Circumcision of Women in Somalia

The "circumcision of women" or "female genital mutilation"...is a very sensitive subject in many African countries and even among African decedents in Britain. The thought alone is painful, but the circumcision of women particularly in Somalia is not only extremely common, but a highly esteemed practiced. Most men in Somalia will not marry a woman if she is not circumcised. A young girl's mother, grandmother, and aunts want her to be circumcised because it is considered as a "Rite of Passage"....an entry into full womanhood. Many Somalians are Muslim. Though the Koran does not say anything about circumcising women it has become a ritual, a tight woven part of their cultural fabric, and basically unwritten law. Women have kept their complaints to themselves until now...it's us 21st century women! We don't take no stuff! As you can imagine this is extremely painful...it involves cutting part or all of the woman's clitoris (filled with nerves like a man's scrotum sack), the surrounding labia, and sometimes includes sewing up the vagina leaving only a minute opening for urine and menstrual. Women in Somalia are often wide awake when having this operation done without medicine or sedatives, held down by females in their family. This pain does not only last after surgery but for a woman's entire life...it makes it hard to urinate, painful to menstruate, painful to have intercourse and often painful/impossible to give birth. Sometimes if the birth of a circumcised woman goes wrong, it can cause uncontrollable leakage of her anal/vagina. For this she will be an outcast in society and her husband and family will abandon her. So with all these negative effects one, especially an American, would wonder well why do they continue to do this?
Again, it is a practice highly esteemed and engrained into their culture. However, today many of the young ladies are questioning why their mothers and grandmothers, knowing how painful of a lifestyle this is, allowed them to get the surgery done anyhow. They feel it is inhumane and just downright painful! What makes the situation worse is that young women are not supposed to speak out against it. One young Somali woman got beat almost to death for speaking to TV documentary programme-makers. Another young Somalian woman out of Britain pleaded with writers not to use her name. How can these women fight back if their societies won't even let them? It's one thing to value tradition, it's another thing to hold up tradition at the expense of a person's health which will cause them a LIFETIME OF PAIN! I can barely imagine. Women go through enough pain menstruating and having babies without being circumcised. I honestly believe as with every other unhealthy tradition, that this one will lessen and fade off with time. Our 20th and 21st century young men and women AIN'T HAVING IT! You better come correct. lol
If you want to read/learn more:
1) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-505796/The-unspeakable-practice-female-circumcision-thats-destroying-young-womens-lives-Britain.html
2) http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/2313097.html
3)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTHGYJ-47h8
4)Documentary "Fire Eyes"

Marriage: A Fantasy Now, LOVE will just have to take the back seat

This weekend was one of the best weekends I have had by far. Peaceful. Relaxing spending time with the one I love...and I wasn't even at a resort. Easter Sunday Tino and I brought along 3 friends and Pastor Tadd Grandstaff preached the best Easter sermon I have heard by far. I cannot say enough how anointed he is! He is full of the Spirit and full of the Word! On Saturday morning, I volunteered to be a "fairy- godmother" for some local high school students for this event called the "Cinderella Project." It was an event to prepare girls for prom and college. At the end they were able to pick out dresses that were donated and there were free prizes all over the place! That evening the volunteers at church had a special service and Communion. The folks that drive us to and from, Will and Leslie Hatten were ordained that night. That is when I realized that God still loves me and he loves me so much that I came this far away from home and he still has put me safe in the hands of the best...not just anyone, but a Pastor.
Anyways, so that was my great weekend squashed into a nutshell, because I have something burning on my heart that I have to share, though I never know who's reading...I hope this may help other young lads going through the same. Ok, so I REALLY WANT TO GET MARRIED, but there are a few...no actually a lot of problems with that. I just can't! Down here, it is much more common to get married at an early age and I see them and they all seem so happy. But unlike most of them, I want to travel and do not plan settling down here for the rest of my life and living with my parents and my parents' parents, etc. In addition, I/WE also do not have the money. There is so much that goes into marriage...I MEAN, FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. We would need money saved up for two cars, a house, bills, etc. (It is a known fact that most marriages end because of financial issues.) We need careers and an independent life. At least this is how society is set up now and this is what the status quo tells us is best...but honestly, they're right. In my emotional, spiritual mind...LOVE CONQUERS ALL AND ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE WITH GOD. Yes, this is true, but "love" alone is not going to put a roof over my head and feed my babies' mouths. I honestly think that young teens who feel they are "in love" don't often think through these things, so I must. They get involved way too quickly and PPPOOOFFFF! A BABY! Now, no marriage, no money...just "LOVE" that usually always fades and the girl is stuck with a baby and her parents, still poor with a mediocre job maybe go back to school, but usually that's about as far as she's gonna get in most circumstances. So I would be a fool to let "love" get in the way and keep me in the depths/borderline of poverty for the rest of my life.
Love is an amazing thing to have and share with another individual, but if young and still in school, without a career and no money, LOVE becomes much more complex.
The sad truth is by the time I do all of this I will be 35 or if I'm fortunate in my late 20s! Now what makes me sad, is I see so many young white gals n boys getting married...but their parents usually have the money and resources to pour into their children. Tino and I are two very poor individuals madly in love, but when the funk hits the fan...LOVE will have to take a back seat. What makes the situation even more saddening is that I cannot go over my dad's parents' house with Tino respectably til I'm married, so what's even more sad is that they will not be seeing me for a long time, or at least like they used to. WHY IS MODERN DAY LIFE SO DIFFICULT?! In a lot of ways it would be much better for me to be single at this point, but my life definitely wouldn't be as fun and enjoyable alone. We are not made to be alone, none of us. In whatever I do I have to make sure I keep God first on the throne of my heart and my education, career, and future second. As a matter of fact, I am married! I am married to Jesus, the King of my heart and HE will give me away when the time is right...at the appointed time. Sigh

