M.I.A.

It's been a month since I've blogged. Well, almost a month. I feel terrible. School has been kicking my sweet little tushie!! Seriously...

My Shakespeare class shows me NO mercy (I actually escaped researching for a big 14 page paper to come blog) and I am counting down the days until I no longer have to carry around a 4,000 page book of every play he's ever written.

On top of that, BSA had our HUGE Ebony Exposure Week. Semi-formal ball, Flag football, Entrepreneur workshop, Soul Food dinner and comedian Lil Duval (enter big Kool-Aid smile here) made our week FABULOUS and an incredible success!

I've also been taking gym classes a few times a week... Kickboxing, Step (ugh, never again), Body Sculpt, Core Training, Zumba, Hip-Hop...I'm on the way to my summer body!!

As a preview to the madness that will be this summer, Springfest 2010 happened this weekend...and well....let the video show you how it went...

Yes people...this is my school. Oh, JMU, how I love thee. Our President sent us all emails telling us we're an embarrassment to the University :( Sorry Dr. Rose!! We'll behave for the remainder of the year! (i think...)

So yeah, let me get back to being productive and getting closer to the end of the semester! Love you all! I'll stop slacking, I promise! You can also follow me at twitter.com/ItsMeJMarie since I've been such a slacker at blogging. I tweet nonstop! (Don't judge me!)

Below are pics of me at our Semi-Formal event "BE Regal" last Saturday. Me and Loleeta are underneath (she'll be taking over my Special Events Coordinator position for the 2010-2011 year!!).

Love my vintage blazers! Shoes via Dolce Vita. :)

"All ladies: take a second to look in the mirror... Then tell yourself,

'I'm beautiful just how I am...'"

- Nova Giovanni

:)

"Feminist" is NOT a Curse Word.

You don't need to cringe when I say, "I'm an editor for Sister Speak, a feminist magazine."

I won't jump down your throat every chance I get and hammer you with 'Women's Rights' chants.

Feminists simply believe in gender equality, women's rights, and the overall empowerment of women.

Being a feminist does NOT mean that I'm a lesbian, and it doesn't mean that I plan to take control of every relationship that I embark on.

In fact, as a religious woman, I plan to walk in my destiny and be the woman God has always called me to be. Called us to be.

Beautiful on the inside while continuously preserving my outward beauty.

Strong, yet Meek.

Efficient.

Virtuous.

Virtuous.

I AM a Virtuous Woman.

And as a Virtuous woman and a feminist, I seek to embrace my womanhood in every facet, from gaining a daily cognizance of my rights to falling in love with my vagina.

It's beautiful. Unique. Handcrafted by God, and makes me every bit of a woman.

I love my vagina.

I am a woman.

Feminists ought not be misconceived for their strength, and feared for their powerful impact on society, but rather respected.....

.....for their strength and powerful impact on society.

The beauty of it is...Even though I have no idea where I'm going, and I know I'm blindfolded, I've been smiling this whole time. Just hold my hand...and don't jump when I squeeze it.

-unknown

Laughter is Good for the Soul.

I kinda feel bad for laughing at this!!

But between me spraining my ankle in DC this weekend (apparently I can't walk down steps and laugh at the same time), waking up with incredible sinus issues, and breaking out in hives more and more everyday (going to the Dr. first thing in the morning, by the way), I need a good laugh!

I can't remember where I found this picture, but I saved it on my computer a while ago and just came across it again...so glad I did!

In addition to this pic, I had an INCREDIBLE Valentine's weekend with my girls in DC! Nightclubs, dinner, lunch, roadtrips, wine, and CakeLove cupcakes, laughs, memories! I had a blast. I'll never forget the people in my life who make it worth living. Thanks God for placing such amazing..FUNNY people in my path!

Also, today I went to see the Vagina Monologues! I loved laughing at something that we don't really have a social etiquette for: Vagina. And while I'm not a die-hard Feminist, I AM an advocate for the empowerment of women. I'm an editor and writer for a feminist magazine, Sister Speak, and it's amazing to get an up-close and personal view of feminism and women empowerment. It's a beautiful thing!! The Vagina Monologues were wonderful! I cried, I laughed, and most importantly, I got in touch with my inner feminist. I loved it!

Laughter is indeed the best medicine. And while I'm not PHYSICALLY healed, my spirits are definitely lifted!!

:)

"Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you. Love me, and I may be forced to love you."

~William Arthur Ward

Black History. BECOME History.

Since 1926, African Americans have celebrated Black History Month (it started out as Black History Week) as a way to honor the remarkable African Americans who preceeded us. Every year in the month of February, Blacks have trivia games, watch television specials, and even devote class time to learning about the greats such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Hiram R. Revels, and Madame C.J. Walker, just to name a few.

We take time to reflect on the tremendous progress the African American race has made, from rising above slavery to gaining citizenship, and ultimately, the right to vote.

Regardless of what anyone (Black or not) has to say, our race has defeated oppression and has implanted a powerful footprint in the history books.

But why are we satisfied with simply reading about the greats that paved the way for us? Why don't we strive to BECOME these "greats"?

This year, I've gained a new vantage on Black History Month. While I will continue to reflect on the lives and achievements of the figures who risked their lives and their freedom so that Blacks can be where we are today, I will now strive to BECOME part of history.

What good is it to look at where we've been if we refuse to take initiative and pave the path on which we're going? I possess no desire to read about the past forever. I aspire to BE THE FUTURE.

This Black History Month, I want to shift my attention to the up and coming African Americans. As the old saying goes, "Iron sharpens iron." We have the power to uplift those blacks around us and join in on the quest to becoming an even greater black community. An even greater black youth.

<3

We're a powerful generation, and if we let go of the violence, pettiness, and complacency, we WILL be a forced to be reckoned with. We have it in us....

So let's make History! Black History. BE History.