Good morning fly girls!

Check out Jada Grace’s new song- Run Dat Back

Name: Kelly Hernandez

Age:  12

City: Nashville

Grade: 7th

What is your dream job and why?   

My dream job is  to be an Artist.  I really love creating!

Which hobbies do you enjoy?     

My favorite hobbies are painting & reading.

Who is your biggest crush?   

Tyler Perry

What’s your favorite song to jam to right now?   

    “Oath” by Cher Lloyd

If you could change one thing about the world, what would that be? 

  If I could change one thing in the worl

What does empowerment mean to you?     

Empowerment means believing yourself & being true to yourself.

What are your plans after high school?           

My plans are to attend Vanderbilt University!

How have your helped someone in your life lately?   

I listen and try to give solutions

Who is your role model and why?    

  I’m still in search of my role model.

Civic duty – n. the responsibilities of a citizen

Where does our civic responsibility begin? What is required of us just based on being a citizen of the world? How much concern should we show for our fellow citizens? How much should we allow to go on around us without taking any action? How close does the offense have to be to you before you deem it necessary for you to respond to it? Will you call 911 if you see someone being assaulted on the streets? Will you speak up for the student who is constantly bullied at school? If your friend is about to do something morally wrong or illegal, would you try to stop them? What if there is a problem plaguing your community, would you take steps to solve it?

There’s a show called What Would You Do? that comes on ABC. It’s a hidden camera show that sets up different scenarios to see how people will react. On one episode, they set up a situation where a little girl was getting abducted. It was the middle of the day on a fairly busy street. A man was struggling with a little girl, and she was screaming, “Somebody help! You’re not my dad!” It took hours before someone tried to help the seven-year-old girl. I was stunned. How detached are we from each other that we can see a little girl who could possibly be in serious trouble and not do anything? I’m not saying that they should have tried to physically stop the man, but at least they could have called the police. I know that we don’t always know what the situation is and that little girl could have just been a child defying her parent, but I believe it is better to be safe than sorry. Call the police and let them sort it out. When the show’s host interviewed the people who just kept walking, most of them said that they thought someone else would do something. That’s probably how a lot of us feel about the ills that we see every day.

The problem with the idea that someone else will do something is that nothing ever gets done. I know that we don’t have the time to take up EVERY cause, but I challenge you to decide on at least one thing that you would like to change and start taking steps to change it. Sometimes, trying to make any kind of change can seem like a daunting task, but just start with baby steps. As with any long journey, it starts with a single step. Once you take that initial step, the others will become easier, and before you know it, you will be well on your way to accomplishing something great.

How many things do you see or hear every day that bother you? Whatever your answer to that question is the number of opportunities that you have to improve the world around you. Of the things that trouble you, what upsets you the most? This could be where you should direct your energy because it is possibly something that you are passionate about, and when the road gets tough, it’s easier to fight for something that you care deeply about versus some arbitrary cause. Now that you’ve chosen a cause to take up, are you part of the problem? If so, the first change you need to make is within yourself. Doing this can make a huge impact on those around you because it gives you and your cause so much more credibility. I think we’ve all encountered people telling us how to live our lives, but not practicing what they preach. This makes their admonitions less affective because they don’t even believe enough in what they’re saying to take their own advice. When people see that you believe something so strongly that it changes you, they will take note.

So, I ask you again, where does your civic responsibility begin? How much nonsense are you willing to allow to go on around you without doing anything about it? Does something have to “hit close to home” before you decide it requires your attention? Whatever the case may be, when all of the factors fall into place and you decide that something needs to be done, will you step up and do it?

-Tiffany Vicks

“Don’t accept less than what it is that you know that you want. Don’t allow someone to be a jerk. Don’t allow someone to disrespect you. Listen to the bigger voice in your head telling you that you deserve the best, whatever that is whatever that is you decide you like for yourself. It may differ from what I like or what is ideal for me. But the bottom line is to never accept less than what you know you deserve.” -Kimora Lee Simmons

“Anything a guy can do a girl can do better…except being stupid.” -Kimora Lee Simmons

“Life is a series of adjustments; You can make changes along the way, but if you don’t start moving forward you’ll never get anywhere!” -Kimora Lee Smmons

Good morning, girls!

So you constantly hear about all the problems and violence in the world and automatically assume that your voice doesn’t matter, right? Wrong!

Bryan Cross, 28 year-old South Side native,  was fed up with the crisis of gun violence in Chicago and decided to make his voice heard.

He posted a photo of himself with the caption “Angry Because Over 500 Youth Were Murdered in Chicago.” Seemingly overnight, Facebook and Instagram users were flooding his inbox asking that he make one for them.

And just like that, an online anti-violence movement was born: the 500 Campaign.

From NBC Chicago:

He’s had fairly steady requests over the past couple of weeks, but when 6-month-old Jonylah Watkins was fatally shot on Monday, the requests started coming in fast and furious.

He’s edited hundreds of photos for his followers, who in turn are spreading the message on their own social media networks.

“There’s a depression out here, people are wondering what they can do,” Cross said. “I wanted to get people worked up so they at least feel like there’s something they can do to address the violence.”

Bryan is hoping to stage an anti-violence rally downtown sometime this summer.

Learn more about the 500 Campaign at its Facebook page HERE

SUPPORT THE 500 CAMPAIGN!

How will YOU use your voice to make a change?

SPEAK OUT!

Good morning Fly Girls!

It’s time to kick off your morning right with Tuesday Tunes! Check out cutie Trevor Jackson’s new song “Like We Grown”

Enjoy!

