Curious About the iPad...

If you are not quite sure about Apple's newly announced iPad and would like to know more, check out this Nightline footage that gives a more in depth look at what it will be capable of doing.

I do not know if I am totally sold on the iPad just yet, but what do you Fabulous Brown Girls think? Let us know!





Here's a treat for all you Usher fans out there, me included.. his brand new video for his new single "Daddy's Home"! I am glad he's back.. for real this time.. lol




TGIF!! Have a great weekend!

The State of the Union Address and Why I'm Pissed!

What did you all think of the State of the Union Address last night? In my opinion President Obama did a FABULOUS job tackling the issues of employment, health care, banks, energy, education, the military and a host of other topics that Americans deal with on a daily basis!Here are just a few of the great points made by President Obama.

It was very apparent that President Obama wants jobs for Americans and wants those jobs now.

"Jobs must be our number one focus in 2010, and that is why I am calling for a new jobs bill tonight."

On the topic of those big banks that were bailed out last year, President made a good point.

"I know Wall Street isn’t keen on this idea, but if these firms can afford to hand out big bonuses again, they can afford a modest fee to pay back the taxpayers who rescued them in their time of need."

On the topic of health care, President Obama made a heartfelt statement.

"Here’s what I ask of Congress, though: Do not walk away from reform. Not now. Not when we are so close. Let us find a way to come together and finish the job for the American people."

If you missed the speech last night or want to concentrate on a particular part of his speech Check out the video to view the entire State of the Union Address.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

The only thing that bothered me about last night was the post comments Chris Matthews made concerning President Obama and him seeming to forget that he was black as if it were a good thing. Please WATCH THIS and let me know if I am tripping!



I am seriously fed up with these ignorant racial slips that these white politicians and political pundits are making concerning President Obama.

I mean why did he have to forget he was black in order for him to be impressed with his speech? Why is being black so strongly correlated as a bad thing? It makes me so angry that no matter what we do or where we go..we are not accepted for who we are..

Dr. Martin Luther King died for this very reason. For God sakes, we just celebrated this man last week and "his dream" of us not being judged by the color of our skin but by the content of our character still has yet to come to fruition to this very day!!!

A Little Positivity Goes A Long Way

We just want to tell you Fabulous Brown Girls that now is the time to believe in YOU!

Instead of playing the victim on the bad deck of cards you have been dealt, LET IT GO!

There are always people who are going through far worst life altering events than you are at any given moment.

When you change your mind frame and become a more positive person, then that positivity will shine on to others. Once your positivity shines on others they will more than likely give you that same positive energy.

Forgive those who have done you wrong. You dont have to allow them back in your life, but holding grudges gives THEM power over you that they DO NOT deserve.

Here is a FBG challenge:

Make a pact with yourself to compliment someone at least once everyday on a random thing.

You never know how far a simple "I like your earrings" or "This is delicious" will go and make someone feel for the rest of the day.

I want to challenge you Fabulous Brown Girls to be the Happy, Grateful, and Inspiring women we were all meant to be.

Remember: Energy is real... Positive energy attracts more positive energy. It is like a beautiful cycle that spreads out at any given moment

Howard University and Wale Help Haiti with Benefit Concert

On January 21 Howard University hosted a benefit concert where Wale and a host of other performers gave back and set it off in Crampton University where all the proceeds were donated to the Haiti Earthquake Relief efforts.

Howard University has a rather large Haitian student population and the Haitian Student Association's president who is a native of Port-Au-Prince spoke a few words of gratitude to his fellow student body.

The sold out concert raised over 10,000 dollars in donation money just from ticket sales alone all while being entertained by the DC native recent hip hop phenomenon, Wale.

Fabulous Brown Girl wants to give a special shout out her Alma Mater and Wale for a job well done in the efforts to give back to Haiti in their desperate time of need. Howard is a school that is known for the student body's collective reaction to world tragedy. We do not just sit by and let others take care of the world--we know we have to be the change we want the world to be not to mention we feel even more responsible because [Haitians] are OUR people.

The diaspora is heavily represented at Howard so we can not just sit by and see our people in distress without doing what we can. I am so glad that Howard has instilled that in all of us.

Check out the video of Wale's performance!

