The Diversity Alliance PVA

Something to smile about...

I know that it has been a long time since I blogged readers! Thanks for your patience. I was just inspired by an epiphany that involves self-esteem and I realized that My hiatus had to end today. Have you ever had an occurrence that made you stop in your tracks and critically think about your life?
I was recently tagged in pictures from a good friend that I have known for a large part of my life. As I looked at the photos and viewed the reflection of a younger version of myself something significant stood out to me. I looked different. I know you are probably thinking of course you looked different these are old pictures. It was not just the fact that I am older. It is deeper than that.
When I was a little girl I was always told that I had a pretty smile. When I got to middle school a girl told me that I should not smile because I had crooked teeth and I did not look good when I smiled naturally. She taught me how to hold in my smile. If you have ever been around me-you know that this is hard for me. My smile is a default. I do it all of the time and it is sometimes impossible to hold back even if I am not happy. I still feel joyful enough to smile.
Nevertheless, I learned the art of holding in my joy. I learned how to keep my teeth contained. In the pictures that I recently viewed I saw a vital component of Who I Am missing. I am not exactly sure when I decided to release the smile edict and embrace my smile again but I am glad that I did. Is there someone asking you to hold back your smile? Have you ever tried to disguise a natural part of your character? My advice is that it is not worth it. So many people have shared with me the power of my smile and I realize that to hold it back I am holding back a natural gift from others. This may sound a bit bold and possibly conceited but trust me that is not the point. The point is that all of us have a talent. Once you realize what your specific talent is...holding it back only harms others instead of helping them. Playing small or censoring your gift is not humble-it's just unfair. Think deeply about who you are as a person.
What are you complimented on the most? What do you love about yourself? Share it with others. Give them something to smile about.
-Read something great

WINTER WEATHER...SUMMER DREAMING

It's hard to think about summer when the snow is still on the ground and the air is cold. But if you try really hard you can imagine warm weather, beaches and one of my personal favorites ice cream. Now that I have you focused...think about one other thing that makes summer special. Reading. Summer Reading is such an important activity for young people. It allows them to retain and/or improve their reading levels, increase vocabulary, stretch their creative muscles and it's just plain fun.
This summer me and my hubistrator will be working really hard to support the efforts of Southwest Early Learning Community. This group is located on Detroit's Southwest side and serves families and young people with family literacy and educational enhancement opportunities.
Are you interested in helping? Take a look at the side panel of this blog and donate a book. You can help a child get brand new materials signed by the author. As it gets closer we will let you know how it's going.
Summer should be about bike riding and ice cream but most importantly it should be about educating our young people and helping them with their literacy goals. That is my summer dream.
-Read something great

My own Black History...

Readers,
February is the month that we celebrate the trials and victories of African-Americans in our society. I love this month! I enjoy seeing posters and acknowledgments of those who came before me and allowed me to be who I am today. I have talked a lot about Dr. King in this blog so now I will talk about another Black American that inspired me.
Langston Hughes may not have his own holiday but to me he was an inspiration and an icon. Langston was a poet during the Harlem Renaissance. He used his words to commemorate an interesting time in the history of America. This was before civil rights. This means that he could not sit in the front seat of a bus. He could not sit at a lunch counter either. But he could stand for something great. He expressed his dreams, apprehensions and thoughts about the African-American experience according to him. He used the pen (which is far mightier than the sword) to fight back and speak up. He was one of our great writers. I did not learn about his work until I reached high school. He was not mentioned much in my history books. I love that I can give him acknowledgment here in this forum that might not have existed if he did not inspire me to use my words to make a difference.
Who can you use today to inspire? Is there someone who looks up to you? I often wonder if Langston and others like him knew the impact that they would have on future generations. Let's continue to make history.
-Read something great

Guest blog from Mallory Brown...read something great!

