Today, Documents of Slain NAACP Found

I found this article on yahoo and found the article interesting. February 1, 2007 was the beginning of Black History Month. I realized that I am 26 yrs old and really don't know alot about black history. Harry Moore was the first NAACP official killed during the modern civil rights struggle. I don't even know the biography of Harry Moore or anything about his involvement in the civil rights movement.

Documents of slain NAACP leader found
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070205/ap_on_re_us/civil_rights_bombings
By JIM ELLIS, Associated Press Writer

A briefcase stuffed with letters, notes and newspaper clippings belonging to slain civil rights leader Harry T. Moore was found in an old vacant barn not far from where he was killed in a house bombing, officials said.
Workers for the Brevard County Historical Commission stumbled across the briefcase as they prepared to move the barn to make way for a planned subdivision.
The documents discovered in November were turned over to the state attorney general's office to determine their significance. None was found, so they were given to Moore's 76-year-old daughter, Evangeline Moore.
Moore and his wife, Harriette Moore, died in 1951 in a bombing at their home in Mims on Christmas Day. Harry Moore was the first NAACP official killed during the modern civil rights struggle, but it took years for investigators to determine that four now-dead Ku Klux Klan members were responsible.
Evangeline Moore was 21 when her parents were killed. She said she suffered memory loss due to the trauma of the bombing and has been unable to remember her childhood and parts of her early adulthood.
"I have looked through some of the copies of this material and in fact it has given me my life story," said Moore, who said she found several newspaper photos and articles about her own involvement in the civil rights movement.
Other documents include letters written to political candidates seeking their positions on voting rights and other racial issues at the time, as well as affidavits and research about lynchings in the area.
No investigation is planned to determine who may have hidden the documents in the barn, located about 900 yards from the Moores' house, said Allison Bethel, head of the state attorney general's civil rights division.

Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press

Today, Adolescents and Sex..Plus Lyfe Jennings

Here's a homework assignment I had to do for my Adolescent Pyschology class.


1. Introduce the item that you reviewed and what type of item it was that was reviewed and what age group that it targeted.
I reviewed an R&B song called “S.E.X” by an artist called Lyfe Jennings. I chose this song because many artists don’t take responsibility for the type of material that’s displayed in their song. Meaning, some artists promote sex and crime as a good lifestyle. Many adolescents don’t know how to distinguish the bad and good from a video. Meaning, adolescents believe that the artists of the song live the life style that’s in lyrics and videos. Most of the artists are really not gangsters but trying to portray their selves as a gangster to sell albums. Lyfe Jennings is an artist that’s really not well known or popular because his music has a message. Artist with negative messages or music with know meaning tend to be more popular or sell more albums. Lyfe Jennings is an artist that comes from a rocky background and now giving back to the community through his music. Lyfe Jennings is an artist that takes responsibility for the type of music that he projects to the world. This song would target any adolescent that’s participating in sexual activity but the target would be age group 12 – 17 years old.
2. What topics were most popular among the item reviewed?
The song covered sexual relationships, peer pressure, and love. The focus of the song was to persuade adolescents to wait on having sex and don’t allow other teens or adults to pressure you into sex. The song wanted adolescents to recognize the difference between sex and lust.
2. Why do you think these topics would be of interest to adolescents? Were the information presented positive or negative and what effect do you think it has on adolescents?
Sex is a major topic of interest among adolescents in today’s society. This song would be of interest for the average adolescent because we live in a very sexual society. Meaning, there’s a big focus on sex in music, fashion, movies and the media. Also, sex is an issue that adolescents have to deal with and a song that mentions sex will get their attention. The question is how long will a song that teaches abstinence will hold their attention. This song presents positive information for adolescents and will have a positive effect on adolescents that will listen. Unfortunately, some teens will refrain from sex but others will continue to participate in careless, unprotected sex.
3. Was the item specifically targeted at boys or girls?
I think this song was specifically targeted at girls but boys can learn from the song, too. The message of the song is universal for all adolescents.
4. Was the item specifically targeted at an ethnic group?
Again, this song doesn’t targets a specific ethnic group and universal for all adolescents. Sex is an issue that affects every ethnic group.
6. Conclude with a summary of your observations about how the item you surveyed reflects the world of the adolescent in the United States.
S.E.X. is a song about a 17 year old girl who’s experiencing changes to her body and naïve to her surroundings. Lyfe Jennings is the narrator in the song and feels that this 17 year old girl and other young girls need to know the difference between love and sex. Lyfe Jennings use the slang term “game” for a metaphor to explain how young boys and grown men try to use words and material things to pressure young girls into sex. Lyfe Jennings wants to stress to the audience that men will use any method to take advantage of young girls. There are some men that are on the prey for young girls and out to ruin their lives. Furthermore, it’s illegal for any adult to have sex or sexual activities with underage girls. An adolescent need to understand it’s wrong for an adult to try to engage a minor into sex or sexual activities. The girl in the song is aware of the men’s attention and enjoys the attention from men. The girl is staring to act out at home and don’t want to listen to her parents. The parents try to give their daughter advice but the advice is going in one ear and out the ear. The girl has someone that she’s been seeing and feeling the pressure to have sex. The girl thinks she’s in love and the boy telling her that he loves her to get the girl to have sex. The point is to prevent adolescents from having sex just because the adolescent may think that they are in love. Also, a person that loves you would never put conditions on love. Moreover, it’s not natural or normal for an adult to pursue a personal relationship with a child. This song deals with the issue of teens having sex too early. Lastly, Jennings were trying to give teens options and let teens know there are more positive opportunities then having sex.