Just by looking at the video clip I can tell he put on a FABULOUS show! And let us not forget and go back to our own lives. We have to continue raising money for Haiti. Yes we are reacting faster than other tragedies in the past, but Haiti will be needing our help for years to come. Our help for Haiti is just beginning....

FBG Fashion Trends: Shoulder Pad Mini Dresses

I don't know about you but I am already so overwinter and ready for spring time and a new spring wardrobe. I may be a little premature in my wishes, but I can still flip through magazines and online boutiques to see what's hot for Spring 2010. I am pretty sure every Fabulous Brown Girl loves to play dress up, look sexy, and go out for a night on the town. Especially after you have been grinding hard all day, all week, all month, then you should plan time to dress up really cute to just have fun and look FABULOUS.

Well since we are fashion lovers we wanted to share a fashion trend that has really grown to be one of the hottest for a night on the town and its mini dresses with exaggerated shoulders or shoulder pads. This look has been coming down the runway since 2008 and has been growing in popularity ever since.

Take a look at some hot dresses as inspiration!

Oh and don't be afraid to tell us where we can find some more dresses like these-- Fabulous Brown Girls know that we all can look good together--there is no competition!









ENJOY YOUR SHOPPING!!

There's Good News and There's Bad News

There is some good news and there is some bad news...

Let's start with some the good news!

Today marks the one year anniversary of President Obama getting sworn into office and becoming the 44th president of the United States! I remember walking from my house to the Capitol in 20 degree weather at 6 o'clock in the morning just to be in the presence of the Inauguration. That historic moment is a moment I can tell anyone that asks that"I was there". I can tell my children and my grandchildren all about the energy of the people. Something that still astonishes me to this day is the fact that there were over a million people in attendance from all over the world and not one act of violence took place the whole entire day. I was amazed by this fact alone. Despite being frostbit and fatigued for the rest of the week, I would do it all again to be a part of that historic moment?

What are some of your 1-20-09 Inauguration stories?


Now some bad news..

Ironically, on the eve of President Obama's one year anniversary, Late Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts Democratic seat went to an unknown Republican by the name of Scott Brown who pledges to vote against the health care reform that is so close to being passed by the federal legislation. This would be a major roadblock in Obama's agenda if not passed.

This goes to show that even though a President can promise change, if the people under him in legislation (republicans) do not want this change they can make his job very, very difficult.

On Twitter, Fabulous Brown Girl and TV personality Star Jones (@StarJonesEsq) tweeted,

"The only people who are against the health care bill are those who have never been without insurance. It is selfish elitist, costly, and embarrassing that this bill hasn't been passed yet."

Here at Fabulous Brown Girl we are not going to give up hope! The health care bill will pass and a change will be made!

Have a GREAT DAY and remember to stay steadfast in your prayer and help for HAITI.. another earthquake of great magnitude hit. Even if it is claimed as an aftershock, I don't think the people of HAITI need any more action for a loonnngg time

It's Mo'Niques Time to Shine!!

This weekend was a great one for Fabulous Brown Girls!

First, we would like to congratulate Mo'Nique for winning the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her role in PRECIOUS. She also won a Critique's Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress as well. We are so very proud of her for making these huge accomplishments and continue to break down boundaries for African American women who are in the industry and are looked down upon because of their weight and not given roles that show their AMAZING TALENT.

As I am sure you know, Golden Globe nominees are clear indications of Oscar nominations, so we see BIG things for Mo'Nique in the near future (no pun intended).

Click Here to see Mo'Niques Acceptance Speech

Say what you want about her nighttime talk show but Mo'Nique has worked extremely hard to be where she is and I can't see anyone else more deserving than her. Her positivity and ease of making people laugh and smile is a God-given blessing and for this we say CONGRATS MO'NIQUE. People who may not have known her before will now know her and that is always a great thing when it comes to Fabulous Brown Girls.


Also, FBG wants to give a Happy Birthday shout to Michelle Obama. She turned 46 over the weekend and was surprised by her husband with a birthday dinner with some of her closets friends and family!

He Took the Words Right Outta My Mouth!

Ignorance is not bliss. It is evil, and more often than not its seed is planted in childhood. What is most hurtful about the comments and behaviors I've witnessed is that they are repeated and believed by my own.-- Noire, a Howard Alum/Intellect

In case you have been living under a rock, you should be fully aware of the travesty going on in the country of Haiti by now.

