BlackandWhite

Go Ahead

It never ceases to amaze me. The moment I share that I enjoy heavy metal a pop quiz always follows with a continuation of questionnaires. How long have you been listening to metal? I was talking about the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the person was like, what is the leader of the band’s name? Like really dude? If it was hip-hop would I be given the third degree? Geez, I didn’t know that listening to certain music came with stipulations.

When some black people find out they swear that I don’t listen to metal. Whatever dude. Black people were the pioneers of rock music, so get over it. I am a black woman who enjoys listening to heavy metal and I am Not alone. I try not to get triggered but I just hate labels. Labels suck!!! Don’t place them on me!
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I have been listening to heavy metal every since I was really young. Pantera, Korn, Arch Enemy, In this moment, new metal and old I am very knowledgeable. My love for music is genuine.

Love International

Bravo has a new show that I am interested in called To Rome for Love. The show is about African American women who travel to another country to find love. I find this so refreshing because we get to see how different cultures interact in the dating world. The show will be exciting but I hope that it won’t contain too many stereotypes or too much drama. Praying that the show uses this opportunity to show African American women in a positive light. We can do without the unnecessary drama in order to grab ratings. It needs to be understood that many people don’t look at television shows as being fake some believe that there is a little truth in everything. I’m excited to see what happens with the show positive things; here’s hoping!!!

The Blame Game

I see and hear a lot of black men tell black women to choose better, and it’s comical. What if choosing better means being with a man who may not be the same race as me? Everyone who reads my blog knows that I talk about responsibility and accountability. I have held myself accountable for the things that have occurred in my life. I take a daily evaluation of who I am because I know that I am not above of offending anyone. However, I will not be shamed by men who most times aren’t married, have children all over the place, and down other black women who think differently from them. No, I don’t know every black man, just like how all black men don’t know all black women, but they still judge us anyway. The very people who feel that my advice isn’t good enough track record isn’t so squeaky clean either.

I’m getting so tired of a lot of black men telling black women to choose better when at least 72% of black children are born out of wedlock, that’s 8% away from being above average at failing to build a solid family structure. It’s harder to walk away when people are married, and it shows that a man is planning to stick around. A lot of these black men spread their seed everywhere and are nowhere to be found in their children’s lives. Be a father who is in their children’s lives beyond baby and toddler stages but middle school, puberty stage, awkward stage, high school, college, and beyond. Don’t let this be you; Casper the friendly ghost!!!
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Single parents like myself understand the consequences of our decisions; we see it every day. We don’t need people like you reminding us about our story when you don’t have a clue about the details of our story. Don’t judge just by what you see alone, even silent movies/films have subtitles. I refuse to have men who don’t pay my bills tell me about my life the only person’s opinion that I care about is the Lord Jesus Christ; He’s the one who brought my two children and me through every hardship.

Both black men and black women need to get it right; please stop trying to make it seem like it’s all our fault. Because guess what? It’s not; the numbers don’t lie. I’m so tired, and no, I am not bitter, I am smarter I have learned from my mistakes. Regardless of what some of you men think learning from mistakes means not choosing from the same group of men again. The probability of getting a good quality black man is a numbers thing, not a color thing, not a hurt thing, and not a bitter thing; it’s a reality. Check the statistics. If 72% of black children are born out of wedlock there is only 28% who are doing right so some of you black men who tell us to choose better are part of the problem too. It’s hard to choose better when there isn’t much to choose from. A lot more black men are marrying out, and black couples have a low marriage rate and high divorce rate. Let that sink in really deep before you judge and give mediocre advice. It’s time for an epiphany my brothers, I had mine a long time ago. MY EYES ARE WIDE OPEN!!!

Remember the Time

Oprah Winfrey made some amazing points when she accepted her Golden Globe Award. One of the things that she said was everyone has a story and for us to share it. With that being said I going to share MY STORY because it’s mine ALONE!!! No one knows MY LIFE STORY better than me except God almighty. Anyone who attempts to lessen my story has a motive and it’s an evil one. I am me and I am Not caring about who accepts me or not. I know what my hobbies are. I know what kinds of music that I love and how long that I have been listening to it. And most importantly I know who I am attracted and how long it’s been.

I have been listening to heavy metal when it was unheard of. My mother brought me shirts with heavy metal bands on them. In the 80s people used to write on their jeans mine had the name of metal bands on them. I had my walled plastered with all kinds of musicians including heavy metal bands.