My Life In A Nutshell Rapisode

I have a much more positive outlook on my life than this, but keep in mind that this is rap. The very essence of rap is hardcore truth and pain. Enjoy!

Colored Pride: Lost in 2day's Age of Entitlement, Fast and Easy Living

I've started reading "Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored," and man oh man the book gives me such a good feeling. It is a memoir of Clifton L. Taulbert who is from Glen Allan, Mississippi. I love the fact that he lived in a transition period...from segregation to civil rights. He goes from the 1950s to the 1980s. He reflects on how his great-grandfather would take his time to shave his head and face clean every morning, then take a hot towel and rub alcohol on his head and the grease his face and head. He details everything to a tee...the old town, the houses, people sitting on the porch chatting, quiet, loving mothers cooking in the kitchen, and teachers who barely passed 6th or 8th grade, but taught with great passion. Taulbert talks about the transition from one-room shack plantation schools, to brick schools with several rooms, high ceilings and inside bathrooms. The boys had to be trained and constantly reminded to flush the urinals. Upon eighth grade graduation, prom would be cotillion style. The girls would dress up elegantly in hand-made dresses, and boys would pin flowers on their dresses and escort them to the dance and they would dance to colored blues bands...they called it "slow dragging." Taulbert reflected on how his mother would bundle him up in hot clothes even in the warmer months and pack him a lunch full in his tin lunch pale, which the older boys would often steal. The most important to point out, as is the theme of the book...Tualbert was growing up in a time of transition where people went from calling themselves "colored" to calling themselves "black." It's interesting. (I wonder why the change in name).
However, in all of the recounted memories, I pick up a tight-knit love and great pride among coloreds. Every Saturday Taulbert sat up in great anticipation for the ride with great-grandpa, or poppa as he called him, into town to buy frozen custard and hot fresh french bread. Now, sidenote to self: that sounds a whole lot more appetizing then a 5 minute midnight ride to McDonalds. Taulbert mentions that though he would never trade this new era of "freedom" for the segregated south, he will always remember and cherish the love and pride amongst his people that was obvious, felt, and present. This book makes me wish I could go back in time for a few days...to wear a white botton up shirt, with a plaid shirt, my hair in pig tails, my face and legs greased up with a tin lunch box, white laced socks and shiny mary jane shoes. Yes, those times were different...I can tell that simply by reading. I definitely do not think that many coloreds today, or should I say blacks wake up with eager anticipation for what the day may bring and put on their clothes with a great pride and excitement. The majority of us young folks, (not all), do not have that deep love, respect, and understanding for the sacrifices our parents and grandparents have made for us even in the present. Too much freedom, too much access, and too much technology. These now generations...this is all they know. All they know is fast and easy. Do we truly have to work hard for anything anymore? I think the majority of coloreds now have a spirit feel of entitlement. That we are entitled to education and entitled to material riches. But the truth is, "don't nobody owe us nothin!" I realize that it is so important to know your past, wherever you're from and cherish it, because only then can you truly be confident in who you are. We all have rich and unique histories. Here is a quote from the book I love..."It is very difficult to master the present and make a meaningful contribution to the future, if you don't appreciate and understand the past." --Enough said
PS: This book reminds me a lot of the book "The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963." The same pride and intricate details found.

Live From Yazzie Taz Morning Show: Rihanna as Whitney Houston? Meagan Good Engaged to a Preacher Man?

