Last week I I AM JMARiiE had a discussion with Alesia Bell Alaziz, creator of Morena Bella Skincare.
A few years ago, Alaziz was laying down about to call it a night. Within a few moments of shutting her eyes, the name just spoke to her, Morena Bella Skincare. Days later, she had the sticky notes of the potential brand all over her car and belongings. Morena Bella means brown skinned beautiful woman. It is a clinical grade natural and botanical skin care line created specifically for women of color.
This post is geared more towards the women. I know it's slowly getting warmer and our fashions and hairstyles are changing.
We may be getting braids, chopping it all off or just throwing it into a messy bun. Whatever the case, African American women know one of the hardest struggles is maintaing natural hair in the heat!
I have been getting a lot of messages and feedback regarding "natural hair" and maintenance tips. I have to be honest thats not really my forte. However, I recently came across another blog that I think will be ideal for those discussions.
Feel free to visit, leave feedback, and create a community! The link is posted below, let me know how you like it!
Hampton University hosts annual Black Family Conference, coordinated by HU Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications. The event will take place March 19th-March 21rst. The conference will hosts many prominent individuals such as Sheila Johnson, BET co- founder, Dr. Ian Smith, the producers of Preachers of LA, and many many more! Some of the topics of conversation include gun violence, race and ethnicity, media coverage across platforms, and nontraditional relationships.
There will also be live entertainment and comedy after hours.
I know it's been awhile since the Trayvon Martin incident. But, the truth is a child's life is really gone due to one man's ignorance and fear. People have moved on, social media has went back to normal, and I'm pretty sure the Witness Protection Program has Zimmerman somewhere tucked away. But you know who hasn't moved on, his parents, friends, teachers, and etc. I'm not posting this to bring everyone down, I just want to remind everyone to live LIFE. Don't waste moments, don't waste time. Live life to the fullest and remember what so many worked for, fought for, and died for. Let's not make their fight senseless by creating violence or hate.
Live life with respect, dignity, and love.
Happy Birthday Trayvonn, I pray for your family and loved ones and I pray that
your passing will continue to inspire others to live life fully and commit to non-violence.
A few months back I came across this video that a friend of mine from college created. The name of the song is T.R.A.Y and it's by Grammy Rich. It's a really strong reminder about what happened and how Trayvon could have been any of own kids or siblings.
Recently, I participated in a challenge created by a previous talent featured on AskKirbyCarroll.net, Kareem Taylor. Kareem is a voice actor and radio personality that can be heard on CNN and various commercials nationwide. http://askkirbycarroll.blogspot.com/2013/01/one-on-one-with-kareem-dream.html. The name of the initiative was 30 Days to Change. It was geared toward the creators; the actors, writers, singers, bloggers, entrepreneurs, and etc. The timing was not accidental, the 30 days was strategically placed to lead up to the new year. The goal was to inspire others to work towards their individual projects. No matter what the situation was, work for those thirty days.
Kareem took to his social media sites to leave empowering messages to motivate individuals participating in the challenge. What resonated with me the most was the get up and do it mentality. Dreaming is great, and anyone who supports me knows I LOVE dreams. However, it takes work and time to turn these dreams into reality. If you see yourself becoming a singer, you have to train your voice. If you dream of writing for Essence, you have to develop your writing ability. Kareem's inspiring and uplifting posts via social media kept myself and others on the right track. Another thing I enjoyed about 30 Days to Change was the community feeling. I was not in this alone. Let's be honest, we all scroll through social media entirely too much. During this challenge, when I looked through Instagram/Twitter, I saw positivity. I saw peers creating posts explaining their latest endeavor. I saw Kareem giving me an uplifting word to keep me motivated. There are powers in numbers and connecting with others. I felt a sense of responsibility to keep my word and finish the challenge. On a personal level, I'm not afraid to say, sometimes I hinder myself. I worry about what others will think, resources, or question my talent. 30 Days to Change helped me jumpstart my 2014 and leave those thoughts behind. I used my time to improve my site and work on a screenplay that is close to my heart. This year is already off to an interesting beginning. I'm starting my second semester of graduate school and I made the decision to leave my past employer. Resources are tighter and my situation has changed. However, I feel extremely strong and motivated. I owe a huge thank you to Kareem and the 30 Days to Change challenge. I encourage all of you to follow him and learn his motivating story and see how it effects you.
I just wanted to let you all know that I recently started a new segment on the site called AskNow. I know the interviews have not been too recent, blame it on grad school!
However, I still want to make sure we're keeping in contact. AskNow will post every Sunday before 8pm. It is a chance for YOU to ask a question and receive real answers and opinions from other viewers of the site.
The questions can range from music and TV, relationships, school, sports or whatever crosses your mind! Just be prepared for the honesty of the opinions!
If you have a question, please send it to us at askKirbyCarroll@yahoo.com.
This is a fun way to get real advice! Follow the link below!
