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Along the Way

#PowertoTheSistahs @SaintBoz: Why it is Crucial for Black Women to Hear this Acceptance Speech Before the End of 2016

By now many of us have heard of Apple Marketing Executive Bozoma Saint John. If you have not take some time to familiarize yourself with her here, and here, and also here. Two weeks ago the video of her acceptance speech for the Billboard Women in Music 2016 Executive of the Year Award surfaced with nothing but love and adoration for all things...

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Articles and Imports

Hidden Gems: Netflix's Luke Cage and the Moynihan Report

Every once in a while I will hear something that makes my ears perk and mind race, and in this case it was the mention of Benign Neglect in an episode of Netflix's Luke Cage. It was a very quick mention at the start of an episode by a nonessential character and easy to miss. So quick was the mention that I had...

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CBCF

Community Development: The Economic Forum - Home Base

While talking with a friend I mused as to why Black Wall Street had never been replicated, and when he spoke of his intentions to do so it only led to more questions about approach and methodology. One could argue many reasons as to why we never saw the resurgence of this ethnically-concentrated financial district, but one roadblock I found in my research...

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Along the Way

My Experience with the LA Crawl (@TCA_LA) and Creating a Tri-City Impact

This past summer a friend and I participated in the LA Crawl "a celebratory event to socially connect the tri-city region [Santa Monica (SaMo), Culver City, and Los Angels] utilizing the expanded Expo Line". Two types of tickets were sold General: $22 - pub crawl ticket + Metro Tap Card, or  VIP:  $30 - pub crawl ticket + Metro Tap Card + Post...

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Business

The 5 P's of Community Developement: @Urban_Zen

In efforts to sharpen my assessment skills concerning the metric system I created regarding community development I will be selecting various non-profit organizations and community programs and examining them against the 5 P's. These first few entries will be pretty rough cut. Disclaimer: It is not my intention to expose, judge, or condemn, any organization or program. My objective is to open dialogue...

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Business

What I Never Knew: My First @CBCFInc ALC 2016 Experience

Last week I attended the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Annual Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. I was my first time attending the conference and I really am glad that I was talked into going. One, I learned a lot about diverse plights of Black people from all over the globe, as well as a few...

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Clacker Confessions

Clacker Confessions: Confession 3

"Hmmm? I'm sorry what was your question?" She wasn't paying attention, inside her own thoughts about why exactly she was there. "I said, 'What exactly does your company do?'" He was polite in repeating his question, but his face was more telling. She scanned her thoughts making quick edits. "Why am I even here? Right...because of trade agreements....but what does that have to...

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Community Development

The 5 P's of Community Development

For some time now I have been interested in the way that the spaces where we live are organized, planned, and developed. Who makes the decisions? Where are the voices of the residents heard? What is the main catalyst of change? Things like that. In the past year I have been working on a grant application that will allow me to take an...

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Clacker Confessions

Clacker Confessions: Confession 2

She took a breath as she sat in her car. Dressed in a black wrap dress that she bought specifically for her grandmother's funeral, she was headed to an interview for a job she wasn't even sure she wanted. "What am I doing?" she looks at her lipstick in the rear-view mirror, the visor mirror is just way too close. She had become...

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Urban Planning: The Dunbar vs The Rosenwald - When to Preserve and When to Recreate

When making the decision to preserve pieces of our history how do we decide which to preserve physically and which should only be preserved through photographs and traveling museum exhibits? Further more, which do we choose to repurpose? While watching the Many Rivers To Cross miniseries on Netflix I find myself contemplating about the places Henry Louis Gates, Jr visits across the nation...

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Clacker Confessions

Clacker Confessions: Confession 1

She sat up late on her couch raiding Style.com for trends of ratty sweaters that consumers pay thousands of dollars for just to look like their cat took it out back and has it's way with it. "I'm pretty sure that my first knitting project looked like this," she thinks to herself, "I could sell it and pay my rent for months...but I...

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Changing Lanes and Puzzle Pieces (Leap Year Post)

I remember when I first graduated from undergrad ten years ago and wanted to get into logistics and operations for the fashion industry. I then wanted to do fashion consulting which was more in the ways of styling but I knew that I wanted to work on the business side. Fast forward 2 years and I am graduating from the Fashion Institute of...

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Rebranding and the Pressures of the Narrative

After an almost 2 year hiatus (mostly due to graduate school) my largest dilemma with this site has been to rebrand. Asking questions like "Do I need a new site?", "Should I brush up (or flat out improve) on my grammar and writing skills?", "Do I create a schedule to make this site more consistent with posts?", "What will they think of me?" ...

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Culinary Efforts

Culinary Efforts: Beet Tangerine Salad

As of late I have been bitten by the domestic bug. Making an effort to be a bit more proficient in the kitchen, I have taken to apps like Epicurious, and have been trying new recipes for when I have an actual family to feed. Most times those efforts may taste good, but aren't really photogenic, this was not one of those times!!...

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Happy New Year and....No Promises

Happy New Year 2016! If you can tell there has been a bit of a makeover here on the blog. First, I changed the name. No longer "No Fear, Just DIVA" now FirstThree, Inc. to streamline the brand. Second, the layout. It's not exactly where I want it to be, but it will get there in time. My goal is to take this...

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