It’s comical how some people think they know your history but really they don’t. Interracial dating is becoming more common between white men and black women. I have always been attracted to white men my first serious boyfriend was white. My first boyfriend brought me a car and we put stickers of heavy metal bands all over it. One time while my boyfriend at the time was out to sea my sister asked for a ride and a cop pulled me over for gp. Here I am a black woman with braids driving a car with heavy metal stickers on it in the early 90s. My sister can back me up on this story as well as a few others.

Interracial dating between white men and black women is really nothing new; it’s just becoming more common now. Some people act like it’s a big discovery like Columbus claiming America when Leif Erikson had already been there and done that. Facts!!!!! There are more books, movies, television shows, and groups that promotes interracial dating but they wasn’t around when I was dating outside of my race.

Now there are people who be like why are people being so vocal about interracial dating between white men and black women? Well because it’s still not really accepted and in order for couples to make it support is needed. It’s not easy to date interracial; it’s hard now and it was even harder when I first started dating outside of my race. I remember one time when my white boyfriend at the time and I was holding hands walking through the mall together when a large group of black males attempted to walk between us to get us to stop holding hands. I told him to ignore them because they would have tired to just him and me. I wouldn’t stood there and allow anyone to hurt him.

I am so excited that more and more people are following their hearts and being who they are. I rather for people to think I am strange than to Not be free because I am afraid of what people think of me. I am going to listen to the music that I enjoy and love who I want to love whether they have my skin color or not.

Pink Metal Head

I have to start by saying that I am stoked!!! Here on be lifted I talk about the things that we think about, but they spoke about. I have shared about my love for heavy metal mind you that I listen to all music; however, rock/heavy metal is my favorite. Ever since I was young, I have loved heavy metal!!! I grew up in a time where a black girl listening to heavy metal was unheard of, and I’m thankful that my mother allowed me to be free to listen to what I wanted to. It was no secret about my love for heavy metal. The first song that had me hooked on rock music was AC/DC “You Shook Me All Night Long,” which came out in 1980, the video was very cool. When Nine Inch Nails first came out in 1989 with “Head Like a Hole” I was hooked, and I have been a fan of their’s ever since. Trent Reznor and I both share the same birthday, May 17th baby!! Type O Negative has made an impact on me, and I love the band so much.

The reason why I bring up my love for heavy metal/rock music is that recently I came across a young black lady who loves heavy metal as I do. The you tuber’s name is pink metal head, and she’s 21 years old. It’s so refreshing to see young black ladies owning their identity unapologetically. She did share that there have been people who try to match a person’s race to music. Example that black people listen to hip hop and r & b only and that white people listen to heavy metal/ rock music only. The stereotypes seriously have got to go. Things had gotten a lot better from when I was growing up. Seeing more and more young black ladies, as well as men, appreciate heavy metal chokes me up. I just had to blog about it.
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Both of my sons listens to heavy metal/rock music; my youngest listens to everything that I do. My youngest son’s favorite bands are Metallica and Danzig. His favorite song by Metallica is “One,” and his favorite song by Danzig is “Mother.” Today my youngest and I was jamming to Pantera, Megadeath, White Zombie, Type O Negative, Metallica and the list goes on and on. With the younger generations tastes in music becoming more diverse, it’s the best feeling on Earth. I want to tell the youth of today that music transcends racial boundaries if you want to listen to country music go ahead I love Darius Rucker. I have been a fan of Darius Rucker every since he was the lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish. If you love hip hop and R & B, listen to it and if you love heavy metal/rock music, then jam on. If you love all music as I do, that’s great too. Whatever music that you choose to listen to, please do as long as you are you. Even our choices of music say a lot about who we are so doing what makes you happy as long as it isn’t hurting anybody. I’m proud of the upcoming heavy metal generation; it’s becoming more colorful; which is excellent.
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Prince Harry and Meghan

In the month of September I wrote about national redhead day and I made a video as well. In the video that I made Prince Harry was featured. He seems to be a charismatic, intelligent, and very handsome man.

Prince Harry recently became engaged to Meghan Markle she’s the gorgeous actress from the television show Suits. I am so excited for this amazing couple and it’s not for the reasons you may think. There is a lot of pressure on Meghan and I don’t think people realize what she’s giving up to be with the man whom she loves.

In the year of 2017 when certain things should be at a minimum they are actually not. The seemed to be silent hidden voice of racism is now speaking loudly since the couples engagement. The issue of racism shows just how far behind the times some people are. Meghan is biracial and that is how she identifies herself rightfully so. Why does her race have to be added to the equation? There is enough pressure already, she knows what she’s made of. Everyone who reads my blog knows that I support interracial couples and love. I believe that love has no color and that people should be free to love whomever they please. I’m reading and seeing how some black people are calling this a big win and some white people are calling it a mistake but what no one is realizing is that this is one of the most biggest decision of these two people’s lives.