Well with anything that focuses on the impoverished and the helpless (and not to mention black), there will be some ignorant people whose main goal in life is to foster hate and speak ill towards victims as if they deserve what has happened to them.

Last night, one of my favorite political pundits, Keith Olbermann responded to the hateful and ignorant statements these men (whose names are not worth me typing on Fabulous Brown Girl) were given public domain to say.



I couldn't have said it better if I were the host of my own primtime poltical discourse show.

PREACH ON Olbermann! Preach ON!!!!

Fabulous Brown Girl Spotlight: Yele Haiti

Ever since the destruction and heartbreak took place in Haiti, there has been a word that has been used and seems to now be synonymous with helping the citizens of Haiti.... "YELE".

Here is a quick breakdown on what Yele Haiti is all about, and why Wyclef Jean deserves all the blessings he has. He literally holds his home country on his back and Fabulous Brown Girl commends him.

Q: What is Yele Haiti:

A: Yele Haiti, created in 2005 and founded by Grammy winning and world renowned Haitian born musician, Wyclef Jean, is a grassroots movement that builds global awareness for Haiti while helping to transform the country through programs in education, sports, the arts and environment. Yéle’s community service programs include food distribution and mobilizing emergency relief.

Q: What is Yele's mission?:

A: To create small-scale, manageable and replicable projects to contribute to Haiti’s long-term progress. Each of Yéle’s projects is conceived to renew hope for Haitians to rebuild their nation. Yéle Haiti wants to project a new forward-thinking image that accurately reflects Haiti’s youthful population and their unique and irrepressible spirit, which is an integral part of their culture.

Q:What does the word "Yele" mean?:
A: Yele was coined by Wyclef in a song and means "a cry for freedom." The logo means STOP THE VIOLENCE with one hand, PEACE with the other... while the heart is LOVE

If you have yet to do your part to help give to these people who so desperately need help dont forget to donate to the relief fund at www.yele.org

Update: The first U.S. military air has made its way to Haiti

Praying for Haiti, How Can We Help?!

Yesterday afternoon shortly before 5 p.m. an earthquake hit the country Haiti at a magnitude of 7.0. This is the worst earthquake the country has experienced in over 100 years.

According to CNN reports, this earthquake was so strong that it could be strongly felt 200 miles away in Cuba. Witnesses say the earthquake left people screaming in terror all around Port-au-Prince. The city is now without any electricity and homes that once held families and businesses are now rubble.

Fabulous Brown Girl is praying for Haiti and all of our Haitian FBG's families and friends. This tragedy has really hit our hearts. Haiti already has enough economic problems and really did not need a horrific natural disaster to add more fuel to the fire.

Please let's do what we can to help this country.

Click Here to Learn How to Help Haiti

Here is a Fabulous Brown Girl talking about the affects of the earthquake.



Haitian Ambassador says it was a "catastrophe of major proportion"

Tips for Making Better Career Moves for the New Year!

In 2009 I knew many Fabulous Brown Girls who were just going through the motions with their careers.. You were not really happy with where you were at work or how you were being treated. So in 2010 you said you wanted a CHANGE!! Well 2010 is here and nothing has happened. Its okay FBGs if you know you want to change, but don't necessarily know where to start. Just make sure you READ on for tips on how to go about it the right way..

• Self-Evaluation: Have you started a personal evaluation or self reflection of yourself career wise? Did you meet your professional goals over the last year or at least started making significant headway on them?

• Share Your Goals: Have you told your boss the goals you have? It is important to let your boss know where you see yourself professionally. Their job is not only to meet the company's goals, but also to help develop your career goals as well. A good boss will be impressed by your willingness to share your goals as well as be excited to help you progress. If you have let the new year come and haven't sat down to talk to your boss do that ASAP!

• Update Your Resume: If you achieved your goals for the year, make sure your boss knows this and your resume has your most current accomplishments on them with the results that back them up. And keep your eyes open for new opportunities within your company if you intend on staying.

• Professional Development: Use this year to expand on new skills that can be developed. Attend professional organization meetings, go to seminars, or listen to webinars for a few hours a month, purchase a few books on your industry to learn new and exciting techniques.

