I got up earlier than usual this Saturday morning. My husband and I spent the day volunteering for Compton Unified School District’s Toy Drive/Luncheon for families in need.

My mom works for a very special department in the Compton Unified School District. The department has an official name but I call it the HELP Department. Why do I call my mom’s department HELP? Well what they do every day is exactly what the dictionary says the word HELP means:

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The city of Compton is making great strides in its mission of birthing a new Compton. New businesses are springing up and occupying once vacant lots and buildings. Since Compton was named an entrepreneurial hot spot and ranked #2 for best places to start and grow a business, the city is enjoying a surge in economic growth. We now have Target, Staples, Best Buy, Wells Fargo, Fresh & Easy, Panda Express, 24 Hour Fitness, Ross and more….This is wonderful news for Compton residents as these new and welcomed circumstances create new jobs, new opportunities, more choices, and new resources in our community.  Read more... (389 words, 2 images, estimated 1:33 mins reading time)

Our third meeting of U Grow Girl was awesome!

It gets even better with each meeting.

This month we gained a new member, we are now 5 strong!

We each gave a progress report on our goals, recapped our 1st two meetings, and welcomed and embraced our new member.

We learned about a contest which provides women interested in starting a business with $50,000 in seed money and encouraged each other to participate.

Our growth in our U Grow Girl! Circle of Thought involves changing our thinking to change our lives and life long learning.  Read more... (283 words, 1 image, estimated 1:08 mins reading time)

This is one of my favorite email forwards that makes its rounds a couple times of year. My friend Shonda sent it to me this morning enjoy
LET IT GO by T. D. Jakes

There are people who can walk away from you.
And hear me when I tell you this!
When people can walk away from you: let them walk.

I don’t want you to try to talk another person into staying with you,
Loving you, calling you, caring about you, coming to see you,
Staying attached to you.
I mean hang up the phone.

When people can walk away from you let them walk.
Your destiny is never tied to anybody that left.

People leave you because

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Should African Americans Get Reparations for Slavery?

When the topic of reparations comes up people get very heated and opinionated… oftentimes without even knowing the facts or history behind reparations.

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My friend Hollie sent this to me this morning and with her permission I’m sharing it.

MORE DAMN TOY RECALLS……

OK, me, Hollie….is requesting that we all stop purchasing lead filled toys made in China.

We all know that there are issues between the United States and China (and every other country in the world, thanks to Bush). Clearly they are trying to kills us, by what? Killing our children first and foremost. This will prevent us from having a great military force to fight against them later….you know after we lose half the damn military to the billion dollar a month “War on Terror” in Iraq.

They will try to kill us by any means necessary…poisoning our dogs and cats…they know damn well Americans care more about animals than people (just look at the whole Michael Vick issue).

Please be real with your children and explain why they cannot have their favorite batman toy or their favorite doll. All of the toy companies are manufacturing in China. Reid and I have for months stop purchasing toys made in China. Reid is eight years old, if he can do it so can you. Feel free to call Reid and let him explain it to your child…it may come across better from another kid.

Seriously, please stop purchasing lead filled toys from China. If we stop buying, start complaining Mattel and the other manufacturers will have to make a change. It is not just about the toys, but the life long damage to our children from lead exposure.

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In the words of Marvin Gaye: “What’s Going On?” Do you care?

I saw this video on BlackHandSide of an all star remix of Marvin Gaye’s timeless classic and was moved. Enjoy

What’s Going On (Dupri Original Mix)
Co-producer – Wyclef Jean
Featuring – NSYNC , Aaron Lewis , Alicia Keys , Backstreet Boys , Bono , Britney Spears , Christina Aguilera , Darren Hayes , Destiny’s Child , Eve, Fred Durst , Gwen Stefani , Ja Rule, Jennifer Lopez , Jermaine Dupri , Mary J. Blige , Michael Stipe , Nas , Nelly , Nelly Furtado , Nona Gaye , and P. Diddy

What’s Going On All Star Re-Mix Lyrics:

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If you know anything about Compton, you know that Long Beach Boulevard is often referred to as the “hoe stroll” and not because of the many businesses selling gardening tools. No matter the time of day or night , 24/7, 365, it has become the norm to see half naked street walkers peddling sex. Along with the sex service providers come the pimps and patrons…This unsavory element has forced several businesses to close their doors, the most recent business to flee was Quiznos. The City of Compton and Compton residents decided to take action to

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My heart has been heavy all week with the fires and the tragedy at the Long Beach Pier. I know that I am not the only one as people have been expressing their feelings about it too. At this point I’m not sure what all I can do to show my support other than to pray… I do believe strongly in the power of prayer and I know prayer availeth much. Along with my prayers I hope what I share today on this blog touches who ever it needs to touch……..

There are hurting people all over the world, some near and dear to our hearts. It is often easy for us to be so caught up in our own lives that we are oblivious to what might be going on in someone else’s life…

Living life abundantly means caring not just for ourselves but for others. To truly experience abundant living we must have compassion and Love in our hearts for our fellow man and be concerned not only for our own best interests, but also the interests of others.

Each day the news tells of horrors and tragedies going on all around us. Too often we flip the channel or move on to whatever is next on our agenda because often the story seemingly has no direct affect or impact on our individual lives.(say a prayer, reach out, send a card, do something…)

What many of us fail to realize is,

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