Stripper Pole to the Gates of Heaven

My husband brought this to my attention
and I was speechless!!!

It is rare when Radical RevLa is left speechless! I mean in my 61 years of life I've always seemed to have something to say. So when my husband showed me this video on You Tube about this female preacher I was at a lost for words. First of all it was difficult for me to pay attention to what she was saying because she had her nipples showing. You can't see it in this picture (thank you Lord!) but as she was giving the word about the wickedness of the tongue all I could think about is why is she showing her breast. It was not the cleavage that bothered me but the fact that each nipple was showing.

In this picture her hands are hiding the nipples but when you see it without her hands covering then all you see is both nipples looking at you from both sides. The real catcher is that her word was good. When you didn't look at her and listened to what she was saying you learned a real word of God. This shocked me because she didn't have to show her nipples for attention. God's word is enough by itself.

As a female preacher and a black lady of God its bad enough that the clergy does not want to give us respect. As a black woman so many people are putting us down. Its up to us to maintain the image of the great queens that our ancestors came from. The black woman has it bad enough then to have this woman who states she came from the stripper pole and now has her ministry to sit and give an entire sermon with her breast showing.

This type of action soils the Word of God. What she was saying was what was needed to be said but her presentation took away from anything that was good. I'm not one who gets on a person for dressing the way that they choose to. I have a unique sense of style and have had different female preachers voice their opinion on it. Those ladies felt that I should be preaching in a robe or white stiff collar and black funeral suit. I chose to wear my vintage style dress and hat and look like the lady that I am. However no matter what I wore the outfit was decent and in order.

Nothing was hanging out. I could represent Christ as one called to do the work of Kingdom building without feeling ashamed. What I see from this lady is that she has a real word that can help people. She has a platform that will show other ladies that God can still use them even if they were once in the sex trade. This is a good word but when she sat there taping with her nipples showing it made her word a joke. What really gets to me is the fact that whoever the camera person was could they have told her that her nipples were exposed?

I don't get it. People are talking and gossiping about her in a negative way. The story that my husband was watching was a man who has nothing nice to say about the black woman. He used this story as an example to further his cause of making the black woman feel less than a human in the eyes of the black man. I had to write this because these are some sensitive times and we don't need our own sisters making it worse with tomfoolery.

To end this I just have to say dear sister of the stripper pole church. Stop the foolishness and preach the word. You do have a calling on your head do what the Lord wants you to do in a way that will honor him and yourself. I don't want to see your breast. You left that life where you showed them to everyone. Now show us something else. I did love the sermon once I could stop seeing the image of you and just listened to your voice. Remember you are the daughter of a king and the child of the King of Glory carry yourself in that manner.

As a black woman I like who I am. As a child of God I love who I am. Rise up to the level that you were meant to be and leave the foolishness to the fools. And one more thing dear preacher with the nipples: You won the shut the mouth of Radical RevLa award for a life time! And as always you gotta love me...no really you do!!! 

Should Dark Skin or Light Skin Matter to the Black Woman

In 2013 should
 we be dealing with the difference in our skin color?

The Black Woman is just beautiful!
This statement I can make because I am one. In defense of us there is no other woman on the planet that is so different. We come in many lovely shades, shapes, and hair textures. We should never be at odds with each other where our culture or beauty is concern. Today I'm surprised and taken back a few because after all of this time we are revisiting ourselves in terms of color.

This should never be something that we should have to concern ourselves with. Many want to separate us as the light skinned black woman vs. the darker skin black woman. This to me is ridiculous.  We are like lovely flowers. That once we are put together we become a fragrant bouquet. I don't want us to ever allow others views to taint how we feel about our fellow sisters.

The world already want to make the black woman as the last person on the totem pole of life. We are under represented in the world and have to feel that if we don't look like other races that we are not beautiful. We are so lovely and strong. We can do anything because most of the black women start with nothing and turn that nothing into something incredible.

At this time in our lives we should be supporting each other in our beauty not attempting to separate by using color as our source. This is what they use against us from the beginning so we should not join in and start an under group that is doing the same thing. I know that its  unfair in the world market but ladies lets face it we are smart and strong. What we need to do is create our own markets. Our own  businesses our own movies our own whatever to show the world as we work together that we love ourselves.