Corporate America is a hard game to play. We want to see all of our Fabulous Brown Girls succeed in this world, so if you have any more tips or stories you can share or pass along.. please by all means do not be afraid of leaving us a comment!

Dreams! How Many of Us Have Them?!

Happy Monday Fabulous Brown Girls! hope you are staying warm in this arctic tundra we are experiencing this winter! Living in the Northern Hemisphere sucks sometimes.. I guess living down south isn't enough to escape the HAWK!

I originally wanted to write a blog on another topic, but decided to hold off because recently I have been having the strangest, vivid dreams I have had in a long time. Unfortunately, I am not talking about the kinds that go on vision boards either. I'm talking about that good old fashion REM dreams that when you finally do escape them you can't seem to shake them for the rest of the day.

Some of them have been sad and nightmarish dreams, while some of them have been so good I was actually sad to wake up and not have them be reality.

I have never really put too much thought into dreams. Some people say they are symbolic and have underlying meanings to your truest wants and desires. While others think they are just your imagination entertaining you until you wake up for a new day.

Whatever the case may be, do you think the subconscious mind is more powerful than the conscious mind?

Do you think that we suppress are thoughts so deeply into are subconscious that dreams are the only place they are allowed to resurface?

I really want to know what my dreams mean and what they mean for me. So many different emotions take place when I close my eyes for my daily hibernation.. I wonder what I will dream about tonight!

Do any of y'all have dreams that you think are thoughts that you suppress so deeply that they haunt you while you sleep?

All My Single Ladies...

Maybe he did like it... he just didn't see the need to "put a ring on it" because there are 1.8 million
more of us where it came from...

This is an old topic, but a not so old post. For some reason or another due to my holiday festivities I forgot to post it when I originally wrote it...But moving on, I heard about this news package from Nightline and after I stopped cringing and rolling my eyes, I thought about this as an interesting topic for single Fabulous Brown Girls that has been around since I was little Now that I am kind of at that burgeoning stage, the more it is dwelt on, the more disheartening it becomes.

Fact (according to Nightline): There are 1.8 million more black women than men.. So after you take out all the "wack" dudes (and I mean that in the nicest way... ), the amount of eligible black men is cut in half! Great way to keep us optimistic...

Black women seem to have it all--Looks, Education, Money, etc. etc. We have nice updated houses, nice luxury cars, take trips to exotic places, and love the LORD! We can control our professional and financial aspirations to a certain degree, but the one thing we can not conjure to a perfect equation is finding love with a black man.

Do you notice that when we see BLACK LOVE we celebrate it like our favorite sports team just won a championship.. Why do we as women do that? Is it because we don't see it enough in our everyday lives and lives of our families, is it that rare, or is it because it is barely thought of as successful.

Just the other day there was controversy over the newest Essence cover that is graced with New Orleans Saint and Heisman Trophy Award winning, Reggie Bush. The controversy is mainly because it is Essence's black relationship issue and the last time we checked Bush has yet to publicly date a black woman (but can keep an Armenian on DECK!), so why is Bush being celebrated on the cover story of a magazine targeted for Black women, when he doesn't want US!?

Personally, I just think it is for the purpose of eye candy to push the magazine (we all know how the industry is going) off of the shelves more so than an accurate and genuine black relationship expert.

Unfortunately, I don't think this so-called epidemic of Successful Single Black Women (or SSBW) is going anywhere. I am not fond of mainstream media pointing out this epidemic so we can continue to be reminded of it when we turn on the news. That's why we watch TV so we wont have to be reminded of our own problems!!

I don't think I have a long list when it comes to having standards, but I do have standards and I will not compromise on what I deem worthy for myself. PERIOD.

I don't think Black women date outside of their race out of spite because they are angry with black men for doing it to them. I think they date outside of their race because they have opened their minds to seeing whats out there. If black women happen to find love with a man outside of her race its because the man is truly doing what she feels is worthy of what she deserves.

ESSENCE (one of my favorite magazines) has an online article on THE BLACK MALE SHORTAGE or TBMS.. Check it out!


Fabulous Brown Girls, What do you think of the SSBW and TBMS????.... Leave a comment

Visualize Your Dreams and Never Give Up On Them!

I just want to share something that has been on my mind with all of you Fabulous Brown Girls. It is something you hear so many times, that you sometimes become numb to it . The adage

NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS!

