ALWAYS KEEP IT REAL AND NATURAL!

Going natural is the new trend for many African-American women. We've got the story of a Florida news anchor whose process lead to a ratings increase when you read on...

And yes, we're WELL aware the story came out over a week ago.  But we felt this is a positive story that can never get too much attention and we wanted to post it here as well.  Chill.

Rochelle Ritchie of WPTV-TV in West Palm Beach, Florida decided to let her hair go 'natural' and let viewers see the transformation. During the process, the ratings of Ritchie's show increased. When she first told the idea to the news director, a white man, he had no idea about the process. The news director said," I had no clue this was an issue. I never heard about it, and I had African American friends. I instantly bought into this story. I had not seen this story done. It brings up a safety concern." His only concern was that the viewing audience wouldn't care but the feedback proved positive.

Ritchie also posted her story on a website.

"Making the decision to go natural was not an easy one, especially being a black female reporter. After graduating Western Kentucky University in 2004, I accepted an editor position at a local TV station in my home of Lexington, KY. I had sent out tons of resume tapes hoping to one day be a reporter. But I didn’t get one interview with my relaxed shoulder length hair. One day an anchor, black female, told me I needed to get extensions if I wanted to land a job. I got extensions and made a new tape with my new look and I started getting calls immediately. From there the belief that I needed extensions in order to be hired set in. I spent more money on my hair than anything. In six years I spent $9600, my student loans are $9500, so that should give you an idea of where my priorities were.

“The story about going natural developed while I was having a conversation on the phone with a friend at work. My producer heard me saying, ‘I am going natural, I am tired of wigs, weaves and relaxers.’ She (producer) asked me what I meant by that and I showed her YouTube videos of black women who were on the journey of going natural. She was stunned and said, ‘Rochelle that would make a great story for sweeps.’ I pitched the idea and with her support as well as our female anchor they allowed me to do it. My news director’s response was great. His only concern was just keeping up with the process of my story and hair. My general manager is a great guy and totally supported me as well.

The fear of getting a new job with my new look does not scare me because I believe my work and passion for this business will shine through.

“I have had such an AMAZING response from the community. People of all genders and races have completely supported me with positive feedback. Of course if there were any negative emails my news director does not send those to me. But personally I haven’t gotten one email or Facebook comment that was negative. A matter of fact many of my white and Latino colleagues say I look more professional. I believe this as well. I feel I look more polished and sharp. I also feel like I think better without all that fake hair on my head! lol….

“For my ‘black female reporter hopefuls’ I say let your work show your ability to be a good, excuse me a great reporter. My story is a way for me to pave the way for black women’s hair to be acceptable not just in the professional world but on TV! I would say if you are natural. Keep it neat. And if you are worried about getting a job the fabulous thing is we can straighten our hair for the interview and go back to our beautiful curls when we leave.

“Do I have any regrets? Yes I do. I regret denying my natural beauty. I regret falling into the belief that I needed to look a certain way to get into this business instead of believing in my ability as a reporter. I regret allowing someone to cover me up. But no more! This is me, Rochelle Ritchie a natural, professional and happy television reporter. And I feel more confident now than ever before and look forward to climbing the ladder of success with all my kinky curls.”

 Please watch this I'm sure you will learn a thing or two about yourself or just learn!

http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/local_news/special_reports/Special-Report%3A-Going-Natural

HOW TO REFORM A DEADBEAT DAD: By Demetria Irwin

Maybe the father of your child isn’t on some Maury Povich level of denial and ridiculousness, but still has deadbeat tendencies.  Spotty financial contributions, sometimey acknowledgement of your child’s milestones and a general lack of effort to establish a deep bond, are all sure signs that you’re dealing with a dead beat-ish dad. What’s a single mom to do? If you think the father of your child has the potential to be a better father, but needs some prodding to get things going, try out these tips.  Is it fair to you to have to take responsibility for facilitating a father/child bond? Hell naw, but you’re doing this for your child’s sake. It’s worth it.  You are attaching training wheels to the relationship and the hope is that one day the relationship will balance and continue on it own without so much effort on your part.

Diamonds and Pearls are doing something amazing again! By: Miss Tee

The Diamonds & Pearls young ladies

Diamonds and Pearls and their Mom’s came together for a great cause! The girls made gift baskets full of great items for the Christian Children’s Village for the holidays.

The Christian Children's Village Care Baskets

The Children's Village at Christian City offers life services, and safe haven for children in crisis, ages 5-17. Often, the children are victims of abuse, neglect and/or abandonment. The commitment is to mister to the needs of the children and their families by brining about a healthy reunification. In circumstances where reunification is not possible, our goal is to provide a safe and loving home environment where they can feel nurtured.

The girls hard at work making their care baskets.

