Tasting life, meeting new people, seeing new places, reading, writing, watching documentaries, music and cultural arts, dancing, my children's laughter, swimming, lying on the beach in the sun, sand in my toes.
Nothin better than chocolate and strawberries on top ...well almost.
I find great fulfillment in speaking out and taking action against things that violate the sanctity and quality of life.
Freedom from Robben Island
Won't you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
'Cause all I ever have:
Redemption songs.
-- Redemption Song, Bob Marley
London Coffee House, Phila - Former site of slave auctions
Soka Gakkai International (SGI) a Buddhist network that actively promotes peace, culture and education through personal change and social contribution.
SGI
As each group seeks their separate roots and origins, society fractures along a thousand fissure lines. When neighbors distance themselves from neighbors, continue your quest for truer roots, in the deepest regions of your lives. Seek out the primordial "roots" of humankind.
Daisaku Ikeda, Sun of Jiyu Over a New Land
"Stell dir vor, es gabe Krieg und keiner ginge hin. Imagine there was a war and no one went."
NEWS
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In remembrance of the victims of 9/11, I pray for their families. And I pray that a tragedy like this never be repeated, anywhere on the planet. I have no sympathy for Terrorists, homegrown or foreign-born. However, the current war in Iraq has no connection to the attack on 9/11.
The following statement was issued by the group September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, made up of families of the victims of the 9-11 attacks. It reads in part:
"The timing of [Gen. David Petraeus’] testimony is another attempt by government officials to force a non-existent connection between the events of 9-11 and this administration's disastrous policy of invasion and war in Iraq. The 9-11 Commission found there was no operational or cooperative relationship between Al Qaida and Iraq. It is widely understood today that this administration's actions in Iraq have in fact created a terrorist sanctuary where none previously existed, at a cost of more American lives than were lost on 9-11, tens of thousands maimed and wounded, and over 100,000 Iraqi dead.
"Six years after September 11, 2001, politicians, from the White House to the halls of Congress, continue to abuse the memory of our loved ones who died in that attack by attempting to invoke their and our suffering to further this administration's political goals. As we have stated on previous occasions, we ask any and all politicians and candidates for office to respect the memory of the innocent lives lost on 9-11 by refraining from using the 9-11 sites, memorials, and anniversaries for political ends, either explicitly or as political 'backdrop.'"
Video website:
http://www.911pressfortruth.com/
September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
www.peacefultomorrows.org
Jerusalem Women Speak: Three Women, Three Faiths, One Shared Vision
'In overthrowing me, you have cut only the trunk of the tree of liberty. It will spring again from the roots for they are numerous and deep.
-- Toussaint L'Ouverture, 1802
Domestic Abuse
This candles burns for my friend Witney Rose, and Crystal Floyd my daughter's best friend, both killed in the same year.
www.womenagainstabuse.org
Children I met in Langa Township, Cape Town, South Africa
The Deeper the Roots
The Stronger the Tree
Music
Bob Marley, Santana, Chicago, PFunk, Cassandra Wilson, Hannibal Lokumbe, Wynton Marsalis, Hugh Masakela, Wyclef, Zap Mama, Marvin Gaye, Jimi Hendrix, Nina Simone, Prince, Sting, Jon Lucien, The Rough Guide to the Music of Africa, Public Enemy, Wu Tang Clan, Stevie Wonder, Jill Scott, Michael Franks, Sam Cooke... so many more.
Modiba's short video about the crisis in Darfur and the connection between music and politics that is the basis of ASAP.
Birth of a Nation
A conversation with actor-filmmaker Tim Reid who talks about the detrimental impact the film "Birth of a Nation" had on American society and the independent spirit of pioneer black filmmaker Oscar Micheaux.
Why Do we still honor COLUMBUS DAY?
So who your Vasco da Gama be
So who Prince Henry your navigator be
So who was your Sir Walter Raleigh
So who your Christopher come bluff us
I man is the living archeology
They talking bout them mek
Some kind of discovery
I man is the living anthropology
--from Great Zimbabwe Walls Jubilees Of Zion CD, by Midnite
Television
Not game shows, not springer or maury. no tabloid talk shows, no minstrel shows, nor any other idiotic, mind-numbing stuff on tv, except The Jerk.