If we look at each other in terms of color, hair, and body build then we are saying that we don't like ourselves. We are the mother queen and we must learn to love and embrace who we are. So I feel debating about the dark skin light skin black woman is a way for us to just be going around and around in circles. What we need to do is show on every level that we love each other no matter what the differences are and that we can work together to lift up each other.

We need to drop the crabs in the barrel mentality and push forward to represent ourselves as the mighty beautiful queens of God that we are. We have to turn a deaf ear on those who think that we don't count or we need to revisit the issues of light and dark. Face it we are all black women...beautiful women of color and that's the way the world will see us if we show them that this is the way we feel about ourselves.

As for Radical RevLa I love you all my sisters and my color is my color and it is great because the Almighty God made me this way. If I doubt Him and His creation of me than I'm saying that He made a mistake. Now we all know that God does not make mistakes so all my dear sisters of color lets love one another for who we are and embrace each others differences. Reach out and give your sister a hand up that way no matter if we are dark skinned or light skinned we are all able to reach for the stars.

What can I say but.....gotta love us....no really you do.

Meet RevLa's Big Sister

Its hard being the Big Sister of RevLa

I can't say for sure but I do believe its hard being the oldest sibling in the family. Since I'm second oldest I know how to be a big sister but I still have a sister ahead of me and when I want to I can just defer to her. So what better way to begin 2013 and to continue to honor the black woman then to honor my big sister. Looking back over our childhood I can see just how I could have been a pain to her. I can even see how she had to justify this weird little sister who was always strange and didn't fit in. Now we know it was the anointing of God on my head for the work that I've been called to do, but then it was just downright weird.

Nevertheless my big sister put up with me and loved and protected me even to this day (cause lets face it I'm still marching to the beat of a different drum...ha,ha,ha). So I would love to introduce to you the honored black woman to open out our new year my sister LaVerne Gooding-Jones. Why should she be honored you wondered? Did she invent the cure for cancer? Or did she solve the recession? Was she voted as the first female president? Really what makes this woman so special that she should be honored in my blog?

Let me answer that with just one statement....she's my big sister and she loves me!!! Simple but true. I could go on about all of her many accomplishments. I could tell you what a faith warrior she is and how active she is in her church. I could tell you how people love everything about her. I could tell you how she takes care of our 102 year Grandmother. How she is such a loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and a advocate for her extended family. I could tell you about her acting abilities, her lovely singing voice, her poetry, and how she makes the worlds best potato salad. I could go on and on about how smart she is and never had to study a day in her life and still made all "A"s.

However if I did that I would be bragging so I'm just going to say this. I honor her because she is my big sister and even when she is mad at me and want to choke the life out of me and bring me back with CPR she has always loved me and would fight any demon in hell who attempted to bother me. Just that simple. So on this first month in 2013 I crown my big sister with the honor of being one of the most outstanding Black American Women that I have been blessed to know.

Sis I know its hard to be the big sister of Radical RevLa yet you never gave up on me no matter what I attempted to do and in your own way supported my every effort. So I will end this tribute with something that you use to do for me every night I asked you to when I was a child. You would sing my song....I now sing it to you

(In my best Elvis Presley voice)
Wise men say only fools rush in but I can't help falling in love with you!!!
You are so beautiful to me dear sister!!!
And even though you gotta love me...you did it because you wanted to not because God told you that you had to.

I LOVE YOU
 DEAR WOMAN OF GOD
 AND
 MY BIG SISTER!!!
 

