150g cornflakes
• 2 bags of mini eggs

Method:

• Line 2 muffin trays with cupcake cases
• In a glass bowl over a simmering pan of water (make sure the water DOES NOT touch the bottom of the bowl) melt together the butter, syrup and chocolate.
• Pour chocolate mixture into a mixing bowl over the cornflakes ( I did this a bit at a time)
• Place large spoonfuls of the moisture into the cases
• Top the mixture with 2 or 3 mini eggs
• Place in the fridge to set

If you've already had the Cornflake Cakes, try using crushed Shreddies instead. Those. Are. Good. 

*Recipe courtsey of Bakesweetcakes.

Intelligence is not a Black trait.

Imagine being put on trial to prove that you were capable of producing a piece of work. To prove that your intelligence was not forged or plagiarised. Imagine having to prove yourself worthy of something you know that you produced. Phillis Wheatley, the first African-American and first African-American woman to publish a book was.

Born in West Africa around 1753, Phillis Wheatley was named after the slave ship that brought her to Boston between the ages of seven and eight, on 11th July 1761. There she was sold to the Wheatley family by the slave trader, John Avery.  She spoke no English upon her arrival in Boston however, she proved to be an intelligent young girl. The Wheatley's recognised Phillis' talents which lead her to be tutored in various subjects including: English, Latin, Biblical Studies, Religion, History and Geography. She was treated more like a family member as opposed to a servant, and acquired an education deemed suitable for a young woman raised in an 'elite Boston family'..

The idea that people below a particular 'level of humanity' were incapable of reading, writing poetry and other intellectual activities was widespread during the 18th Century, as seen through the well-known "declaration attributed to the American politician John C. Calhoun: “Show me a nigger who can parse a Greek verb, and I’ll admit he’s a human being”. Wheatley, however, challenged such narrow minded beliefs by surrounding herself in Western Literature and demonstrating knowledge of Classical authors like: Ovid, Virgil and Homer, and the ability to adopt a particular writing style familiar to such authors.

Because Phillis was deemed to be 'below a particular level of humanity', she was put on trial to prove that she was the author of her collection of work and actually capable of producing poetry. There was a lot of speculation as to whether the manuscript of poems (Poems on various subjects, religious and moral) were really the writings of Phillis. She was thus examined by some of the best judges and only after examination was she thought qualified to have written them.

Are you worthy of intelligence? Who says it's not a 'Black' trait? How can any race of people have come to own intellect? Phillis Wheatley should be an inspiration to everyone, somebody who fought for their right to be a clever and talented individual. Just because somebody tries to tell you that you are stupid, does not mean that you are. People told Phillis that she was 'stupid' and incapable, look at what she achieved. 

Yours,

EACS x

What, N*gger?

This is a clip taken from, "Take this Hammer"in which KQED's mobile film unit follows author and activist James Baldwin (during the spring of 1963). Baldwin reflects on the racial inequality that African-Americans are forced to confront and suggests that: "There will be a Negro president of this country" but claims that "it will not be the country that we are sitting in now."

It seems as though Baldwin knew what he was talking about when he said there will be a Negro president. 

Yours,

EACS x

*You can see the full version here: https://diva.sfsu.edu/bundles/187041