I feel that Meghan should be able to get married to Prince Harry without being reminded what race that she’s made of, her being married before or where she grew up. It’s not how you start it’s how you finish. I just wish these two incredibly awesome people well and everyone else should too.

Say Whaaat Now?!

I absolutely love the Golden Girls, Maude was my favorite. Maude’s facial expressions were priceless. Maude facial expressions are a perfect way to describe how I was feeling this morning when I received an email about an article pertaining to Shaun King. You know the Shaun King whose race is constantly being questioned. Shaun King is calling for a boycott of the NFL. SMH!!! Shaun King please go sit down somewhere. I have not been waiting for all these months to boycott the NFL behind Colin Kaepernick who’s a millionaire. Before Colin Kaepernick became the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers be played backup to Alex Smith. When Alex Smith got hurt he was kicked to the curb and Colin took over. To be honest that situation never sat very well with me even though I am a Dallas Cowboys’ fan. Anyway Alex Smith is now the starting quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs who beat the New England Patriots last Thursday. Alex Smith is one heck of a quarterback. I wanted to write about the NFL boycott months ago when it was first being talked about because I felt that it was absurd.

Last year I wrote a post about Colin Kaepernick and drama that was happening. Now here comes Shaun King with his mess. I can’t stand when some people find a reason to constantly stir the pot of crap. Anyone who has heard of Shaun King knows what he’s about. This black sister will not I repeat will not boycott the NFL because there is no reason to do so. Boycott is to withdraw from commercial or social relations with (a country, organization, or person) as a punishment or protest. Now tell me the reason why we should punish the NFL and ourselves for Colin Kaepernick? Colin Kaepernick is a quarterback whose stats looked like crap before he started to take a knee. Here’s what Shaun King had to say recently:

“This past June I announced that I would be personally boycotting the NFL for their outrageous mistreatment of Colin Kaepernick. That decision was personal and I hesitated to call for a national boycott of the league — in part because I naively thought Colin would already be on a team by now. He’s not — and that’s wrong.
Today, I am calling for a national boycott of the NFL.
*Don’t watch the games. Any of them. Not in person and not on television.
*Cancel any subscription services to the league — like Sunday Ticket — if you have one.
*Don’t even watch the damn highlights.
Listen, we live in an outrageous time in our nation’s history where a bigoted orange carnival barker is the President of the United States. In the shadow of that tragedy, many things that would’ve previously become a national scandal are given a quick glance or a simple shake of the head when they deserve so much more.
White supremacists are marching on American cities and running over peaceful people with their cars. 830 people have been killed by American police so far this year and only a few among us can name even a single victim. To this day, four different white supremacists that beat the life out of Deandre Harris in the parking lot of the Charlottesville Police Department are still on the loose and have not yet been identified. It’s been a month.
This is why Colin Kaepernick took a peaceful knee in the first place. He was right to take a knee. Hell, our entire nation should be taking a knee or raising a fist right now.
A few months ago, when I first announced that I just couldn’t watch the NFL any longer, people were still making the foolhardy argument that it was purely a football decision to keep Colin out of the league and that he simply wasn’t good enough to play the game anymore. Never mind that no 29 year old quarterback in NFL history had Colin’s stats and success without being on a roster the following year. Never mind that men who had never completed a single pass in the NFL were brought in from the Arena League for roster spots. Never mind that career second and third string quarterbacks were brought out of retirement for jobs this season. White supremacy will always contort itself in peculiar ways to justify its existence.
Since June, a shift has taken place. NFL stars, executives, and experts who don’t even agree with Colin taking a knee during the national anthem have all come out to say that the only reason he’s not on a roster right now is because of his stance against injustice. To say otherwise is a lie.
Colin Kaepernick is in the prime of his athletic life. He is in peak physical condition. He is a model citizen. He is a compassionate and generous soul. He was so well-liked by his teammates last season that they voted to give him the team’s highest honor for his performance on and off the field. He has set NFL records. He took his team to the Super Bowl and deep into the playoffs multiple times. None of it matters, though, because teams in the NFL are openly aiming to make an example of him.
League executives have openly admitted that they “genuinely hate him.” Let’s stop right there for a moment. How could that even be? Hate what? What has this man done to warrant such strong disdain?
Please allow me to remind you that at least seven different NFL team owners gave $1 million or more to Donald Trump’s campaign. No other sports league in the world is even close to that number. If you don’t think Colin being shut out of the NFL has anything to do with this, then you have a fundamental misunderstanding of the problem. These white men hate Colin, like Donald Trump hates Colin, and like Trump hates Obama, because they cannot believe a black man stepped into power without their permission. These white team owners cannot believe that Colin took a stance against injustice in America without their expressed permission and blessing. And they particularly cannot believe that when they expressed their displeasure, that he continued to do it anyway — with players all over the league following his example. That’s why they hate him. He is a quiet, peaceful man. To hate him says much more about you than it does about Colin.
Listen, I love sports. I am a sports junkie and have been my whole life. I’ve watched hundreds, maybe thousands, of NFL games throughout my life. I am personal friends with dozens of players in the league. But I can’t, in good conscience, support this corporation knowing that they have effectively banned a good man, and a capable player, from playing because he took a quiet stand against injustice and police brutality.
So, I’m asking you to join me in boycotting the NFL this year. We will end our boycott when Colin Kaepernick is signed to an NFL roster. It’s that simple.
Listen, we have power. Our money has power. Our viewership has power. Our buying power can sway what companies do or don’t support. But we have to unify and make this power mean something.”

