Flipskript Ink

Shout out to my brother, Mark, for showing this to me. Many dancers have studied the footwork of the late King of Pop ever since he revealed the microsecond dance on his Motown 25 performance. In a like manner, MJ has studied other early performers. Fred Astaire. Sammy Davis Jr. Cab Calloway. Each performer enhanced the fancy foot-glide with their own personality and as a result, the audiences of then and now have always been and continue to be floored. From some award acceptance speeches of the 90’s (the ones I remember), Michael always remembered to acknowledge those who came and graced the stage before him. [With that said, let’s not forget about Wylie Draper, the young man who portrayed the adult version of Michael on the well-known The Jacksons: An American Dream , who died a year after the movie was made]. One year after Jackson's unexpected death, tributes continue to flood the media waves. Chris Brown, who was denied access after the incident with former girlfriend Rihanna ...

I've been an Essence magazine reader since my senior year of high school. With the exception of my Bible, this magazine spoke more to me than the stories, books, and other publications I've read for school. I wasn't aware of the history of the Black woman, my history, until my junior year in college when I signed up for a Black studies minor. I went through the motions of being upset, deceived and confused as to what I was taught before. The whole cartoon conception of the mammy, jezebel, sapphire, tragic mulatto, working horse and she-devil stereotypes were used as verbal and emotional/mental weapons to keep Black women in their place. Throughout such back-stabbing horse manure, many bold sisters have forced their ways out of the "norm" and made breakthroughs for future generations of Black females. Harriet Tubman was the leader of the pack in the Underground Railroad. Sojourner Truth acknowledged to the masses that she was Black...and a woman. Madame C.J. Walker...

The teenage fiction novel addressing the downfall of a high school prank, the preteen short story addressing bullying in the Black community, and the unknown production project of a romance between a student and her college professor is in the works all at once. I'm loving these random ideas that seemed to appear out of nowhere but just like the portfolio of a fine artist, writer, or photographer is ongoing an dnot a one-tine project, it is the same with time management. Aware of how short this post is, just needed to write a reminder to myself of my plans. I have plenty of inspiration, I just need the motivation...

I recently started experimenting with poetry in the haiku form. I just picked a random selection of events and topics and let my mind run in circles. These have no particular order (at least I don't think) and interestingly. After taking up a defensive driving course and nearly touching base with a speeding drunk driver, I spewed these words onto my paper: 1. I pay you no mind For in the next 10 seconds Memory will fade. 2. Roadside courtesy Burning tires, sonic boom Sharp cut off in lane. 3. Put down the 40. Pay attention to the road. Nothing looks blurry. 4. Common sense would say Not under the influence. Hello, Officer. 5. Defensive driver With no warning turns into A wreckless driver 6. The battle royale Road rage, propogandic fits Totaled car & dead.

I initiated the opportunity to interview a colleague and schoolmate of mine, Carmen Mojica on her memoir, "Hija De Mi Madre" and her poetry. While doing this interview, I was anxious and moved by her work that I wanted to help her get exposure through some of the magazines that I write for. While another article is in progress, one was published in Stimulation Status Magazine . Here is a excerpt of the article: Bronx-born Carmen Mojica recently published her first book, “Hija De Mi Madre,” a collection of memoirs, poems, and research she did as an undergraduate student confronting the issue of self-hatred. Calling her book a saving grace, Mojica is grateful for the lessons she learned when looking back at her past and continuing on to write her story. “I found myself stalling a lot to write, reluctant to see my history in writing,” Mojica said in an emailed interview. “I had a nervous breakdown while writing the very first draft because at that point I still had not forgiven ...

For a temporary period, I was held hostage. In a frozen desolate surrounding of murky involuntary silence...and I have to break free. Ok...time to climb out of my writing hiatus. I've been suffering from the inevitable writer's block for the past couple of weeks, on top of my adventures as a daycare assistant teacher. Working full-time with kids and part-time as a freelance journalist is tiring beyond belief, but you got to do what you got to do, right? And people always wondered what a person can do with a sociology degree? HA! Just about anything that you can set your mind to. To make a long story short, sociology is the study of human interaction, the structure of society, how its components are interrelated, and how people are selected for prevalence (Henslin, Down to Earth Sociology). With sociology, a person can choose to go anywhere with it: law, social work, medical sociology, grassroots canvassing and activism, journalism, writing, or advance to a higher level of educa...

I haven't seen this video or heard this song in forever. I was barely ten years old when I first heard this song and understood its message. This soulful throwback is a declaration to the underdogs, over-achievers, and everyone else in between trying to make a difference within themselves or in their communities. Everyone has been told in their lives at least once, "you can't do this," or "you're not that," even your own oppressor. That hasn't stopped him/her from pointing out your flaws, so why should it stop you from doing handling yourself correctly? Des'ree said it best when she sings "you gotta be bad, bold, wiser, hard, tough, stronger..." You can cry, be angry, and meek and it's okay. These qualities are not weak. Though outsiders will suffocate you quickly with such behavior, you can overcome it by being yourself and conquering evil with kindness. And kindness is not a weakness.