Koinonia Farm

In honor of Black History Month, I'm going to do some informative posts that are (dare I say it) MULTI-CULTURAL moments, achievements, and happenings within Black History.

Koinonia Farm is located in Sumter County, Georgia. Founded in 1942 by Clarence Jordan, his wife Florence, and Martin and Mabel England, they began as a farming community. Their principle of living was based on the New Testament of the bible, where these statutes were their way of life:

1. Treat all human beings with dignity and justice.
2. Choose love over violence.
3. Share all possessions and live simply.
4. Be stewards of the land and all natural resources.

The special part of the Koinonia Farm story to me is that their beliefs were true through and through. They envisioned a communal way of life that included Blacks and Whites equally, even in the era of Jim Crow. At the worst times, the members of the farm never did back down, give up, quit, or become Jim Crow. In the most intense of situations the people of Koinonia Farm were shot at while selling goods at their post, commanded to disband and sell their property by the Americus Chamber of Commerce, threatened by phone and letter, and bombarded by a 70-member Ku Klux Klan motorcade.



Through the hardships, Clarence Jordan and followers maintained to live in interracial harmony, pay all seasonal workers equally, and spread their ministry. The consequences of their steadfastness still did not conquer them. Many in the surrounding areas joined together to boycott Koinonia Farm and their products. From there, they began to catalog their merchandise with the catchphrase "Help Us Ship The Nuts Out of Georgia!" The catalog still maintains to be one of their greatest sources of income, shipping pecans, peanuts, and baked goods all over the world.

After many years of hardship, and the dwindling of residents, Clarence Jordan and Millard Fuller transformed Koinonia Farm into Koinonia Partners. Eventually, this partnership gave birth to our next topic Habitat For Humanity.

Holy Grail Series, Part IV: The Case Study

We've now reached the end of our quest, you found him. . . .The Holy Grail of Men! *Cue the choir and lighting* His stats are out of this world. He's educated. He's fine. He's got a swagger all his own. He's drama free. He's clever. He's funny. Not only is he employed, but he is GAINFULLY employed. Hallelujah! Things are going smoothly, your family thinks he's a great catch, and your friends are jealously happy for you. You ask yourself, "Does it get any better than this?"

Character I: Anthony
Anthony is sexual chocolate in the flesh. You melt whenever you look at him, and so does everyone else. You two have been dating for about 2 months now, and things are great. You've even managed to work through that tragic jealously flaw of yours. Anthony is conversational without being overly confrontational, he even opens up to you, and the sex is amazing. He's driven, determined, and relentlessly pursues his goals. This is how he got you. Anthony is also pursuing a degree in industrial engineering which takes up a great deal of his time. You guys have the best quality time even though it's only once a week, and you can talk to him about anything as long as you catch him in between class or study breaks. Although you don't want to seem needy, you've made it clear that you need more from him. What do you do?

Character II: Teddy
Teddy has the sexiest mind you'll find in a man. He's fine, but it's his mind that really gets you going. You two have been dating for 6 weeks, and you feel like every day you spend with him results in an educational orgasm. He is a philosopher, a poet, a scholar of the world, and he loves to listen and playfully debate with you. You guys met at a party thrown by a mutual friend, and rumor had it that he was a law student. You just had to jump on that seeing that you're looking towards the LSAT pretty soon yourself. Over the last 6 weeks, you've both shared your life stories, dreams, and small fears. He's wonderful. The mutual friend calls you to catch up one day, and you mention Teddy and your new relationship. The friend tells you that Teddy isn't in law school, and in fact, Teddy hasn't even graduated with his Bachelor's degree. You ask Teddy, and he denies everything. What do you do?

Character III: J.T.
J.T. is fun-loving, playful, and his body is comparable to Adonis. He's definitely opened you up to some new things that you never would have dreamed of before meeting him. The two of you have vacationed, tried exotic foods, and road tripped at midnight on a whim. He makes you feel so alive, and you've even got a new outlook on life. You and J.T. have been together for 9 months, and you are in a committed relationship. Although he has a boyish charm, he is definitely a hard-working man who plays just as hard. This is how he affords your adventures after all. Before your ski trip, you notice a stack of papers on the bed. Snooping, but not really, you notice the stack of papers are all overdue bills. Seeing that he's in the shower, you've had time to calculate that he is $33,000 in debt and that's not counting his student loans. What do you do?