102 Years of Wisdom

My Wise Grandmother and myself at her
100th year old birthday party

I had another great black woman that I wanted to talk about this month but then it darned on me that she could start out next years tribute. You see I've been given the revelation that black women should be honored continually and not just featured for only one year. Therefore expect to see us honoring wonderful black ladies both well known and many that no one have ever heard of. So to end this first year of honor I would like to feature my great and wise grandmother Ms. Alma Matthews.
Why feature her you must be thinking to yourself? What has she done? Great questions and I would like to start right there. First of all this year 2012 my dear grandmother celebrated her 102nd birthday. She is still very healthy and does most things on her own. She has always taken good care of her spiritual, mental/emotional, and physical health. She taught senior citizen exercise for many years. She cooked her own food and would not eat out very often. She drank water and while she did have her coffee but not more than a cup or two. She made sure that she laughed often and had her pleasures that brought her joy. For her it is working large picture  puzzles. 
She would not allow herself to be caught up in gossip, a lot of "he say she say" foolishness. She raised her children well as a single mother and her grandchildren as well. She cooked, cleaned and taught them how to be good citizens and work hard for what they wanted and needed. Last but not least she is and has always been a child of God. She has held a weekly bible study for over 62 years. She was active in her church and still continues to be even at this age. She taught all of us how to have a personal relationship with Christ long before we got caught up in any church. She often told us that if we know the Lord for ourselves then no one can put anything over on us. We can walk into any church and learn and fellowship and be able to know what is true and what is not.

We would learn how to discern the Holy Spirit for ourselves and know not to play with God. We learned how to respect God and others. My grandmother has not only talked the talked but for 102 years she had walked the walk thus becoming an example of what we need to learn as we travel here on earth. She has done her job given to her by God and still continues to do what's needed. As a black woman she has always carried herself with grace. She made  sure that she looked nice and would not allow anyone to speak in a negative way about her or her family. She taught us that it was up to us as black ladies to never allow a man to disrespect us or call us out of our name. That men were like buses there was always another that would come and until God brought you to your true mate then you never allowed yourself to get caught up in a situation that was not positive or edifying.

We love her dearly and so honored that God place us in her family. We have all attempted to live our lives in a way that will make sure that we lived to her outstanding standards. She was third generation from the freed slaves. Her great grandparents were the last of the slaves and became indentured servants. She is wise beyond her 102 years and has imprinted on every one of her family. Being that she is now the matriarch of a family of over 100 with more on the way.

So it is just befitting to give praise and honor to the most outstanding black woman that I know
Thanks Grannie as I call her and you have got to know that she has to be a great lady to deal with me
Dear sweet Radical RevLa
OK the sweet part was a bit of a stretch....ha,ha,ha
Gotta to love me....really you do!!!

I honor you Grandma with Black Woman of the Year 2012
Ms. Alma Matthews

Grannie gave a speech at her 100th birthday party she opened with "I've lived so long that now my grandchildren are senior citizens"....and you wondered where I got it from???

 

Is That Your Real Hair?

The beauty of the black woman
lies in her hair

Since when is it politically correct to walk up to a Black Woman and ask her if her hair is real or not? I can't believe how disrespectful people are today. What I've noticed is that it's only the black woman who has this question asked of her. As we give honor to the black woman this year I would like to express praise to those of us who have started to embrace our natural hair. 
It is sad that we look at ourselves and base our beauty on the type, length, style and texture of our hair. It is said that we first developed this pattern from our ancestors being slaves. The female slave's hair was not considered beautiful. It was called kinky, nappy, suede caps, and that it was incapable of growing.

Many black women feel that they have to process their hair or wear a wig in order to fit in and appear beautiful. Some feel that they would have to weave in hair so that they could fit in. Now don't get me wrong. I believe that one should do whatever they feel necessary to achieve their view of beauty. If that means that you add, press, process or go natural that should be your right. Where I have a problem is when people suggest that we are not beautiful if we wear our God given hair in the way that He gave it to us. Hair for the black woman has become such an issue that when the gymnast Gabriele Douglas won both of her gold medals all everyone talked about in our community was that she needed her hair fix. When you looked at the other girls hair who happened to be Caucasians her hair looked the same. The focus was not on the fact that this young positive young lady made history only that her hair looked horrible.

We are told that if we want a job then we should not go on an interview with our hair natural. We are considered hostile if we have a natural bush or if we have locs called dirty. No other woman is labeled this way. Then the disrespect when people come to you and ask if your hair is your hair. If the real truth is told many Caucasian women wear weave. No one stops to think about asking them if it's their hair or not.