Lyfe Jennings - SEX Lyrics

http://www.smartlyrics.com/Song565864-Lyfe-Jennings-SEX-lyrics.aspx

Christmas and Family Tradition

Bah Humbug! I have to admit I have the Christmas blues. The Christmas holidays make me sad and realize I don't have a LOVING family. Yes, My fiance and I are a family but it's so hard being around his family and knowing that I can't have the same tradition with my family. My family is so dysfunctional I can write a book about them. I have accepted in my heart that I will never have a normal family. But guess what, it still bothers me! I chose not to go home as usual for the holidays because my family really don't celebrate the holiday. Yes, they cook food but that's about it. Meaning, my mom cook food at her house and try not to let the rest of the family know what she cooked for Christmas Dinner. My sister been raised to think that she's not capable of doing alot of things. So my sister can cook some foods but she pay my mom to cook the foods that my sister is scared to make. My mom charges my sister to cook the food and plus she eat some the food. Oh, my family is so complicated even I can't explain it.

What are the Proper Etiquette for Young Ladies?

Today, I was watching the Maury show and he was doing the paternity tests. The ladies on the show was screaming and hollering when asked questions about the baby father. Also, the ladies were talking about how the men were scum, broke, and how they have so many children by different baby mamas. Well, my question is If he's that bad, WHY DID YOU HAVE A BABY WITH THAT TYPE OF MAN? After Maury, read the results the women preceded to dance and gyrate for the audience when the results were in their favor. I just don't get it. Why not act like a Lady? Why not handle yourself with proper etiquette? Why do you need to scream to get your point across? Hey, you know there are ways of being heard without looking bad. You can get back at people without being verbal and physical abusive. For example, get in their POCKETS! Most people hate giving up money for something that can be avoided. I don't know it just bother me to see women degrading their selves. I feel like it's a reflection of me as a woman. I feel that people will think that all women behave in that manner I just feel that you can get your point across and still be a lady.

Parenting 101

NO, this is not another discussion about parenting! Why do people with kids try to make people who don't have kids feel bad because they don't have kids? I usually get this from people who wasn't prepared to be a parent. They say stuff like "You don't have kids so you can afford to spend money", "You have plenty of free time because you don't have kids", or "You don't know what it's like to have kids". I could probably go on and on about the different statements. The statements usually end and begin with"You don't have kids". I don't like to be rude to people so I practice patience, LOL. But, I would like to to respond that I choose not to have kids and if I do have some I'm not going to complain about it every minute. I believe in being thankful for what you have and making the best of any situation. You can always find someone doing worse. This spun from a conversation that I was having with a friend. She is a new mom and had the baby before she was in a stable relationship and mentally prepared to be a mama. I tried to warn her that motherhood was hard work. I grew up with two sisters (single mothers) that starting having children in their teens and I saw the struggle. They even pull that same thing on me that I don't have kids. People act like if you don't have kids then you living the good life. Believe me, I have my own problems.