Okay, Shaun King whatever. I know it was a lot to read pertaining to what Shaun King said. I don’t support what Shaun King is doing it’s a load of barnacles. Yeah I said it.

Load of barnacles

There is one person who doesn’t support what Colin Kaepernick was doing and that is George Foremen who was on the “Offended America” podcast and said that that people like Kaepernick, who refuse to stand for the national anthem, are just looking for attention.

“I love the United States,” Foreman said. “They [Kevin Durant and Colin Kaepernick] haven’t been brought up with people who were patriotic.”

He added, “A lot of people died so that they can have that privilege.” I totally agree with George Foremen and that’s why I am not boycotting the NFL.

Whose Philosophy was Better?

I had an amazing conversation with one of my friends who is white. He is really concerned about the frequency of hate that is going on. I assured him that everything would be okay because things will be. He asked a interesting question it was whose philosophy did I agree with the most Martin Luther King Jr. or Malcolm X? I respect Malcolm X but I choose Martin Luther King Jr. it’s all about peace and love. The way that I think isn’t received well by some of the people of my race however there are some black people who think the same way as I do. A lot of the way that I think comes from the way that I was raised and my education too.

First off what happened in Charlottesville, Virginia was absolutely terrible everyone at least agrees on that. From my understanding the protest that was took place was pertaining to a confederate statue being removed forgive me if I am wrong. I have already written my views on the confederate flag. There are people who view the confederate flag as their heritage both blacks and whites. No,I do Not support hate I find it repulsive however everyone has the right to exercise their first amendment rights. Problems arise when things become violent which is never good.

Here’s the thing yes slavery took place and there was segregation years ago. Even though my mother grew up during the time of segregation; she was not racist. My mother did not raise me to hate anyone but to love everyone. I once went for classes to be able to volunteer at the YWCA one thing that stuck out during the classes was meeting people where they are. Positive things can happen when we meet people where they are. There are people my age bring up slavery and segregation we never encounter that; our ancestors did. There are white people my age and younger who feel like there have to pay for what their ancestors did. I will never forget how one of my Facebook friends apologized for what her ancestors did; it was heartbreaking. No one should have to feel like they have to pay for a debt of someone else’s wrongdoings, ancestors or not.

It is time for our country to start healing together. All white people aren’t racist. All black people aren’t criminals. Healing cannot be done if salt continues to be applied to a wound. When we cut ourselves from a fall or a paper cut the body immediately begins the healing process. I have two sons and I want them to live in a world that is better than what’s going on now. Going into the past doesn’t solve anything if nothing positive is being done about it. Answering hate with hate does not solve anything. As the great Martin Luther King Jr. once said “Darkness cannot drive out darkness;only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

The Human Race

Bigotry doesn’t make any sense to me
What can I say
Other than I oppose hate
But answering hate with hate is a mistake
What can I say
What can I do
People get killed when
They protest peaceful
Let’s not forget
Heather Heyer bloodshed is not worth it
This wicked world needs more love
I follow my Heavenly Father
So with hate I do not bother
I pray
I refuse to add to the hate
Charlottesville Virginia
Boycotting the NFL
Not standing for the Star Spangled Banner
Black Lives Matter, Black Panthers,
KKK, skinheads and secret racists
All work together
At keeping the division going
Every last one of the people
In the groups I just named
Think that they are doing
What is right
If more people would search
For ways to minus the hate
Instead of reasons to keep it going
The world would be a better place
By understanding one another’s pain
By healing one another
By respecting one another
Sure let’s stand against racism
By standing with our
Brothers and sisters of all colors
Let’s band together like a rainbow
A single race can’t do it alone
Unity gets things done
So let’s love and live as one
One love
One race
The Human Race