LizzLoves Janelle Monaé on Essence’s Cover April 9, 2013

Photo courtesy of Essence

If you haven’t peeped it yet, you HAVE to see this month’s Essence cover girl…the super-talented singer, Janelle Monaé. As a fan for about 4 years now, it’s been so great for me to see such an incredible artist getting the shine she deserves.

I’ve never read any press on her before, so I was intrigued to learn more about her in the article by Lola Ogunnaike in the May 2013 issue. I was delighted by Janelle’s quirkiness and creativity, but also by her grace and humility. It was also refreshing to hear how she sees her fame as an opportunity to share a positive message with young women and girls.

One thing you may notice about Ms. Monaé is her unique sense of style. She rocks strictly black and white, mostly in the form of suits or cleverly coupled pants and blouses. “I’ve never wanted to look like anybody else. I made a decision to be unique and now it’s part of my DNA,” she says. Her sharp look aside, this style is more than a fashion choice. She sees the way she presents herself as conscious decision. She wants to:

 ”…redefine what it means to be sexy and what it means to be a woman. Showing my skin is not what makes me sexy. I like skirts and dresses just like everyone else, but I had a message I needed to put out there. It was up to me to show people and young girls there was another way.”

She says that her next album, Electric Lady, is a very personal work. With the authenticity, Monaé also sees her music as an opportunity to flex the power and influence of being yourself and sticking to your beliefs:

“You’ve got to do the hard work, do and say the things that you aren’t seeing [and hearing]. If there isn’t a voice for young African-American women with your same morals and values, then you have to do it.”

Thank you, Janelle, for being an original and providing a positive role model for young women!

LizzLoves Kangu April 4, 2013

Think about the last time you made a donation to a charity. What motivated you to reach for your credit card? For me, I have to feel like I’m part of something, of effecting change, in very personal way. One of my new favorite charities for that type of buy-in is Kangu.

This nonprofit uses a combination of old school (i.e. Save the Children) and new school (crowdfunding) tools to support women in developing countries to have pregnancies, births and newborn babies that are safe and healthy. According to Kangu’s site, “It has been shown that 80% of maternal mortality can be avoided if a woman is given access to the basic healthcare services our partners offer.”

Founders Casey Santiago and Tricia Morente (both Columbia Business School MBAs and grads of the Masters program for International Affairs at Columbia), designed this program to allow donors to have a tangible and more intimate connection with the women they are supporting. The way it works is:

1. You search Kangu’s collection of mothers from across the globe who need help to find the “mama” you want to fund.
2. Once you choose her, you begin to make monthly contributions to fund her safe pregnancy by giving her quality healthcare.
3. Your contribution ensures the chance for a safe birth for her baby

I love that Kangu’s team is not only making efforts to solve this issue, but also that they discovered an innovative way to engage their donors/supporters in a uniquely personal way. I look forward to finding a “mama” to connect with so that she can experience the joy and security of having a healthy pregnancy and future child.

LizzLoves Tiny B-Girl Win March 5, 2013

Just a quick post because I couldn’t resist. This spunky little girl dances her way to victory at this breakdancing competition in Europe. We should all take a page from her book…what confidence, passion, and joy! Go ahead lil’ mama!

LizzLoves Latino Reading for Youth December 10, 2012

A week ago, an article was released in The New York Times that hit home for me. The piece confirmed the sinking feeling I had been having when I looked at the current literary landscape: Latino students are not seeing enough leading characters in the books they read that look, sound and act like them.

 

Despite the ever-growing Latino population in our country, we are still seeing a majority of white characters in main character roles in books that our young people are reading. Some might say, so what—reading is reading, right? Others might argue, why should it matter if characters are Latino or multi-ethnic?

 

Jane Fleming, an assistant professor at the Erikson Institute, a graduate school in early childhood development in Chicago, told The New York Times, “Kids do have a different kind of connection when they see a character that looks like them or they experience a plot or a theme that relates to something they’ve experienced in their lives.” And that connection leads to an engaging learning experience.

