Why My Blog Should Be Chosen For the 2009 State of the Black Union Symposium

The more I blog, the more the purpose of my blog is defined for me. As an example, I went to Richmond, Virginia on Election Day, November 4, 2008, to help shuttle people to the polls. I used this opportunity to document the awesome determination some African Americans had to the voting process. For many of these people, this was their first time voting. It was also, the first time someone photographed them and interviewed them. They felt valued and validated. In that moment, the purpose of my blog was expanded, as I knew this was the result I wanted. I could not wait to get back to enhance the design and content of my blog.

There are several reasons why my blog, Consider This, should be selected for the 2009 State of the Black Union Symposium. My blog is committed to educating people in a captivating way. I seek to give current and popular events, an historical and factual context through research and constant improvement. We make sure that community organizations and agencies receive our blog. My background as a student of human behavior and change technology, and experience as a writer, brings the essential technical integrity to my blog. Most importantly, is my desire to inspire the thinking of those readers who want a different and non-monolithic perspective for themselves, their families and the communities they serve and to offer data and information that empowers them to do so. I will bring the same to the SOBU Symposium. As a motivational trainer, I have the confidence and ability to not only speak, but as a writer, I will bring objective and well trained listening to the SOBU Symposium and will translate what I hear into cogent written form.

The African American audience is diverse and talented and I will address that as a blogger at the SOBU Symposium. I have the ability and skills to ask questions in way that zeros in on what people want to hear or say and are not hearing or saying. I emphasize the need to consider the diversity of conversations and perceptions within one group. My blog does that while also reflecting the voice of people who are not always defining themselves. When I blog, I have already heard, during any given week, the concerns of many African Americans from Anacostia, in Washington, DC, to others from similar communities in Maryland, Virginia, and across the country.

I consider it the responsibility of those who are willing, to share talents and skills towards the empowerment of others, and blogging is one way that I share my willingness. Blogging offers me an opportunity to incorporate the realization of ALL of my information, skills, talents and resources while demonstrating to my readers that they can also do what inspires them .

Consider This, is dedicated to looking behind the assumptions and the hackneyed societal narratives and weaving in the narratives of and from an African American perspective and consideration.