Acting, singing & dancing, are just a few of the talents Jaida-Iman Benjamin has to offer to the world! This triple threat is the perfect combo of fresh talent, ultimate drive & undeniable beauty! From being featured on TNT’s hit show Southland to acting on Disney Channel’s Austin & Ally, there is nothing that this young star on the rise isn’t able to accomplish. The LA based teen actress, is on the road of accomplishing her dreams & motivating girls as she is doing it!

Let’s get to know Jaida-Iman Benjmain a little better…

Being young and having responsibilities can sometimes get to be a bit overwhelming, how do you regroup and motivate yourself when you’re feeling a little defeated?

How I regroup and motivate myself when I’m feeling a little defeated is by remembering how blessed I am to had come so far. I believe God has a strategic plan for everyone and a lot of times just because things don’t go the way WE want it to go, we get angry. But remembering that there is a plan for me and everything happens for a reason, regroups my mentality.

You often see me refer to The Knowledge Bank’s Four Core Values of sound money management which are Work, Budget, Save and Give. In most of my writings and workshops, the middle two values, “Budget” and “Save”, get most of the attention, but today I finally have an opportunity to focus on the core value “Work.” Did you know that many females struggle balancing their careers and personal life while battling issues like salary inequality and corporate discrimination? According to Bloomberg Businessweek, women make 82% of what men make. In addition, women often have many internal battles about whether or not they are capable of fulfilling their womanly duties while working a fulltime job. The relationship between women and their careers is more comparable to algebra than to arithmetic. There are many factors that females must consider as they prioritize the value of working in their lives. The struggle hit mainstream media outlets a couple weeks ago with the announcement by Yahoo CEO, Marissa Mayer that the company would ban telecommuting, which allows people to work from home as opposed to driving into the office.  Telecommuting is convenient for women because it allows them to balance their commitments at home with their commitments at work. Pair the controversial decision at Yahoo with the release of “Lean In”, the book by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, the first half of March has been an awakening of the feminist movement. So what’s the problem?

“Lean In” is Sandberg’s personal testimony about how she climbed the corporate ladder and how she overcame the personal insecurities of being a woman in the male-dominated tech industry. Mayer and Sandberg, being executives at two of the most recognizable companies in America, have the platform to address the issues of inequality and discrimination against women in corporate America, but many critics feel that the two have not used their positions to the benefit of the plight of women. Critics believe that Mayer set, not only women, but corporate culture back 10 years by banning telecommuting. Sandberg is criticized for almost suggesting that women’s perceived inferiority in the workplace is because of their lack of effort and focus. I bet you never thought working could be so complicated past the normal strains of the job itself. But don’t fret. I’m going to give you some advice that should alleviate some of the pressure that females face as they make tough personal and career decisions.

Much of the drama related to the issues above relate to the predetermined notions of what women should be and what women should do once they get in positions of power. It’s nothing but adult peer pressure. You deal with adult peer pressure the same ways you deal with peer pressure as a child. Know who you are, be true to yourself and make your own choices. Set goals and identify your likes and dislikes. Figure out how your career aspirations affect the goals you have set for your personal life. Some women are ok with working 40 hours a week and not having a husband or kids. Some women are ok with working 40 hours a week with a husband and kids, relying on outside help from family members or nannies to assist with the duties at home. Some women don’t want to work at all and allow their husbands to support the family financially. All three of these scenarios are acceptable on the condition that they align with your personal values. Don’t ever let anyone affect your ability to make your paper. If it’s legit and admirable, keep putting in “Work” because budgeting, saving and giving can’t happen on their own.

-C.Hale
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I’m not one of those people who is always in and out of relationships, but when I am in one I try to make it work. Oftentimes, making a relationship work requires some hard work by the individuals in it. Being selfless by compromising and remembering to have the other person’s best interests at heart can sometimes be hard to do. Choosing to tell the hard truth instead of the easy lie can also be a tough task, but maintaining open and honest communication is paramount in making a relationship work. All of those things can be difficult, but what I have the most trouble with is deciding when the relationship is no longer worth the trouble of trying to make it work.

I know that I write these articles to give you advice based on my experiences, but the best advice that I can give you in this situation is that no one else can really tell you when to tap out of your relationship. They can’t  tell you because they don’t know your situation like you do. Figuring out when to walk away from someone you care about means deciding when the  rewards are no longer worth the effort required, and an outside party isn’t really qualified to make that decision for you. What friends and family will be able tell you are the changes they see in you that may be due to your relationship. When you’re all in love and everything is great, people can see it. The same goes for when things are stressful and tense, so if someone that knows you well mentions that you seem a little off your game, you should take note. You should also pay attention to how you feel about your relationship. If you feel optimistic about things in spite of any problems that the two of you are having, chances are there is still a possibility that things can work. On the other hand, if every time you even think about your partner you just feel exhausted, or you don’t want to tell them things because you know it will cause a huge fight, things may be heading south. Another important piece of the puzzle is understanding how your mate feels about you and what you have together. It doesn’t matter how committed you may be to working things out, if he doesn’t feel the same, you’re just wasting your time.

The most important thing that you need to remember when pondering the fate of your relationship is that there will be good times and bad time. Through it all you should feel like you aren’t in it alone, you aren’t fighting for it by yourself, and no matter what, you know that things will get better between you.  If those things aren’t true, you may be reaching the point where trying to salvage things isn’t worth the effort. If and when you get to that point, you’ve got to be willing to walk away and know that you did the right thing.

-Tiffany Vicks

“Keep working hard and you can get anything that you want.” -Aaliyah

“I stay true to myself and my style, and I am always pushing myself to be aware of that and be original.”
-Aaliyah

“You have to love what you do to want to do it everyday.” -Aaliyah