Black History Month & Dancing in the White House!

This February 2016 has proven to be the best Black History Month ever to me. Beyonce' decided to turn the world upside down in a matter of 48 hours with her release of her new song Formation, her Super Bowl halftime performance and the launch of her Formation tour. The Queen Bey's Super Bowl half-time performance ruffled a lot of feathers when she and her dancers were decked out in all black and sporting berets. This performance actually led into the PBS special "The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution" which celebrates their 50th anniversary. If you have not seen it yet, please check it out here. A lot of programs that The Panthers initiated for our communities are still in use today by our government.

The one highlight of this month (so far; we still have a few days left) has been Mrs. Virginia McLaurin. Mrs. Virginia got a chance to visit the White House and meet President and First Lady Obama during their annual Black History Month Celebration and she was beyond thrilled.

You see Mrs. Virginia is 106 years old (she turns 107 March 12)!! She has lived through 2 world wars, the Great Depression, the Civil Rights movement and so much more. For her to see and meet and touch America's first black President and First Lady brought her so much joy that she started dancing. When I saw the video the White House posted, it brought me so much joy. She has seen so much in her 106 years and to actually see the manifestation of everything that blacks have fought for in the United States has got to be a freeing feeling for her. I pray that I am blessed enough to see at least 100 (because 99 and a half won't do) and to see what other breakthroughs that African Americans are able to accomplish.

National Drink Wine Day!

Today is National Drink Wine Day (who comes up with these holidays)! Let me share with you one of my favorite wines.

I discovered this wine last year when I was out with friends at a wine tasting. We were really just there to drink and the manager of the wine shop took a special liking to us. He showed us a couple of other wines and this one was the last one he showed us. This wasn't one he had on the list specifically for the tasting, but he did have a couple of bottles left in the shop he from a previous order he wanted to move off of his inventory. When we tasted it, we fell in love! Its a semi-sweet red wine that isn't too strong, with a wonderful berry flavor.  None of us are really red wine drinkers, but this one was a hit. We all ended up ordering 2 bottles each before we left the wine shop. And for less than $20 per bottle, its a great wine option for dinner with your main squeeze or a night hanging with the girls.

Stella Rosa has so many different wines in their collection. Check out their collection and where you can purchase locally at www.stellarosawines.com.

Making Financially Smart Decisions

This time of year, a lot of people are hitting the temporary jackpot...W-2's have dropped and tax refunds are being deposited. If you are fortunate enough to get a refund, you have a little (or a lot) of extra change in your pocket. The question is what to do with this money? The first option is usually ball out until you fall out. New shoes and clothes, new hair, eating at all the fancy restaurants, nice trips out of town. Blowing through all of it and have nothing to show for it by the end of the month is not the best idea. There is nothing wrong with treating yourself to a little something here and there. But here are some beneficial ways to make your tax refund check work for you.

1. Invest in yourself

Are you working a dead end job you hate? Are you tired of living paycheck to paycheck and borrowing money just to make it through the month? Use your refund and increase your skill set. Take a couple of continuing education classes. Enroll in a certificate or degree program at your local community college. Increasing your marketable skills will increase your job opportunities which will increase your income in the long run.

2. Pay off your debts

If you are getting a enough money back from your tax refund, another option can be paying off or down any debts you have hanging over your head. Are you paying debts that have interest rates attached to them? The interest rates are making the company you are paying richer and you poorer, Give them a call and see what the pay off amount is. Usually the pay off amount is way less than what you would pay if you continue paying in installments. If you can't pay off the entire amount, at least put a good chunk towards so that you can pay them off faster. If you are paying month to month for your car insurance, call them to see how much it would be to pay it for 6 months or for the year. Most insurance companies give you a discount for paying it all at one time versus in month to month installments. 

3. Save your money

There is nothing wrong with spending a few dollars on yourself, You work hard and you deserve to have something nice for yourself. But what if something happens in the next 3 months after your tax refund money is long gone? You need major car repairs or emergency home repairs or medical expenses. Where will the money come from? Put some of your tax refund money (half would be perfect) in a savings account. Don't touch the money unless you absolutely have to. One trick for saving I learned is to open an account at another bank. The checkbook and debit card that is associated with that account stays in a safe place out of my purse so that I am not tempted to use it. You can also look into opening CD's (certificate of deposits) at your local bank. That way your money will make money for you while just sitting. You can roll your CD over year to year and when you want to use if for buying a home or sending you kids off to college, you have a nice little nest egg to use.

As black women, we have to be smart about using our money. When I was younger, I blew through some money. And as I look back, I can see where I could have made better investments. As I have matured, I don't mind passing on the tricks that I have learned over the years to make my money work better for me.

Check Your Circle

I have a very diverse group of friends. We connected in many different ways. Middle & high school. College. Work. Church. We have different backgrounds, different stories, different journeys.Those in my current circle all have one thing in common: we are all in the business of uplifting and supporting each other. It took me a long time and a lot of hurt feelings to cultivate my current circle. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Over the years, I had to learn that everyone you are connected to is not your friend. You may get along, you may have a few laughs and a few social outings together. But that does not make them your friend. You can know them your entire life, but that still does not make them your friend. One day in my reflection time, I began to take stock in my friendships. How are the people in my circle helping me grow as a person? Who was supported of my growth and who downplayed everything I was doing? Were they happy in my new found attitude and outlook on life or were they negative? Were they happy in their stage in life or were they always negative and not doing anything to change it? Were these people genuine friends to me or were they just hanging on because of what I could do for them? When I went over these questions about the people who were in my circle, I got some harsh answers that I didn't want to face. Some of these people I've known for years and their actions were sucking the life out of me. They weren't doing it purposely; it was just how they were. I had to ask myself is this what I want around me all the time? The ultimate answer is no. Once I started weening myself away from those people, I had a spirit of peace over my life. I was able to make room for people who were encouraging me and was able to accomplish my goals.