Another thing is that we are our own worse enemies. Many black women practice self hate by talking in a negative way about a sister that has decided to be free to be herself. They will say hurtful things to the woman who has taken that step. They laugh and talk about her openly to others. Then if your texture happens to be naturally straight or curly then they make it clear that it could never be the person's hair.

This lady starts to doubt her choice of being who she was born to be. She starts to regret her choice of being natural and may go back to the slave mentality and start processing, adding or wearing a wig. She must do what she does not want to do in order to have peace and feel good about herself. Its just easier than to deal with all the negative comments where her hair is concerned.

Black, beautiful and lovely ladies lets make it clear we can do anything we want to do with our hair and still look great. There is no good hair or bad. Hair is hair and we have the type of hair that really you can do anything that we want to do with it and remain the great lady that we are. However there are certain things that we must do. We must love ourselves from the inside out. We must look in the mirror and say pretty words to ourselves. We must take care of ourselves and eat healthy so that our hair will grow and shine.

We must be our own best friend and treat ourselves in the same way that we would treat our best friend. We must edify ourselves and then choose how we want to look. It does not matter if you are natural, straight, process, weave, wig or bald its up to you. Whatever you decide to do then own it and don't let anyone bring you down or attempt to make you feel less beautiful. When someone come up to you and ask you if its your hair then don't answer and keep it moving. They are not trying to do anything that will help you so don't allow them to bring you down.

If they keep on then let them know that you will not tolerate disrespect and that they are not to approach you in that way again. Then walk away and be you.
Women of color we are beautiful and its time that we embrace our beauty and walk with our heads held high. Allowing our natural or whatever we want for our hair to shine and glow. As sisters we should uplift each other and never beat each other up for our choice of hair style. We should not place such high priority on our hair. Yes we must fix it and look good and own it but we need to back up some and stop the mess.

It has gotten so bad that our daughters are feeling less if their hair is not the long flowing kind. We must stop and love whom we are and teach our daughters to love who they are and who they would become. As we walk in our glory this year let us all love our hair and let the world know that we do. Wear anyway you want and then respect your sisters for how they wear theirs. Compliment each other on our hair. Give another lady a high five for being who she was meant to be.

Drop terms such as good or bad hair. Never imply that only long straight hair is the best look that we can wear. Enjoy the fact that our hair can be anything that we want it to be. Don't ask another if their hair is real or not. Its really none of our business. We are the queens of the world and its time that we step into our kingdom and rule.

To my beautiful black sisters I just have one thing to say:
I really love your hair!!!
We got to love each other.....really we do!!!
Radical RevLa  

  
 

My Feet Didn't Hurt I Just Had Enough...Rosa Parks Mother of the Civil Rights Movement

Ms. McCall-Haygan holds hands with Ms. Rosa Louise Parks during the celebration at Howard University of the 40th anniversary of Ms. Parks' refusal to give up her bus seat to a white male passenger on December 1, 1955, which sparked a civil rights movement that changed the course of American history

Many have asked me how I became the way I am? I often wondered just what they were talking about? Then it dawned on me "Radical RevLa" is slightly different! Really I had no idea....no really I didn't have a clue. You see everyone in my family has been taught to achieve greatness. No matter what that greatness is. It didn't mean you had to be a superstar but what you did have to do is give back to others.

As we look at this wonderful year of the American black woman two very important women come to my mind. One everyone knows. The late and great Ms. Rosa Parks our mother of the civil rights movement. (I will talk about her later). The other great lady is my very own mother Ms. Ella McCall-Haygan. She is the lady in the above picture holding hands with Ms. Parks and singing.

My dear Sweet Mom has dedicated her life to helping  those who cannot help themselves. Her story is amazing and as her daughter many times as I read  her different interviews I have to wonder just who this woman is. She is my mom the mother of eight wonderful children. She is CEO of her own non-profit organization for children known as "From streets to skills" where she teaches, mentors, encourages, and provide means for children that are homeless to learn job skills. She went from a high school drop out to receiving her master's degree from Catholic university. She worked in the world's worst areas in our beloved inner city of Washington DC. She received the name "The hood social worker".

