Recipe for Diversity...

Have you ever heard of diversity referred to as a melting pot? Me too. Let's think about that. All of the unique attributes that makes diversity awesome melts together in a large pot and blends together. Let's think of diversity in another way for a second. How about salad? If you have a large bowl and you add tomatoes, peppers, spinach, romaine, etc and you allow each ingredient to be together in this beautiful display but keep it's own unique qualities I like this better than melting together and losing identity. I had an awesome chat with a friend Kate about this concept and we thought of a cool idea. Their is an amazing event that takes place once a month that allows projects to get noticed, and even funded if the majority rules called Detroit SOUP. They always have a meal of soup, salad, bread and pie. I offered to make the salad to serve 150 people on January 2nd and me and my hubistrator called it a "Who I Am" salad. We combined ingredients that included lots of colorful veggies and even had tortilla chips of color on the side. We matched the colors in my first book to convey the message of diversity to the group. It was a great night and opened up the dialogue of diversity in a creative way. What are you passionate about? Think outside of the box. You can convey your purpose in a way that is unique and that gets everyone excited about it. Feel free to share your ideas on this blog and get others inspired about the goals achieved in 2011! -Read something great!

HIGHLIGHTS, THANK YOU'S AND BIG DREAMS FOR '11

I love to reflect before the new year rolls in and reflect upon milestones that I have experienced.

Highlights include building amazing bridges with various community organizations, planning and leading diversity walks, a 5K and being a coach for Girls on The Run. We were able to make so many kids smile by offering various workshops and outreach programs for young people in Michigan and on the East Coast. We celebrated literacy by launching "Summer Camp Survival" our first chapter book this year! We fought hard to get people to recognize the damage and impact that bullying and destructive behaviors adds not only to the intended victim (s) but the whole community. This year we were recognized by CORP Magazine for our work in Diversity and for the "Who I Am" series. We shared the message of my books at Princeton University and had an amazing speaking engagement at their National Symposium on Race. We celebrated our mission by allowing others to join us as we participated in laptops drives, beautification projects and conferences that celebrate the hope that is amongst us. I met some amazing people who nominated me and allowed me to receive A Yellow Envelope Award (A project based in Texas) which celebrated my work in our local community. If I leave anyone out I am sorry but a special thank you to: Jason Michener-My Hubistrator, Joni Hubred-Golden, Chelsea Rodgers My intern and Marketing Associate/Consultant, Social Media Club Detroit, Tweetea, Black Women in Business Brainstorm, CORP Magazine, PBS: A Wider World, Operation: Kid-Equip, Lighthouse PATH, Salvation Army, Princeton Prize in Race Relations, Detroit Soup, Michigan Diversity Council, Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion, Detroit Church of Christ, Holocaust Museum, Celebrate Michigan, CW50, MYTV20, #BackChannel from WXYZ, Stephen Clark, Alicia Smith, Ann Arbor Book Festival, Workantile, Flourish Florals, Mia Verde, Trinity Life Solutions, Girls on The Run, Biggby Coffee, Bonefish Grill, Borders, Detroit Regional Chamber, Detroit Synergy and so many more that are in my heart even if not in my head at this point. Let's make 2011 amazing! I am so excited to step into new territory, take on new ventures and create content that allows us to grow, be entertained and to make a difference! Thanks for reading and for being a part of WHOIAM! -Read something great!

A guest blog from Torrie Bush...Read something great!

Full Circle

It’s easy to get inspired when you’re taught by the greats. No, I’m not talking about Milton, Shakespeare, or Keats. I’m talking about local heavyweights, Jackson, Hayes, and Waits. Yes, as a student at Southfield-Lathrup High School from 1996-2000, I was taught by literary heavyweights…scholars ahead of their time and their colleagues; scholars who inspired me to teach. So when I got my first teaching job at my old alma mater, you can only imagine the rush of emotions I felt when I found myself among the ranks of those I looked up to. I was told to call them my their first names (I can’t do that, I thought) and I did. Two out three were still there when I returned, and today only one remains.
The “heavyweights” quickly became my mentors and friends. We taught together, shared ideas & frustrations, and honed in on our craft. But what surprised me the most was when they came to me for ideas or help. Me? No really, me? I suppose I had taken for granted the fact that I was a college student during the age of blogs, wikis, and podcasts. To me these were just various forms of technology to get students interested and involved in the lesson, but to my veteran colleagues, these were foreign words. I had something meaningful & awesome to share with the people who had already given me so much. At that moment I felt like we had all come full circle. I was the teacher, and for a few moments during the school year, they were my pupils. They learned from me and I from them.

Something old Something new

When I first got married everyone I talked to stressed to me the importance of preserving my wedding gown. I really never got around to shelling out the extra bucks to have it placed in the wedding dress fountain of youth and here I am almost six years later wondering if it has changed colors and textures in my original wedding bag. I had a talk with a friend at a meeting and he talked about junking a wedding gown. He mentioned that his bride to be was going to have pictures taken of her in her dress having fun. He said that she thought it would be great to have non traditional poses that might ruin the dress but preserve the memories. I thought this was a great idea.
My mind began to think about how I could use my old wedding dress if it was still in tact. I also had a self-esteem check wondering if it still fit properly. Today I tried it on and grabbed my hubistrator and he happily took photos of me around the house being silly and just having fun.
What did I learn from this? I learned that life is meant to smell the roses and enjoy the special moments. That's what we did tonight! This might be a non traditional post for ma and my blog but think about it. My goal is to help others to embrace inner beauty and self-esteem. These pictures include me in no make-up, freshly washed unstyled hair and a big smile. Let's teach our kids to enjoy the little things in life! :)
-Read something great

BE A PART OF THEIR STORY...DECEMBER EDITION!

