I Got My Upper Second Class BSc Hons!!!

I made it!!! I got my 2.1 Bachelors of Science with Honours in Biological Sciences... I made it alive!!!

I'm currently on cloud ten (cloud ten because I already had a good week with great, great opportunities, and eye-opening and awakening experiences)...

I'm so pleased because my year has been a roller-coaster ride!! This bit of happiness despite what I've had to endure over the past ten months, has been a long time coming! 

I'm truly, truly happy right now. I can't really describe it. 

I told my immediate family and a lot of them were happy for me but were unsurprised... I suppose they expected that of me. I honestly didn't expect that of myself... second semester wasn't the best semester, but I still managed to get some good modules here and there. 

The only thing left regarding university is my graduation ceremony in November! November is so so far... so I won't get that cap and gown pic until then. However, this will leave me with a lot of time to decide what I'm going to wear and how I'm going to celebrate it. 

Life is so good right now. ^^ 

The Onion's Satirical Article Regarding Zimmerman, Trayvon Martin.

The Onion is always a step away from causing some kind of offence. Last February, The Onion wrote an inappropriate article about child actress Quevenzhané Wallis, calling her a c_nt.

After a multitude of complaints, that article was taken down and The Onion apologised. I myself wrote an article with a complaint letter attached, stating why The Onion's article was inappropriate.

Just today, The Onion wrote another article that made me raise an eyebrow. This is the original article:

The Case For And Against George Zimmerman

FOR

• Typed, signed letter from Martin confirming he attacked Zimmerman
• Americans have soft spot for nation’s rugged, rawly sexual neighborhood watch volunteers
• Actions fall within the letter of Florida’s “Get Out Of Your Car, Track Down Your Target, Provoke A Fight, Then Stand Your Ground” law
• That scary photo of Trayvon Martin flipping off the camera
• Big, round, happy moonface reminiscent of beloved comedian Jonathan Winters
• Not convicting him would have a fun “Wow, how the fuck did this happen?” kind of craziness to it
• Only shot unarmed black guy once, as opposed to national average of 21 times
• Presence of an eloquent and highly persuasive Henry Fonda in the jury box
• He didn’t do it

AGAINST

• Murdered a kid
• Alibi that he was bowling with friends at the time of the crime falls apart under close scrutiny
• Decency, common sense, basic morality, etc.
• Best-case scenario: He got into a fight with a 17-year-old and then shot and killed him
• His original description of Trayvon Martin as 8 feet tall, 250 pounds, and carrying a semiautomatic is dodgy at best
• Chilling 911 call features Zimmerman saying, “Hold on a sec, I’m going to kill this black kid real quick”
• Millions of paranoid, racist assholes leaping to Zimmerman’s support may actually be hurting his public image
• Always good to make the American legal system seem fair from time to time

I decided to email The Onion regarding this article. Their feedback email address is: publicfeedback@theonion.com


Dear The Onion,

On Monday the 24th of June, The Onion published an article entitled 'The Case For And Against George Zimmerman'. This article was clearly inspired by current events; George Zimmerman, an ex-neighbourhood watcher, is currently being tried for the murder of a 17 year-old African-American teenager, Trayvon Martin. The past year and few months have been a very difficult time for the family of Trayvon Martin, who have been subjected to consistent slander of Trayvon Martin from the day he died up until now.

As with every other news site, The Onion is within its rights to produce articles inspired by current events. However, this particular article, which contained many offensive references in an attempt to be humorous, was quite insensitive, inappropriate and unnecessary.

One major example of the insensitivity in this article is this particular line classed in the 'For George Zimmerman' section of the article:

''That scary photo of Trayvon Martin flipping off the camera''

It is unclear whether this line reflects the views of the writer of this article or if that is the general view of George Zimmerman supporters. Either way, it is unacceptable to ever consider that the dress code or the photographs of a regular American teenage boy flipping his fingers is a justification for murder. This suggestion is simply immoral.

I understand that The Onion is a satirical news site, but I do not believe that satire can be applied to every situation. Therefore, it would be in The Onion's best interest to apologise to the family of Trayvon Martin and remove this inappropriate article.