Many of the children in her program have gone on to college or started their own businesses. She is on call to the so call "low lifes" of our society 24 hours a day. She was blessed with a focused mind and a loving heart. She was Rosa Parks go to person whenever she was in our hometown and now she works with Ms. Parks foundation and is currently writing their story as they worked together . So this year I honor her as one of my outstanding Black American Woman.

Now my next wonderful black lady is Ms. Rosa Parks. There is nothing that I can say they we don't already know except the fact that what has been said about that day on the bus has been told wrong. According to what Ms. Parks said to my mother was that she was sitting in the seat that she was suppose to be sitting at. Not in the front of the bus as we have been led to believe but in the area assigned to us to sit. She was thinking about a rally that she was putting together for that Saturday for the children. The children that she would take to the library and would not be allowed to come in.

This was on her mind. This was what made her upset with everything. This is what gave her this righteous anger. So when she was told to get up and give the white man her seat she was not having it. She was not going to give her assigned seat to someone that could stand. Her feet did not hurt but she was tired. She was tired of being treated this way. She was tired that the children could not go to a library where they could learn. She was tired of America treating her people this way.

She was not a great civil rights leader. She was not head of the NAACP. She was just a woman who loved children and wanted them to learn and become better citizens. So this day she just did not get up. She was a normal woman doing what normal women do she was taking care of the children. She told my mother that it only takes one person to do just one thing that will help many. By not giving up that bus seat you and I that are of African-American roots can live in peace. We can vote, go to college and have our own businesses.

So today I look at two woman from two different periods of time. Joined together with the same basic interest. That being helping children who can't help themselves and spreading the love of God to all in their efforts to give back. I am so proud of the black ladies in my life. I am so proud to be able to honor them this year. And I might just continue to honor them from this day forward. I will never stop being amazed at what people can do when they are focused and determined.

Ms. Parks by not giving up that seat started a national movement and basically created the role of Dr. Martin Luther King. My Mom Ella McCall-Hagan has place her stamp on many young children who would have ended up in gangs or in jail. She has taught them skills so that they would be able to function in today's society. Who knows who she has help developed into the next superstar.

So for those who wonder who Radical RevLa is I just say look at the stock I have come from. Look at those who shaped me and look at those who have shaped the ones who placed their stamp on me. I don't know where I'm going but I know that God has a great deal of work left for me to do. I'm ready to do my assignment and the good part is I get to do it my way. It may not be like everyone else but for me it's my own stamp on the world.

My prayer is that we continue to look at the average black woman and give her praise. She has done a lot in this world and I want her to be taken off the bottom and placed at the top of the human chain where she belongs. Its been proven that she is the mother of the human race. Like it or not it has been proven.

I suggest that we go back and read about the other parts of Ms. Rosa Parks life. And I ask that you go to
http://www.destiny-child.org
they have honored my Mother
Ms. Ella McCall-Haygan as their July's community activist of the month. You would be so informed about life in Washington DC and her life with Rosa Parks.

So since I might have my very own mother reading this I will end in a nice way.
To black women everywhere hold your heads up high and go for it. Live your life the way God has shown you. Never let anyone make you feel that you don't count. It only takes one person doing one thing to start a movement that will benefit a million.

See I did it I ended in a good way. But will it last you ask?
Nah... I don't think so....who am I kidding of course I will be my same old radical way.
So what can I say....Gotta love me
no really you do have to love me!!!

       

Radical RevLa: I Get It!

Sometimes to make it work you have to do it yourself


Anyone that knows me would say that I'm not a big Oprah Winfrey fan.  I do admire her and her accomplishments. I do feel that as we celebrate the year of the black woman that she is a great example of that woman who has dared to defy the odds. I'm just not a talk show type of person and so therefore I was not a big fan. So when she decided to end her long running very successful talk show to pursue her own network this I found fascinating.

Being the radical woman that I am I have always been my own person and marched to the beat of a different drummer. This was the part of Ms. Winfrey that I did admire. She has been a trail blazer. Many females no matter what race or color they are could look to Ms. Winfrey and design their life as she did to achieve their desired goals. As a minister I know that it takes the Love and Faith in God to get to where we need to be in life. We also need to see others achieve it as well knowing that if God could do this for them He would do it for us as well.

