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A House is Not a Home

16 Mar

I just finished blasting the Mayor’s office as well as the Director of DC Housing and Community Development. I am not naive to believe that my comments will be addressed or even read, but I am sick to death of seeing this type of abuse.

This is the Nation’s Capitol. I believe that we pay the HIGHEST taxes, have no representation AND have extremely shitty and limited affordable housing. Over and over, we hear about property owners in our city (seldom do they even live here) exploiting residents by taking their rent and providing housing that is unfit and unsafe. They are finally hauled to court, ordered to pay fines and nothing changes. WHY?!?? Is it because the impacted residents are on the low socio-economic rung of society?

I do not understand why there is no cap to the neglect that a landlord can inflict. If you have over X number of code violations and/or X number of lawsuits, your property can be seized and sold. What are agencies waiting for? Someone to die? A child to get seriously hurt?

I am so disgusted…

The Rental Housing Accommodation Nuisance Abatement Amendment Act Of 2016 was introduced last May in the DC Council but no action has been taken on it to date beyond it being added to the Public Register.

More, if you’re interested…

North Philly Notes article

Urban Turf article

Washington City Paper article

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Posted by on March 16, 2017 in Civil Rights, Family, Health, home improvement, Politics, Race

 

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Have You Seen My Mojo? 

01 Mar

I lost it somewhere between August when my 8 year-old started asking me questions about Trump and December when I still had a real-life Michael Scott (fictional character of The Office) as a director. Good news is Scott is gone! I think you know the bad news.

I have not posted in a long time. I have not written (aside from work) in a long time. For me, that’s a bad spot… I managed to  eek out a poem to my love, David, for his birthday but it was a struggle. 

I am uninspired. Not surprising, but no less disturbing. Oh, there are plenty of constipated thoughts in my head but they want to stay. I almost posted after I finally made it to the National Museum of African American History and Culture this month, but even that never happened. 

I don’t like this mental space. It’s unhealthy and I don’t know the cure. Ideas are welcome. 

 
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Posted by on March 1, 2017 in Health, Real Talk, Reflection, writing

 

WWDKD?

15 Jan

wpid-20130808_220206.jpgWhat Would Dr. King Do?

A great question.

What would Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. do if he were alive to see the state of the union? I think that he would cry (in private) and then take action to ignite a fire in the next generation. It was many young people as well as college students of many colors who were mowed down by fire hoses, who sat at lunch counters and who were repeatedly arrested for the crime of demanding inalienable rights for everyone. Those freedom fighters registered people to vote, led the charge for justice and shamed a nation in front of the rolling cameras and on front pages that were seen across the globe.

I think that he would ask people to care…He would ask specifically command young people to put down the selfie stick and pay attention.

Perhaps, this year on the day of service (January 16, 2017) we can each take some time to actually read some of his sermons, pull up some of his interviews on YouTube and not just the excerpts that we’ve heard. Understand the depth and complexity of this man and become inspired. We need hope and we need a dream that can become tomorrow’s reality.

 
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Posted by on January 15, 2017 in Civil Rights, Education, Family, History, Politics, Race, Youth

 

Stay Safe Buckeyes

28 Nov

ohio-state-buckeyes

When are we going to keep our young people safe? How many more active shooters need to attack campuses, elementary schools, malls, workplaces? THIS IS BULLSHIT!
Make your voice heard on sensible gun control measures. Surely this has to matter…

 
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Posted by on November 28, 2016 in Education, Health, Politics, Real Talk, violence, Youth

 

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Dear FLOTUS: Various ‘Love’ Letters

18 Oct

michelle-obama-slide-3g05-superjumbo

A beautiful dedication to the First Lady of the United States.

Thank you New York Times.

 
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Posted by on October 18, 2016 in Career, Civil Rights, Family, Girls, History, Motherhood, Politics, Race, Reflection, women

 

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I Sit With Kaepernick

30 Aug

49ers Colin Kaepernick sitting during the National Anthem is not new… someone just “broke the story.”

I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder… I have to stand up for people that are oppressed. … If they take football away, my endorsements from me, I know that I stood up for what is right.”

I think that people with a platform have an obligation to leverage it when they witness injustice. PERIOD. I applaud those who are unafraid to do so.

To look at the onslaught of hateful messages and backlash that he has received, one can no longer hide from the ugly truth.

 
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Posted by on August 30, 2016 in Civil Rights, History, Politics, Race, Sports, violence

 

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Women’s Equality Day

26 Aug

Supposedly, that’s today… Is it really or just a hashtag?

Yesterday, I bumped into an acquaintance that I hadn’t seen in a while; she is blessedly pregnant. She is going on 40 and never thought she would have children because that’s what she’d always been told. 

As I shared a bit about pregnancy and motherhood, I asked her how she was doing.

It’s been interesting.

She said that about three or four times, but with a smile so I wasn’t worried. What she said next changed that… her employer does not have maternity leave. 

[A quick aside: I worked for an employer with no maternity leave, however this was a small non-profit and there was short-term disability after seven days.] But we are talking about a large, stable organization. 

Not only is there no maternity:

  • There is no STD until 90 days;
  • Can’t use the sick leave bank (even as a participant) unless you have a cesarean; and
  • You can’t have leave donated to you.

Her plan: bank as much leave as possible until December, tap her savings and get back to work as soon as she can.

But they have FMLA so at least she’ll have a job to come back to…

It’s 2016 y’all! Happy #WomensEqualityDay!!!!

 
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Posted by on August 26, 2016 in Career, Civil Rights, Family, Girls, Health, Motherhood, Rant, women, worklife balance

 

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