(Talks show radio announcer voice)......GOOD MORNING! Ladies, gents, business men, and lovers! We're commmmiinnngg @ cha LIVE FROM YAZZIE TAZ RADIO STATION IN NORTH CAKKA LAKKIE with your black news for the morning! It is 9 on the dot. lol Rihanna claims she wants to play Whitney Houston in the biographical film of her life! What do you folks think? Is Rihanna really worthy of portraying one of the greatest singers of all time the world has ever known? Well, if Beyonce can play Etta James, then I suppose Rihanna can play Whitney Houston. When ever did pop singers who prance around practically in the nude, began portraying the lives of classic singing ladies such as these? I remember when growing up you saw beautiful classy women playing these roles. Remember Diana Ross playing Billie Holliday in Lady Sings the Blues and what about our fav, Halle Berry playing Dorothy Dandridge, Lynn Whitfield playing Josephine Baker, and Lionel Tate playing Frankie Lyman in Why Do Fools Fall in Love? Those were the days!
Also, Heavy D's reasons behind his death were revealed. Sources say, He died from Pulmonary embolism. Which is caused by a blood clot that forms in the leg and travels up to the lungs and stops blood flow. Lastly, but certainly not least one of Hollywood's most young and beautiful Black Actresses, Meagan Good, is marrying a 7th day adventist preacher. Get this he is an exec for Sony Pictures Entertainment. Talk about living the double life/ best of both worlds! Megan Good in my opinion is a great actress, but they never really got her away from playing the fly, ghetto, hoochie mama, ride or die girlfriend. She has played in movies such as Eve's Bayou (one of the classics), Biker Boys, Stomp the Yard and most recently, Jumping the Broom, Video Girl, and Steve Harvey's Think Like a Man. 


Well....that's all we have for you today folks for your Morning Buzz on the YAZZIE TAZ Show! Waking you up with SOULLLLLL! :) 

THE ONLY WAY TO LIVE...IS TO LAUGH!

Patience is a Virtue

Ok. So I have decided on a BIG PROJECT I am going to pick up for next year, but I am not going to spill the beans just yet. I have a feeling that next year is going to be really loaded for me, but in a good and exciting way. Hhhmmm, maybe double major in Communications and History and minor in Human Services? Human Services is what ScholarCHIPS is anyhow, right? Maybe pick up being a reporter for the Elon news station? To close out this year, I will write a few pieces for the Pendulum. I am really frustrated, because my phone is not working. I need to buy a new one, but Wells Fargo is being so slow in transferring money! Ggeeshh, what's their problem?! lol Also, as a writer I am having a hard time tracking my impact, because I do not get much feedback if any anymore. The next step is increasing my audience, which can be even harder. I have emailed magazines and orgs, but no responses. I'm currently applying for grants for ScholarCHIPS. We are moving our website from a host site to THE REAL DEAL! Progress in any situation definitely calls for a ton of patience...whether it be having a broken cell phone or planning an event to expanding your audience.
I will be just fine though. I dont know if I already told you or not, but this summer I have an internship with PBS! You probably watched PBS cartoons and documentaries growing up and didn't even know it...Sesame Street, Arthur, In Between the Lions, Reading Rainbow...and documentaries like Eyes on the Prize. PBS is the biggest broadcasting station in the US! Im excited. I pray that the floodgates of opportunity will pour open this summer. I certainly need it. I feel like Tyler Perry. So many people and places continuously rejected him and ignored him FOR YEARS, but he never ever ever gave up and look @ him now...whether you love or hate his work, you know who he is don't you? You've heard his name, haven't you? now let me set the record straight...my hunting for opportunities is in no way a pursuit of self-promotion. I simply want to do what I love and touch/transform the lives of people in which I know, through Christ, I have the capacity to do. I want to do things that I love and provide a better, amazing future for my children and family. I do not want to live average. Have a regular 9-5, or even be a multi-micro business person with 50 different titles. I want to do one big thing and do it awesome and do it like no one else! I want to serve unreached, unserved communities. And bring people out of low self-esteem, suicidal mindsets....
The passion burns so bad it almost kills me. I just know that in whatever way my breakthrough comes, it will come from God and God alone. I want to take my grandma on cruises whenever I want and own timeshares on beach fronts and bank accounts on islands just like the other rich folks riding around here. I want to give big tithe checks to my church and travel on mission trips and have a fabulous wedding. I know it will come in time. I have too high of expectations for my life, from my awesome God, and for my children! Patience is truly a virtue, I have yet to fully grasp.
PS: I have taken to listening to SMOOTH JAZZ on PANDORA. I LOVE IT! Smooth Jazz really clams my spirit and makes me feel like I'm Flying. lol it helps me to sort my thoughts and be positive. It always reminds me of those late night car rides on the highway when it's raining, with my eyes closed in the back seat listening to that smmmmmmooooottthhh jjjaaazzzz! oh yeah!

