nia

NIA

Nia (NEE-ah) is the fifth day of Kwanzaa and it means "purpose". On this day,

we pledge to build and develop our communities, our schools and our families.

We also pledge to provide a strong communal foundation from which our children

can develop into strong and productive people.
The Fifth Day of Kwanzaa (December 30)
On the fifth day the black candle is lit, then the farthest left red, the farthest right green, the next red and then the next green candle. This represents the 5th principle of Kwanzaa - Nia (NEE-ah): Purpose.The fifth principle is discussed. The family shares the Unity cup and the candles are extinguished.

ujamaa

The Fourth Day of Kwanzaa (December 29)

On the fourth day the black candle is lit, then the farthest left red, the farthest right green. And then the next red candle on the left. This represents the 4th principle of Kwanzaa - Ujamaa (oo-jah-MAH): Collective economics.

The fourth principle is discussed. The family shares the Unity cup and the candles are extinguished.

ujima

The Third Day of Kwanzaa (December 28)

On the third day the black candle is lit, then the farthest left red, and then the farthest right green candle. This represents the 3rd principle of Kwanzaa

- Ujima (oo-JEE-mah): Collective work and responsibility.

The third principle is discussed. The family shares the Unity cup and the candles are extinguished.

"matunda ya kwanza"

Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday which celebrates family, community and culture. Celebrated from 26 December thru 1 January, its origins are in the first harvest celebrations of Africa from which it takes its name. The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase "matunda ya kwanza" which means "first fruits" in Swahili, a Pan-African language which is the most widely spoken African language.

The first-fruits celebrations are recorded in African history as far back as ancient Egypt and Nubia and appear in ancient and modern times in other classical African civilizations such as Ashantiland and Yorubaland. These celebrations are also found in ancient and modern times among societies as large as empires (the Zulu or kingdoms (Swaziland) or smaller societies and groups like the Matabele, Thonga and Lovedu, all of southeastern Africa. Kwanzaa builds on the five fundamental activities of Continental African "first fruit" celebrations: ingathering; reverence; commemoration; recommitment; and celebration.

Kwanzaa, then, is:

a time of ingathering of the people to reaffirm the bonds between them;
a time of special reverence for the creator and creation in thanks and respect for the blessings, bountifulness and beauty of creation;
a time for commemoration of the past in pursuit of its lessons and in honor of its models of human excellence, our ancestors;
a time of recommitment to our highest cultural ideals in our ongoing effort to always bring forth the best of African cultural thought and practice; and
a time for celebration of the Good, the good of life and of existence itself, the good of family, community and culture, the good of the awesome and the ordinary, in a word the good of the divine, natural and social.

The African American Branch
Rooted in this ancient history and culture, Kwanzaa develops as a flourishing branch of the African American life and struggle as a recreated and expanded ancient tradition. Thus, it bears special characteristics only an African American holiday but also a Pan-African one, For it draws from the cultures of various African peoples, and is celebrated by millions of Africans throughout the world African community. Moreover, these various African peoples celebrate Kwanzaa because it speaks not only to African Americans in a special way, but also to Africans as a whole, in its stress on history, values, family, community and culture.

Kwanzaa was established in 1966 in the midst of the Black Freedom Movement and thus reflects its concern for cultural groundedness in thought and practice, and the unity and self-determination associated with this. It was conceived and established to serve several functions.



Reaffirming and Restoring Culture
First, Kwanzaa was created to reaffirm and restore our rootedness in African culture. It is, therefore, an expression of recovery and reconstruction of African culture which was being conducted in the general context of the Black Liberation Movement of the '60's and in the specific context of The Organization Us, the founding organization of Kwanzaa and the authoritative keeper of its tradition. Secondly, Kwanzaa was created to serve as a regular communal celebration to reaffirm and reinforce the bonds between us as a people. It was designed to be an ingathering to strengthen community and reaffirm common identity, purpose and direction as a people and a world community. Thirdly, Kwanzaa was created to introduce and reinforce the Nguzo Saba (the Seven Principles.) These seven communitarian African values are: Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity), and Imani (Faith). This stress on the Nguzo Saba was at the same time an emphasis on the importance of African communitarian values in general, which stress family, community and culture and speak to the best of what it means to be African and human in the fullest sense. And Kwanzaa was conceived as a fundamental and important way to introduce and reinforce these values and cultivate appreciation for them.

Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by , professor of Africana Studies at California State University, Long Beach, author and scholar-activist who stresses the indispensable need to preserve, continually revitalize and promote African American culture.