Free SpeechTV.org
TVNewsLies.org
Books
Amiri Baraka, Gwendolyn Brooks, John Henrik Clark, W.E.B. DuBois, Maya Angelou, Manning Marable, Chiek Anta Diop
Heroes
My Mom, My 3 adult children are my #1.
Nelson Mandela, other freedom fighters, liberators, visionaries and humanists.
Roots and Wings. Stories are like Roots that Connect us to the Past... and Wings that Carry us into the Future.
My name is Denise Valentine. I am a Storyteller, teaching folk artist, writer and human rights advocate. I tell stories that emphasize the dignity of life, the power of the human spirit, and the interrelatedness of life. I tell stories of opression, resistance, Freedom and Hope. And I tell, Lovestories, Stories to Heal the Heart, Stories of Divine Love, Sacred Love, Love & Respect for Humanity, Love for Mother Earth, and Father Sky, Higher Love, Tough Love, One Love.
I made my debut as a storyteller with Keepers of the Culture, Inc.,(K.O.T.C.) Philadelphia€™s Afrocentric Storytelling Group, in 1997. Since then, I have shared stories at schools, libraries, museums, community events and conferences. I use storytelling as a tool to promote cultural literacy and diversity, conflict resolution, and recovery and empowerment for at-risk youth, teen parents, battered women, substance abusers and ex-offenders. I was awarded The Leeway Foundation of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's 2004 Window of Opportunity Grant to study folklore traditions and the influence of politics on contemporary oral stories in South Africa. Since 2006, I have been included in the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts 2006-2007 Artist in Education Directory for Southeast Pennsylvania. I am also on the Pennsylvania Humanities Council’s 2008-2009 Commonwealth Speakers Bureau.
I am also a member of Soka Gakkai International (SGI), a lay Buddhist organization, and a United Nations Non-Governmental Organization that promotes peace through education and culture. In my youth I participated in various SGI cultural presentations: a chorus of 1000 young women in the World Youth Culture Festival in Hawaii; The Cultural Exhibition of the World's Ethnic Peoples; the United Nations 50th Anniversary Celebration and Exhibition, and the Books for Africa Project, in which 15,000 books were collected nationwide and presented to two universities in Ghana.
In 1992, I met South African exile, Godfrey Sithole, and was inspired by the selfless determination of Nelson Mandela. I attended the National Conference in Support of a Democratic South Africa, on the 80th Anniversary of the ANC and was one of the founding members of the Philadelphia Chapter of the ANC Anti-Apartheid Committee, along with Godfrey Sithole, Rosita Johnson and others. In 1993, I was on the Welcome Mandela Committee when he came to Philadelphia to accept the Liberty Medal. These events inspired me to become an activist, and then a storyteller for social change.
Original Poems and Stories:
Great Zimbabwe: Search for the Seven Great Stones
(* Published in Poems, Stories, Etc., an eclectic experience, by Shirley E. Riley, Spiritual Press, 2002) Pee Wee the Great, The Story of Who Owns the Land, Haven’t We Met? Sadie and the Sax Man, Romance of Volcano and Ocean
Romance of Volcano and Ocean was inspired by ancient Hawaiian folklore about the volcano goddess Pele, based on a version of the same title in the Storyteller's Goddess, by Carolyn McVickar Edwards. Music tracks by Todd Porter
Who I'd like to meet: Mumia, Tupac, Elie Wiesel, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Harry Belafonte, Danny Glover, Desmond Tutu, Alex Scott, and you...
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They say Myspace is full of nuts, perverts, pimps, and ego-trippers. This may be so, but I have found (or been found by) some of the warmest, the most wonderful, talented, and proactive people on the planet. I may not be able to send out individual messages to each of you to say “Thanks for the add.” So, to new friends and old, YOU ARE APPRECIATED. THANKS FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP AND SUPPORT.
Yeah, you might find some nuts sprinkled in here too. Take some time to visit my FRIENDS' pages, you’ll have a blast.
