Confessions of a Candegirl: 2011

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Old Folk

So this was the last VLOG I recorded before I went on what feels like eternal break from the blog. Just editing this video is a sure sign I am coming back to my little blog :-).

Musical Inspiration
Song: Wind Beneath My Wings Instrumental
Artist: Unknown

Peace and Love Candegirl

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Confessions of a Candegirl: When Racism Attacks

Hello,

I will not be speaking on this post much, but I am sharing the story of my god-daughter and her mother. Please read and share.

Update to the story as of 4pm on 8/3: Fox 2 News and Channel 4 WDIV both came to interview the family.

In the words of my friend and mother of the little girl....

"On August 2nd, My husband, daughter, and I were leaving the AMC 20 Livonia theatre after seeing The Smurfs 3D movie. While walking to our car a truck with 2-3 white males pulled up and threw liquids of some kind in my daughter's face. The yelled out "Monkey and Baboons" while making monkey sounds and then quickly drove away. We did not get the license plate as we were still in shock. My daughter begin to cry, and asked "Why did they do this to me?". We drove home still in disbelief and anger. We called the movie theatre and receive little compassion from the theatre's manager. They advised us to contact the police to make a police report. We went to the Livonia police station and made a report. We were told that the movie theater has survilence video but the person that operates the video is on vacation until August 10th, so nothing can be done before then. We strongly believe that there has to be someone else that can operate the video in this person's absence. Please help my family get to the bottom of this. My daughter did not deserve this treatment and is still questioning why this happened to her and I dont have an answer for her. I have contacted all three local news stations and I am waiting a reply. There are some things that I will let slide but what happened to Saniya on yesterday is not one of them."

Peace and Love Candegirl

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Candegirl Dates: A Lot Like Cheers

Musical Inspiration
Artist: Portnoy
Songs: Where Everybody Knows Your Name

Peace and Love Candegirl

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Choose Your Drink Carefully....MAN!

Musical Inspiration
Artist: Busta Rhymes
Song: Pass the Courvoisier

Peace and Love Candegirl

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Candegirl Dates: Let's Skip To Date Two

Musical Inspiration
Artist: Luther Vandorss
Song: Can I Take You Out

Peace and Love Candegirl

Monday, May 16, 2011

The World Cometh To An End

Musical Inspirtation
Artist: Prince
Song: 1999

Peace and Love Candegirl

Sunday, May 15, 2011

30 is the new 30

30 is the new 30 from cfortman on Vimeo.

Musical Inspiration
Artist: Nas (oh the irony)
Song: Can't Forget About You

Peace and Love Candegirl

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Candegirl Dates: WHERE IS HE!

Musical Inspiration
Artist: India Arie
Song: I Am Ready for Love (live)

Peace and Love Candegirl

Monday, May 9, 2011

Candegirl Dates: A Tale of Two Guys

Musical Inspiration
Artist: Full Force
Song: Ain't My Type of Hype

Peace and Love Candegirl

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Social Media Blues

Untitled from cfortman on Vimeo.

Musical Inspiration

Artist: De La Soul 

Song: Stakes is High 

Peace and Love Candegirl

Monday, February 21, 2011

Humble Meter: Stripper vs. Physicist

Musical Inspiration
Artist: T-Pain
Song: I'm In Love With a Stripper

Peace and Love Candegirl

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Church Review Dot Com

Musical Inspiration
Artist: Miles Davis and John Coltrane
Song: So What

Peace and Love Candegirl

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Learning to Love You Naturally: The True Gift of Black History Month

Shortly after I cut my hair....

As I stood in the mirror looking at myself, tears streaming down my face, I thought for a half of a second with intense panic, what did I just do? It is the day I cut the last of the relaxer from my hair and was left with just me. A tiny little afro was all that remained of the girl I once knew. Changing your hair can be dramatic no matter what the method, from a cut to color it can alter how you see yourself through your own eyes and the eyes of others. So cutting my hair and being left with this hair I had been running from since I was eight was in fact one of the most significant moments of my life. In that moment I decided to do what was best for me. To celebrate what was already mine and to announce that love to the world in my everyday journey.

Black History feels to me much like that hair cut. It's a time of reflection. You sit there, often with tears thinking how did we get here, how did we survive and how will we survive. As you begin to look harder, read more, listen more you learn that survival was and is natural. It was already there and it already lives inside of you. You learn how to love yourself more by simply embracing what was given to you as a birth right. When you no longer need to hide or cover up who you are at your basic form, you walk with an amazing light around you. I can imagine for many of our great black leaders there was a moment for them when they decided holding back was no longer an option and that being who they were naturally...INTELLIGENT...TALENTED and BLACK...was the only way they could truly be free. Freedom can't be given to you. You have to claim it for yourself.

So this month as I celebrate a great people, I also celebrate the freeing of my coils. This hair taught me in seconds what life couldn't truly get across to me in years. What I was given when I landed on this Earth is beautiful...the hair, the skin the history. It is mine to celebrate and mine to define.