happy mlk day!!!

happy new year!!!

evangeline moore lives in the dc area

Who is Evangeline Moore? She is the daughter of Harriette Moore & Harry Moore, two courageous individuals who fought for civil rights and justice in Florida in the 1940s and early 1950s. I first learned about the Moores in a beautiful and haunting song by Sweet Honey in the Rock.  Based on Langston Hughes' poem, "Ballad of Harry Moore." 

I continue to be enamored of and stunned by the love and commitment that the Moores displayed as leaders and activists.  In the face of very real terror.

The Washington Post posted a story yesterday about Evangeline Moore and how she continues to be haunted by the fact that the individual(s) who bombed her parents' home on Christmas night in 1951 was never found.  (Her father died on the way to the hospital and her mother 9 days later.) The case was recently closed by the Justice Department.  Read it here.

Evangeline Moore is 81 years old.  I hope that she is able to attain a sense of peace by learning, after  60 years, who murdered her parents. 

transpositional pun contest redux

i know you are all still giddy from the transpositional pun contest i did back in march 2010. (just learned that when you google transpositional pun contest my posts are the 2nd, 3rd & 4th entries!)

well, i've returned to it because i saw a bumper sticker that was priceless:

a rind is a terrible thing to waste
COMPOST

not only because it's a play on the UNCF motto, but also because it dovetails so nicely with Kelly Quinn's winning entry.

enjoy!

social justice & advice columns

Martin Luther King, Jr. (uploaded from TheRoot.com)

are there any other combinations that could be more incongruous?  yet, they are two of my favorite things!  i am committed to living ethically and fighting for social justice.  and i love advice columns.  (i feel like i should stand up as though at an advice column readers anonymous meeting.)

so you know that i was absolutely undone when i read that Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote an advice column for Ebony magazine from 1957-1958.  so this was post-Montgomery Bus Boycott, people. incredible!

the column was titled "Advice for Living," and from the few snippets i've read, it adheres to the advice column style that we know. people were writing in for advice about love, relationships, etc.  and King's answers range from spot-on, hilarious to unfortunate.

so, of course, my "big idea" wheels are churning and i'm wondering whether radical politics and advice-giving could be made congruous.

hmmm.  so what might that look like?

dear marya:  i'm part of the 99% and have been active in the occupy movement.  we have been getting donations from restaurants and most of the food isn't vegan.  yet, i am.  i don't know whether to fast, sneak out to cafe green and spend $20+ on a delicious meal or just be grateful for what's been given with love and eat it. signed hungry and vegan everyday

dear have:  first, i want to commend you for being part of the 99% and doing your part to bring forth a more equitable world.  i feel your (hunger) pain(s).  i have also thought about joining occupy dc for a weekend and i stop myself because of my concern about what the hell i would eat.  on the one hand, you want to stay true to your personal ethics and your commitment to ending factory farming in the u.s.  at the same time, you understand that sharing food is an important part of being communal and that there is serious disparity in food access and you don't want to contribute to a 1% food culture.  so what to do?  first, accept that there is no one right answer.  second, that whatever you decide is ok.  i would also talk to the food coordinator and reach out to local groups, including food not bombs, vsdc and cok for donations and suggestions.

what's your verdict?  congruous or incongruous?

Howard University & Environmental Defense Fund

Howard University and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) are partnering on an environmental leadership initiative.  The goals of the partnership are to "provide unprecedented educational and career opportunities for Howard University students, while providing diverse and premiere academic candidates to EDF and the greater environmental community."

A dedicated group of students, faculty and staff at Howard have been committed to making their university a sustainability standout.  This partnership should be an excellent step toward creating a strong sustainability infrastructure. 


Highlights of the partnership, which are still being worked out, include developing "green" curricula and creating internship and fellowship opportunities @EDF.  In addition, EDF will collaborate on a "practical energy efficiency investment plan for the university."


Read these press releases from Howard University and EDF.

zimride expands

Zimride, a ride-sharing program for individuals who want to carpool with others, is now expanding.  Initially a network system for universities and corporations, it is now open to all.

You can offer a ride and request a ride.  It seems to be primarily based on the west coast.  Hopefully, with the expansion, it will be available throughout the U.S. soon.

check out Zimride here.