Archive for February 2010

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Whimsical Wearables: Upcoming Interview with Teen Fashion Designer

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Fashion Forward

Stay tuned for our upcoming interview with Zoë (pictured to the right), a 17-year-old high school student and fashion designer. She started creating hand-made dresses, shirts and accessories for friends a few years ago and soon began to get so many orders that she started her own business. Her success and creativity allowed her to win several entrepreneurship awards, and she even recently got to visit the the White House! In the interview she’ll tell us how she got started and will give tips for other aspiring fashionistas and future CEOs.

Check out the cute, creative critters on the custom made dresses above by Zoë – we love her creativity and drive!

Opportunity: Girls Going Places Entrepreneurship Award Program & Conferences

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Here’s a great entrepreneurship opportunity for girls, the Girls Going Places Entrepreneurship Award Program. The contest is giving grants to girls who have creative business ideas. Visit http://www.girlsgoingplaces.com for more information, to see last years winners and to download an application.

Thanks to teen business coach Shonika Proctor from the Teen Entrepreneurship Blog for the heads up!

Description From the Website:

The Girls Going Places® Entrepreneurship Award Program is celebrating its prestigious 10th anniversary by opening its 2010 award program for entries.

Deadline: February 26, 2010. Submissions received after the deadline date will be entered in the 2011 competition.

See below for more info on the contest and local area conferences:

(more…)

Tribute to Sojourner Truth by Ron Clark Academy

Black History Month Spotlight: Sojourner Truth

You may remember the Ron Clark Academy students from their “You Can Vote However You Like” video that went viral around the web and was picked up by CNN during the 2008 Presidential Election. In the video below the students perform a tribute to Sojourner Truth, who was an influential civil rights leader of the 19th century. They did their creative performance at an event a few month ago to unveil a bust by sculptor Artis Lane of Sojourner Truth. Esteemed guests like First Lady Michelle Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Members of Congress, were attendance.

The bust is the first sculpture to honor an African American woman in the U.S. Capitol and was donated by the National Congress of Black Women. You can learn more about the bust at http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/truth_bust.cfm.

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Sojourner Truth

“Sojourner Truth was perhaps the most famous African-American woman in 19th century America. For over forty years she traveled the country as a forceful and passionate advocate for the dispossessed, using her quick wit and fearless tongue to fight for human rights.

“She traveled around the east and midwest speaking out for human rights. This illiterate ex-slave was a powerful figure in several national social movements, speaking forcefully for the abolition of slavery, women’s rights and suffrage, the rights of freedmen, temperance, prison reform and the termination of capital punishment.”

Find out more about Sojourner Truth at http://www.sojournertruth.org.
Photo Source: http://www.nps.gov

Inspiration On Dreams From Langston Hughes

February is Black History Month, and we wanted to present inspiration from Dreamers who have impacted many through their work. Langston Hughes was a writer and poet who greatly shaped American literature during the Harlem Renaissance. Below is part of one of his poems called “Dreams”.

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Dreamer Profile: Langston Hughes

“Langston Hughes (February 1, 1902 – May 22, 1967) was one of the most important writers and thinkers of the Harlem Renaissance, which was the African American artistic movement in the 1920s that celebrated black life and culture.

langstonhughesthumbnail1“Hughes’s creative genius was influenced by his life in New York City’s Harlem, a primarily African American neighborhood. His literary works helped shape American literature and politics. Hughes, like others active in the Harlem Renaissance, had a strong sense of racial pride. Through his poetry, novels, plays, essays, and children’s books, he promoted equality, condemned racism and injustice, and celebrated African American culture, humor, and spirituality.” Click here to learn more about Langston Hughes.

Bio Source: http://www.americaslibrary.gov

Dreams

“Hold fast to dreams, For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams, For when dreams go
Life is a barren field, Frozen with snow.”

– Langston Hughes

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In this quote, part of one of his poems, Langston Hughes reminds us to keep our visions alive, because it’s so important to have hope for the future. Don’t just follow along with the crowd, but dare to be different and follow those creative ideas in you. With hard work, faith and perseverance, dreams can come true.

Video Pick: “Who I Am” – Nick Jonas & The Administration

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We love the single from the album “Who I Am” and the positive message of the song, showing how people are so diverse and yet the same in that we all want to be loved. Be sure to check out the debut album, Who I Am, from Nick Jonas & The Administration and learn more by visiting their website at www.nickjonasandtheadministration.com.