The Children's Village is built on the Biblical foundation of family. Christian City home for Children, Inc. supports this model of care with children and house parents living together as a family unit. Each Child is given unique opportunities you develop as an individual and as an interdependent family member. 


The child's natural or biological family is vital to the family model of care. Both the child's natural family and our staff work together as a team for the best interest of every child in our care. To preserve the family unit and prepare young adults for independent living.

Diamonds & Pearls Mom's

Crystal and Niya showing off their baskets. 

When my daughter was younger I allowed her to join the Girls Scouts but as my child gets older I see that she loves to be a social butterfly. It was extremely important for me to find the right group to have my child involved with. I have been so blessed to have found the right group of young ladies for her to learn from and with! I’ve had many questions from other mothers that after reading Diamonds and Pearls adventure they wanted to know more about this wonderful group! 

Diamond & Pearls founder Neka Scott

Diamonds and Pearls was founded by a phenomenal woman named, Mrs. Neka Scott. Mrs. Scott formed the Diamonds and Pearls empowerment group to encourage and empower girls as they transition from pre-teens to teenagers. Diamonds was chosen to convey, how one must shine in their own light to carry themselves with poise and purpose. Pearls are simply the innocence that dwells on the inside, our priceless goods that shape who we are and will be in life. These things make us unique and special in every way!

If you are interested in joining or have more questions you can reach Neka at  diamonds_pearls@ymail.com or call 678-389-1309. 




There is so many great things that D & P are now working on and helping to change in our community. More about D&P Toy Drive to come! 

MEN FAKE ORGASMS TOO!

You would really be surprise how many women do not believe a man can and do fake an orgasm. Let's keep it real ladies this happens everyday! You know I had to share this one also and ladies please be on the lookout for this type of guy! LOL

For a lot of women, this is the big news from a study published in the November edition of the Journal of Sex Research.  The study, conducted by University of Kansas psychologists, studied the sexual behaviors of 200 college students.

The University of Kansas Study found that 25 percent of men and 50 percent of women faked orgasms during sexual activity.  Sexual activity includes a wide range of actions such as mutual masturbation, oral sex and penile-vaginal intercourse.

Which sex act elicited the highest percentage of faked orgasms?

Among those who faked orgasms, 86 percent of men did so during penile-vaginal intercourse and that same stat was 82 percent for women.  The study found that big-O fakers were more sexually experienced and more likely to have had orgasms in previous encounters.

How do guys fake it?

Most women think a man’s orgasm is synonymous with a man ejaculating and that’s not entirely true. One, it is possible for a man to have an orgasm and not ejaculate. Tantric sex anyone? Two, if loverboy is wearing a condom and the lights are low, a woman might not really know whether he ejaculated or not.   Just like a women, a few well-placed oohs and aahs could suffice.  Plus, many men “fake” orgasms, by just lying by omission or commission and leading the women to believe they had ejaculated.

Why do men fake it?

Men fake orgasms for the same reasons women fake orgasms. Half of the men in the study who faked orgasms said they did so to avoid hurting their partners’ feelings.  Also, men felt the orgasm was taking too long or they were ready for the sex to end, so they faked it.

What do male friends of Madame Noire say about this?

I’ve only done that twice in my life. One time, I had too much to drink and I just didn’t have the energy to get to that second or third orgasm for myself. By then, the woman had multiple orgasms though.  I told her that I had gotten off again when I had not. I wanted to sleep. The other time, it just wouldn’t happen for some reason. I was still at attention and she had already had an orgasm, but I couldn’t get myself there. I just told her I finished, because I could feel that she’d gone dry.  It wasn’t fun for either one of us anymore at that point.

Only once did I fake an orgasm, but I didn’t really fake anything. I didn’t do any type of theatrical performance with it.  I just told her that I finished when I really didn’t. We’d been going for a while, but I couldn’t get to the point of ejaculation. It was the first (and turned out to be only) time with that woman and I didn’t want to deal with it.

Damon, 28
Chicago, Illinois

I faked it before because I just wanted it to be over. I wasn’t into it at all. I made a couple noises, did a little shake and that was it. She probably didn’t know I was faking it.

Brian, 30
San Diego, California

This study was conducted with college students. Do you think older men 25 years old and up would fake orgasms more or less than these early 20-somethings? Ladies, have you ever suspected a man was faking? Gentleman who have faked it, why did you do it?

AMBER ALERT - Please keep forwarding!