As I grew, I learned that not everyone is supposed to be in your life forever. Some people are with you for a season and you have to determine when that season is over. It is ok to outgrow people. Your paths are not always going to be inline. You may go to the left and them to the right. It's ok. You two had great times together while you were in the same space, but things in your lives have changed. You may want more in life and you have that person around you that isn't growing and doesn't want to see you grow because they aren't. They will speak negative about your growth. They will distract you from your goals. These are toxic people and are sabotaging you.

Take stock in the people in your circle. You have to learn to be mature enough to release those who don't mean you any good and aren't being a positive influence in your life. Once you release those negative people, positive things will happen in your life. Remember...not everyone who starts the race with you will end the race with you.

Haute Chocolate History - Amelia Boynton Robinson

Amelia Boynton Robinson is considered the Mother of the Civil Rights Movement in the US and very pivotal in the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches for voter rights.

Amelia was born in 1911 in Savannah, GA. She started college at Savannah State University (then Georgia State College) before transferring to Tuskegee Institute, earning a degree in Home Economics. She worked as a home demonstration agent for the USDA in Selma, AL. She taught the county's rural population about subjects related to agriculture and homemaking.

Making her home and office a center for strategy session for Selma's civil rights battles, Amelia was very hands on in the civil right movement and the politics behind it. She became the first female African American to run for office in Alabama when she ran for Congress in 1964. Amelia felt that running for office would booster black voter registration, seeing that Selma was 50% black and only 300 blacks were registered to vote. She was also the first woman of any race to run for the Democratic party ticket. She received only 10% of the vote.

Amelia worked with Martin Luther King, James Bevel and other members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) demonstrating for civil and voting rights. She helped organize the Selma to Montgomery march in 1965. The first march, held on March 7, 1965, was also known as Bloody Sunday. many of the marchers were beaten by county and state police as they tried to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Amelia herself was beaten unconscious and the famous picture of her laying on the ground went global.

Even though the first 2 attempts at the march were unsuccessful, the media coverage of the third march peaked the national public opinion and contributed to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Amelia was a guest of honor as President Lyndon B. Johnson signed it into law.

Amelia went on to live a full life. After suffering a series of strokes, she passed away at the age of 104 in 2015.

Haute Chocolate History - Dr. Mae Jemison

Dr. Mae Jemison is a physician and NASA astronaut. She became the first African American woman to travel in space in 1992 when she went into orbit on the Space Shuttle Endeavor. And did it rocking a fierce TWA!

Mae was born in 1956 in Decatur, Alabama and was raised in Chicago. She graduated from Stanford University, after entering at age 16 by the way, with a BS degree in Chemical Engineering AND a BA in African and Afro-American Studies. She went on to receive her MD from Cornell Medical College, all be the age of 25 She even volunteered in the Peace Corps. Talk about Black Girl Magic!

She applied to NASA and was accepted in 1987, after her first application was rejected. Mae was actually on the first space flight after the tragic Challenger accident. She served as a Mission Specialist on STS-47 during her 8 day mission from September 12 to 20, 1992. Dr. Jemison resigned from NASA after her only space mission in 1993.

Mae's NASA aspirations originated by watching Nichelle Nichols play Lieutenant Uhura on Star Trek. Dr. Jemison appeared on an episode of Star Trek in 1993 after actor LeVar Burton found out she was a fan of the show. She was the first astronaut to appear on the show.

Today, Dr. Mae Jemison is leading the 100 Year Starship, a government funded project to plan the next 100 years of interstellar travel. 

Haute Chocolate History ~ Amazing Black Women In History

February is Black History Month and here at LTHCL, we will be highlighting some amazing black women who made history. Some of these women you may know; some we may be introducing you to.

First up...Mary Fields, also known as Stagecoach Mary.

Stagecoach Mary was a bad mamma jamma. She was born into slavery in Tennessee around 1832. Much of her early life is unknown. She lived in Toledo, Ohio in 1884 and worked as a handywoman for an order of Ursuline nuns. When the mother superior of the convent, whom she was very close to, moved to Montana to start a school, Mary moved to Montana to take care of her when she fell ill.

Mary eventually became a stagecoach driver for the US government as a mail carrier and was the first African American and second woman to work for the US Postal Service. Stagecoach Mary was a force to be reckoned with in town. She was 6 feet tall, weighed over 200 pounds and had a terrible temper. One schoolgirl wrote "She drinks whiskey, and she swears, and she is a republican, which makes her a low, foul creature." She was bout that life!! She was a match for any animals that threatened her cargo and any man that stepped to her wrong. She dressed in men's clothing, drank, smoked and carried a gun on the regular.

She was also a sweetheart. When she settled in Cascade, Montana, she opened a restaurant with the mother superior. The restaurant ended up failing within its first year because she allowed customers who didn't have enough money to run up credit. She was also a big fan of the local baseball team. She even presented them with flowers from her garden when they did especially well on the field. 

Mary died in 1914 in Great Falls, Montana. She has been portrayed in several television movies and shows. Her legendary life will continue to live on.