Sometimes, it can be a bit much

If any of you know me, you know that I am a true journalist. A media junky of sorts. I knew at the age of 17 that I wanted to be in the media. After obtaining two degrees and working in the field in various capacities for a combined total of 14 years, I have come to notice an alarming trend that effects everyone. The media, in its quest to get the highest ratings, will show, post, report on the biggest stories of the day. For instance, today is 9-11. Of course, it is a very solum day and one that will be engrained in our minds forever. I totally get that. However, documentaries are being shown on every channel, its on the cover of newspapers and magazines, and broadcast live during every newscast. Which it should, because rules 1 and 2 of ensuring that a story is newsworthy are timeliness (10 year anniversary) and impact (effects everyone). Now don't get me wrong: the 10th anniversary of anything this massive should definitely be reported on. However, when it gets to the point where that's all the media is covering leading up to that event, then it becomes a problem. Sensationalism is a real thing. Think about all of the "natural" disasters going on in the world around us. Haiti, wildfires in Texas, flooding and earthquakes in the east coast, etc. It's too much!!! We don't need to see everything. Some people can't handle it. A 911-responder spoke on TJMS Friday and said that she didn't plan to watch any of the documentaries or shows on the event because it has truly taken a tole on her. She has PTSD since the event and everyday is a struggle, not just 9-11. People are haunted by this event every day of their lives. Things Think about the Hurricane Katrina footage. I'm sorry, but I could not stand to see another dead body floating in the water, or the scores of people that were left for dead at the Superdome or the true disregard for human life in a city that many of us have come to love and enjoy. I remember thinking, as I did at 8:46 a.m. Eastern time on 9-11-01, "This can't be real. God, please tell me, this can't be real!" And then as I watched CNN, MSNBC, CBS, FOX, the Weather channel and surfed the web and listened to the radio and talked to my friends that evacuated, I realized, yes Kristyn, this is very real. Much realer than you could ever imagine. It does something to you to be there to see that happen, but I also feel that it does something to you mentally to see it played it in front of you, over and over and over again. It has to take a really evil person to not feel some sort of way after seeing something like that. It does something to you. And just when you thought that was over, Hurricane Rita happend. And though not as catastrophic in the sense of Katrina, it was damaging enough, as many of us came home to what was once a house and now was a shell of its former self. When we had to evacuate, we had nothing but the internet, the radio and an account of the events courtesy of a screaming Geraldo from the P.A. seawall. After I heard him say that the city was engulfed with water, I had to turn off the radio. I had to power down the computer and shut off my phone (which was only able to receive text messages at that time) because I was getting so involved in what the media was reporting that it was effecting me mentally. We were miles from home, we had been traveling for over 19 hours to get to a place that was less then 5 hours away, and we were just not prepared to hear anything like that. Then there were the earthquakes in Haiti, where we saw people living in squalor, children crying in the streets, women and men covered in blood and dust. Again, it does something to you. It's played over and over again. When we watch the news, you see nothing but negativity. Negativity about our POTUS and the government? Check. Dead bodies in your local neighborhoods, complete with the chalk white-out around the body, bloodied sheet covering the body or the coroner carrying the body out? Check. Parents killing kids or kids killing parents? Check. Screwed up economy that may never rebound? Check. Oh and to sum it all up, here's where you can adopt a pup that was being abused by his owner!!! Check check check! While at a 9-11 ceremony today, where my sorority gave a plaque to the city, I watched and listed as a survivor of the vicious attacks spoke about his life then and today. He said that we should honor those who lost their lives and grieve today, but tomorrow is a new day. A day in which we have been given another chance to do better and be better. We can't sit in sadness and grief forever. We have a world out there to protect. And he's right. The pain still lingers and it hurts. The world is a scary place. You don't know what can happen when you back out of your driveway, head to your job or drop your child to the airport for a class trip to Washington,D.C. But at the end of the day, what we know is that we will never know what could happen. Only God knows that. And that in itself can be a scary thing; to trust in someone other than yourself. Those people who went to work that day had no idea that that would be the last time they would kiss their loved ones. Those children on that plane had no idea that day would be the end of their short lives on earth. Those people in New Orleans had no idea that what was a routine evacuation to the Superdome would turn into hell on earth for 4 days, with no food or water. Those people in Haiti had no idea that simply walking to the neighborhood market, that they would not see fresh food nor water for weeks. WE DON'T KNOW. Again, I want you to understand that I do think this type of information should be reported. However, as technology improves, the public has more access to the news in an instant. Instead of waiting for the 5 p.m. news, you can see the info on Twitter or Facebook or live on the media's website or blog. Though that's good for many reasons (such as what NJ Mayor, Corey Booker, displayed during the recent floods) it can also get to the point where people see so much despair and destruction that they either become desensitized (many of our children are-think about all of the killings we've seen by children as young as 11) or they become engulfed by it and thus become over anxious and afraid of the world at every corner. As a member of the media (so to speak) I do believe that there is a way to tell the story without beating it half to death. Before there were ratings and awards, there was the reporter whose only job was to tell the story and tell it well. I want the media to get back to that place. Stop worrying about who is going to one-up you on the coverage of 9-11, Beyonce's baby, Kim Kardashian's hen-pecked husband, or the 2012 election. Just tell the damn story. We can't be so stuck in the past that we can't move forward and many times, that is what happens. Be fair and balanced and do what you were called to do.

