Video of the Month - "A Powerful Noise"

An official selection of the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, this inspiring documentary follows three extraordinary women -- in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Mali and Vietnam -- as they overcome barriers to lead day-to-day battles against ignorance, poverty, oppression, and ethnic strife. Visit www.apowerfulnoise.org to learn more.







Executive Producer Sheila Johnson talks about "A Powerful Noise" on Fox Business News.







At the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, viewers discuss the new documentary "A Powerful Noise."

Sister's Worth Celebrating - May 2008

Good Day Everyone,

I am your blog manager, Shanny. I will be formally introducing myself later this month.

This month in Sister's Worth Celebrating, I could not settle on one Sister. So, I am going to talk about a few and I want you all to share your thoughts. I also want you all to tell us about a Sister or Sisters you think are worth celebrating. The Sisters I have chosen are Mary McLeod Bethune, Mary Mahoney, The Square Rootz, Priscilla Maddox & Joan Reid.

Mary McLeod Bethune was African-American teacher who, with only $1.50, began a school to help educate young African-American women. Sister Mary McLeod Bethune has inspired all of us to sisterhood and protecting our younger sisters. She also has shown us it does not take alot to start. I feel Sister Bethune's spirit throughout Sisters' Sanctuary, which is why I am a supporter. I am confident Sister Bethune would too.

Mary Mahoney was the first African American woman to study and work as a professionally trained nurse. Mahoney received her diploma from the New England Hospital in 1879, one of only four of 18 to pass the difficult course. So to all of those who are nurses and aspiring nurses, this is one of the Sister that paved they way for you. If you have a young lady that has shown interest in nursing make sure she knows who this woman is.

These next Sisters are a personal inspiration to me. I say personal, because they are running the type of business I am building at the moment. When I started researching Kitchen Co-ops, I found there were none in my area. I widen my area search and found an article entitled, 'Can’t Stand the Heat? Then Rent the Kitchen' by Joseph P. Fried from the New York Times. In his articles, he spotlights Priscilla Maddox & Joan Reid, the owners of Kitchen For Hire in Brooklyn. I was inspired by how these ladies well into retirement, decided to venture out onto something new. They shared a lot of information that helped me with what I needed to know about my business venture. I have recently had the opportunity to reach out to them an learn more. I celebrate these Sisters because they were not afraid to try and fail. We need to encourage ourselves, each other and our younger Sisters NOT TO BE AFRAID TO TRY AND FAIL.

Last, but not least The Square Rootz. I had the pleasure of interviewing these Sisters for my magazine. These young vibrate ladies bring color and inspiration to their movement. The present members are New Yorker native Kat Noel, Brooklyn born Boston raise Philly transplant Marly Pierre-Louis and West Coast native Brooklyn transplant Jessica Jones. The have dubbed themselves the official street beaters. These Sisters aim to bring the African Diaspora together through event and media. These Sisters are also very active in their communities. The Square Rootz have formed to be another artery in the positive push for our young Sisters.

These Sisters have made a great impression on my life past, present and future. I only hope to be able to repay them, by making them same sort of impression in other Sisters' lives and paying my represents to them whenever I have the chance. In the upcoming months, I will be presenting more in depth spotlights on these women. Come back and learn more and be inspired more.

Mary McLeod Bethune
Mary Eliza Mahoney, R.N.
Kitchen For Hire
The Square Rootz



Who is the Sister You Celebrate? What does she do? Where is she from? When did you start to celebrate her? Why do you celebrate her? How do you celebrate her inspiration in your daily life?




Shanny aka Shanise B. is the creator/owner of The Akua Projects & Designs By ASH. She is a Philadelphia native and a life long activist for Sisterhood within the African Diaspora. Shanny became a supporter of Sisters' Sanctuary in 2006 and an active part of Sisters' Sanctuary in 2007. Shanny is a lover of creation and creative people. Shanny aspires to open her first brick and mortar business in 2009.

Self-love Day Activity:

Examine the quality of your relationships. Is there an ebb and flow? Do you give as well as receive? Is there balance? Ask yourself, is this relationship based on love or fear? If it is based on fear, how can I give more love to myself to attract a more love-centered relationship in my life?

Lacey LooooOoOOOooves:

-Celebrating Mother's Day with her legendary motha!

-Learning tennis from a lil' fabulous 8 year African-American girl...potential to be the next Venus and Serena!

-Being in the DIVINE flow.

-Hanging out with people who enjoy, celebrate and honor life without drugs or alcohol.

-Somewhere Here on Earth- New Release by Prince.

-Agave-sweetener from a cactus plant that taste like a light version of honey and maple syrup.

-Watercolors XM Radio- Art for your Ears! YES! YES!

-Sadiki! Sadiki! Sadiki!

-Her Artsy Friends.

Belonging is HUMAN Need!

Happy Self-Love Day Beautiful People!

I received this message via email and I wanted to share this message as the theme of this month's Self-Love Day! The author of this article is unknown.