So really RevLa why are you writing about somebody who always have something written about her? You stated that you were not a big fan. Great questions that I will answer. You see Ms. Winfrey has been successful in everything that she set her mind to do. She had been so successful that it looked very easy. While I do understand that it took hard work to us it just looked like she had the goose who laid all of the golden eggs. Now she is tackling yet another big project.

Everybody knew that this next project would fall in line just like all of the rest. Just think about it. While I'm not sure that she is the first but I do know that she is one of the few black women that owns her own TV network, this is major. She has now really stepped into the ring with the big boys. She is the powerhouse behind an entire network. Once she launched this project she made sure that she had all of the pieces in place. She made sure that her true friends had been blessed with their shows. She lined up the movies etc. Now I will not be able to say that I have watched her network but some of my children have and liked it.

However the news that's out about the early days of the network showed that it was not the instant success that we all thought it would be. For the first time Ms. Winfrey appeared to be struggling. Her friends didn't appear to be behind her. Her goose was now just laying regular eggs. People were buzzing that her network was a flop. But still I haven't stated why I'm writing about her. This is it in a nutshell. What I've seen is that while it may appear that something that should be so easy is struggling. That your friends should be able to help you take your dream to another level. When people are talking about you in the negative or secretly laughing at you. Then you just go back to doing what you do best.

Ms. Winfrey put on her high heels and started working her network doing what earned her the queen of daytime. She just started doing it herself. She threw herself into it and started getting her interviews and just did the work herself. Where her network is in the stats I do not know but I do know that the network now has a fighting chance. Where do I fit in all of this? I was called by God to start the Christian Social network "FEELING GOD". After the success of 2r1n Christ Marriage and Relationship Ministry in two short years was thriving I thought that the social network would be a no brainer.

However this proved to be the hardest thing that I've ever done. We have struggled so hard to keep this network going. While some of my friends and family have made every excuse under the sun why they cannot support this effort it has continued to grow very slowly. I thought this ministry was going to take off and have a life of its own. I thought that by now we would have over a 1000 members. I thought that the pages of the network would be visited by tens of thousands of people and to my dismay none of these stats have been achieved. So in my despair I was asking God if this was worth the effort? Should I count my losses and just let it go? Did it help anyone?

He brought me to the "OWN" network and let me see how she was doing it herself if need be. He showed me that once given an assignment that we have to do it no manner how hard it turns out to be. That even if we are the only one contributing to it, or the only one reading it that it must be done. He assigned the project to me to do for a reason. By seeing this great black woman take her time, ignore what was said and to turn her network around inspired me to "JUST DO IT".
SO DEAR MS. WINFREY I GET IT!


So I thank you Ms. Winfrey for your example and I will pray for the success of your network. I pray that you will have stats that out shine any other network around. We also honor you as the wonderful black woman that has helped us become the women that we are today.
As for me I see that the key to doing anything is to remember to seek Christ for our directions and to do the work ourselves as we guide others to come and become a part of it.

I'm finding that I am enjoying honoring the black woman this year. While I thought it would just be a simple direct mission it has proven a lot more complex and wonderful.

Radical RevLa: They Did Us Proud

A True Winner And A Breathtaking Beauty

Truly Stunning and Gracious A Winner In Our Hearts

How wonderful to celebrate these ladies I'm about to present as we place focus on the Black Woman this year. Who could not be proud of Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer for their work in film this Oscar season. While they were both nominated for the aware only one of them won. We congratulate Octavia Spencer for her win but we also congratulate Viola Davis for her gracious hug and happiness for Meryl Streep for winning. Both ladies showed their class during this award season and each time out they looked stunning.

They received an "A+" on the best dressed list for wearing gowns that were perfect for them. Their styles worked on their personal body types and they had the right accessories. Viola did a sister one step better by wearing her natural crown and glory showing that the black woman in her natural look is extremely beautiful. The above picture says it all. The color that she is wearing is rich and blends well with her skin. She looks every bit of the royal queen that she is.

While Octavia won in her catagory and should have. The performace that she did in the movie "The Help" was great and you will never forget that charater. She has looked beautiful on every red carpet during this season. Being her body type and size she showed us just beautiful and curvey a black woman is. That we don't have to hide our bodies. She too was on the best dress list and was breathtaking from head to toe.

