In my Literature class we had a poetry unit and there were a number of poems that we read, critiqued and shared. There were a lot by Langston Hughes, whom I love. I thought I'd share one, the one that I used for one of my critique essays. I thought I'd share the poem with you all.
"Negro" by Langston Hughes
I am a Negro:
Black as the night is black,
Black like the depths of my Africa.
I've been a slave:
Caesar told me to keep his door-steps clean.
I brushed the boots of Washington.
I've been a worker:
Under my hands the pyramids arose.
I made mortar for the Woolworth Building.
I've been a singer:
All the way from Africa to Georgia
I carried my sorrow songs.
I made ragtime.
I've been a victim:
The Belgians cut off my hands in the Congo.
They lynch me still in Mississippi.
I am a Negro:
Black as the night is black,
Black like the depth of my Africa.
I'm not normal, I love being different, and it's one of the sexiest things about me...next to my creative brain and "Lil' Big Vic".
No H8
Friday, March 22, 2013
Saturday, February 9, 2013
The One Where Vic Honors Black History Month: A Look Back
Black History Month means a lot to me. Not just because I'm predominantly African-American, though that does play a big part in it, but because I have always rooted for the underdog (unless the underdog is a team playing against one of my Boston teams: Patriots, Celtics or the Red Sox). I love Black History Month because the entire month is spent recognizing people who were oppressed, made to feel as if they weren't as good as others because their skin color was darker. A people who were told that they were worth less than animals, who were beaten, raped, kidnapped and killed all because they were of African descent and desired rights and freedom.
When I was growing up I didn't realize that I was "black" until I was 10 and while the day I found out was devastating for me, because of the way "black" people were portrayed on television, movies, in books, etc. after I received a crash course in black history courtesy of watching movies such as KING, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, ROOTS, Queen, etc. I had to be kept out of school because I had gone from the extreme of having a large distaste for black people to having it for "white" people. For an entire week my parents then showed me photos, movies and books where whites helped blacks, before pointing out that there are white people in our family and hating them would be like hating myself.
Well, the other day I was speaking to a man named Tony, who is a taxi driver in New York and we began discussing black history and the following man came up in conversation and I thought I'd share this amazing man and his amazing triumphs with all of you in honor of Black History Month:
Charles Richard Drew was born on June 3, 1904 in Washington, D.C. He was an African-American physician who developed ways to process and store blood plasma in "blood banks." He directed the blood plasma programs of the United States and Great Britain in World War II, but resigned after a ruling that the blood of African Americans would be segregated. He died in 1950.
Early Life
A pioneering African-American medical researcher, Dr. Charles R. Drew made some groundbreaking discoveries in the storage and processing of blood for transfusions. He also managed two of the largest blood banks during World War II. Drew grew up in Washington, D.C., as the oldest son of a carpet layer.
In his youth, Drew showed great athletic talent. He won several medals for swimming in his elementary years, and later branched out to football, basketball and other sports. After graduating from Dunbar High School in 1922, Drew went to Amherst College on a sports scholarship. There, he distinguished himself on the track and football teams.
Drew completed his bachelor's degree at Amherst in 1926, but didn't have enough money to pursue his dream of attending medical school. He worked as a biology instructor and a coach for Morgan College, now Morgan State University, in Baltimore for two years. In 1928, he applied to medical schools and enrolled at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
At McGill University, Drew quickly proved to be a top student. He won a prize in neuroanatomy and was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha, a medical honor society. Graduating in 1933, Drew was second in his class and earned both Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery degrees. He did his internship and residency at the Royal Victoria Hospital and the Montreal General Hospital. During this time, Drew studied with Dr. John Beattie, and they examined problems and issues regarding blood transfusions.
After his father's death, Drew returned to the United States. He became an instructor at Howard University's medical school in 1935. The following year, he did a surgery residence at Freedmen's Hospital in Washington, D.C., in addition to his work at the university.
Father of Blood Banks
In 1938, Drew received a Rockefeller Fellowship to study at Columbia University and train at the Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. There, he continued his exploration of blood-related matters with John Scudder. Drew developed a method for processing and preserving blood plasma, or blood without cells. Plasma lasts much longer than whole blood, making it possible to be stored or "banked" for longer periods of time. He discovered that the plasma could be dried and then reconstituted when needed. His research served as the basis of his doctorate thesis, "Banked Blood," and he received his doctorate degree in 1940. Drew became the first African American to earn this degree from Columbia.