I would love to collaborate with musicians, other storytellers, poets, spoken word artists, and vocalists.
I'll try to feature the work of a different friend each week or so. To check out my work, you'll have to visit My Music Page: www.myspace.com/roots4wings.
THESE ARE OUR STORIES, MARK ANTHONY JOHNSON
Spoken word performance by Mark-Anthony Johnson, on police brutality during the Los Angeles May Day march, New Orleans, bus fare increase in L.A., Obama, Clinton, Chavez, and who are real leaders of today. Performed May 5, 2007 at the annual Political Party for the Labor/Community Strategy Center where Mark-Anthony is a community organizer.
Thanks for allowing this shameless self promotion! SUPPORT YOUR INDEPENDENT STORYTELLERS and POETS BUY ORIGINAL! THANK YOU for LISTENING and BUYING choose a selection below to LISTEN and PURCHASE! LONG LIVE the WORDS!
Among several presentations I do for businesses, churches, and nonprofits, the following discussion of metropolitan growth in the United States and around the world inspired new enterprises across Pennsylvania over the last two years.
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America's suburbs expand every day. Along the highways, traffic increasingly is congested as commuter families live faster lives. What do these changes mean for the future? How did we arrive at this crossroad? Why do our taxes keep rising while our roads, schools and healthcare lose their competitiveness in the global economy? How can we make our communities better? These questions form the core concerns of a democratic world in the 21st century.
I can’t take back what I’ve done in the past Nor can I retaliate on all that’s been done to me, At best I can learn from experiences I’ve had Shake the chains of regret and be free,
The future has its own set of tests and trials So why dwell upon yesterdays woes, My road only changes if I’m willing to change it The door of opportunity is never closed.
I must free up my psychological arms To make space for better things to come I should dispose of the junk from the past And seek the source where all natural treasures come from.
We are the wardens of the prison in our minds Condemned by guilt, regret and sorrow, But I stay at peace, when I learn to release- Yesterday, and appreciate the hope of tomorrow!
Hello my friend how are you doing? well i am sorry for not write you you for very long time.... hope you dont mind, the truth is that i got some of my own problem and thats why i am not on the mood to talk to any one... anyway i am ok now... well i just wanna say hello to you and wish you a good day... talk to you soon. regards Tashi PS if you have facebook, you can add me there with this email address tashi.d.tsering@gmail.com i use facebook for personal stuff no political....
They say you never miss a good thing until it’s gone, Well let’s enjoy this good thing while it’s goin’ on I ain’t the type to look back and say I wish I woulda’ If we can love right now, then why we waitin’ suga? We can ball even if it’s just a short while Don’t wanna’ see you lookin’ down I wanna’ see you smile If I could I would promise you my heart and soul But destiny is somethin’ that we can not control But what I can do is try to make you happy now; What you can do, is show me love while you got me now I learned a long time ago that nothin’ lasts forever Just like the weather, things change and we can’t explain What’s love is it holdin’ on or lettin’ go? Makin’ unsure promises that we can’t control While I got you wit’ me now we gon’ live it up And when it’s time to move along I guess I’ll give it up.
The future is too far for us to see; All I know is that for now you’re here wit me You can cry when it’s all over, but smile while we’re together Love me while you can, cause’ it may not last forever!!!
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Many thanks for the add. Hope you enjoy the music and message behind it. My mission in life is to fight Human Trafficking. understanding the individual pain of others is sometimes to painful for an other individual to touch and that is frightening ... what i mean is that someone whose life is not traumatized and brutalized as a regular sequence of every day events unconsciously seeks the camouflage and shelter of apathy and banality from the reality of such devastating anguish and terror ...
but the spirit of young people who are used as sex slaves in the systematized global industry of human trafficking is now reaching out to the human fellowship in hope and desperation and through technology ...
it is scary when humanity turns a blind eye to this horror ... its like ignoring genocide whilst it is happening ...
what i am asking is that if you hear the cry of these young people who are existing in an environment of torture and brutality each and every day that you then please do not turn away from them ...
please reach deeply into your heart and soul and please in 2009 join a movement or become a part of an event that challenges modern slavery in the 21st century ...
