Yasmin Shiraz

As a writer and a filmmaker, I am inspired by Tyler’s abilities to make the kind of plays and films that he wants to make. He has opened doors that others have said were closed. For that alone, he inspires me. Writing is a lonely life. You spend hours and hours alone with your pen and your thoughts. You don’t know if anyone is gonna like what you’re writing. You don’t know if you’ll have the money to turn an idea into a play or a film. The fact that Tyler has created his career on his terms is inspiring to me. I searched the internet and found, not only the video of his recent acceptance speech for the NAACP Chairman award, but I also found the transcript. Watch the video and if you are unsure of what he said. Read the transcript.

I just wanna say how much I am so honored for this moment. Last year I stood there wishing my mother “Happy Birthday” and this year I stand here grieving. She died December the 8th. It’s been tough but I know God does not make mistakes. And as I stand here I feel her so close to me.

Perhaps it was because she was carrying me in her womb during the time when this nation was grieving the death of Dr. King or maybe it was because I grew up in the bible belt in the deep south or because I spent the summers in the rural Louisiana with my grandmother, a woman who taught me about her great grandfather who was a slave. Maybe it was a combination of all of those things but I’ve always had a tremendous connection of where we’ve come from, to our history. And I’ve always had a tremendous respect for our elders and the debt that they paid. So for the NAACP to say I am a part of the advancement of color people, that is a major honor and blessing to me. And like the NAACP I know there is as many ways to inspire us as there are shades of us.

I wanted to use my gift, to not only to make us laugh but to make us think. I wanted to use film to not only entertain but to let us know that we don’t have to wait for somebody to green light our projects, we can create our own interceptions. I wanted to use my television show to not only make us laugh but to show us we don’t just have to act in the sitcom, we can own the show and the network. I wanted to use giving and philanthropy to show us that we don’t have to be at the end of the line waiting for a hand out, we can be at the front giving the hand up. And I wanted to own a studio to show us, we don’t have to wait for somebody to give us 40 acres and a mule, we can buy our own.

So I am grateful and I wanted to use my childhood to let everybody know that you can be born into a nightmare but God can usher you into a dream.

In talking to one of my professors from Hampton who suggested books for my daughter to read for Black History Month, I decided to come up with a list of books that youth should read for this month. This is a list that I believe young people of all races should read. This is a list of books that were written by African American authors. Learning about the experiences of different cultures really broadens one’s understanding. These books are in age appropriate order.

The Skin I’m In by Sharon G. Flake (10 + up)

Begging for Change – Sharon G. Flake (10 + up)

Money Hungry – Sharon G. Flake (10 + up)

The Blueprint for My Girls by Yasmin Shiraz (10 + up)

The Mis-Education of the Negro by Carter G. Woodson (13 + up)

Tears of A Tiger by Sharon G. Flake (13 + up)

Monster by Walter Dean Myers (14 + up)

Shooter by Walter Dean Myers (14 + up)

Man Up! Nobody Is Coming To Save Us by Steve Perry (15 + up)

And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou (16 + up)

You Can’t Keep A Good Woman Down by Alice Walker (16 + up)

Who Will Cry for the Little Boy? by Antwone Fisher (16 + up)

The Souls of Black Folk by WEB DuBois (17 + up)

Journey To Justice by Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. (17 + up)

Nigger by Dick Gregory (17 + up)

The Autobiography of Malcolm X (17 + up)

The Black Elite by Lois Benjamin (17 + up)

Please email me with other book suggestions. I’d love your recommendations.

In honor of Black History Month and for my sheer love of sociology, I want to give a birthday shout out to WEB DuBois, one of the most prominent intellectual leaders and activists of the 1st half of the twenti-first century and of course, a sociologist. He is well known as the author of his article “The Talented Tenth” –the second chapter of a collection of articles which was called The Negro Problem as well as numerous books including The Souls of Black Folk, The Philadelphia Negro, The Gift of Black Folk and many more.

As a Hampton University undergraduate student, I studied under Dr. Lois Benjamin who wrote the book, The Black Elite: Still Facing The Color Line in the Twenty-First Century. In many of our sociology classes, she referenced the importance of Dr. DuBois’ work and told our class that we must strive to be a part of the talented tenth. I know there are many Hampton sociology students who can relate to that message. We look ourselves in the mirror and ask: “Are we a credit to our race?” To some, this may seem dumb or irrelevant, but to us, we are concerned with the images of African Americans. We work hard to be a credit to African Americans and the human race as well.

Below is an excerpt from the Dr. DuBois’ article, “The Talented Tenth”:

The Negro race, like all races, is going to be saved by its exceptional men. The problem of education, then, among Negroes must first of all deal with the Talented Tenth; it is the problem of developing the Best of this race that they may guide the Mass away from the contamination and death of the Worst, in their own and other races. Now the training of men is a difficult and intricate task. Its technique is a matter for educational experts, but its object is for the vision of seers. If we make money the object of man-training, we shall develop money-makers but not necessarily men; if we make technical skill the object of education, we may possess artisans but not, in nature, men. Men we shall have only as we make manhood the object of the work of the schools, intelligence, broad sympathy, knowledge of the world that was and is, and of the relation of men to it.  This is the curriculum of that Higher Education which must underlie true life. On this foundation we may build bread winning, skill of hand and quickness of brain, with never a fear lest the child and man mistake the means of living for the object of life.

