What are you’re best memories from back in the day.  I have tons.  Thats why today I have put together a short list of the things that I most remember from childhood. 

1.   Cross-Colour and Marithe Francois Girbaud Jeans:  I remember trying to actually wear my Cross Colours and Girbauds backwards like Kris Kross.  Its harder than it sounds.

2.   Starter Jackets: I don’t know about any other city, but you were a NOBODY if you didn’t have a Starter jacket in Houston. 

    My personal favorite was the pull over with the split colors on the back.  My parents didn’t get me one for a long time because people were literally getting killed for Starter jackets throughout my city.

3.   Shoes:  The shoes that I remember the most are the Filas, Grant Hills, Junior Seaus, Barry Sanders, Deon Sanders, and Chris Webbers.

     When it came to the Filas, everybody had a different color, which usually matched their cross-colours jeans.  If you didn’t have a certain color show, you might even trade with your friend for a day.

4.   Pencil Brake, B-Spike, Open Chest: All GREAT games to play on the back of the school bus.  Unfortunately, most of these games, specifically open chest, ended in fights caused by people hitting each other too hard.  As a side note……Never play pencil brake with a pen.  My mom made me where my ink-stained jeans for a month just to teach me lesson…….freaking parents.

5.   Jordans: You can’t mention your youth without mentioning the name Jordan.  My favorite pair were the classic patent leather Jordan XI. 

    Unfortunately, once again my parents wouldn’t buy those for me.  I did, however hustle them into getting me the Jordan XII the next year

6.   SWV, Total, TLC: Female groups used to dominate the airwaves.  Now all we have is freaking Danity Kane……or whats left of them.

If you have any memories that I left out, be sure to leave them below.  What do you remember about “the good old days”?

No related posts.

You Body Mass Index  (BMI) is a measure of your body fat based on your height and weight.  You can use BMI Charts, like the one shown below, to see how healthy you are.  If your BMI is less than 18.5 % it means that you are underweight, between 18.5 and 24.9 % means that you are normal weight, between 25 - 29.9 % means that you are overweight, and greater than 30 % means that you are obese.

And keep in mind that BEING SKINNY DOES NOT EQUAL BEING HEALTHLY.  I am thin, but have higher cholesterol than most overweight people.  So take care of yourself……seriously.  The most important thing you can have in life is your health.

No related posts.

Mint Condition is back on the scene, and I, for one, am glad to see it.  It’s like they never left.  Check out our audio page new this track and many many more of the best music that you never hear on the radio.

No related posts.

Watch Kanye’s latest performance.  I sure wouldn’t pay money to see this……

No related posts.

Recently, Kenyon Martin, forward for the Denver Nuggets, got a tattoo of a pair of lips on his neck.  Apparently, those aren’t just any lips, their Trina’s lips, Kenyon’s new girlfriend.  When asked about the new tat, Kenyon said, “It’s just something that I wanted to get a while ago, but I’m not just gonna get it for anyone.”  Look at the rest of Yahoo’s interview with Kenyon Martin below:

No related posts.

Enough already! Now I’m a fan of capitalism like any other American but please enough with the mindless and shameless attempts at turning a profit from the historical election of Barack Obama. It seems like everyone with a screen printer and photoshop is trying to make a buck off this guy.

I’m tired of being up late at night watching re-runs of SportsCenter and seeing the lastest commercial for the Obama commemorative gold coin or special edition Obama golf ball. What’s even more sand is that I’m sure some people out there are buying this stuff with the hope that one day these “historical treasures” will be worth something for their children or grandchildren.

I do think there are some quality Obama art pieces and clothing out there but the stuff below needs to be burned:

No related posts.

“We are one, our cause is one, and we must help each other; if we are to succeed.” — Fredrick Douglass, North Star, December 3, 1847

Fredrick Douglass wrote these words during a time in which supporting one another was not simply appreciated but expected. The achievements of some were celebrated by all. Those accomplishments sparked the hopes and dreams of others that they could not only do the same, but do better. This way of life existed in our community for generations. It produced advances in civil rights, science, medicine, sports, music, business, education and most recently politics. These results made us better and brought us closer to each other. The monolithic community was seen less as a mandate and more of a lifestyle. This ideology not only provided comfort but opportunity. History clearly shows that this way of life worked for black people. Regardless of the contrasting views we may have had with one another, there was a consistent path of progression being made for the future.

My generation has suffered from a lack of guidance, motivation and environmental stability, thus a monolithic community is not an accurate description of us. These inconsistencies, which we have refused to correct, have regulated us to producing inedible fruit. Underachievement has become our banner and “progression for all” is an outdated philosophy. We have consistently squandered long-term opportunities to be successful and have settled for endeavors that produce instant gratification. Unwilling to acknowledge our faults we have effectively separated from our elders and each other thereby making the monolithic community irrelevant. The “talented tenth” was designed by W.E.B. DuBois to evoke the exceptionality in all of us. However, because the majority of my generation is collectively unwilling to raise the standards “we” lowered the mission to progress has become increasingly difficult, but not futile.

In spite of these undeniable truths many people in my generation have contributed to the blueprint for progression. The victories for equality have broadened the horizons for success and we are unable to deny the history that we made in the 2008 Presidential Election when 95% of us came together. Success can be defined by what “we” do, but we must not become lackadaisical in our accomplishment. Collectively our future is still questionable. I would not necessarily prescribe to an individualistic approach to success, but the current circumstances deem it the most viable option. It makes no sense to position yourself to be among those who settle for merely getting by when you have the potential to be better. In the span of a generation the monolithic community has transformed from an advantage to a detriment thereby effectively marking the end of an era…and collectively, my generation is doing nothing but watch it happen. However, after seeing what we can accomplish together do we try to revitalize the monolithic commnunity of our predecessors or is everyone better off on their own?

I firmly believe that we are the generation doing the least with the most. All of our potential and promise is being diminished by division over frivolous issues which impact our effectiveness. I know that unification will allow us to achieve the greatness that we are destined to have. Conversely, I believe that my vision is nothing more than a fleeting thought unless it becomes our vision. Based on our capability I believe that it is worth being a unified community again and after you have seen what we can do I hope that you believe it too.

Written By:

D.R. Boatwright is a Senior Curriculum Analyst and Writer for Empowered Young Men, an organization designed to reprogram and develop young black men into leaders. Our slogan “Cultivating Dreams by Reconstructing Reality” gets at the essence of what we do. By surrounding young black men with older more successful black men and helping them build a positive network of people from all walks of life to support their dreams, we know that we can create excitement about life, education and the great resources America has to offer.

D.R. Boatwright can be contacted at drboatwright@empoweredyoungmen.org

No related posts.