One of my co-workers ask me to post this Amber Alert to help find beautiful Reachelle. As a parent  we all know this could be our worst nightmare . Please keep the prays coming for Reachelle's safe return and her family!  If you have seen Reachelle please call the below number ASAP!   Missing Girl from   North  Dakota  !  You never know where this email could end up!  Please  spread this picture far and wide...... You just never know.    Reachelle Marie  Smith, Birthdate: 9/10/02. Answers to Peanut.   BEFORE YOU SKIP THIS, LOOK AT THE CHILD. DO IT AGAIN.. NOW SEND  IT TO ALL IN YOUR ADDRESS BOOK.  IT TAKES 10 SECONDS. PEOPLE  ARE MISSING HER AND SHE WANTS TO BE HOME. DO SOMETHING GOOD.   Sue & Barry Wilcox   (406) 961-4064  (406) 961-4064     IF  YOUR CHILD WAS MISSING WOULDN'T YOU PRAY THAT EVERYONE PASSED THIS  e-MAIL ALONG?  DO THE RIGHT THING AND LOOK AND  FORWARD!    VERIFIED BY  SNOPES:  www.snopes.com/inboxer/missing/reachelle.asp

Seventy-Two Percent Of Black Babies Are Born To Single Mothers. How Concerned Should We Be?

I'm on a roll but when I saw this article I had to share!  

 A new study shows that way more Black babies are being born to unwed mothers in America. That number is much crazier than you may realize.

Children of unmarried mothers of any race are more likely to perform poorly in school, go to prison, use drugs, be poor as adults, and have their own children out of wedlock.

The black community’s 72 percent rate eclipses that of most other groups: 17 percent of Asians, 29 percent of whites, 53 percent of Hispanics and 66 percent of Native Americans were born to unwed mothers in 2008, the most recent year for which government figures are available. The rate for the overall U.S. population was 41 percent.

“The girls don’t think they have to get married. I tell them children deserve a mama and a daddy. They really do,” [Houston OB/GYN Natalie] Carroll says.

“A mama can’t give it all. And neither can a daddy, not by themselves,” Carroll says. “Part of the reason is because you can only give that which you have. A mother cannot give all that a man can give. A truly involved father figure offers more fullness to a child’s life.”

There are simple arguments for why so many black women have children without marriage.

The legacy of segregation, the logic goes, means blacks are more likely to attend inferior schools. This creates a high proportion of blacks unprepared to compete for jobs in today’s economy, where middle-class industrial work for unskilled laborers has largely disappeared.

The drug epidemic sent disproportionate numbers of black men to prison, and crushed the job opportunities for those who served their time. Women don’t want to marry men who can’t provide for their families, and welfare laws created a financial incentive for poor mothers to stay single.

If you remove these inequalities, some say, the 72 percent will decrease.

In September, Christelyn Karazin, who is black, marshaled 100 other writers and activists for the online movement No Wedding No Womb, which she calls “a very simplified reduction of a very complicated issue.”

“I just want better for us,” Karazin says. “I have four kids to raise in this world. It’s about what kind of world do we want.”

“We’ve spent the last 40 years discussing the issues of how we got here. How much more discussion, how many more children have to be sacrificed while we still discuss?”

Amy Wax, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania, argues that even though discrimination caused blacks’ present problems, only black action can cure them.

“The black community has fallen into this horribly dysfunctional equilibrium” with unwed mothers, Wax says in an interview. “It just doesn’t work.”

“Blacks as a group will never be equal while they have this situation going on, where the vast majority of children do not have fathers in the home married to their mother, involved in their lives, investing in them, investing in the next generation.”

“The 21st century for the black community is about building human capital,” says Wax, who is white. “That is the undone business. That is the unmet need. That is the completion of the civil rights mission.”

Do you think this “pandemic” is as big a cause of concern as these experts seem to think? Or is it perfectly possible to raise a well-balanced child and create a stable community without marriage?

More GREAT articles on www.bossip.com! 

Conversation with the Colored Girls with writer and actress Nevaina Rhodes. A special evening I will never forget! by Miss Tee

Living in such a BIG city as Atlanta, GA. there are only a few people that will stand out, and I'm very blessed to have met one of those special people! Allow me to introduce you to Ms. Nevaina Rhodes!

Too Groovy Hair Salon

Neviana exclusive book launch was held at the very upscale “Too Groovy” hair salon in the Midtown section of Atlanta, GA. Nevania left no stone unturned with this event! All guest experienced a reading from the book Conversations with Colored Girls as well as complimentary hair consultations from Too Groovy color speiclaist, a color-coded fashion presentation from Kaira Akita’s A Clothes Encounter, live musical entertainment, jewelry, giveaways, drinks and more! WOW!!!

The event just getting started with great jewelry too!

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf “ by Ntozake Shange is the muse behind this soulful, thought-provoking memoir, “Conversations with Colored Girls“. As you read heartfelt words in letter from Victoria Rowell, Nicole Ari Parker, Jamine Guy and others, you will reflect, cry and laugh out loud!