I only bring these scenarios up because finding a good man doesn't mean that you've found a man good enough for YOU. No matter what you would do in these situations, they are major problems that many women push to the wayside when they find something they want. The Work-A-Holic, Pathological Liar, and Chronic Debtor are all serious issues in themselves. Just be realistic no matter the man, and don't change your standards to fit a man's mold just because "he's a good one".



In ending the Holy Grail Series, good luck on your respective quests. Love yourself enough to be honest about your own flaws and your prospect's flaws as well. In the end, long-term happiness is more precious than keeping a guy around because he's better than a "real loser". . . .Thoughts?

Atlanta Blogger Beef???

So, around noon today, I was doing my usual perusing of blogs from my Google reader, and I came across a blog posting that really bothered me. One of my absolute favorite sites is NecoleBitchie.com. Yes, I do heart a good gossip blog! If you're also a card carrying member of Team Necole, then you have seen her new logo for the site. Let me just tell you that the pics are awesome, and she's obviously solidifying her brand. Here are some of the pics. . .







Now, the post that I'm referring to was on Sandra Rose's blog. While I'm not necessarily a fan of the site, I do check it out once in a while. Sandra and Necole are both Atlanta based bloggers, and I try to learn whatever I can to grow my own blog. . .Yah Dig? I digress though, Sandra posted a fan letter today accusing Necole Bitchie of self-hate because the photos (taken by Derek Blanks) made her appear lighter than she actually is. While I understand that a fan wrote the actual letter, it baffles me that Sandra would post the title "Does Blogger Necole Bitchie Have Self-Hate Issues?".

Yes, body and color image issues run rapid in our culture, but how are you to be apart of a solution when the fan letter clearly states that its writer purposefully uses darker foundation to change her own hue? Honestly, it's just some bullshit. I really do hope that this is some sort of publicity stunt because there is enough division within the Black Blogosphere over picture usage, social activism, and content biting.

Honestly, Necole Bitchie is a great example to follow as a blogger. She is more than willing to share advice and lessons that she's learned in the business whether it be through her own website or via TheUrbanBlogger.com. I don't mean to sound like a Necole stan or hyper-sensitive, but as an up and coming blogger. . .It just seems senseless to me to hate on peers. The fact that Sandra Rose tends to a hater already annoys me, but to add to it, when has Sandra Rose tried to help other bloggers with words of encouragement, advice, or things that she has learned from the industry? In fact, to be such a fan of her own free speech, she loves to ban comment posts that comment on her. The funny thing is. . .what do you expect the comments to look like when the posts aren't that pretty either??? This just irked me, and now I'm over it. . .

Holy Grail Series, Part III: The Tragic Flaw

So, you're a heroine and you're ready for the quest to obtain the Holy Grail. You're moral character, mental endurance, and physical strength are all up to par and comparable to no other. The only problem is that one crucial flaw that could jeopardize everything. In literature, the tragic flaw is often referred to as the protagonist's fatal flaw that brings them to their downfall.

For us, that tragic flaw could be a number of things including but not limited to jealously, neglect, selfishness, philandering, lying, or abusiveness. Whatever your tragic flaw may be, it will always rear its ugly head at the most inopportune moment. The question is whether you let that tragic flaw make you or break you. . .

Interestingly enough, you're a heroine. You're smart, sassy, confident, strong, caring, giving, and an all around great catch. You're on your way to attaining your Holy Grail, but what about that tragic flaw of yours? Do you go on your quest in denial, or do you man up like Hercules and acknowledge your mortality???



Of course, you've got to man up and face your tragic flaw. Look that ish in the eye and perform a massive type choke slam. No, it isn't that simple, but AA does say that admitting you have a problem is the first step. Now, I won't tell you how to deal with your tragic flaw, but I will share. I have "grass is greener" syndrome. Cheating is my tragic flaw, but I have learned how to deal with it. Because my wants tend to change with the wind, I tend to take a lot longer than most to get into committed relationships. When dating, I'm honest about my past and that it may be a long time before I'm ready for anything serious. In turn, I do not expect the guy I'm dating to give me anything more than I can give to him. Thus far, I've been happy.

The tragic flaw has the capacity to turn an entire story from a Danielle Steele romance to a Shakespearean tragedy. That capacity depends on what you accept from yourself and how open and vulnerable you're willing to be. The best stories are led by the most transparent characters. . . Flaws and all, they survive and achieve greatness. How will your quest be determined???