Rosie Perez, Won't Back Down, UrbanWorld
Moms and teachers go together like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
We need each other and the only way to kick the bureaucracy to the curb is to become partners and #Occupy our schools for excellence.
This past weekend, I had the pleasure to attend the UrbanWorld Film Festival and screened Won’t Back Down starring Viola Davis, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Rosie Perez, Lance Reddick, and Holly Hunter along with a strong supporting class. Continue reading
The business of hair is lucrative; creating and selling products to Black women is BEYOND lucrative.
As a black woman I have a love affair with my hair. You?
Sadly, there are moments when I love it natural and then moments when I scream for creamy crack. At the end of the day, is it just hair or does it define me?
Yesterday I was watching the cast of ‘Won’t Back Down’ on Anderson Cooper and Viola Davis said it authentically:
Viola on Why She Stopped Wearing Wigs
Viola Davis told Anderson, “I took off my wig because I wanted to step into who I was. I felt like every time I put on a wig I was apologizing for being a dark-skinned woman with curly hair, like I was hiding it.”
What are your thoughts on hair as you reinvent ‘brand’ mom?
Octavia Spencer - Pure Beauty!
I applaud Academy Award winner, Octavia Spencer, and nominee Viola Davis for their grace, style beauty and sisterhood. Black women ROCK!! Continue reading
Photo Credit: Essence.com
Recently, I attended the 36th Annual NABJ (National Association of Black Journalists) in Philadelphia and had the pleasure of viewing ‘The Help’ (second time and will pay my $ tonight to see) and also attended the Q&A with cast: Viola Davis (Aibileen), Octavia Spencer (Minny), Tate Taylor (Director) and Kathryn Stockett (Author).
All I can say is that Viola Davis with her chocolate skin, gargantuan smile, pearly whites, and muscular body was refreshing like a glass of grandma’s lemonade on a scorching day.
Ms. Davis was just authentic, she answered the questions with no reservations and spoke the truth when it came to race in Hollywood. Yes, she is elated to be a working celebrated actress, however, she said, that “Black and White women in Hollywood are not equal,” and that’s a fact. There was no malice when she said, it … simply stating a fact. It was not enough for Ms. Davis to make the statement she followed up with, “my husband and I started a production company to option lead roles and become a catalyst for change.” Go W-O-M-A-N! Continue reading
As I posted on my V-log on Monday in ‘Brand New Thoughts,’ the importance of having courage to do the unquestionable and not worry about the consequences later is uber sexy.
You see, when we change the tide of what we think and believe, the power of magic happens.
I really enjoyed the movie, The Help, and want to talk about it everyday and encourage each BNM to make a change and be courageous.
Synopsis
Based on one of the most talked about books in years and a #1 New York Times best-selling phenomenon, “The Help” stars Emma Stone (“Easy A”) as Skeeter, Academy Award®–nominated Viola Davis (“Doubt”) as Aibileen and Octavia Spencer as Minny—three very different, extraordinary women in Mississippi during the 1960s, who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project that breaks societal rules and puts them all at risk. From their improbable alliance a remarkable sisterhood emerges, instilling all of them with the courage to transcend the lines that define them, and the realization that sometimes those lines are made to be crossed —even if it means bringing everyone in town face-to-face with the changing times.
Deeply moving, filled with poignancy, humor and hope, “The Help” is a timeless and universal story about the ability to create change.
Let me say, I still get scared when I do the unthinkable, but, the rewards and joy I feel after is orgasmic.
Here’s to getting help, a must-see on August 10th in theatres.