As World War II raged in Europe, Drew was asked to head up a special medical effort known as "Blood for Britain." He organized the collection and processing of blood plasma from several New York hospitals, and the shipments of these life-saving materials overseas to treat causalities in the war.
When I was growing up I didn't realize that I was "black" until I was 10 and while the day I found out was devastating for me, because of the way "black" people were portrayed on television, movies, in books, etc. after I received a crash course in black history courtesy of watching movies such as KING, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, ROOTS, Queen, etc. I had to be kept out of school because I had gone from the extreme of having a large distaste for black people to having it for "white" people. For an entire week my parents then showed me photos, movies and books where whites helped blacks, before pointing out that there are white people in our family and hating them would be like hating myself.
Well, the other day I was speaking to a man named Tony, who is a taxi driver in New York and we began discussing black history and the following man came up in conversation and I thought I'd share this amazing man and his amazing triumphs with all of you in honor of Black History Month:
Dr. Charles R. Drew
Charles Richard Drew was born on June 3, 1904 in Washington, D.C. He was an African-American physician who developed ways to process and store blood plasma in "blood banks." He directed the blood plasma programs of the United States and Great Britain in World War II, but resigned after a ruling that the blood of African Americans would be segregated. He died in 1950.
Early Life
A pioneering African-American medical researcher, Dr. Charles R. Drew made some groundbreaking discoveries in the storage and processing of blood for transfusions. He also managed two of the largest blood banks during World War II. Drew grew up in Washington, D.C., as the oldest son of a carpet layer.
In his youth, Drew showed great athletic talent. He won several medals for swimming in his elementary years, and later branched out to football, basketball and other sports. After graduating from Dunbar High School in 1922, Drew went to Amherst College on a sports scholarship. There, he distinguished himself on the track and football teams.
Drew completed his bachelor's degree at Amherst in 1926, but didn't have enough money to pursue his dream of attending medical school. He worked as a biology instructor and a coach for Morgan College, now Morgan State University, in Baltimore for two years. In 1928, he applied to medical schools and enrolled at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
At McGill University, Drew quickly proved to be a top student. He won a prize in neuroanatomy and was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha, a medical honor society. Graduating in 1933, Drew was second in his class and earned both Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery degrees. He did his internship and residency at the Royal Victoria Hospital and the Montreal General Hospital. During this time, Drew studied with Dr. John Beattie, and they examined problems and issues regarding blood transfusions.
After his father's death, Drew returned to the United States. He became an instructor at Howard University's medical school in 1935. The following year, he did a surgery residence at Freedmen's Hospital in Washington, D.C., in addition to his work at the university.
Father of Blood Banks
In 1938, Drew received a Rockefeller Fellowship to study at Columbia University and train at the Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. There, he continued his exploration of blood-related matters with John Scudder. Drew developed a method for processing and preserving blood plasma, or blood without cells. Plasma lasts much longer than whole blood, making it possible to be stored or "banked" for longer periods of time. He discovered that the plasma could be dried and then reconstituted when needed. His research served as the basis of his doctorate thesis, "Banked Blood," and he received his doctorate degree in 1940. Drew became the first African American to earn this degree from Columbia.
As World War II raged in Europe, Drew was asked to head up a special medical effort known as "Blood for Britain." He organized the collection and processing of blood plasma from several New York hospitals, and the shipments of these life-saving materials overseas to treat causalities in the war.
According to one report, Drew helped collect roughly 14,500 pints of plasma.
In 1941, Drew worked on another blood bank effort, this time for the American Red Cross. He worked on developing a blood bank to be used for U.S. military personnel. But not long into his tenure there, Drew became frustrated with the military's request for segregating the blood donated by African Americans. At first, the military did not want to use blood from African Americans,
but they later said it could only be used for African-American soldiers. Drew was outraged by this racist policy, and resigned his post after only a few months.
Death and Legacy
After creating two of the first blood banks, Drew returned to Howard University in 1941. He served as a professor there, heading up the university's department of surgery. He also became the chief surgeon at Freedmen's Hospital. Later that year, he became the first African-American examiner for the American Board of Surgery.
In 1944, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People honored Drew with its 1943 Spingarn Medal for "the highest and noblest achievement" by an African American "during the preceding year or years." The award was given in recognition of Drew's blood plasma collection and distribution efforts.
For the final years of his life, Drew remained an active and highly regarded medical professional. He continued to serve as the chief surgeon at Freedmen's Hospital and a professor at Howard University. On April 1, 1950, Drew and three other physicians attended a medical conference at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Drew was behind the wheel when his vehicle crashed near Burlington, South Carolina. His passengers survived, but Drew later succumbed to his injuries. He left behind his wife, Minnie, and their four children.