 

And while this article does address the derth in Latino characters, it also highlights a few authors who are dedicated to giving Latino characters leading roles in their writing, like Pat Muñoz Ryan, Julia Alvarez, Gary Soto, and Alma Flor Ada. And I would personally like to add two others, Malín Alegria and Sofia Quintero, who both create relatable and real teenage Latino characters in their young adult novels.

 

The Times article also points out the importance of creating characters and stories about Latinos in everyday life, not just around holidays like Cinco de Mayo. “It should be as natural reading about these characters as white characters,” Julia Alvarez told the Times.

 

I’m personally very thankful to authors who are already making efforts to organically weave Latinos into their tomes. I smile when I can picture myself, and someday, my children in their stories. I will do my best to support them, and I hope you will, too. And for those of you who are thinking about writing the “great American novel,” remember that Latinos are an important thread in the fabric of our nation’s culture.

 

So this holiday, give the gift of reading to the young people in your life and support Latino authors, who are featuring young Latinos in their works, at the same time. A quick tip for an easy and fun way to find some of them: visit Latino bookstore, La Casa Azul in El Barrio, where you can find an amazing collection of Latino literature, from the classics to up-and-coming voices. Owner Aurora Anaya-Cerda joyfully brings her passion for Latino literature to NYC’s most famous Latino neighborhood.

 

LizzLoves Cook For Your Life November 26, 2012

As I feasted on my 3rd installment of Thanksgiving leftovers tonight, I was thankful for the mix of flavors, from the tangy sweetness of cranberry sauce to the salty, peppery meat stuffing. This year, however, I had to be extra grateful for something simple: the ability to taste.

Lately, taste and the ability to enjoy food has been on my mind a lot. As a bit of a foodie, I can’t imagine what it would be like to suddenly lose my sense of taste or to not be excited about a delicious meal. Unfortunately, that’s what my very best friend in the world, who is fighting breast cancer, has been going through. As if chemotherapy didn’t already suck, one of the crappy side effects can be a loss or change in your ability to taste. Imagine having a strong craving and then when you get that supposedly yummy item…it tastes weird, awful, or worse, like nothing?

Well, Ann Ogden, founder of the nonprofit, Cook For Your Life, knows a lot about how that feels. As a cook, Ann loves food, but as a two-time cancer survivor, she also knows what it’s like to have chemo give your taste buds a one-two punch. As she told DailyWorth, “After recovering from treatment, I started to crave hot, spicy foods to knock the taste of chemo out of my mouth: Indian, Korean, Mexican.”

So, Ann found healthy and delicious ways to work with her struggling taste buds during chemo. But that wasn’t enough. She realized that there must be people everywhere who shared a need for this culinary comfort, and she wanted to pass it on. Ann left behind a career in the fashion industry to launch her site, Cook For Your Life, which teaches healthy cooking to people touched by cancer. The recipe search gives options for people who are going through chemotherapy and radiation, and even gives some food remedies for combatting symptoms like nausea and fatigue.

I hope that I can visit my friend again soon so we can cook up something from the Cook For Your Life collection together. Thank you, Ann Ogden, for spreading your knowledge, love and compassion for your fellow fighters and survivors!

LizzLoves Saudi Women to Compete in 2012 Olympics July 13, 2012

Photo courtesy of CSM

Today history was made: for the first time ever, Saudi Arabia will be sending female athletes to the Olympics. Hooray!

 

I can’t imagine how excited the two women must be! Judo competitor Wodjan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani and runner Sarah Attar will not only be representing their homeland, but they will be breaking ground for all of their Saudi sisters who have Olympic dreams.

 

If that weren’t enough, Qatar and Brunei will also be sending women to the Olympics for the first time as well!

 

Read the details in this Christian Science Monitor article.

 

Now that’s what I call a way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Title IX!

LizzLoves USAID’s “Why Invest In Women” Infographic June 13, 2012

With so many people in need across the globe, and you consider pitching in to effect change, you might often ask yourself,

• Who needs the most help?
• Where can I focus my efforts?
• What community can benefit most from my contribution?

Well, there are many answers to that question, but USAID offers one answer by using an infographic to show you what kind of impact can be made when you invest in women. The infographic, called “Why Invest In Women?,” includes facts about infant mortality, education, HIV, agriculture and leadership in politics.

Click here for the full infographic, “Why Invest In Women?”