“Being a Lady” An excerpt from M. Millie “Proud Black Woman”

BITCH!!! Who are you calling a bitch? I am not a bitch. I am a Black Woman. I am a woman of immense worth. I am a Queen!

I have never understood why the word bitch has been used to describe women. I am not a female dog. I do not care how unreasonable or annoying I may be at the time. Calling me a female dog is the ultimate disrespect to me. Now, many women have done what many have tried to do with the N- word. Many women now have tried to change the negative meaning and connotations associated with the word bitch. They have embraced the word bitch as a positive word or compliment. They now call themselves “bad bitches.” This word is supposed to be a way of them complementing themselves. I guess “bad bitch” is supposed to mean hot or sexy. What happened to just saying I am hot and sexy? Why are we getting the name for a female dog added to the way we compliment ourselves and each other. I am sorry to break it to you ladies, but calling yourself a bad bitch is calling yourself a bad female dog. I do not get it ladies.

I would never call myself a bad bitch. I would also never disrespect my fellow black women by calling them a bitch, or compliment them by calling them a bad bitch. It is a hateful word that has for years been used to disseminate misogyny, hate and the degradation of women. Why use a word built on so much hate to compliment yourself? Think about it ladies. it does not add up.

Being a Lady vs. Being a Bad B##ch

We live in a time in which young people are more ingfluenced by reality television and social media than they are by things of substance, that will lead them to their divine purposes. In this day and age, media tells us that the only way to become successful is to become a reality tv star, porn star or stripper and work your way up to fame. Young women no longer consider themselves to be “ladies”, but are now considering themselves to be a “bad b*tch” or a “boss b#tch”. It is no longer cool to have morals and values. However, twerking and half naked pictures on the internet is glorified. PurposefullyPretty wants to encourage our young women that it is okay to have CLASS. It is okay to be a LADY. There are other ways to reach success than degrading your value.

Each month PurposefullyPretty holds a workshop highlighting topics and issues plaguing the lives of young people today. The topic for the month of May will be “Being a Lady vs. Being a Bad B##ch”. During this workshop, we will hear from spoken word artists and even have a poetry writing activity to help young women create their own daily declaration that will encourage them to stay on the straight path of being a LADY. This event will take place on May 24th, 2014 at 4PM at the Afrikan Poetry Theatre; 176-05 Jamaica Avenue. Spread the word, tell a friend. Being a lady is still cool.

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PurposefullyPretty Vision Fund

PurposefullyPretty would greatly appreciate if you help us make our vision flourish. The PP team has a heart and mind to impact the lives of young women in our community, in any way that we can. Unfortunately, we cannot be as effective we would like to be without support and funds. If you believe in the PurposefullyPretty vision, please donate to our vision fund. In the upcoming months our organization would like to launch our website, upkeep our monthly workshops and gain our 501c3, so that we can continue to outreach, teach and inspire young women in Jamaica, Queens and beyond. No amount is too little. Every bit helps! to learn more about the PurposefullyPretty organization, check out our Facebook http://www.Facebook.com/PurposefullyPretty. Follow us on Instagram @purposefullypretty and even read some of the posts featured on this very blog!

If you would like to invest in our vision, please log on to http://www.fundly.com/building-the-purposefullypretty-vision. Thank you in advance!

Osasu Asemota is PurposefullyPretty

As a young girl, I always knew I wanted to be doctor. From my pediatrician to my high school counselor, Ms Jeanty, I was surrounded by phenomenal women that encouraged along the way. I also was blessed to have amazing supportive parents who allowed me to dream for myself and instilled value of self worth and hard work. I saw my parents juggled between jobs and going to school, which showed me just how important education really is.

After high school, I graduated cum lade from Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, a B.S./M.D. with a mission to increase the number of minority, highly-skilled primary care practitioners to provide quality services to underserved communities. I am then matched to North East Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) to continue to my pursuit in becoming an OBGYN. I plan to get an MPH to effect medical change on a community -based level. As president of the Student National Medical Association chapter of NEOMED and community service liaison, I want to continue the domino effect and encourage other young people to dream and work hard towards their goals. Last year, SNMA  helped run a mentorship program called the Healthstart Program, in conjunction with a group called HPAC which mentored students at one high school in Akron. I believe that I am PurposefullyPretty because I am a result peoples; prayers, encouragement and I know I am birthed with God- purpose; that is to effect positive change in people lives, improve the health of communities and encourage the potential in young women. The sky is not the limit, it is whatever you set it to be.