Drew was only 45 years old at the time of his death, and it is remarkable how much he was able to accomplish in such a limited amount of time. As the Reverend Jerry Moore said at Drew's funeral, Drew had "a life which crowds into a handful of years' significance, so great, men will never be able to forget it."
Since his passing, Drew has received countless posthumous honors. He was featured in the United States Postal Service's Great Americans stamp series in 1981, and his name appears on educational institutions across the country.
Information taken from: http://www.biography.com/people/charles-drew-9279094?
Saturday, January 26, 2013
The One Where Vic Blogs....
I have written this post about fifteen times.
Written and deleted. Written and deleted.
I have vented, cried, expressed confusion, hurt, disappointment. I have called out those who betrayed my trust, those who found me guilty without a fair trial, those who turned their backs on me, those who listened to others and drew a conclusion without talking to me first, and those who gossiped and slandered my name and reputation for whatever feeble reason they could come up with.
I have admitted my flaws, laughed about the flaws of humanity and cried over them all.
I have been the victim and I have been the villain, but I was never a martyr.
There are a lot of labels I could give myself (though I won't do that online) and there are labels that people can give me, but something that I've learned recently is that nobody's label can stick to me unless I let it. No one has power over me unless I give it to them. Nobody can hurt me, betray my trust or turn their back on me unless I let them close enough to do so.
I'm not saying that I've decided to be emotionally closed off, that accomplishes nothing and I've been that way before, it was no fun. I'm going to be 30 this year and honestly? It's seriously time for me to leave the high school bullshit at Winter Haven High School where I graduated from over 10 years ago.
So since I'm not going to go into details and lay all of that bullshit out, what is this post about?
Family.
I have learned so much about family and though I know many of you won't agree with my decision to reconcile with my bio family, I realized something about true family. Family should accept you, but they don't always do so. That doesn't mean they love you any less, it just means that there's some aspect of your life they don't agree with. The same is true for my birth family. They don't "accept" me as Vic, they probably never will, but after half a year without me, my birth mother never stopped contacting me. It freaked me out at first, big time, but I realized what my therapist had been trying to tell me for a long time, around October of last year.
My bio family loves me in their own way.
I thought they couldn't or wouldn't love me as a man. They don't really talk about it or acknowledge it unless faced with the truth of it (mail, phone calls, checks, etc.) but they have invited me back and want to help take care of me because of my being blind and my other health issues. They still talk exhaustively about religion and politics and how Obama is the anti-Christ (LOL) but I know they're not trying to attack me with it, they're being normal. They know what I believe, they know what I write, they know how I live (my bio mom found condoms in my bag today and the only thing she said was "What does a blind person need condoms for?" That's a win for me because she didn't say "a blind woman."), they know who I voted for and what I stand for and you know what? I'm still here. In spite of the horrible things that happened in October and November of 2011 and the things I suffered growing up, it wasn't all bad and in spite of it all, I know that my bio family still wants me. Not all of them (I won't even get into that), but enough of them that I no longer feel that heavy weight in my chest that used to always be there.
What a difference a year makes.
And that's what family, true family is all about. Regardless of blood or choice I now know what constitutes a real family member for me:
Written and deleted. Written and deleted.
I have vented, cried, expressed confusion, hurt, disappointment. I have called out those who betrayed my trust, those who found me guilty without a fair trial, those who turned their backs on me, those who listened to others and drew a conclusion without talking to me first, and those who gossiped and slandered my name and reputation for whatever feeble reason they could come up with.
I have admitted my flaws, laughed about the flaws of humanity and cried over them all.
I have been the victim and I have been the villain, but I was never a martyr.
There are a lot of labels I could give myself (though I won't do that online) and there are labels that people can give me, but something that I've learned recently is that nobody's label can stick to me unless I let it. No one has power over me unless I give it to them. Nobody can hurt me, betray my trust or turn their back on me unless I let them close enough to do so.
I'm not saying that I've decided to be emotionally closed off, that accomplishes nothing and I've been that way before, it was no fun. I'm going to be 30 this year and honestly? It's seriously time for me to leave the high school bullshit at Winter Haven High School where I graduated from over 10 years ago.
So since I'm not going to go into details and lay all of that bullshit out, what is this post about?
Family.
