By Cheryl Mattox Berry
The public service announcements appear on television and flash across the movie screen in big, bold letters that jump out at you. The message is clear: Teens, don’t text and drive. You may kill yourself and/or others while sending trivial messages.
In one commercial, a young man suffering from a brain injury tells his story. Did you see him? Did you hear him? Did it stop you from texting while driving? It should have. It got my attention, and I don’t text and drive.
Kanye West Insults Females
West’s latest track, Perfect Bitch, is supposed to be an ode to his woman of the moment, Kim Kardashian, who has been surgically enhanced from top to, er, bottom. Question: When did getting called out of your name become a compliment?
A bitch used to be the lowest woman on the planet. You never wanted your name to be in the same sentence as that word. Queen Latifah even sang about not letting a man call you a “bitch or a ho.” Rapper Trina, who called herself the “Baddest Bitch,” in a song years later apparently didn’t hear Latifah’s U.N.I.T.Y.
West and Trina aren’t the only rappers who call women bitches. That word is common in rap lyrics, but that doesn’t mean you have to accept it. Derogatory names aren’t cute; they’re toxic. Respect yourself and other girls by refusing to buy offensive recordings.
The 2012 Do Something Awards
Congrats to Katia Gomez, the $100,000 grand prize winner of the Do Something Awards. The annual event recognizes those 25 and under who are trying to change the world. Gomez, 24, of San Leandro, Calif., was recognized for her program Educate2Envision, which focuses on educating youth in Honduras.
There are plenty of do-gooders in your school. Why not start a local version of the Do Something Awards complete with a red carpet, headlining acts and celebrities. Ask local businesses to sponsor the award. You may even get an award for dreaming up this idea. If so, just pass it on to me.