Coping With the Death of a Friend

Today, I recieved a call from a friend about the death of a friend (call him Troy) from my hometown that had a massive heat attack at work. I was suprise and disturbed about how my friend life ended because his life was so tragic. First of all, I met this friend back in ninth grade with my goofy best friend. Troy was in our class because he had been held back three times and was the butt of all the jokes. Also, Troy was a little overweight so he got teased for this, too. My best friend and I immediately hit it off with Troy and was friends for the rest of ninth grade year. Troy decided that once his class graduated from school that year that he would not return to school. So Troy decided to drop out of school. I think Troy hated school so much because he was tease. I think that he would have attended school more or put forth more effort if he wasn't so insecure. I think it was about a year after he dropped out of school that I heard the tragic news that his mother had been murder by her boyfriend. Some of the details about the murder was that the boyfriend made Troy go in the closet while he murder his mom. After this happen Troy and his baby sister went to live with a aunt in Florida. I always felt that Troy not being able to save his mother messed with his head. I was hoping when he went to Florida that Troy would find a better life. In 2003, I saw Troy for the first time in about 7 years. I went to my hometown for a visit and I was standing in line at the dollar store. So someone tapped me on the shoulder and I didn't recognize the man. I just played it off because i knew it had to be somebody that I knew because I was in my hometown. So I was like "Hey, how are you doing?". The guy was like "you don't know who I am do you?" He was like it's Troy. I was like oh that's you Troy. Then I was like how you been doing. He responded that he was doing OK in back living in town. Then we said good bye and went our separate ways. Troy looked so different and had lost alot of weight. Also, he had a sadness too him and just looked like he was unhappy. I called my best friend and told her about seeing Troy and she told me that she heard he was on drugs. Also, she told me he worked at a local restaurant. The I received the call from her today about his death. I like to analyze the world and try to figure out why things happen but I just can't explain Troy life. I am a very spiritual person and believe that everyone has a plan for their life but was that the plan for troy life? I don't know I just wonder why some people have a good life and why others just can't seem to find happiness. Do it have something to do with the the choices that we make? Is it because we make bad decisions. Is it because we don't have the ability to understand life? Is it because of bad elements in our life? I don't know and probably won't ever know but I hope that he's in a better place.

Are you a procastinator?

Well I am and I hate it! I don't know it seems that it has gotten worse over the years. I procrastinate with school, my relationship, starting projects, cooking, cleaning my apartment and much much more. I procrastinate in every aspect of my life! I always wait until the last minute to complete a task! Well I think it's time for a change. I don't know how I'm going to do it but one of my New Year's Resolution is GET ORGANIZED!!!! I have a wedding to plan (which I should have completed along time ago), need to lose 20 pounds, need to organize my household, need to plan next year trip and still have time for my recreation projects. I have invested in a cheap PDA. And you know what? It's still in the package. Wait!! I made another purchase to help with getting myself organized. I purchased some organizing or planner software. I can't even remember the name of the software. So I guess you can tell that I didn't even use the software? Well I did download it on my laptop. I'm trying! I hope that I can find some kind of balance in my life.

Do you get stress and need an outlet?

Well search no more you have come to the Da Vent Spot! If you need to let go of some frustration take a deep breath and exhale. Now Scream!!! Yes, I find myself in stressful situations all the time and I just need to vent. I am stressed about my family, school, myself, and the world. Most of the time I can't talk to anyone about my problems. So I just keep the problem balled up deep inside of me until my insides are about to explode! You know what? I have learned to free myself and take a back seat and let the events unfold. I will no longer let anyone else actions be a reflection of who I am. Hey world , hate me or love me take me as I am.