I have learned so much about family and though I know many of you won't agree with my decision to reconcile with my bio family, I realized something about true family. Family should accept you, but they don't always do so. That doesn't mean they love you any less, it just means that there's some aspect of your life they don't agree with. The same is true for my birth family. They don't "accept" me as Vic, they probably never will, but after half a year without me, my birth mother never stopped contacting me. It freaked me out at first, big time, but I realized what my therapist had been trying to tell me for a long time, around October of last year.
My bio family loves me in their own way.
I thought they couldn't or wouldn't love me as a man. They don't really talk about it or acknowledge it unless faced with the truth of it (mail, phone calls, checks, etc.) but they have invited me back and want to help take care of me because of my being blind and my other health issues. They still talk exhaustively about religion and politics and how Obama is the anti-Christ (LOL) but I know they're not trying to attack me with it, they're being normal. They know what I believe, they know what I write, they know how I live (my bio mom found condoms in my bag today and the only thing she said was "What does a blind person need condoms for?" That's a win for me because she didn't say "a blind woman."), they know who I voted for and what I stand for and you know what? I'm still here. In spite of the horrible things that happened in October and November of 2011 and the things I suffered growing up, it wasn't all bad and in spite of it all, I know that my bio family still wants me. Not all of them (I won't even get into that), but enough of them that I no longer feel that heavy weight in my chest that used to always be there.
What a difference a year makes.
And that's what family, true family is all about. Regardless of blood or choice I now know what constitutes a real family member for me:
- Forgiveness
- Understanding
- Love
- Support
- Encouragement
- Allegiance to One Another
- Communication
- Loyalty
- Interest in Each Other and
- Trust
So my New Year's Resolution is not to hold onto relationships that don't exist on the part of everyone involved (unless it's a celebrity crush because hello?! I'm totally supposed to be married to John Barrowman, Shemar Moore, Scott Hoying, Matt Bomer AND Charlie David), to improve myself, to focus on my writing and my classes, to make contacts and connections for Promise House and to embrace family in all its many different forms.
And I may not blog often but know that I think about you all during my day. I'm not going to blog as much as I used to or share as much of myself as I used to, but I'm still here and I'll still share and I will always, always be me, no matter what. And in honor of one of my favorite shows: "Friends," every blog post will be titled "The One Where..." and then I'll give you a clue about what's going on.
I hope everyone had a happy Inauguration Day and a happy MLK Jr Day and I so hope that everyone's new year is starting off great. Because I want that for everyone that I know, regardless.
Have a great weekend everyone!
-Vic
Monday, January 21, 2013
Monday, January 14, 2013
FAIR Girls
After listening to Jada Pinkett Smith on Katie, I just made a donation and signed up to get involved. I am imploring all of my readers and author/publisher friends to donate or volunteer as well. Sex trafficking, slave labor and sex slavery is active in the United States and all over the world. Every day young girls are kidnapped, sold, raped, beaten and killed when trying to escape their enslavers. In the year 2013 this is more than unacceptable. It was never acceptable and we have the power to get involved and put a stop to it.
Please go to the link and see how you can help: http://www.fairgirls.org/page/get-involved
FAIR Girls (formerly FAIR Fund) prevents the exploitation of girls worldwide with empowerment and education. Through prevention education, compassionate care, and survivor inclusive advocacy, FAIR Girls creates opportunities for girls to become confident, happy, healthy young women.
Founded by Andrea Powell and Caroline Tower Morris in 2003, FAIR Girls was created to empower girls in the U.S. and around the world who have been forgotten, exploited or otherwise are at-risk of not reaching their potential. FAIR stands for Free, Aware, Inspired, Restored – this is exactly what we hope the girls we work with will become. It is a name that reflects our ongoing commitment to providing girls around the world the chance to live happy, healthy, empowered lives.
FAIR Girls currently operates programs in Bosnia, Montenegro, Serbia, Russia, Uganda, and the United States. The FAIR Girls home office in Washington, D.C. offers compassionate care to prevent the exploitation of all girls, with a special emphasis on girls who have experienced homelessness, life inside the foster care system, sexual abuse, and trafficking.
One way you can get involved:
Note: Gift cards to CVS, Target, Old Navy, Safeway, Chipotle, Harris Teeter, etc. are highly welcome because they empower girls to shop for themselves. D.C. Metro cards are also greatly appreciated to facilitate girls' attendance at workshops.
List of in-kind donations here
To send donations: Contact Sarah Lu, Director of Development, at 202.609.7994 or sarah@fairgirls.org. Donations can be mailed to our UPS box (address below) or dropped off (appointment required.) Thank you for making a difference in the life of a girl!
