WHAT IS YOUR CULTURE/HERITAGE?
Honestly, I don’t think of my family as being under a defined heritage or culture. All I know for sure is that throughout generations, my family on both sides has strived to keep the love of God present in our homes and in our family ties. Love is what has kept us this long.
WHAT MADE YOU JOIN HER CULTURE?
Two things that I am truly passionate about are writing and the advancement of women, and when I came across HerCulture I felt that it combined both elements perfectly. Seeing young women from various backgrounds lending their voices through the written word and celebrating one another is truly empowering and a welcome change from what I see going on in today’s girl world. This project has the potential to be a real game changer and I am so excited to be a part of it.
HOW COULD YOU SEE CULTURAL AWARENESS CHANGE THE WORLD?
I believe that cultural awareness would bring about a lot more peace not only among other nations, but here in the United States where bullying has become a huge issue. A lot of the prejudices and the hate that goes on in the world are primarily due to ignorance. We don’t know each other. If we took the time to learn about other cultures, we would be able to recognize the fact that not much really separates one person from another. We just have a different way of viewing things – and that’s okay!
WHAT'S THE WORST PROBLEM IN THE WORLD TODAY?
I believe the greatest issue that we face today is a lack in human interaction. Technology is a wonderful thing, but over time we have developed a rather unhealthy dependency on it. Our constant smartphone usage is diminishing our ability to be socially interactive, to empathize with one another, and to express ourselves to each other – in person. We are isolating ourselves and that’s terrible because in the media, we hear about suicides and mass shootings done by people that were isolated from the general public. In terms of cyber bulling, nowadays, people can use their smartphones to ‘shoot’ at someone at close range with no remorse because a screen is protecting them. The creation is now officially ruling over the creators. Our phones are slowly but surely taking our lives away from us and unfortunately, many people aren’t aware of it.
HOW DO YOU THINK WE CAN FIX THAT PROBLEM?
The solution is strictly individual and will hopefully gain enough momentum to make a larger imact. It starts with having self-awareness about your own habits and how your smartphone may be affecting your own life. Once we become the change that we wish to see, then we can start speaking out and encouraging one another to take a break from the smartphones and just enjoy life and one another.
WHAT'S ONE FAMILY TRADITION THAT YOU WANT TO PASS ONTO YOUR CHILDREN?
Going to church.
WHICH WOMEN INSPIRE YOU?
In general, I am inspired by women of strength and character; women who are fearless enough to create and stand for something unique and different. Any woman that dares to push the envelope towards something positive and create a name for herself in this life has my respect. I am particularly inspired by the contributions of Maya Angelou and Michelle Obama. Being a woman of color it definitely is a reminder to me that I have no excuse. I can and will be great!
WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF A #CULTUREREVOLUTION?
In my opinion, a culture revolution is a point in time where previously cemented ideals are modified or eradicated completely. It’s a time of progression; when people begin to open their minds and think outside of the box. Women everywhere can relate to it because there are many cultures that had to undergo a time where women where boosted from a role of subjection to one of significance. Unfortunately, in some areas, women are still fighting this battle. In America, there was a time where women were not allowed to vote, but a culture revolution, or change in ideals, took place in the 1920s and the rest was history.
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JULY 2014
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