The End of an Era

As I've said in posts before, I am a graduate of an HBCU. In fact, Southern University is the ONLY HBCU that is in it's own system: SUBR, SUNO, SUSBO and the SU Law School. Now that's something to shout about! Ever since the inception of the first HBCU, Cheyney University, established in Pennyslvania in 1831, the world has often questioned the authenticity and purpose of such schools, as if to say that by purposefully not educating people of color, the world would be a better place. We can see by the way things are going now, that isn't true. So I don't find it odd that there is serious talk and contemplation of merging one part of my alma mater's school system, SUNO, or for those of you that have been living under a rock, Southern University-New Orleans, with the University of New Orleans. True, the campuses are within walking distance of each other, but they serve 2 totally different populations. For one, SUNO is located in the historical Ponchatrain Park neighborhood. This was the first all-Black, middle-class neighborhood established in the NO, but it most recently known because of the damage sustained during Hurricane Katrina. What many don't know is that Southern University was established in the NO in 1881. This was when the capital of Louisiana was New Orleans. But when that changed and the campus grew, it was decided to move to a larger location on the bluff of the bayou in Baton Rouge, now known as the main SU campus or SUBR. This was done in 1914. Southern University has a long-standing tradition in the Louisiana community as well as with the world, so again, I am not surprised that someone that isn't a native of the state or a supporter of HBCU's, would be willing to end that legacy for his own political party gain. Yes, I am talking about Louisiana's own, Governor Bobby Jindal. An Indian-American, who is as white-washed as they come. I'd hate to tell him that the same people that claim to be on board with him are probably at home telling some really nasty Ghandi jokes on his expense. But I digress.

Jindal and his band of thugs believe that the graduation rate at SUNO is too low and thus, by merging with the PWI (predominately white institution) UNO, that it will be a better alternative for the greater NO community. This, coming from someone that knows absolutely nothing about Louisiana, other than the fact that he's the governor. He didn't grow up there, he doesn't communicate with anyone from there and I'm sure his kids go to private school. He doesn't know about the city, besides seeing some numbers on a page. He can't relate to the struggle of African-Americans for equality in education. It was not too long ago that Thurgood Marshall argued to the Supreme Court for the Brown vs Board of Education case that made segregation in education illegal. But even before then, people of color had little to no access to higher education other than that of their own institutions. Yes, it's true that the graduation rate is low. However, what we are talking about is an institution where the majority of its students are first-time, first-generation. (As a college instructor, I know what I'm talking about.) At SUNO, the majority of the students are adults, aged 28 and up, with kids and full-time jobs, so no, they aren't going to graduate in 4 years or even 5. But SUNO has allowed them the opportunity to obtain a degree in their own time. Who are you, Bobby Jindal, to say that their time is too long? SUNO's population don't come from a privileged background and cannot afford to attend classes at any other institution. The professors are caring, the class sizes are small and it is the perfect place for a student that is too young and naive to go far from home or for a working father who has three kids, a wife and 2-hour free window to take a class for a job promotion. So what's so wrong for keeping it open? It sustained heavy damage from Katrina and though it's not back to 100%, the students and staff appreciate how far they have come. Who is to say that merging the campus with UNO is best anyway? UNO's graduation rate isn't tip-top either, but it services a totally different community. Essentially, they are both doing what they have to do, but by merging them, Jindal isn't making the problems go away, but in fact, may make them worse.

