Ethnic Scrapbooking

Good Hair!

I can't wait to see Chris Rock's movie, Good Hair!

You would think that having three girls would make me somewhat of an expert on black hair...all I am is frustrated.  I was raised to think my natural hair was NOT good hair and spent years cutting, cropping, coloring and damaging it.  All four women in our house have completely different hair  textures and none of us can use the same hair products (right Tenisha?).  We have cabinets full of half used hair products. 

Every culture has some hang up or rich tradition about hair, I address this topic a few times in my book, Ethnic Scrapbooking.  Here's one of the layouts featuring a bi-racial child in Canada coming to love her braidable hair.

Hairstyles are always a topic in the Sanford household and wouldn't you know it, that this past weekend, was a "hair" weekend...everyone got new "dos".

I expect the movie to be entertaining to me, but I did recommend that my daughter's caucasian dermatologist see it for educational purposes.

Right now I am wearing my hair natural, as I was having terrible balding at the temples and shedding in past months, which I have now come to learn was related to the products.  I'm in a good place with my hair and the products I use.  Check out Diva by Cindy, her products rock...at least for me.

 Check out my favorite page in my book, "Leah in Hebrew"

NAACP 100 years old

My fourth grader has been studying Ida B Wells-Barnett this week as one of her Black History month projects.  We both learned that she was one of the founders of the NAACP and we had a frank discussion about lynchings, mob actions and her writing career.  Today, I was quite surprised to hear that TODAY is actually the 100 year anniversary of the NAACP (and it's 100 day at school today too), so we had even more to talk about.

I love it when materials the kids study at school have a relevant place in today's world.  It just makes it all come alive and easier to remember too. 

I also took the opportunity to connect Mrs. Wells-Barnett to our family history, by explaining that our Great-Great-Great Grandfather may have read her articles in the late 1800's.

What I am concerned about it, in studying four different notable people for Black History Month, is how many biographies are missing from the library shelves that are written at a child's level. (note to self...book project during retirement years)

We've come a long way in the last 100+ years, but we have a long way to go.

Photo Credit:  library of congress

U.S. President Scrapbook - Inaugural Activities

On January 20, 2009 we were high on inauguration fever around here.  Here are a few shots from our activities.  We stayed home, it was too cold and too crowded to take the kids downtown to witness the most historic moment in our lives to date.

 

We had this display on our kitchen table.  The kids understood the symbolism behind each element...I was so proud.

Red, White & Blue - American Patriotism

Wine (Sparkling Cider) Glasses - to toast the new President

Cake - celebratory food

Container of Cotton - (straight from a Georgia cotton field) represents the back breaking work of our ancestors

Heritage Photo of our slave ancestor - giving honor to the many who planted the trees in which we now enjoy the shade.

Book - Martin Luther King Jr. biography (Leah read three this past year) In dedication to the one who mobilized America with his DREAM.

Card - Photo card with Joseph  on the front to inspire him to one day be the President of the United States.  (I made these to mail out since I didn't send out Christmas cards...e-cards are so impersonal)

 

This display was in our front hallway...It will stay up until President's Day and we'll had our Presidential biographies to the table.  I got this idea from the displays at my local library.  This reminds us to re-read the good books we already have in our home library.

44th U.S. President Scrapbook - Part 5

The weekend before the inauguration, I spoke to an eager group of scrapbookers at an "Obama Crop". As I wandered the room and looked at everyone's pages (yes 100% of the attendees were working on an Obama scrapbook for their personal libraries), it reminded me to clarify what I am doing in my OBAMA SCRAPBOOK.

My Obama Scrapbook is not a re-creation of his career or life story, it is meant to be a memorable album that documents my family's remembrances of the historical event of the nomination and election of the first African-American President of the United States.

Everyone (regardless of  race, ethnic background or nationality) around the world has some thought or opinion of this momunmental historical event that should be preserved for future generations.  Don't let the 30 second sound bites of just a few media outlets be the only memory for friends and family to read years from now.

Okay, with that said, it's not that I don't care about his rise to the Presidency, I think that other historians and journalists have done a very nice job of mass producing books, magazines & videos of his life story.  I, on the other hand, want to memorialize my family's thoughts and feelings about this whole event. I want to relate some of our personal stories and events to Barack Obama, to the political process and to our life in the Washington, DC metro area.

Here's a idea for a page layout I intend to create:

Title:  Attending the Inauguration of Barack Obama

Photo:  Our close friend, Dr. Avant and his invitation and tickets

 

   

Some possible journaling ideas: 

• Discuss how I should have requested tickets through my father's congressman. 

• Discuss how Dr. Avant did request tickets of his Florida congressman and received them!

• Tell the story of how other friends got to sit behind Oprah at the inauguration. 

• Cut out a newpaper clipping about those who had tickets and still get onto the Capitol grounds. 

• Discuss how sad I was that I couldn't take the kids, but how Aunt Candy was there and couldn't see anything, but could hear the speech and was stuk in the crush of the crowd for hours.

Do you see how I'm making a personal connection to the event?  Please share in the comments how you are making connections to this historical event. 