2100 M St NW
Ste 170-254
Washington DC 20037
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Memories......
How many of you out there remember these awesome shows?
- California Dreams
- USA High
- Hang Time
- One World
- Salute Your Shorts
- My So Called Life
- The Secret World of Alex Mack
- Saved by the Bell
- Saved by the Bell: The New Class
- City Guys
- Clarissa Explains it All
- All That
- Kenan & Kel
- Hey Dude!
- My Two Dads
- The Cosby Show
- A Different World
- Living Single
- Step by Step
- Family Matters
- Dawson's Creek
I'm thinking about holding a contest surrounding these twenty-one shows. I don't know for what yet, but I'm definitely thinking about it. I grew up watching these shows whenever I wasn't watching musicals or reading or writing and I've been thinking about them a lot lately. Especially which shows I want to have a reunion (*cough* Dawson's Creek *cough*) and it's all because of Friends and Queer as Folk. I've been thinking about what a reunion episode/movie would look like for them and while I have the bones of a story for QaF and an idea for Friends, I haven't written them yet. But if I said something like "Who loves orange soda?" who would be able to identify the show and finish the phrase?
Hhmmmm..... it bodes thinking about.
-Vicktor Aleksandr B
Monday, December 31, 2012
Happy New Year!
Here's hoping you all have a very happy, happy new year! I don't know about you guys but I am more than ready for 2013 to show up. We survived 12/21/12 (W00t!) and I look forward to what this new year will bring. I am expecting and hoping for good things: love, laughter, more books, deeper/closer relationship with my family and friends, peace on Earth and goodwill toward men. No joke, I actually want those things.
I have learned a lot about myself, about others, about the world and most of all what it means to ACTUALLY be family. The true definition of that word that holds so much weight. I learned about love. I learned about forgiveness and reconciliation. I learned about strength, both inner and physical. I learned about sorrow, grief and disappointment. I learned about loss, but more than that I learned so much about myself and how I thought I needed certain things and certain people to get through and survive only to find out that I don't.
I am ending 2012 in New York but at the beginning of 2013 I will be moving and I think the greatest thing about all of that is that I feel stronger, more at peace, more settled than I ever have before. Regardless of sickness, disease, hospital visits, hospital stays, regardless of those I've lost and those who have lost me, regardless of those who I turned my back on and those who turned their back on me, I feel like a stronger, more centered Vicktor. I couldn't ask for anything better than that... well, except for Shemar Moore, John Barrowman, Scott Hoying, Matt Bromer and Charlie David naked and in my bed, but you know, that's neither here nor there.
And as I do every year I have made myself a New Year's Resolution List. This is the first year when it's been this short. I guess that's something else for me to be happy about:
I have learned a lot about myself, about others, about the world and most of all what it means to ACTUALLY be family. The true definition of that word that holds so much weight. I learned about love. I learned about forgiveness and reconciliation. I learned about strength, both inner and physical. I learned about sorrow, grief and disappointment. I learned about loss, but more than that I learned so much about myself and how I thought I needed certain things and certain people to get through and survive only to find out that I don't.
I am ending 2012 in New York but at the beginning of 2013 I will be moving and I think the greatest thing about all of that is that I feel stronger, more at peace, more settled than I ever have before. Regardless of sickness, disease, hospital visits, hospital stays, regardless of those I've lost and those who have lost me, regardless of those who I turned my back on and those who turned their back on me, I feel like a stronger, more centered Vicktor. I couldn't ask for anything better than that... well, except for Shemar Moore, John Barrowman, Scott Hoying, Matt Bromer and Charlie David naked and in my bed, but you know, that's neither here nor there.
And as I do every year I have made myself a New Year's Resolution List. This is the first year when it's been this short. I guess that's something else for me to be happy about:
- Work out more than I did in 2012
- Eat healthier
- Write at least 10 books
- Travel to either Boston or Italy (try for both)
- Forgive and forget (make sure you forgive)
- Finish each semester with at least a 3.8 GPA
- Visit Angel and James. Go to Justin's grave.
- Look into adoption/surrogacy (You're turning 30-old man)
- Have a 30 Year Birthday bash
- Have at least one meeting with potential investors or consultants about Promise House
I hope you all have a FANTASTIC time tonight. Happy New Year and LIVE FROM NEW YORK IT'S SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE! (LOL. I've always wanted to say that and yes I know it's not Saturday night but still...)
-Vicktor Aleksandr B
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