Finally, it is important to note Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday, not a religious one, thus available to and practiced by Africans of all religious faiths who come together based on the rich, ancient and varied common ground of their Africanness.

Take Home ft Raheem Devaughn

zSHARE - 01 XO -Take Home ft Raheem Devaughn_Final 1.mp3

muy wahl

need a g~ride {a getcha der}

dont know wher u going or how u choose to get there, just get there ,if u can

i,... me,... know u can....God says u can ,so u should put ur petal to the metal !!

When he speaks, u listen!

vrroommm.....

lus ize seez u a'gin

lust mus i'z seez u a'gin,
 me no wanna meet u buy de pond
 me no wanna hold yo han, dontcha looka dat way at mey
dats wat dun got us dis fah


lus mus i'z seez u a'gin,
tink i gwin'a go na, dont grabs mey bi muy wais, uos kno i'z lik dat place
dats why we heay na, u kno haw'ta shol mak mey feelz goud
jus wun tuch, gats me deah


luk at dem eyez, duntchu stare
u's kno watch'a doin, u'z shoal aint rait
lemme cheak muy taime',
shoudnt keep ah woman outchea pas hu bed taime
hmph onlay' faiv menuts imma b ouat'cheah,
no neadin wuspin n muy eur
aint no'bodi ta listen ta dem fibs noway
sho u mis mey,an u louv muy face
aint no utha gal,ummm hmm yeah


lus mus i'z seez u a'gin,
itz get'n late bes uz ya taime wiz'le
prolly beez las taime uz see mey n'ah hah
{thinkin n muy haid' y hem gouta b so fion}
y u wana hol muy han, tryna get fresh ef u can (dats wen da spawk lit)
{skream'n n muy haid "lawd wah iz uos na,lawd? uos saed cawl ean uos shal ansa, iz nez uos na lawd, cos iz no uos no bowt dis heah fe'len bun'n deep n'muy soul, wat iz do bout dat, na lawd}
ooooh se'nah wez dun gawt al he'td up an fa waht na?
tink dem faiv menuts dun be up'


lus mus iz seez yous na,
{lawd iz nees yo reasku na, cos sumpins ah hap'in down deah}
k'nah iz gea'tin up na, we dun plai'd rown an fa waht na?
sawey ef u doant undastan, gawt tou much ta risk at'han
 neads muy prayas ansud' buy da lawd na


so lus iz gauta goez na,
 gon b prayan fa ya tous,
dunchu frown an kick'dem shouz
dis heah bes fa us bof, wez gon b bless'd fa us do'n riat
den yo nam kan go'frum lus ta louv na,
id shol liks dat,bet da lawd woud tou,
 an erry'wun els'woud shol apruv (wink)
cum heah na gimmie yo han
ah rap dem skrong arms roun mey na,
an gimmie ah big ol' hug yeah(tite sqeeeezah)
kiss ta yo fo'haid

buh louv til we meet a'gin

~carly

in d mo'nin

n d mo'nin
Paul Laurence Dunbar

‘Lias! ‘Lias! Bless de Lawd!

Don’ you know de day’s erbroad?

Ef you don’ git up, you scamp,

Dey ‘ll be trouble in dis camp.

T’ink I gwine to let you sleep

W’ile I meks yo’ boa’d an’ keep?

Dat’s a putty howdy-do—

Don’ you hyeah me, ‘Lias—you?



Bet ef I come crost dis flo’

You won’ fin’ no time to sno’.

Daylight all a-shinin’ in

Wile you sleep—w’y hit’s a sin!

Ain’t de can’le-light enough

To bu’n out widout a snuff,

But you go de mo’nin’ thoo

Bu’nin’ up de daylight too?



‘Lias, don’ you hyeah me call?

No use tu’nin’ to’ds de wall;

I kin hyeah dat mattuss squeak;

Don’ you hyeah me w’en I speak?


Dis hyeah clock done struck off six—

Ca’line, bring me dem ah sticks!

Oh, you down, suh; huh, you down—

Look hyeah, don’ you daih to frown.



Ma’ch yo’se’f an’ wash yo’ face,

Don’ you splattah all de place;

I got somep’n else to do,

‘Sides jes’ cleanin’ aftah you.

Tek dat comb ah’ fix yo’ haid—

Looks jes’ lak a feddah baid.

Look hyeah, boy, I let you see

You sha’ n’t roll yo’ eyes at me.



Come hyeah; bring me dat ah strap!

Boy, I’ll whup you ‘twell you drap;

You done felt yo’se’f too strong,

An’ you sholy got me wrong.