Yes, I know it is said all the time, but I just feel like I should reiterate it because it is the plain and simple TRUTH!

I have seen many of my friends and family reach goals that were merely ideas years ago! A lot of us now have our degrees, are obtaining masters and PhD's, are in medical schools, law schools, working for various Fortune 500 companies, launching our own businesses, and buying homes and real estate! All because we had a VISION for our lives and set goals to reach them!

I am a HUGE proponent of writing down your goals and making them HIGHLY visual. An example of this is through a vision board, which is simply a poster that has visual images and phrases of the goals you wish to obtain. Because I am a PowerPoint connoisseur I made a PowerPoint slide show as my vision board instead of a poster board when I came up with the idea of FABULOUS BROWN GIRL, and when I recently looked back over it not too long ago, I can honestly say, and i mean HONESTLY, that all of the goals surrounding my blog FBG have been met or are currently underway!!

I had an idea that came to my mind, which then turned into a goal, as well as a passion. I took the time to craft out specific details about this goal and made a visually appealing map of sorts to look at and remind myself of where I want to be and how I want to get there! I definitely intend on doing the same thing for the other passions and future goals that I have in my life!

Don't let anyone deter you or tell you when and how your goal needs to happen because everyone is different and what they may not have the ability to do, you may very well be able to succeed at the highest level.

So Fabulous Brown Girls, whatever your passion is, what ever you see your self in a certain amount of time doing.. write it down and visualize the process it will take to get there and don't neglect to ask for help or a mentor (which I strongly believe all of us should have at least one at this stage) Don't let go of your dream and I promise you will be FABULOUS!

Let's Discuss: Tiger Wood's Vanity Fair Cover

By now I am sure many of you have seen and perhaps formed your own opinion about the January cover of Vanity Fair with Tiger Woods looking very much like (in my opinion) a jailhouse inmate who has been asked "what are you in for?" more times than can be counted...

The photographer was Annie Lebovitz... and is renowned for taking artistic,off the wall photos of A list celebrities. Even though this shoot was taken before the CHEETAH scandal hit the fan, I can't help but see the foreshadowing in it all. As well as question what exactly is VF trying to communicate with this.

I love magazines because they are very visual in the communication targeted messages and am saddened that the industry is not what it used to be. But I am a fan of the visual communication aspect and influence that magazines have. So when I saw the raw cover, I began to wonder what exactly is the message they are trying to have perceived?

Is Tiger the newest [black] monster athlete on the scene?

Should after flocking to and bowing down at his golf clubs, should [white] women now run for the hills?

Or is this just a plain exploit to just sell a magazine, since the industry is unfortunately suffering?

Whatever the case may be, it has left me feeling some kind of way. Exploitation is really sickening and it hurts to see the magazine taking that sort of route. I do not condone Tiger's extreme infidelity in any way shape or form, but printing this particular photo as the cover for Vanity Fair to try and promote whatever negative underlying image is very disheartening.. Can someone please help me understand?!

I think this cover would have never been chosen if his infidelity had never leaked. His image would still be the standard golf course walking, fist pumping, Tournament winning champion, that we have been seeing for the past 15 years.

What do you Fabulous Brown Girls think about the cover?!

Notice Anything New?! 2010 is our BREAKTHOUGH year!

Happy New Year!!!

Wow ! 2009 was a great year! It was the year Fabulous Brown Girl came to me as an idea in the middle of the night and became a reality. I had several AHA moments as many scholarly folks would like to call it in 2009 which I am grateful for and it will only keep growing from here. It was a year of growth, change, and humility for me and 2010 will be the year where my thoughts and ideas actualize and become reality! 2010 will be in one simple word a.. BREAKTHROUGH!

With that we decided to change our look a bit! Do you like?! I hope you do, because this new format will be around for a while. Evolution is very necessary and is a great thing to realize and be a part of!

Fabulous Brown Girl will continue to evolve into greatness and I can't wait to see where this journey of female empowerment, inspiration, community involvement, and social sophistication takes us!

I have noticed that many of my young professional peers have a great anticipation about 2010! I think we for the most part we are growing into our own and I am happy and extremely proud to see these changes of mind frame coming about?

So to all my Fabulous Brown Girls, how did you bring in the New Year and what are you looking forward to doing differently in 2010?