SU Alumni from across the country have rallied together to ensure that the legacy of our beloved SU System does not die because of the political agenda of one such, Bobby Jindal and his band of merry Republican thieves. I shudder to think that if this SUNO-UNO merger becomes final (voting began today at 2 p.m.) what that will mean for other HBCU's around the country. This is just the first step in a series of moves to ensure that the voices of people of color are silenced by a political party with a history of racial oppression. By merging SUNO and UNO, Jindal is ensuring that the state of Louisiana continues to lag behind significantly in education. In a city where the majority of its children are at least 2-3 grade levels behind, they cannot afford to suffer another setback. As a proud alumnus of Southern University, I can only do so much from Texas. But I pray that I can count on my fellow Jaguar Nation members in Louisiana and HBCU supporters around the globe, to ensure that this doesn't happen to anyone else.

Be careful who you vote for. Folks are selling wolf tickets these days.

Mother Tuskegee

One of my closest college friends, Cinnamon (yes, that's her real name, no, she's not a stripper and she's more of a chocolate than cinnamon) passed through Tuskegee on her way to Atlanta for her spring break last week. As I saw her posts on Facebook about how much campus has changed and how she felt passing through her old stomping grounds, I felt a little twinge in my heart. She gave me the idea of blogging about what Mother Tuskegee means to me and what a great idea that was!
You see, I didn't originally plan to attend Tuskegee. I wanted to go to Spelman (window air conditioning units and not enough majors); Paul Quinn (colors were purple and gold but it looked more like a high school in the hood), Howard (folks said it was too far away and hell no to the cost-even though it was a few thousand less than Skegee) and THEN Skegee. But after visiting Skegee during high school visitation day during my senior year in high school, I realized it was the place for me. I am a big history buff; I love cities like D.C., Atlanta and New York because they have so many historical sites to visit. To visit the home where Booker T. Washington lived gave me such a sense of pride. It wasn't a replica, but the real thing! I had only seen it in books but now I was standing where this former slave lived and built a life for himself, his family and for a city. What an accomplishment that is! The George Washington Carver museum was amazing. He made so many things from peanuts!
I saw so much Black love on campus that I knew this was the place for me. I came back to Abraham Lincoln High School with a Skegee t-shirt and a sense of pride that I was accepted to attend a university that only others could dream of. The day my caravan of cars (2 of them filled to the brim with stuff that I could barely fit into my room; half of it had to be taken back) pulled up to Olivia Davidson Hall on the campus of Tuskegee University, I knew that I would make friends forever, though I needed a little convincing after looking at the dorm room! I cried when my folks left me so hard that I ran after the car and fell over the speed bump! My dorm mates Chasity and Paulette laughed at me for weeks and still won't let me forget that day! But after I got over my bruised knees and ego, I dusted myself off, walked up to my room, and made some friends. What else was a skinny girl from little ole Port Arthur, Texas to do? I popped in my screw tape and got to enjoying my time in college!
For the next two years, I met friends from Atlanta, D.C., California, Connecticut, New York, Maryland, New Orleans and every other place you could think. These friends are more like my siblings and I'm still close with many of them for almost 14 years. However, my time at Tuskegee was short. My father was diagnosed with chronic diabetes during my sophomore year and couldn't travel very far. As I didn't have a car, I had to move closer to home. Though it hurt me terribly, I transferred to Southern University, where the majority of my family attended, and I later graduated 2 years later; right on time with my class.
Each year, I attend homecoming with my friends and it's as if I never left. Yes, the campus has changed. In fact, it has evolved in a mighty way. Each year, I see something different that we didn't have as 18-year-old kids, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
My mother asked me the other day which college did I enjoy most and I honestly have to say Tuskegee because this is where I began. This is where I laid my roots. Yes, I have love for Southern because it's my alma mater and it's where I spent every summer with my family; it's sort of a tradition. But Mother Tuskegee is and will always be #1 in my heart. When I would drive from UGA home, I would get excited to pass the highway marker that said "Tuskegee University: National Landmark." And even now, almost 14 years after I started my college career, my heart still pumps a little harder when I hear the words, "Tuskegee, the pride of the swift growing south."
My years at Tuskegee made me the person I am today. The people I met at Tuskegee have helped to make my life a little brighter. The experiences I had at Tuskegee helped to shape my life and I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. When I hear people question the importance of HBCU's, I tell them, you must have never been to Tuskegee. That thought would have never crossed your mind.
So I dedicate this blog to my friends from Skegee. There are too many to name, but know that I love you dearly and i know that my life wouldn't be the same had I not met you. And big thanks to Booker T. Washington for making his vision of education for all a reality.