Readers, I have been so blessed to Lead up the "Be A Part Of Their Story Literacy Project" since 2009. This project started because I was asked by various charitable groups for books, presentations and supplies for their participants. It broke my heart when I realized that I did not have enough capitol to help these groups out in the way that I wanted to so I was inspired to be creative. I developed a model for a project that would help the non-profit groups in Michigan to be able to enjoy the "Who I Am" series and my other books at no cost. I tapped on the shoulders of my business colleagues, held fundraisers, brought in the community and teamed up with other groups to make this possible.
To date we have been able to partner with Little Girls Big Dreams, Operation: Kid Equip, LightHouse Path, Detroit Reality Check, Salvation Army and many other groups to make their dreams come true. I recall being a young girl who's family had to rely on special groups such as these to get by. Lighthouse helped us to be able to have groceries and they even went out of their way to provide funding for an educational goal for me when I was a teen. Salvation Army provided food, and lots of gifts during the holiday season for me and my family.
I can't forget how much these acts of kindness impacted my life and I can't turn my back on the needs out there today. There are so many girls out there who were like me who yearn to live their dreams but they might need to see someone who came from an under served background who is now considered successful to give them extra inspiration. This Saturday I am going back to LightHouse to share my books, story and hope with the girls and we even added a special feature this season by asking Girls in Tech to get involved and to have a laptop drive to share with the parents. Would you like to help? We are still seeking donations it extra special-you can use the button on this page to give back. If you can't help this week-no worries this project is ongoing and the next December distribution will be at Detroit Reality Check on December 18th.
If you have specific questions-please email me at whoiamnotwhatiam@yahoo.com
Read something great!

The Night Before TG

A bit of a retro look back; I wrote this poem last year and thought it was appropriate to share it again. Happy TG!(Read something great!)

Twas The Night before Thanksgiving
Readers! I am thankful for you! Tomorrow is the big day and my gift to you is a poem that I thought would make you smile (disclaimer) I am not a poet!

Read something great!

The Night Before Thanksgiving
By Tara Michener

Twas the night before Thanksgiving and look at my house
this place is so messy hope there is no mouse

The dishes are piled all the way in the air
and I still have so much food to prepare

The guests will help themselves to pies and breads
While thoughts of more gym time will be in their heads

I need my hair done but I threw on a cap
maybe while I'm under the dryer I'll take a short nap

I started banging pots and pans and made such a clatter
I lamented that after Thursday I would surely be fatter

The day will come and go like a flash
Then on Saturday I'll be signing books in a dash

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
Lots of little kids who want their books signed so dear

I'll sign at the mall and try to be quick
I'll be sure to have my sharpie never a BIC

But until Saturday I'll focus on dinner and try to stay lucid
Now potatoes, now rolls now tofukey and all
I hope I have enough to feed them all

My crock pot was boiling over like a brew
A house full of food and so much to do

And then, in a twinkling, I thought of my roof
and happily felt blessed to serve in spirit and truth

As I drew in my hand, and was turning around, I noticed all of the blessings around.
I had great things and they would get done I needed to stay put
I said a small prayer and stopped tapping my foot

A bundle of food lay still in it's pack
And I smiled as I lined up the to-do's in a stack

My eyes -- how they twinkled! I no longer felt scary
I began to prepare the pies apple and cherry

I made things fancy adding a bow
and wondered if tomorrow would bring our first snow

I dug out our decorations and found our wreath
Now I was grinning and showing my teeth

I ignored my diet and embraced my little round belly
That shook, as I laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

The turkey looked pretty and plump, like art on the shelf
And I laughed when I saw it in spite of myself;

A tasted the gravy and tried out the bread
Yep I realized I had nothing to dread;

I stopped feeling bad and finished my work
And wrote cards so fast I felt like a clerk

Laying the bread in the dish that I chose
I gave a nod, when I saw how it rose

My hubby came in and looked impressed and gave a whistle
I gave him a kiss as I held up the toe of mistle

But I heard him exclaim, as he ran out of sight
I can't wait to watch the game tomorrow night

THANKS TO THOSE WHO SUPPORTED THE SHOW & TELL

We had an amazing day at the 1st Annual Show & Tell, celebrating the creative community of Michigan. Every vendor donated books to our "Be A Part Of Their Story Literacy Project" that provides new and signed books to local charitable organizations. This event is meant to celebrate their creative talent and allow them to show and tell about what they do because they are heroes for literacy. The public enjoyed viewing and purchasing their works and giving back to our project. A Special Thanks to our premier vendors and givers Mike Han, of Street Culture Mash www.streetculturemash.com Erica Howell and Melanie Verdell of Mia Verde, www.Shopmiaverde.com Kristina Marie of www.flutterbycreations.biz Nichole Wylie, Photographer & Poet; Chelle Enerio, Graphic Designer and Artist www.coroflot.com/cenerio Jennifer Halls, Singer and Voice Coach.
So many others helped this event to be a success and we thank you! Please view our pictures and enjoy! Read something great!