Race and Gender

I think it's awesome that there was a black printing press. Even today, issues surrounding the African-American community is not widely publicized in publications. We have to have our own so that we can be throughly informed and educated on things that matter to us. I'm glad that black journalists before me dared to be bold and tackle hard hitting topics and exposed things that others tried to sweep under the rug.

With Purpose,

[dev]in

Race and Gender

I do agree with the fact that other than the issue of race in the media, gender barriers exist as well. I feel that even black males have more of a stance than white women. Homogeny is very true in America. It seems that dominate will stay dominate while the secondaries stay down. I think all the secondaries in America should rise up against the dominate middle-aged white man. We have a voice in our country as well and should not let the white man rule!

With Purpose,

[dev]in

Race and Gender

Todays class was insane. I really wonder where people grew up. There are some things you just have to educated yourself about. Those that were trying to make it seem like racism isn't prevalent in the world today, are insane. As college students, we need to open to this reality and not try to put a mask over the horrid things occurring. Honestly, I don't expect my Caucasian peers to understand because the racism isn't directed toward them, so they won't be conscious of it happening. People need to step out of their comfort zone and open their eyes!

With Purpose,

[dev]in

Race and Gender

In America, I feel that black people are harassed way more than whites. On the news, they show black mug shots more often than they show those of whites. As a black man, I have encountered instances where I have been harassed just for being black. I have been stopped by cops while walking through predominately white neighborhoods, just because it was late at night and I was black.

I have white friends that are girls and they have told me that their parents have taught them to be more afraid of black men. They are automatically a bit more nervous when around black men than if they were next to a white man. It is almost their nature to be on the defense and have a guard up when she finds herself around black men.

It's as if blacks can't live in nice neighborhoods nor drive nice cars without it being stolen. These are things that will unfortunately never change.

With Purpose,

[dev]in

taking it day by day

Wow, I can not believe it's been over a month since I've written a blog post. Every since summer began I have have been so busy. Weeks following the end of the Spring semester I quit working at Gateway at Denton Apartments. The job turned out to be something completely different that what I thought it was going to be. I was unhappy with my job responsibilities as well as my management. I'm a big believer in companies expressing value and appreciation to their employees. At Gateway, they do not care how they treat you; they want you to things their way, no questions asked. So, since our beliefs were not compatible, I decided to separate myself from the company. However, I did still renew my lease here because I like my apartment and my friends, Nicky & Steven, had already signed a lease to be my roommates.

After I quit, I contacted my old manager at Overhead Door Corporation (this is where I worked before I worked at Gateway). When I put in my two weeks notice at OHD, my manager told me that I could always come back if my job turned out to be something other than what I thought it was going to be. In a way I feel as if he knew that I was going to end up coming back. OHD is an amazing company. It's a great place to work for college kids because they're very flexible with your personal work schedule, and you are only required to work every other Saturday. So last week, I started working back there again. It felt good to be back. They hired a lot of new people within my two month absence. The best part about coming back is that I got a raise! So I work there during the week & every other Saturday, but I'm still working at Red Lobster on the weekends.

About two weeks ago, two friends of mine and I decided we want to go to Vegas at the end of summer. My friend, Jarrod, and I have been talking about wanting to go for over a year now; we finally just committed and contacted Travel Agent. Damon, our Travel Agent, is getting us a really great deal for our 5 day/4 night vacation. I haven't gone anywhere in a long time so I'm super stoked about this trip. It'll be Jarrod, my friend Ashley, and myself that are going August 13Th-17Th. Also, two weeks ago, I started summer school. I'm taking Spanish 1010 at UNT. Reluctantly, it's not as hard as I imagined it was going to be. I haven't taken Spanish in 5 years, so I was pretty nervous about it. Thankfully, I have a great teacher who really wants us to succeed. She breaks it down and does not move on until she is confident that we all understand a certain part.

Along with working two jobs and taking summer school, I am also working with Falling Whistles remotely. I wanted to go to California for the internship but it was impossible. So, I'm in correspondence with an intern there, trying to set some events up in the Dallas area for FW. My friend and future roommate, Nicky, and I are serious about starting up a non-profit of our own. We both have a heart for helping those in need, as well as educating and motivating the youth of the world so that they will be successful in life.

So far, this summer has been all over the place. I live for "Margarita Mondays & .40 Wings Tuesdays" con mis amigos! I'm appreciating the simple pleasures in life as I'm getting older. I miss my family back in Louisiana. I won't be going down there this year for the 4Th of July because I have to save up for my Vegas trip, so I won't see them until Thanksgiving.

Yeah, I'm taking these three months to get my life together, get grounded, get back in touch with my faith, and to continually advance in maturity. With everyday that goes by, I am less and less tolerant of drama, bullcrap, and just any and everything that gets in the way of me achieving what I need to achieve. Cheers to summertime!