This tribute to these ladies is not just about how they looked (but let's face it we do like the fashions..lol) but how they handled the roles that they had in the movie. "The Help" in my opinion should have won. That was a great movie and its the kind of movie you want to see over and over again. Its the type of movie that you should show your children so that black children can see what their grandmother's had to put up with. Its a part of our culture and we should not be ashame of our history. These ladies are great actresses. And personally while I love Meryl Streep who I think is a great actress I really think that Viola Davis should have won the oscar. Not because I'm honoring the black woman but I just feel she played a strong role in a very stong movie. (as I said just my opinion)

What a great way to begin our honor of the women that we are. You see for those who always say we are just the angry, head shaking, hands on one hip, finger pointing, ebonics talking black woman these two great jewels have shown the world that we are far better than that. 

Again its my greatest pleasure to give honor to those ladies that look like me and take pride in what they do for a living and for humanity.
This is the year of the American Black Woman!!!

Radical RevLa: The Year of the Black Woman

God give me the strength to do the things that I must and to ignore those
who are trying to knock me down

You would think with this month being black history month that I wouldn't get flack when I announced on our Christian Social Network  "Feeling God" (ok we pause for a commercial break...visit http://www.feelinggod.ning.com/) that this year I had decided to honor the black woman. I heard all kinds of compliants. From "its ok to do it for a month but really a whole year" to "does the black woman really deserve to be honored in that way? What about all women? Let's not make this a racial thing!".

I was shocked to get this reaction and somewhat hurt. In all of my 59 years on this earth I really don't remember black women being honored in this way ever. Not to say it has not been done I'm just unaware. Not only that anyone that knows me both physically or virtually knows that I never look at race. Why is it when a black person expresses anything positive about their race or culture its considered a race issue. This does not happen with any other race but the black race. Then to top it off to place focus on the black woman. This is just wrong.

I was even told that the black woman is too mean to be honored. Reallyyyyyyyyyyy!!! Did the person speaking forget that they were addressing a black lady? I almost fit the sterotype when my first thought was to just slap him upside his head, but thought better of it. So what I decided to do was to honor her anyway and ....nanie...nanie...boo...boo(oh so childish RevLa).
My thinking is this: if no one else will honor me as the black woman that I am then I will and all of my sisters. As for the other races of females I honor you for being a woman as I am and sure that you as a whole have been honored more than we have so be supportive of us this year and go along. Maybe next year we will do you.

To all of the negative people this is your time to just KEEP YOUR OPINIONS ABOUT WHO I DECIDE TO HONOR TO YOURSELF! You may talk to the hand or any other body part that will listen to you because my ears will not. I love who I am. I love being the strong black woman of God that I have been created to be and sorry its time for me to say it and encourage others that may look like me to do the same. "Well RevLa you don't have to brag!" And why not? Many other races, cultures, males do the samething why can I? And frankly I don't care if you think I'm bragging or not...that is an issue that I consider is your personal problem and you should deal with that. Don't bring it to me.

"See I told you the black woman is mean and angry" Wrong, wrong, and not fair!!! Let us have the same oportunities as our counterparts both male and female. Then we have our 15min. of fame and glory then we can be placed back in the lineup. So with all of this posting said I will be writing and blogging this entire year off and on about our wonderful soul sisters. I will feature them on our social network more but here I will be doing a sound blast about whomever I feel or to just vent. When I do don't take it in the negative. Allow us to love ourselves for once. Sisters of other races we are still sisters and you know the black woman always loves. So we will never slight you but this time show your support of us.

Men of all races and those of our own please give us a chance. We have earned it and are loyal and have your back even when you are wrong. We ask that for one year that you say nice things about us. Tell a black woman just how great she is. Remember all of the races came out of the black woman.....(its been proven..something to think about).