Gluttony is a sin

I always look forward to the fair. Even as a naturally thin person, I look forward to indulging in Southern delecicies such as fried oreos, fried cheese, shrimp and pork on a stick and a funnel cake. Don't forget the candy apples and cotton candy! This is a cavity's dream! If you have ever been to a fair or carnival, you know what I'm talking about. Just walking through the fair to the smells of onions and bell peppers on the grill, kettle corn and crawfish pistolettes makes me all giddy inside.

I remember watching an episode of "Bizarre Eats" and the host, Andrew Zimmerman, went to the Texas state fair in Dallas. There, he ate fried butter and fried coke (I know! google it!) and had his first taste of alligator; something we take for granted in my neck of the woods. It was then and there that I realized what a hot commodity food is. Not just for nourishment; I mean truly LOVING food to the point where it can completely disfigure your body. Case in point. I know many will say that just because I'm thin I don't know anything about the trials and tribulations of being a larger person and you're right. However, we both have the same dilemma: we love food! I can't help being thin and depending on what medication you're on, you may not be able to help being a little on the large side. And contrary to popular belief, there is no "big-boned" gene. Since we're adults, we are both able to do whatever it is we want to do, but when it spills over into our children, I have a problem with that. I can't tell you how many obese children I saw at the fair, eating more in an hour than I could in one sitting. You're killing them before they've even had a chance to live! It was a muffin top smorgasbord! Parents and children walking hand in hand towards gluttony glory and here I am trying to stuff this last piece of fried oreo down my throat without throwing up. (I'm sorry, but we are in a recession and I refused to throw away $4 worth of "food.")

Seeing that brought me back to the term "acceptance." Our culture accepts a lot of things that aren't deemed "normal." We accept Charlie Sheen and all his antics. (But not really since he bombed in Detroit this past weekend.) We accept an oversexualized Hollywood scene. We accept that the Kardashians actually have a meaningful career and actually tune in for that foolishness every Sunday! And we accept overfeeding our children. We often believe there are no consequences, but there are. I remember reading that Sarah Palin (I'm so sorry for doing this to my readers, but I must talk about her. Sigh.) was dissing our FLOTUS once again and this time it was about Mrs. Obama's healthy eating campaign. Now, what person in their right mind would be against healthy eating, especially with children, I'll never know. But I digress. Palin was speaking to a group of uniformed Americans and encouraged them to feed their children all the sweets and unhealthy things they wanted because "the government should not control what and how you feed your children." Oh, but I beg to differ. You see, the choices we make today WILL effect us tomorrow. The more unhealthy foods your children (and you too) eat now, the more health problems you'll encounter later. Where do you think diabetes, cancer, cholesterol and heart disease problems come from? The tooth fairy? No! We do that when we eat all those fatty foods everyday of the week. Our foods are pumped with hormones that make our children bigger than they should be, on top of the fact that they don't eat any fresh fruits or veggies. Those medicines that they'll eventually have to take cost money. And if they are getting them through the government it is costing the tax payers. (That would be you my dear readers.) I know it's cute to see a "chunky monkey" (In the words of Chelsea Handler) baby. I love them too! But when they make it on episode of Maury Povich because they are too big, there's a problem. (You know you've seen the "Fat Baby" episode when the kids are 1 and 2 and can only wear adult diapers and a wife beater. Sad.) That mystical "baby fat" has to fall off before they reach puberty.

Now, I'm not saying to become a vegan or vegetarian, because trust, I'm not. But I do think that we have to start thinking rationally about what we are putting into our bodies. With the soon-to-be budget cuts in education, many districts are being forced to cut physical education and with that, our children's only time to be physically active. I couldn't imagine being in school and not having my time on the playground, but that may soon be a reality for our kids. Instead of overindulging them with everything sweet and greasy, give them an alternative. Now, I know that healthier foods can be more expensive, but I've seen way too many "parents" (I'm using that term very lightly) that are dressed to the 9's and their kids are looking less than stellar. I'm a firm believer that people spend their money on what they want. Simple and plain.

Folks, we have to do better. I'm not saying that thin is in and fat is wack. Not at all. Quite the opposite. Folks around the world are now embracing what Black women have had for years; curves. Hell, I've been trying to get curves for all of my 32 years on Earth! But what I am saying is that whatever it is that you are overindulging on (food, shopping, gambling, sex (Larry Holmes), goddesses (Charlie Sheen) or reality TV) you may want to reconsider, especially when those indulgences can potentially hurt you, your seed and me (if I'm paying for it with my taxes.)