Regards,

[Your name]

Great Black Women With Dr Runoko Rashidi

Last Saturday I attended a presentation organised by the Friends of Fondation Félicité; 'Great Black Women Past & Present, Those At Home & Abroad'. Author and historian Dr Runoko Rashidi presented the presentation, which (as expected) was inspiring and very informative. Dr Rashidi was really in his element, sharing a story behind many of the pictures in the presentation as well as sharing  bits of his personal life. He also showered black women with incredible amounts of praise and love; adding onto the positivity of the evening. 

Friends of Fondation Félicité (a UK-based non-profit organisation) started the evening with their own presentation about the organisation. FFF supports an already established foundation in Haiti, the Fondation Marie Claire Heureuse Félicité Bonheur Dessalines. Félicité was the wife of Jean-Jacques Dessalines (who is widely regarded as the founding father of Haiti). FFF raises money for FF in an effort to help Haitians in spiritual and mental healing. FF also assists Haitians in becoming more self-reliant and efficient (a goal often ignored by many charity and aid organisations).

Félicité was regarded as special by her father. He believed she would go on to do great things. When he was in jail and Félicité was born, he refused to have Félicité named until his release. Félicité was an incredibly selfless and caring woman who helped care for the sick and wounded in the Haitian Revolutionary War. Félicité is honoured in Haiti's Independence celebrations (which occurs on January 1st) by the consumption of Soup Joumou.

The presentation consisted of a slideshow of images of black women all over the world, from the Americas to the Melanesian islands and from the well-known to the unknown. The slideshow was available for purchase as DVD from Dr Rashidi.

The Venus of Willendorf

One of the first images shown was that of The Venus of Willendorf, which is a small artefact dating back to the Stone Age of Europe. The body resembles that of a woman of African descent.

Dr Rashidi then presented images of the Black Madonna. One of the excuses behind the dark complexion of the statues was that 'it was a bad paint job' which resulted in the original colour (white or tan) turning the statue black. Dr Rashidi raised the questions 'why are so many of the Madonna's black? Why didn't the rest of the Madonna turn black?'. 

Black Madonna’s are also considered powerful miracle workers.

Black Madonna and Child

Dr Rashidi further shared that the origin of Madonna and Child is based on the story of Aset and Heru. Aset is a goddess in Ancient Egyptian believe structure. Aset married Ausar who died before the pair even consummated their marriage. Aset was impregnated by Ausar through immaculate conception and had her son Heru, nine months later.

Left: Aset and Heru. Right: Madonna and Jesus

Dr Rashidi also mentioned that the NotreDame Cathedral of Paris is build over the temple of Isis. Notre Dame cathedral even had elements of Isis incorporated into the cathedral.

We then moved on from great black women in the past, to great black women geographically. 

A woman from the Buka Islands

People from the Buka Islands (Buka means black) are said to be proud of their African heritage and have a reputation for being the darkest people on the planet. Dr Rashidi said that there are many Africans including South Sudanese who could give the Buka people a run for their money.

After a series of slides of black women all over the globe, we were shown images of great black women who fought for our freedom. 

Nanny Of The Maroons

Nanny of the Maroons was the leader of the Jamaican Maroons, which were a group of enslaved people who fled the oppression of their slave masters and established their own communities on the island.

Queen Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba

Queen Nzinga was queen of the Ndongo and Matamba kingdoms of Angola. Her efforts saw the slave trade eliminated in her kingdom.

La Mulâtresse Solitude 

La Mulâtresse Solitude, was a slave rebel who fought against slavery in Guadeloupe. In a fight for freedom, she was captured and then excuted the day after she gave birth to her baby. Dr Rashidi shared that the fate of the baby is still unknown. 

Amy Ashwood Garvey

We also paid homage to the first wife of the Honourable Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Amy Ashwood Garvey. 

Ida B. Wells, was a journalist, suffragist and sociologist and regarded as the female W.E.B. Dubois. According to Dr Rashidi, Ida referred to her husband as Mr Barnett as a sign of respect.

Sarah Forbes Bonetta

Finally, one of the last images of the presentation that really stood out to me was that of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, a Yoruba princess who was taken as a goddaughter by Queen Victoria.

The presentation was a celebration of great black women; well known or everyday women... we were all celebrated. 

Our sheroes are often ignored and their roles in the fight for freedom or their general influence is often overshadowed by that of our heroes. 

Dr Runoko Rashidi wonderfully said:

Next to every great man, there is a great woman next to him and sometimes even in front of him. The Black Woman is God On Earth.