As always I leave you with a thought to get you to my next month's post....(after this one you may not want to come back...ha,ha,ha)
If I was to make a statement that would say who the black woman was in just one sentence I would have to say the following:
She is the mother of all of mankind, she loves hard and long, she carries her heavy load with her head held high, she has a deep spirituality and believes the Word of God as law, she takes care of her man, children, grandchildren, parents, grandparents, siblings, church members, co-workers, and the needy, she quietly absorbs insults to her appearance, character, intellect, ablilites, and anything that other woman are praised for, she is made fun of, called out of her name and laughed at yet you never see her sweat, she prays hard and long for everyone, and many times she does not take the time to love or take care of herself, she crys long and hard alone out of sight so no one will call her weak, she is a loyal friend and strong adversary, and for the most part she is a true child of God.
This is my opinion in one sentence as to whom the black woman is.

Really it is one sentence....I didn't say it was not going to be a run-on sentence...ha,ha,ha
Gotta love me...I am the typical Afro-American Black Christian Preacher Woman
(I know bad RevLa...bad...bad...bad)
Until next time kiss the next black woman you see and tell her she is loved.

Radical RevLa: In Defense of the Black Lady

The Black Woman
There is nothing wrong with being strong


I am a strong Black Lady. A woman of color. A well educated Afro-American Lady. I come from  a family of proud, independent, self-sufficient, and very beautiful Ladies.  Most of all we are God loving and God fearing woman. Brought up to establish a true relationship with Lord Jesus and walk in His Light in all that we do. So what's the big deal?

Black Women are labeled before we walk into a room. We are seen as the angry black woman. Always standing somewhere with our hands on our super large hips or with one on the hip and the other waving that finger that helps us get our point across. While there is really nothing wrong with that image. As a black woman we should not feel bad for some common things that we do however the world automatically thinks that we are all this way. Really if you look at what most black women have to endure day in and day out they have a fair right to be angry.

We are last on the list of people in the human race. We are told that we are not pretty, too fat, too dark, or too light. Our hair is called nappy and unattractive or we all wear weave. We have big breast, big butts, and wide hips. We don't have a brain. We live to slave for a man. We are just not worth the effort. It doesn't matter how much education we have. How long and curly our hair is. How beautiful our skin is. Or how curvy our shapes are we are never considered good enough.

We are laughed at and talked about. Where it comes to the church we are used to build, hold up, and do the work of church building. We fry chicken, fish, turkey and anything we can to sell and make dinners that would make your mouth water. We do this over and over to bring in money for the pastor's dreams of the building fund. We bake, have clothing drives, candy sells and tee shirt fund raisers and before you know it the church travels from the red color of debt to the black balance of debt freedom for God's house. Then after all of their back braking work the church is now growing and money is coming in the pastor would get up and give a sermon on how we are not going to build the church on chicken dinners.

Really pastor is that not how you got the church to its present stability? If these black sisters did not work and give it all that they had your church would still be in the dream stage. We are not given credit for just being who we are. The real us "Ladies". Yes world that's who we really are. Top notched ladies. Smart and hard working. Problem solvers. Faithful and resourceful. Kind and I repeat Kind and Smart. We have run households on no money. We have worked several part-time jobs and sent our children to college. We have started multi-million dollar businesses doing everyday things.

Many black female ministers can preach and teach with the best of them. Many live the word instead of just talking about the word. Many run their churches and households efficiently and never miss a beat. They remain faithful and loyal wives to their husbands and will defend them while fighting for what their spouse's believe in. We have raised the majority of the people of this world regardless of color or nationality. We are so strong that some don't understand that we do hurt, we do cry, we do feel , but we shake it off and keep on going. The majority of us live to raise and love our children in the way of Christian living and attempt to teach them good morals as well as academics.

So world in our defense give us a break. Let us be treated as who we are kind and loving ladies. We have a heart that I feel is very close to God and we are shunned by our own as well as the other races of the world. Stop and look at the contributions made by the black women and then start giving her the respect that she has coming to her. Not only that get another picture of how the true black lady looks and acts. Most of us might be angry  but we still go on doing what's needed and painting that smile on as we push our way to victory regardless of how we are treated.

Give us a break and lots of love we worked hard for it. We are not begging or asking because as you can see even without your respect we still continue to live our lives to the fullest.
All this coming from little radical me!!!
A Black Lady of God