Tag: Feature Friday

Feature Friday: Small Businesses

Feature Friday: Small Businesses

by Ranada ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I’m no stranger to the pros and cons, benefits and trials of owning a small business.  In addition to my own small endeavors over the years, I was exposed to entrepreneurship as a child.  My granddaddy opened Robinson Shoe Shop in 1957, and it is now operated by my daddy and one of my uncles.  I’m sure this is one of the major reasons that the passage of the Small Business Jobs Act this week was important news to me, besides the fact that statistics show that small businesses are the source of a large chunk of the jobs in this country and are important to economic development.  They are also necessary in the community development of black communities.  Part of economic empowerment is generating and producing, not just consuming.

So today, my feature is two-fold: The Small Business Jobs Act and the film Harlem’s Mart 125: The American Dream.

I saw the film in late August on a Sunday afternoon at Central Library.  Not knowing that I had just said excuse me and stepped over the film’s creator, I sat in my seat and through the grainy cinematography (which I understood is an byproduct of a one-woman budget!! How passionate and awesome is that?), learned about an establishment that was not only the lifeline of several hard-working black business owners but also to the entire community in which it was located.  The film chronicles how the Harlem’s Mart 125 in New York became to be such a force and how the business owners were let down by the society and government that tells us that we have to get up and get our own.  It saddened me to see the disinvestment of the building, despite the fact that the businesses had been there for years, attracting and maintaining customers and staying relevant to a degree through the times.  Then came the gentrification of the area, which led to the government supporting new chain businesses while not providing support for the anchors that had been holding the community up the whole while.  The creator, Rachelle Salnave-Gardner, showed us that sometimes we really just get the short end of the stick–and that short end begets so many other implications for the business owners, their families, their customers, and the culture of the community.  If you get a chance to see or host this film, I encourage you to take it.

So what does the new bill that President Obama signed this week mean?  Additional loan availability, increases in the loan amounts, a higher tax deductible  for start-up businesses, tax deduction on health insurance expenses, and lots of other stuff.  Here’s another link with some info.  I hope that people, especially black business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs, will take advantage of some of these newly passed opportunities.  We can’t control all the circumstances, but creating strong businesses and supporting those businesses hold much promise for the future of us all.

Happy Friday, folks!

Feature Friday: Harry Potter :)

Feature Friday: Harry Potter :)

by Ranada ♥ 3 Comments

Ok, ok, ok, stop shaking your heads, ok?  Please, just for a second.  Yes, I know you may have been expecting something a little deeper than Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but this is what made my eyes sparkle today, despite my effort to feature something a little more learned.  But I’m a well-rounded person, yanno?  *grinning*

I got the link on Twitter yesterday, but I didn’t watch it till today.  What a birthday present this will be indeed. 🙂  Also, the first installment of this movie will get me a little bit closer to reading the last book of the series. (I try to watch the movie before I read the book, if I haven’t already read the book before I know it is being adapted to the movie–it’s just way better in that order. I can explain later.)

I’m including both trailers that have been released so far.  Aren’t you excited too?

Feature Friday: Horseback Riding at Pipestem Resort

Feature Friday: Horseback Riding at Pipestem Resort

by Ranada ♥ 1 Comment

This morning, I went horseback riding at Pipestem Resort State Park in West Virginia. The adventure started with the drive from where I’m staying in Asbury, WV around mountain-like hills through a couple of pint-sized towns to unincorporated area of Pipestem. The drive reminded me a little of when I drove up Beech Mountain, North Carolina a few years back for a ski trip. Once we (my coworker and I) arrived at the park, I thought my nerves would kick in, but I was evermore excited.

We went into the stables (until the smell overwhelmed us) and watched as the horses of various colors (rich browns, black, white, a peculiar gray) were tended to. Finally, we met our horses. My coworker got a horse named Tom, and I got the lovely Molly, who was silky black with a black and auburn streaked mane. My yoga came in handy as I managed to get my leg high enough in the air to get my foot in the stirrup to hoist myself onto Molly’s back. Yep, I’m proud to have not needed a step stool!

As Molly and I started our journey on a path she’s travelled who knows how many times, I wondered to myself if she cares about carrying folks on her back every day. I also noticed that while Molly was pretty easy to “steer,” pulling her left, right, and telling her to slow down or stop for a second, she definitely did things on her own terms, stopping to eat flowers when she pleased, but never veering off path or causing us to be left behind. I rode Molly through wooded areas and through meadow like areas, noticing how Molly took care in her steps when the trail was on a decline or when it was rocky.