World Clothes Line
My family calls me “The World Traveler.” It’s true, I travel a lot. I love exploring new places, more so than the average Joe. I also own a clothing company which, fittingly, is called World Clothes Line. WCL is a fashion brand that raises awareness of clothing needs around the globe. Every purchase helps give clothes to people in need.
WCL clothes are designed to embrace different countries and their cultures. Our initial collections represent Indonesia, Peru, and the United States. Beaches and temples for Indonesia. Mountains and Llamas for Peru. Liberty and History for the U.S.A. Get the idea? All items purchased will benefit their respective countries.
In founding a humanitarian company, I had faith that my customers would support my cause, but I wasn’t sure if they would sport designs that weren’t from their own culture. My plan was to showcase different countries in new, innovate ways, but I didn’t want to cross the line. My clothes needed to be worldly but also stay trendy.
I had two designs that were on the fence. I called them the “native language” garments. The first was a sweatshirt for Peru that read “Vestir Al Mundo” across the chest. The English translation, “Clothe the World” was written on back. The second was a t-shirt for Indonesia that read “Berikan Untuk Dunia” in a similar fashion, with “Give to the World” translated on back.
Would people actually wear designs of a language that is not their own? Was that pushing the envelope a bit too far? The majority of my customers are Americans, and the majority of Americans don’t speak a foreign language. Even I, “The World Traveler”, don’t speak Spanish or Indonesian.
I decided to go for it and included the two designs in my launch. Let’s see how adventurous my customers will be! To my delight, the designs not only sold, they were quite popular! I couldn’t stock the shelves fast enough. The “native language” t-shirt (now called “Generosity”) is the #1 selling item in the Indonesia Collection.
It gives me great pride to know my customers and fans so easily purchased these designs. They not only accepted diversity, they embraced it!
If you want to add a little language to your wardrobe, please visit www.WorldClothesLine.com
Mallory Brown
Founder – World Clothes Line

Dream on...

Today commemorates a wonderful day in American culture. Schools are closed, people have the day off from work and even if it rains, sleets or snows the mail will not run today. Have you pondered the dream of Dr. King? What does it mean to you that he sacrificed and fought for freedom? My rights are important to me. I believe in going to the polls and voting. I love going out for lunch. I rarely sit in the back row anywhere that I go. These are simple luxuries. If it had not been for the steadfast dream of Dr. King and the hard work that went along with his dream-my life would be different. Have you ever thought about the simple things and how his legacy changed our present circumstances? The bigger question is...what is your dream? How can you change the lives of others? Do you have a dream that will live on beyond your existence. Will your hard work be a benefit to those who are not even born yet? I was not able to see any speeches of Dr. King in person. I was not born when he lived. His dream still impacts my life today. I am compelled to work as hard as I can so that when my life is over...my legacy allows someone else a freedom or benefit that they otherwise may not have known. This could be enriching them in diversity, helping them to embrace self-esteem or encouraging them to seek out the beauty of literacy. I implore to you today to Dream on...
-Read something great

Letters...A new concept

I LOVE the social media age. I think that it is great when I go to schools and I get to see how new technology is teaching young people how to be creative. Most of the kids and teens that love my books understand technology better than their parents. I was able to speak to a group of teens about a month ago about the importance of social media and of course etiquette online. It was a great talk and I walked away feeling as though they had a good grasp on using technology to better themselves.
What I did not talk about was handwritten notes, old fashioned letters or stationary.I was able to meet someone who I now call friend in early November. This young lady was at an ice cream shop and a bunch of us began discussing facebook, Twitter and blogging. Imagine my shock when she revealed that she was not on facebook. I was dumbfounded. I wanted to communicate with her-what would I do if she was not on my most used site for keeping up my friendships.
She had an idea. She shared that she loves to write letters. I was amazed. Letters? Really? She talked about the fact that their is an art form to old fashioned communication and as we move ahead it is important not to forget the beauty of all forms of communication. The next week I was both surprised and flattered that she sent me a letter. I have gotten to know her in a great way since that day. I also reminded myself that stamps, envelopes and paper are good to keep on hand. The next time that I teach a group of teens about literacy-letters will be a part of the conversation. How do you communicate with those that you care about? Have you thought about writing someone a note and surprising them? I have a challenge for you! Try to surprise one person each month with a heartfelt letter. Most likely they will be surprised and grateful. I have not seen my new friend since I first met her but I have a feeling that I know her better than I would if I would have only communicated with her on facebook.
-Read something great