Thank You For Being a Friend

Wow! I'm officially one year older. A grand ole age of 32. Yesterday went a lot better than I expected. I truly feel loved. For every person that called, text, emailed, facebooked, tweeted or told me "Happy Birthday" in person, I thank you from the bottom of my heart because you didn't have to do it. I don't take birthdays lightly as there are so many people that are 6 feet under that will never get a chance to celebrate their birthday on this side of life.

What made this birthday even more so special was that 32 years ago, my birth mother made the (what I deemed to be) the difficult decision to give me up for adoption. Just a little background info, my birth mother was a 22-year-old graduate student from an affluent family and my father was a 24-year-old carpenter. She knew that she couldn't take care of me, so her parents encouraged her to make the decision to give me up for adoption. I couldn't imagine what it feels like to carry someone inside of you for 9-10 months, give birth to them, then right after the baby takes its first breath, they are whisked away from you so that you won't become attached and change your mind. I often wonder how that made her feel. I've seen a few episodes of "16 & Pregnant" that showed this very scenario and I was crying like a baby. I was at the Edna Gladney Foster Home for a very short time, then I stayed with my foster parents, who happend to be white, until my parents, Madelyn and Travis, were able to get me at 2 months. Ironically, my momma, Madelyn, was 32 years old when they became my parents. And thus, I became Kristyn Eunecia Hunt on that day in May of 1979.

I often think about how my life would be if I were still with my biological parents. Would I have had a great life like the one I have now or would I have been brought up in a life of struggle? What about brothers and sisters? Extended family? I wonder if they think about me each year as my birthday passes or have they forgotten that I even existed? I was raised as any only child, so I don't think I really miss having siblings because my friends have become my family. But I do wonder if I've ever passed my biological family during my many travels around the U.S. and if I should take the initiative to try and locate my birth mother once again. I'm still not 100% sure of what I'm going to do but what I do know is that I can no longer be angry at her for her decision because had she not made that decision, I wouldn't be here today. I wouldn't have been afforded these wonderful opportunities and have met these great people that have impacted my life both positively and negatively. So if she is out there, I'd like to tell her thank you for making the decision to see her pregnancy through to the end and having the courage to let me go so that I could grow to be a better person. Hopefully one day I'll get the chance to tell her just that face-to-face.

Lessons I've Learned

I'm turning 32 tomorrow. Before I start, let me first say "Thank God" because I could easily be 6 feet under, pushing daisies. But the older I get, I realize that I'll be eventually getting to that place where I'll have more behind me then in front of me and to be honest with you, it scares me. It scares me because I realize how much of my life I have lived. I mean, I think I'm pretty well off for an almost 32 year old in less than 24 hours, but I want more. Not so much in the greedy way, though all of us could do with more cash, but more so more depth to my life. Do you know what I mean? I've been working more than one job since I began working professionally almost 7 years ago and it seems as if that's all I do. Again, I'm not complaining but because I work so much, I often feel as if I'm missing out on something. I wonder if I wasn't working so much would I have time to date? But the reality of it all is that the pickings are slim and I work to keep myself from getting bored. Is that an oxymoron? But as I work myself into a frenzy, I'm not only hurting myself health wise (I've been sick at least twice this year and it's only March) but I often think I'm hurting myself personally because I'm not really living, but existing. Sure, I travel. An occasional trip out of town coupled with the monthly visits to Houston but I want MORE!! I desire more living in my life. I enjoy spending time with my friends, but let's face it, how many single friends will I have at the age of 32? Most of them are married, shacking, have kids, and don't really have time for the girl's trips, which is totally understandable. I don't knock their hustle at all. But before I get left behind (another post for another day) I think I better start reevaluating what's important in my life. I know why I have to grind so hard but I think I'm going to have to find another way to channel my energy. I want to live to see another 32 years and at this pace, it likely, but it's going to be tough.

Guess Who's Bizzack

Hello world! I am officially back on the blog. I've been gone for almost a year. Time has gotten away from me. It's amazing how busy one can get when you're doing too much. But thanks to my bestie of almost 14 years, Paulette bka Gummi, I realized that I have to make time to express my thoughts in a creative manner, so here I am! I vow to never take this long to update my blog. So here we go!!!!