As I enjoyed the view, the peace, and the quiet, I took some time to be one with my own thoughts. I remembered when my granddaddy P.H. had horses, a time when he was a strong man with authority and leadership oozing through his pores. I remembered when my cousin Billequa and I rode camels at the Jackson Zoo as kids. I daydreamed about the possibility of ever owning a horse like Molly. I thought about my relationship and where it’s going. I thought about my parents and how they’ve been everpresent in my life. It was definitely a thoughtful morning.

The only gross part was when the horse in front of me pooped… Wasn’t really ready for that, but it’s a part of life, yes, I know. Also, the whiff of poop every time we went through or around piles of it was a drag.

Overall, though, it was a delightful, relaxing, awesome experience. If there’s a stable near you (or if you ever happen to find yourself in southern W. Va.), try horseback riding if you never have. Happy Friday, folks!

P.S. I will add pictures when I get to a computer!

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My First Feature Friday!

My First Feature Friday!

by Ranada ♥ 2 Comments

On Labor Day, I spent a couple of hours at the Carter Center paying attention to some special women who have worked hard for the black community.  The Freedom’s Sisters exhibit is definitely one worth attending when you have a chance–it’s available until October 3.

The 20 women highlighted in the exhibit are: Ella Jo Baker, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Mary McLeod Bethune, Shirley Chisholm, Septima Poinsette Clark, Kathleen Cleaver, Myrlie Evers-Williams, Fannie Lou Hamer, Frances Watkins Harper, Dorothy Irene Height, Charlayne Hunter-Gault, Barbara Charline Jordan, Coretta Scott King, Constance Baker Motley, Rosa Louise McCauley Parks, Sonia Sanchez, Betty Shabazz, Mary Church Terrell, Harriet Ross Greene Tubman, and C. Delores Tucker.

Now, I had heard of most of these women, particularly proud of Myrlie Evers and Fannie Lou Hamer, who I already knew hailed from my home state of Mississippi.  I hadn’t, however, heard of Ella Jo Baker, Frances Watkins Harper, Constance Baker Motley, C. Delores Tucker, or Mary Church Terrell, so it was great to get a glimpse of these phenomenal ladies.

I took lots of notes, especially on events, organizations, causes, etc., that I had either never heard of or wanted to know more about.  Here are a few highlights of the things that caught my eye.

  • You probably know that Mary McLeod Bethune founded Bethune-Cookman College, BUT did you know that in 1904, she opened a school for girls with $1.50, which eventually merged with a boys school to become the College?

  • Fannie Lou Hamer, who is known for saying “I am sick of being tired of being sick and tired,” also said this:

“…no nation can gain its full measure of enlightenment…ifone-half of it is free and the other half if fettered.”

  • Have you ever heard of the Young Negroes Cooperative League?  It was an organization committed to black economic empowerment through consumer education and small-scale cooperative ventures.  Inspirational?  Well Ella Jo Baker, who wanted to heighten the social, political, and economic understanding of Black youth in the 1930s, served as the organization’s national director.

  • Mary Church Terrell was fluent in 3 languages (wowee!!).  Also, she established mother’s clubs that helped black women with housing, unemployment, and child-rearing issues.  How great is that?

  • We all know that Barbara Jordan was the first black woman from a Southern state (Texas) to serve in the House of Representatives.  Here’s an awesome quote:

“If the society today allows wrongs to go unchallenged, the impression is created that those wrongs have the approval of the majority.”

  • Here’s a very important quote from Coretta Scott King, who wasn’t just a trophy wife:

“Struggle is a never-ending process.  Freedom is never really won, you earn it and win it every generation.”

  • Lastly, Septima Poinsette Clark was a devoted educator and a major player in the Civil Rights Movement, so much so that Dr. King insisted she travel with him to accept the Nobel Peace Prize because she deserved credit as much as he did.  Here’s a great quote from her:

“The greatest evil in our country is not racism, but ignorance… We need to be taught to study rather than to believe.”

Septima Clark with Rosa Parks, whom Clark inspired at the Highlander Folk School months before the bus boycott

Are you intrigued?  Do you want to know more?  Then check out the exhibit as soon as possible!!

My New Thing: Feature Fridays!

My New Thing: Feature Fridays!

by Ranada ♥ 1 Comment

My dear friend Hope has asked me to be more regular in my blogging.  So to acquiesce, I am committing to at least one weekly staple: Feature Friday. Each Friday, I’m going to highlight and discuss some film, book, theatre performance, etc., that I’ve viewed/read/attended.  As I’m sure you would expect, most of it will be related to the community or the black diaspora in some way, since that’s what tickles my fancy.  I hope you guys enjoy and check me out every week.  I’ll post my first later today!  Happy Friday, folks!