Set down at dat table thaih;

Jes’ you whimpah ef you daih!


Evah mo’nin’ on dis place,

Seem lak I mus’ lose my grace.

Fol’ yo’ han’s an’ bow yo’ haid—

Wait ontwell de blessin’ ’s said;


“Lawd, have mussy on ouah souls—”
(Don’ you daih to tech dem rolls—)
“Bless de food we gwine to eat—”
(You set still—I see yo’ feet;

You jes’ try dat trick agin!)


“Gin us peace an’ joy. Amen!”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

an ol'skool poem me and my family  use to receit

#lucky7wordstoriez

step

N2

ur

NEW-

ness

every-

day

is

a-NEW

~hs

#lucky7

wordstoriez

FAVORite finds of 09'....

tuxedo kneehi's
haute pink vintage
pump

mustard hi-waist belt

glass bottlescrew

karmasoul earkandihnm

purple ribbon Andrea's Hope

karmasoul......

#testimonialTuesdayz

pray on the vision,Execute the plan
#lucky7wordstoriez

fail 2
{PLAN}
2 fail

#hi5wordstoriez

hi5

#hi5wordstoriz

on ta da nxt 1

POW!

retro'me on the onez n twouz.....

why u wont, cuz i will

#sixwordstoriez

Solange pt2 Exclusive dj experience

@a tucked away spot in the

w.gray/midtown area

mydamnblog

best-of-2009-fashionista

sum of my peeps was on deck.....

click on their namez to

 get more info

on the artist

EQuality and Savvi of H.I.S.D n me

chk'em out @Str8 no chaser

12/23/09 theTastin room

w/gray

peaceuvmine

                   

carlia

twitta me

DesignsbyCarlia

  riochi                      vu                              quiana

juscoz

epiphanysings

billiesimone

ended the night @belvy

 w/shavon n MODELKELE

 for lil keith bday finale

lil keith mixcd by godjhic

on d onez n twouzzzz.......

#sixwordstoriez

there has to be a receiver

jigga sayz{it aint 4 errybody}

"I say "errybody aint 4 it!"

#sixwordstoriez

When he move,I move juslikdat

U are good, yes u are~jesus

walkin in purpose, is ur inheritance

it's the BLESSING in the Storm!
#sixwordstories

the tongues of flames are unfolded

#ninewordstories

if we didnt have growth where, would we go #ninewordstories

Jus b cuz u know alot, it aint everythang!

Divine NINE

Nine : 9 - Biblical Meaning of Number nine describes the perfect movement of God.

Wednesday Dec. 9, 2009

Go ahead and decide

You won't make your decisions easier just by putting them off until later. When a decision is called for, go ahead and make it.

If you keep your options open for too long, those options will no longer be available to you. Choose one option based on your best information, and go with it.

Give sufficient thought and consideration to your decisions, but don't drag them on endlessly. The sooner you get started implementing a decision, the more effective you'll be.

Accept the fact that you won't make a perfect decision every time. And remember that you'll have opportunities to adjust your approach if things don't work out the way you planned.

You cannot predict the future yet there is much you can do to intelligently and effectively prepare for it. Instead of agonizing over what might or might not happen, get busy creating value that will be there no matter what happens.

Go ahead and decide. The sooner you decide, the more time and energy you'll have to make the decision work out the way you intended.

-- Ralph Marston

and then she was BORN .....

ITZ MY BDAY!!!!!

Five : 5 - Biblical Meaning of Number is grace and redemption - God's grace or life that's moved by the spirit. This number has also been used to describe freedom, completeness. AMEN!

lets skurry to see who hung out w/Carlia .......

cheerz to the celebrations.....

the crew!

@sorella for cocktailz

riochi

kelz

mark

tashia n cyntara

nicole

vu

me, nya, jo

 

sed
 quiana

shawnte, roni, me,quiana                                                                                        

equality n carlia

cyntara

marcel

nya

tif

chyna

mely melz

qui qui baby.....

precious ro

cyntara

felicia n momz

come on now imma tryna eata!!!

eatin chicken

me n jo in the blizterin cold burrr

rejana,me,shawnte,quiana

happy bday steve!!

mike moore, makin the band 2

gtmayne,lisa,kenny,steve

belvy fam

kenny burns http://thekennyburnsshow.com/

breezy

necole

the clownz!

the hosiery

sexy chic

the louv

momz

couzin n lisa

my big sis Erica

I must add, that because of all of you

 and my Lord and Savior this was the best Bday ever!!!

peace out!

louv u all...