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: I'm Free Just Being Me

Free at Last to just be me. Such great Joy


Why did it take me so long to be free and comfortable just being me?  After all who really could be Radical RevLa but me. I realize now its always been a big job being me.
Not that I'm all that as the young kids would say but looking back over my 59 years of living it has dawned on me that I'm a bit much.

Had I been my own mother I would have ran away from me as quickly as I could. Let's face it God knew all that would be needed to deal with a radical such as I am so He gave me not just one mother but two. One that gave birth to me and one who raised me from the age of 3 months until adulthood. In fact it was the passing away of my mother (the one who loved and raised me and didn't have to) that has sparked this wonderful sense of freedom.

Her passing has had me refelecting on myself as a person. Most of the time I'm so critical about myself. Always looking in the mirror and finding all of the flaws. Too fat, too old, too gray, too, too, too! But this time I've stood in the mirror and said "you know kid you are not that bad" It seemed like once my ears hear those words a feeling of peace over took me. I no longer really cared what anyone said or thought about me. I was free!

Free to live my life as God has called me to do. Free to look the way I want to. Free to loose weight or gain weight or to stay the same it didn't matter because ....guess what? I'm free!!! Oh the joy I feel. The peace I'm enjoying and the love I have gain leaves me speechless...(yeah right!!)

So for those who can not understand why I smile when I know people around me are talking bad about me. For those who can't seem to understand why I dress as if I walked out of a vintage fair on a Sunday morning. For those who just can't seem to understand how I can do a thousand things at one time but look as if I'm doing nothing. Then I will give you my answer
I AM FREE!!!
As Martin Luther King said
"FREE AT LAST ....FREE AT LAST...THANK GOD ALMIGHTY I'M FREE AT LAST!!!

THE JOY OF BEING FREE IN MY OWN SKIN
PRICELESS!!!