With Purpose,

[dev]in

Summertime

Praise God! I made it through yet another collegiate year. I'm proud of my hard work and diligence this semester that produced a 3.5 for the semester. Never in my life, let alone my college career, have I made three A's. Such an achievement rejuvenated my confidence and further ensured me that I am going to make it through college. Thankfully, the semester went by pretty swiftly, making summer get her right in time.

Although the spring semester has ended, I'll only have three weeks out of a classroom because on June 8th, I start summer school. During the Summer 1 session, I will be taking Spanish 1010 and PSCI 1050. Stats & Spanish 2 will be taken during the Summer 2 session. This will be my first time in my college career to take summer school so hopefully I'll stay strong throughout. Along with taking summer school I will still be working two jobs with the addition of a remote intern position with Falling Whistles. I wanted to intern with them on site but that required me to go to Venice, California. Unfortunately, I can't afford to work for free the entire summer and do summer school.

These past few days have definitely been a whirlwind. Saturday, I got word that one of my childhood friend's grandmother died at the age of 84. Nanny was an incredible woman who I've known since I was in 5th grade. Always acted lady-like and looked her best at all times. I attended her funeral along with friends on Tuesday afternoon in Quinlin, TX. Prior to that, I took a random/blink of an eye roadtrip to Lubbock, TX! My friend Alexa lives there and goes Tech, and she needed to make a quick trip down there. I didn't have any plans for two day so I took on the 6hr trip as her companion. It was a fun time even though we were on there for less than 24hrs! Lubbock is flat, making you feel as if you can see to the ends of the Earth. It has a small town feel but there's so much to do there. The streets are really wide and it's surrounded by huge old homes with gigantic front porches. Tech itself is too a very nice campus. There's lots of open space and history. I liked how the campus is spread out over a few acres.

Even though I don't graduate until December 2010, I've been looking into graduate school for Sociology. Right now, I'm comparing the University of Texas at Dallas & Texas A&M University. They both have really good Sociology programs, but I don't know if I wanna move farther away from Dallas for another 2 years.

Today, I applied to be the campus rep for TOMS Shoes. TOMS Shoes is a company that for every pair of shoes a person purchases, they donate a pair of shoes to a child in need. I would love get the UNT population involved in such an amazing cause. Next year is going to be a great year. I'm looking to do some great things and make a definite mark before I leave Denton.

This Saturday, I'm going to a big 21st birthday extravaganza in Dallas for my friend, Kenny Leddy! Next Wednesday I'm going to watch the Rangers beat the Yankees! As for the res of the summer, I'm not sure what I'll be doing beside work, school, and going to Louisiana for the 4th of July. All I know is summer is here and so far it's off to a good start!

With Purpose,

[dev]in

decisions, decisions, decisions...

"What we do in life [[((echoes))]] in eternity."

There's not a millisecond that goes by without an individual having to make a decision. From whether not one should wear their Express V-neck or Ralph Lauren polo, or if one should move to Florida after graduating from college, a decision is made everyday. Some decisions are not as life changing as others, yet I do believe that we are affected in some fashion by every decision. Recently, I've been traveling on a roller coaster of decision making. These college years are crucial years in my lifetime in which making the wrong decision could be detrimental to my future. Last week, I almost made the wrong decision for my future that would not have helped me in the long run. It's so important that we know who we are and who we want to be so we don't make a decision that we think is right for us, and it ends up being the wrong one. For a second, I had forgotten who I was. Just because I fit in with a certain group does not necessarily mean I share the character and personality of that group. Thank God, my Savior revealed to me that I was trying to be someone I wasn't by saying yes to that decision, and helped me realize making that decision would not be best for me.

At 22, I feel like I'm forming into the person that I'm going to be for the rest of my life. As I encounter every situation and experience, I grow; I learn. I'm maturing and gaining ample "street smarts." I praise my Lord for all the times and heartache that I have faced. There's not one experience that has not taught me something. After this semester is over, I will have 3 semester left in my undergraduate career. I'll be done with college life and off to be a 23 year old man living life outside the "Mean Green bubble." I want to encourage everyone to know who you are, be who you are, and make decisions that will benefit you and only you.

I'm more than ready for this semester to be over. I'm looking forward to the hot summer days hanging out at the lake, goofing around with friends, and taking full advantage of Summer '09, when I'm not working or in summer classes, haha! This week is going by seemingly fast. I'm completely focused during this home stretch toward the end of this semester. My plan is not skip any classes up until finals. This is the time where I bust my butt, study super hard, and dramatically change my grades for the better. Pray for perseverance, diligence, and discipline.


With Purpose,

[dev]in