From Rwanda's Genocide to Homosexuality in the Church: There is Healing Oil

     Well, my freshman year is coming to a close. It was a fun run, and a growing experience. Right now, I am enjoying this time in my college life. As you know I only have two classes, and I have a lot more time to read (for my own personal interest), to think, to learn about events and issues outside of my small little bubble of Elon, religion, etc. To add to my time, my phone broke the other day so I do not have the stress of constantly checking my phone, calling, returning calls and/or texts. It's actually a weirdly nice relief. Anyways, I just watched the movie "Once Upon a Time, When We Were Colored." You can imagine what the movie was about (Im about to read the book), but I enjoyed it so much, aside from the fact it had so many great actors in it, because it showed the great hope and joy we found in the Lord and each other back in the day. Though things were tough--hardly any clothes, not much food, not much money, we took great pride in our education, our churches, and our boxer Joe Louis:) It was a celebratory movie!
    I also watched a PBS documentary called "Ghosts of Rwanda." It was very informative about the genocide in Rwanda and told the sad, yet apparent truth about how the British and Americans alike evacuated all the whites and wanted nothing to do with it at all. The only White American who stayed in Rwanda after the evacuation was an adventist named Carl Wilkins (who wrote "I'm Not Leaving," which I also plan to read). The UN here in the US refrained from calling it a genocide, because if it called it that, the UN would be required to take action and send peace troops. This definition of genocide and requirement to act anywhere in the world a genocide takes place was a result of the Holocaust. How could it be denied that there was a Holocaust in Rwanda if in only 100 days,   800,000 + innocent Rwandan civilians were slaughtered? American gov's honest reaction to events such as this is, "We will only participate it it is of interest/benefit to the US." A gov. official @ the time said, "We [Americans] do not have friends, we only have interests." This is a crying shame, but apparently, its the name of the game.
     I also just finished a book tonight called "The Church's Official Response to the Epidemic of DownLow Living in the Church: Straight Up," by Pastor Michael Stevens who is in fact not far from me @ Elon, pastoring University City Church in Charlotte, NC. It talked about a topic Black churches so often overlook. There are so many black men in the church struggling with their sexuality and Pastor Michael constantly poses the questions "Do we have healing oil for these men?" The answer is YES! But churches have to be willing and open to believing that God can deliver these men back to His original purpose for them. In the beginning God created man and then created a women for the man. Pastor Stevens elaborates on the fact that many now have convinced themselves that homosexuality is a "gene" or strictly a "mind thing," when it is without a doubt a "spiritual/soul thing." The church must not be condemning, but honest about this issue sticking to what the scriptures say and these men must be transparent with themselves as well as the strong, manly, men in leadership in the church about their problems. I know you are wondering...Yasmine, why are you reading this? Why are you concerned? Well, 1) I am faithful, and strong in my Christian faith, 2) Like pastor Stevens, I notice this is a problem that is only manifesting...with many churches recently ordaining gay marriages and even further supporting laws that grant equal rights to these marriages. How can a church possibly ordain an act that is obviously hated and despised by God? It is not His will that these men be condemned, but that they be saved from their twisted mentalities and returned to the original purpose of headship the Lord originally created men for. In relation to me...Lastly, yes I am a Black unmarried Christian female and this trend among men concerns me and a lot of this behavior is actually learned in jail, where my father was for so many years. Perhaps delving into this issue will help me one day transform the lives of confused men (and women) and broken marriages when I step into the ministry God has called me to.
I plan to continue to read more on this issue and other forms of deception in the church, as well as Black history in America, and African history (on the continent) primarily. There is this book I plan to purchase called "Crooks and Homos in the Pulpit." There is a movie grandma brought to my attention coming out soon called "The UnderShepherd"that addresses such issues. In these last few years, many pastors have been exposed for their hypocritical behavior and homosexual activities specifically. It is long overdue that we began to peel back the layers and discover the root of the issue and cease concealing them. How are we to truly be or claim we are set apart and the light of the world and the salt of the earth and a peculiar people and the seeds of Abraham, if the world is seeing us do these things? I am well aware that events such as genocides even down to the issue of downlow living in the church are all of spiritual warfare. These issues are not of God, but are man-made, manifested from the devil himself. I heard the quote in Sunday school today..."THIS generation of saints, is accountable for THIS generation of souls." I have grown so much since last year in a number of ways. There is no turning back for me...WHAT A BLESSING IT IS TO BE YOUNG, BLACK AND BEAUTIFUL...IN COLLEGE! :)