44th U.S President Scrapbook - Part 2

Here's another page I created from images people forwarded to me through e-mail.  I printed these images using my home computer printer, maybe not the most archival materials, but will have to do.  After I complete this album I plan on preparing a cd of all the pages and original images so that it can be handed down from generation to generation.

 

I used pre-printed quotes that related to the images...particularly like the "One Step At A Time" because of Jordin Sparks song and I hear Obama say he was reading the works of Abraham Lincoln again.  Once again I included a bit of red to stick with my black & white theme with a bit of red.  Background paper is related to my work...accounting.  Clock is straight up at 12...about the time he made his acceptance speech, probably close to the time when this photo was taken (at least that's what I'd like to think), 12 midnight...the dawn of a new day!

 

44th U.S. President Scrapbook - Part 1

This is the first in a series of posts where I will share with you my latest scrapbook project to preserve my family memories about an historical United States Presidential election.

Here's the first page that I made.

 

I decided to go with a black and white paper theme with a splash of red for a number of reasons:

Barack Obama is both African and Caucasian, red was the first family's color scheme on election night, red is a strong color throughout many cultures and lastly, because I am praying the blood of Jesus over him, his presidency and family.

Supplies:  Patterned Paper: Cherry Arte; Journaling paper: Making Memories; Blue letters cut using Quickutz; Red Cardstock: Bazzill, Sticker, Ribbon, Clip & Buttons: Unknown.

My goal is to do at least one page featuring each child and their response to the election.

Check back often for updates to this series.

History is Made!

 

 

A future President and Vice President of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!

Prayers have been answered, but more prayer is still necessary.  I tried to make this a day my kids will never forget by documenting it as much as possible, I hope you did too (no matter what corner of the earth you are from).

Another Dynamic Presidential Choice

Although I didn't vote in the election for John F. Kennedy, I'm glad my husband picked up these autographed photogrpahs of John F. and Jackie Kennedy at an estate auction over 10 years ago.  I can interview both of our parents and my Grandmother to tell me their feelings around the Kennedy's and how they felt about his Presidency and tragic death.

Vision and the Presidential Election

My daughter Leah is having Vision problems, she has near perfect eyesight, but a vision problem.  Dealing with this situation over the last couple of weeks has been an eye opening experience for me.  I can relate what we are going through in this personal situation to the most historical Presidential election this country has seen thus far.  I have stayed away from the television and radio because I know that what I see and hear can cloud my vision.

I am taking this election VERY seriously and have lost sleep over whether or not I've educated myself enough on the facts and values that I hold dear and to which candidate I can align myself with.  Do you understand what I mean?  Here's what I've done.  I have 3-4 legislations that I've been following over the years and researched (reviewed voting records & footage of debates,forums & interviews) what direction the next President will steer them.  I've taken a few hot topic values and created a chart and tallied up the positions of each candidate to see who is most like me and my perspective of not just the Headlining News topics of the day, but the issues that will have a long lasting impact on future generations. (you see this is the accountant in me)

Read the following statements from the perspective of voting for elected officials:

Behavioral optometrists differentiate between the terms “sight” and “vision”. “Sight” is the ability to see and the eye’s response to light shining into it. “Vision” is the ability to interpret and understand information that comes through the eyes.  

The visual system is a significant part of how we process information and a key factor in how we learn. 80% of what you perceive, comprehend and remember depends on the efficiency of the visual system.

 

Vision is a learned skilled, just like walking and talking. If vision does not develop efficiently, even a bright child can have difficulties with reading, writing, spelling and math. 

SOURCE:  http://www.pavevision.org/DoIReallyHave/2020isNOTEnough/tabid/1289/Default.aspx

 

If you ask my two year old grand son and four year old son who they would vote for President, they both would spout off a candidate's name, because they are responding to a cue, they have not yet developed the ability to interpret and understand the information from each candidate.  That's just my two cents.

 

I encourage, I implore you to be a sophisticated voter tomorrow, future generations are depending on it!

 

Don't forget to document this election and scrapbook your personal feelings about it.  Here are a few things I plan to do:

 

Take photos inside the photo booth (if I'm allowed)

Take photos of the long lines at the polls

Take photos of campaign signs

Save buttons and campaign literature

Write out commentary about my research on both candidates

Save Wednesday morning's newspaper headline

 

Ubuntu Village and PLAN USA

My sister, Candace is the Executive Director of Ubuntu Village and this week she's part of a very exciting project.  Six Ghanian students are visiting Washington, DC and the United States for the very first time.  Program sponsor, PLAN USA's website has a brief overview of the tour, please click on over there and check it out, if you are in the Washington, DC Metro area please plan to come to the fund raising event the Saturday night.

Our local news, Fox 5 DC did a piece on the group's visit today and included a link about Ubuntu Village on their website too!

I am so proud of my sister, she's realizing just one of her dreams and living out her passion.  I hope you can see why I dedicated my book, Ethnic Scrapbooking to her.

 Here she is on the coast of South Africa in February 2008, since then she's been to Tunisia, back to South Africa, Scotland and Senegal.  Out of the 40 cultures and countries represented in Ethnic Scrapbooking, I believe she's been to 38 of them!