Author-Actress Nevaina Rhodes giving a very heartfelt speech 

The author is award winning actress Nevaina Rhodes, who portrayed the lady in Green in Jasmin Guy’s directorial debut of the stage play. Neviana reveals the challenges and triumph of the play process by sharing dynamic conversations from before during,  and after the play that she shared with phenomenal people such as Tyler Perry, Lisa Nichols, Pearl  Cleage, Samuel l. Jackson and many more!

Each exchange is brought to life with witty language, spiritual insight, and a love that only  a colored girl can give. While the play portrays the painful struggles that push each woman to  consider suicide, this book shares a message of hope, strength and support.

Let this memoir that was inspired by the play, which inspired the movie now- INSPIRE YOU

If you would like to purchase  the book “THAT I HIGHLY RECOMMEND” you can go to www.letaypublishing.com or you can also go to  Neviana website www.rawempowerme.com

Founder of Diamonds & Pearls Neka Scott  with Crystal & Lenetra

More of our beautiful sisters coming out to show their support to Nevaina

More Pictures of the wonderful evening!

To my beautiful sister Ms. Nevaina Rhodes keeping moving and empowering as many women as you can!  

Miss Tee with  Nevaina Rhodes 

Are you now ready for your Vision Board? By: Miss Tee

What is a Vision Board?

Why do you need a Vision Board?

Why you should make time to build a Vision Board?

I remember when one of my friends was going through one of her many life changes, my friend joined a self help group. From that group she learned about a Vision Board. On one of my many visits to her home I finally got to see her Vision Board she would always talk about. He Vision Board had on it a new car, money, furniture, books and what looked like a man holding a ring etc... I remember looking at my girlfriend like as if she was crazy and thinking to myself, this chick has really lost her mind!

She also went on to tell me that everyday she looks at that Vision Board that she placed in her bathroom, and she says a silent pray while looking at the board. Now I really started to look at my friend like she was crazy! Sabrina explained to me how a Vision Board has changed her life, and once I started to hear her story I knew that she was onto something! 

There are many Vision Board workshops in your area go to www.visionboardsite.com

The idea behind a Vision Board is that when you surround yourself with images of who you want to become, what you want to have where you want to live, or where you to vacation, your life changes to match those images and those desires.

For instance, Sabrina explained to me that on her first Vision Board she taped the words "NEW JOB" on her board, she would look at this board everyday. She  would look online almost everyday to find that perfect job and then every evening she would look again. After a few months and some bad interviews she still had no job, and she started to lose hope in her Vision Board. Then one day she step out of her box and made a bold move she went to a networking event, and met her new employer there.

Sabrina felt once she step out of her comfort zone and started to believe more in her self that's how she got the new job!  Of course Sabrina also feels her Vision Board had a lot to do with it too! I know, what your thinking because I was thinking the same thing! Why couldn't it have been the Vision Board that allowed her to step outside of her comfort zone? As I started do more research about a Vision Board I was so surprise to learn that many of my other friends also have their own Vision Boards! Not one of them said a silent pray each morning to their Vision Board, but they all started to notice some small changes in their everyday life due to their Vision Board. 

One of my friends explained that looking at the Vision Board everyday made her watch the way she spent her money. She wanted everything on her board and to know that she spends almost $10 a day for lunch made her sick! This helped her to start bringing her own lunch to work. She told me by doing this for a few months, her and husband have saved enough money to take a trip this summer.

My other friend also explained to me that her fist Vision Board depressed her. The board showed her that at her age now, she could've already owned half of all that was on her Board! After a couple of weeks she started to accepted and understand that it's never to late to get all of the items on her board. Now she has set small goals to keep her in the right direction.

I have research online and wrote down a couple of things my friends has also told me to try.  

    

How to create a Vision Board:

The only difference between this vision board and the others is that this one has clear parameters and intent. Before you begin the vision board, take a moment to hold the intent and the theme in mind. When you choose pictures, they will be in alignment with the theme. You can do the Theme Vision Board on smaller pages, like a page in your journal.

My first Vision Board

Some things to remember about vision boards:

• You can use a combination of all three types of vision boards as you create. Sometimes you might start out doing one kind, and then your intuition takes over and shifts into a whole different mode. That’s called creativity. Just roll with it!

You can get many items you need to start your Vision Board at your local Dollar Store, Wal-Mart and Targets (craft sections). Also I'm sure you may have many old magazines laying around your home. Take a look at each page and I promise you; your're Vision Board will start to take shape!

 If what your doing in life right now is not helping you to get a little closer to where you want to be in life. Why not try something new? 

Nothing hurts a failure but a try! 

If you live in the Atlanta Area there are also new classes geared towards Vision Boards for the New Year! Mrs Diane Roney of Atlanta, GA.
For more information on her upcoming classes go to  www.mycmsite.com/dianeroney1 or  www.personal-photo-organizer.com/dianeroney  or call her at (404) 353-1638 for more information on her upcoming classes!