Transitions and Change

 Did you miss me? It's been two years since my last post.  If you've followed my blog over the years, you know I'm always working on multiple projects while working on myself. That's one thing that hasn't changed about who I am. The last 23 months have been about me looking inward and doing some uncomfortable but healing and freeing work both with a therapist and of course, on my own.  While this was happening, I moved to a district-level position in the school system I served formally as a SPED teacher, became an adjunct professor at the graduate and undergraduate level,  settled into my new neighborhood, and created a sanctuary out of my new place. I've become even more outspoken about issues that impact young people, women, and people of color. I've become especially Black woman-centered because our contributions and worth have not being recognized or valued. I've always felt this, but more so after this Breonna Taylor was murdered. It reminded of the countless Black women who were murdered at the hands of the police, by men they loved. Then it reminded me about how black women's bodies have been objectified, mocked, and tested on, sexualized, bottle, and sold for white consumption throughout history and the present day; how no one blinks when we are beaten or go missing I thought about my personal and professional experiences with microaggressions about the way I dressed, how I spoke, the way I wore my hair; the times my credibility and professionalism were questioned.  I reflected on the many times that I did not speak up, because no one else modeled for me how to do it.  But I learned that it's okay if I learned as I went and that if I had to be the first in some rooms, then I had to be the first. My voice has been amplified and it's not going anywhere because while I've always known that part of my purpose was to help other's find their voice by using mine, I never realized how necessary it truly was. 

Oh Yeah, and I launched a Life Coaching business!  Learn more about it at www.brendaschild.com/getmore 

I'm out here shifting mindsets and changing lives!!

Never Dormant

Everybody’s talking about it. Jay-Z new album 4:44, his

proclamation that he is grown and woke as hell. Although

I’ve only heard a few tracks (I don’t have Tidal or Sprint), the

social media posts have prompted me to delve deeper into the

lyrics and all I can say is I dig it!  Apparently, I’m not the only

one because he's trending like crazy and quotes from his songs

are all the rage on every timeline I have. While some are

cheering the evolution of Jay-Z, others are saying that he’s

stating the obvious when he speaks of obtaining wealth over

becoming hood rich, when he talks about the importance of

being a responsible father and husband. As an artist myself, I

totally understand how what you write about is a reflection of

where you are on your journey. I published my first book A

Piece of My Mind…Poetic Confessions of a Self-Proclaimed

Diva in 2007…10 years ago. Most of my poetry was a

declaration of my self-esteem and love (mostly love gone

wrong), with a few poems about my Blackness and being a

teacher.  I was careful of who my audience was since I had

written to poems in my late teen years, it was geared towards

teens and young adults.

This is what the updated cover looks like 

Two years later, in my second collection, there were fewer

love poems, and they weren’t about breaking up. Instead, the

poems were about falling in love. There were more pieces

about the Black experience, some celebrating greatness, but

many more were about my growing frustration with

Black stereotypes and white people’s failure to understand

our struggle in America.

Yes...I use my image on every cover

There was also a chapter of erotic poetry because I was deep

into discovering my sexuality and I decided I wasn’t going to

be shy about it.

Plus, people who saw me perform erotic poems

were looking to take home what they saw on stage in the form

of a book. I used the title Outspoken…Poetry for the Bold

because I aimed to be intentionally risky.

 It was five years later that I released my third poetry

collection…after the murder of Trayvon Martin, after 10 years

 in teaching in alternative schools, and 8 years of running a

mentoring program. My eyes were wide open! In Truth

Tastes Better with a Side of Rhyme there would be no love

poems unless they were about encouraging people to love

themselves, to celebrate blackness and teach people about

our struggle. It was about death…finding acceptance and

closure and in some cases still searching for it. In Truth I was

a mother, mentor, advocate, and motivator. I wanted my

message to be heard, so I was careful about my use of

profanity.  I felt like I had the help of my ancestors in writing

that book.

My most recent poetry book Self-Titled was released in 2016. 

 I am in no way comparing myself- to Jay-Z (I’m not a

billionaire, I’ve never cheated or sold drugs, and my cadence

has nothing on his flow). However, I will say that Self-Titled,

much like 4:44 is my declaration that I too am grown and

woke as hell.

  It is all Black Woman, the pain, and pleasures, the serious

and the seriously sexy.  I address how the black man and

white America treats us, and how black women should treat

each other. And I do so unapologetically because I’m unafraid

of criticisms.  I pay homage to my past experiences.  I am

vulnerable as ever in how I reframed heartbreak, pain and

loss into lessons and in the words of India Aire…there is a

blessing in every lesson.

Kudos to Jigga Man, Jay-Z, Sean Carter,  for evolving from Where I'm from" to "Big Pimpin" to leaving a "Legacy" and still shouting out the streets.  The message is just as important as the delivery, and while he or I may not speak to all the masses, we are heard by those who need to hear it, and  it is spit to them in their language.

The Not So Hidden Messages in Hidden Figures

After clapping and crying, being angry,excited and enamoured in a span of 2 hours, I ultimately left the movie theatre feeling inspired and uplifted. The empowering  messages I received from each amazing portrayal of NASA’s African-American human computers in Hidden Figures  were loud, clear and necessary as hell:

1.       Katherine Johnson (played by Taraji P.Henson),  the gifted mathematician, when told no,  refused to accept it as an answer. She was the ultimate example of  "leaning in." When you are capable and talented, don’t back down.  And when they try to shut you up, let your brilliance speak for itself; in other words,  I can show you better than I can tell you. By doing so she went from being ignored to becoming indispensable.

2.       Dorothy Vaughn (played by Octavia Spencer)  took self-determination to another level. Not only did she take the initiative to teach herself about the the first computers, she mastered them, and then taught her  fellow  Black women how to use them as well. In doing so, she too made herself indispensable. More importantly, she pulled her sistas up with her.  Now that is bad assery.

3.       Mary Jackson (played fabulously by Janelle Monae )was intelligent and fiery. Being a woman with high aspirations is tough in 2017, I could only imagine how difficult it was in 1961! With the gender roles issues, work/life balance and every kind of ism  black women are up against today,  it's nothing compared what she experienced and under far more extreme conditions. But it served as a reminder to us all that you cannot let other’s  fears, misconceptions and judgments veer you off track, whether they be institutions or people.  In her story, I saw that somebody has to be the first, why not  me? Why not you?

This movie was just the nudge  I needed to push me me off the cliff of 2016 and into flight of 2017.I’m about to soar... and I'm taking my sistas with me! Thank you ladies, messages received.

 "If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair." 

                              - Shirley Chisholm