If this be true,  and who can deny it?  Three tasks lay before me; first to show from the past that the Talented Tenth as they have risen among American Negroes have been worthy of leadership; secondly to show how these men may be educated and developed; and thirdly to show their relation to the Negro problem.

You misjudge us because you do not know us. From the very first it has been the educated and intelligent of the Negro people that have led and elevated the mass,….

Those who have heard me speak, know how much I love my sociology. It is the discipline that allows us to learn from others, and educate others. Its the discipline that teaches compassion through understanding. I have many titles, but I am so proud to be a sociologist. Thank you Dr. DuBois for everything that you did to open the doors. I stand upon your shoulders, today and always.

The last five days have been some of the hardest days of my life. I try to be an empowering and connected parent and when my daughter brought home some unsatisfactory grades, I was like totally not getting it. She told me how hard her classes are and how the teachers are wack but when I talked to the teachers, they painted a different picture. They say my daughter is not applying herself, she’s not handing in her homework, she’s not even doing extra credit and those are the freebies. I’m hurting for her right now because I know that life is so about excellence. You can’t get anywhere in life that you really wanna go by being mediocre. And if you are really brilliant, why not let your star shine?

I’ve talked to educators all across the country and even Tom Krieglstein who deals with apathy of college students, and there’s a profound lost of desire. Our young people don’t care about being excellent. They just seem to be okay with just being… being whatever… being cool… being for the moment… being there. But life is so much greater when you excel, when you grab the bull the horns and show life who’s boss.

I hurt for all the young people of the world who have been tricked into believing that mediocrity is a great way of life. Its not. I hurt for all the young people who think its cool to drop out of school, to get bad grades and to not apply yourself. The kind of world that is waiting for you is not pretty. I don’t profess to know why so many of our youth have lost their desire. But, I pray that its found and quickly.

To my daughter, I just wanna say, I love you and whatever that you’re going through, I’m here for you. I want you to share with the world how bright you are and all the gifts God gave you. He was not stingy when dealing with you. So little light of mine, let your light shine. Don’t be fooled by those who don’t believe they are gifted. For their journey is not yours. Be a person of excellence.

Peace to all my little lights in the world… all my girls of the world… all my boys all over the world… Let your light shine.

Me outside my screening in San Diego's Regal Cinema

Can She Be Saved? is an official selection of the 2010 NC Black Film Festival and I will be receiving their Emerging Filmmaker award. I wanna say thank you again to everyone who has supported the film and my work as a filmmaker. I can’t wait to see my new filmmaker family when I get there. (Coming Correct, I see you! Father’s Day, I see you!)

Here’s the trailer in case you haven’t seen it.

Its hard to be a R&B superstar, actress, cultural icon, but Beyonce is showing more and more how much she has it all together. I love her energy and her talent. And you know I got love for Ms. Banks, too. But I must say if Beyonce and Jay-Z are, in fact, married, why should Beyonce feel bad about saying “I love you,” to her husband in public? That makes no sense. Obviously they love each other or they wouldn’t have gotten married. Its so strange to me how the media acts like that’s such a shocking moment. Please. There’s nothing shocking about it. In any relationship, you hope that the person you are involved with will eventually love you. Check the clip for yourself. Holla….

Me lecturing at Pasco Hernando Community College

I had the time of my life on this past Friday giving the keynote for the opening night at the FJCCSGA conference in St. Petersburg, FL. My topic of the evening was “One Shot.” In my speech, I shared with the audience that you often get one shot to make something happen for yourself, one shot to stand up for your rights, one shot to inspire somebody. The energy at the conference was INSANE. Those students made me ALMOST want to go back to school! ALMOST. I know it was no accident that I was there that evening. So I want to say, “Thanks for all the support.” I think I signed 300 books that night of Exclusive.  I know every student at FJCCSGA is going to make their one shot happen! And remember, one shot always leads to the next shot!!!

Peace….

On day two of my Politics of Hip Hop Culture tour I discovered that college women are turned off by the open crotch shots ie (Lil Kim and Nikki Minaj.) When I asked men if they liked the photos, of course they said yeah. But it still wouldn’t make them buy the album. They would simply go on the internet, find the photo and affix in their room and use it accordingly.

But THEY WOULD NOT BUY THE ALBUM just because the female artist was spread eagle on her album cover.

I found this terribly interesting because I know more women buy female rap albums than men. So if women are offended by the crotch shots, why are they displaying their crotches? Its obviously not to increase album sales.  Inquiring minds want to know…. Including my students who attended the Politics of Hip Hop Culture tour today in Florida! Let me know what you think.

Nikki Minaj

Anyone who rides in the car with me now knows how crazy I get when I here Pretty Girls by Wale. I’ve loved the song since I first heard it. I don’t know if its the infectious hook, or his laid back rhyme style. Whatever the case, here’s the video. So now I get to listen to the song when I visit my own website! LOL. Gucci Mane is conspicuously missing from this video because he’s in PRISON. Not a good look!

And on another note, only a DC rapper would rock hi-top Prada sneakers in a music video. Shout out to Wale on the Prada sports.

Untitled from Makavelliott1971 on Vimeo.

Life is hard sometimes and we could all use a laugh. So check out this Dark Moon clip. Its funny!