Relationships: Longing for Belonging

FROM THE WORD: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." - l Corinthians 13:4-8 The question arises, "What is it that really makes people happy?" The answer is: Quality Relationships. The reason why I know this to be true is that so many people run from relationship to relationship looking for the elusive components of a good friendship or the ideal husband or wife. We are born with an insatiable inner need for meaningful interaction with others. The following information will help you to understand and deal with difficult people and personalities. Take men and women for example. Men are more interested in feeling that they are capable to perform a task or a duty. Women are more interested in acceptance. What we look for in relationships, and what every one needs to experience is: Feeling Accepted Feeling Celebrated Feeling Connected Feeling Understood Feeling Wanted and Needed Feeling Appreciated Feeling Enjoyed Feeling Significant When those elements of "feelings" are not present, we feel as if we do not belong. Then our love languages may be different from the people with whom we are trying to connect. If people are not communicating in our love language, this can cause isolation and an intense feeling of aloneness. According to Gary Chapman in his book entitled , The Five Love Languages, they are: Words of Affirmation Quality Time Receiving Gifts Acts of Services Physical Touch The first thing you have to work on is your integrity, pulling all the parts of you together and embracing yourself as a total person. This involves accepting your personality, disposition, uniqueness, your past and your present. You will never have true intimacy until you are truly intimate with yourself.

GET TO KNOW THE REAL YOU Take the masks off and explore everything you have suppressed over the course of your life. Accept and move toward resolving unresolved issues and healing any residue of past pain and disappointments. Remember every relationship, in a sense, gives you another chance to resolve issues you didn't get squared away in a previous one. But if you do not heal your hurts, you'll never get them squared away. You'll just continue to repeat relational problems and replay your pain again and again. And when this pattern develops you'll have created a much bigger problem. You will no longer relate to people, but only to what they represent. They will not be anyone you will share yourself with but the object that you use to work through old unresolved issues. New relationships will become replacement parts for old ones. Work on achieving a healthy sense of identity, self-worth, self-esteem and self-image. The truth is, the cause of our emptiness is not a case of missing persons in our lives, but a case of incompletion in our soul. Everyone must have an "I" before they have a "we." ACCEPT YOURSELF IN TOTALITY, GIVE YOURSELF FULLY Too many people attach themselves to another person to obtain approval, affirmation, purpose, safety and identity; and when the inevitable disappointment happens, they complain bitterly that that person failed them. No, you failed yourself. When you come to a relationship lacking personal self-worth, and full of insecurities, all you can offer is neediness. Expecting another person - whether it be a friend, a dating partner, or your husband to provide you with your life is unrealistic and actually unfair. It isn't anyone else's responsibility to give you an identity, make you whole or make you feel good about yourself. People are meant to share in it, not be it.

MOVING FORWARD

I. GET COMFORTABLE WITH THE FACT THAT YOU WILL FEEL VULNERABLE

We often stifle our emotions out of fear, vacillating between the impulse to reveal ourselves, and the impulse to protect ourselves. The result, no one knows the real you.

II. DEVELOP A WISH LIST AND PRAY FOR THE HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS THAT YOU REALLY WANT

A. Establish realistic expectations

B. Do not settle for less

C. Steer away from people who are needy

D. Avoid toxic people and relationships

E. Get your personal power back

III. SPEAK POSITIVE DECLARATIONS

Tell yourself that you will only draw to yourself individuals who are healthy, and who accept you as you are.

IV. GET UP AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT

If you want friends you must first show yourself friendly. Unless we totally accept ourselves we will not be able to establish quality relationships that give us what we want. In order for us to get what we want out of relationships, we need intimacy. But if we shut down, this will never happen. We are waiting for others to change. I have discovered, when I change, everything changes.

INSPIRATIONAL NUGGETS:

"The highest love a person can have for you is to wish for you to grow into the best person you can be. No one owns you, no matter what your relationship." --David Viscott

"Nobody can hurt me without my permission." - Mahatma Ghandi

Here is to celebrating relationships that are real, true and centered in love and inspiring our youth to do the same.
Happy Belated Mother's Day and Happy Sisters' Sanctuary Self-love Day Beautiful People!
Lacey!
Founder/Personal Empowerment Coach

Temple Sancutary by Monisha Garner

This month in Temple Sanctuary by Monisha Garner, she offers a tip that always helps make the first impression in a face to face relationship run much easier:

• To sweeten your mouth and breath add a couple drops of Tea Tree Oil to your toothbrush. This will decrease plaque and works as an antibacterial buster for your gums.

Moya Body Care is about returning back to our natural state, becoming centered beings and maintaining a balance between a healthy lifestyle and genuine wellness. Our mission is to assist in creating a wholistic approach in attaining greatness in life. We offer a combination of Colon Hydrotherapy, Massage Therapy, Yoga and Organic Body Care as well as individualized Wellness
Coaching that is designed to empower and move you to take action. www.moyabodycare.com

Word from Youth

1. Please be supportive of our ideas whether it’s something you want us to do or not. When we tell you things we want to do, it’s because we want your support and if your and love support is not there we might give up on our dreams and resent you for not being there.

Anjanae DeCoursey

Imhotep Charter High School