Blacks on the Move

This poem was written as part of the Superior Court of NJ – Essex Vicinage 2019 Black History Month Writing Contest. We were asked to write on the theme provided by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). “The theme, BLACK MIGRATIONS, emphasizes the movement of people of African descent to new destinations and subsequently new realities. Such migrations resulted in a more diverse and stratified interracial and intra-racial urban population amid a changing social milieu.” My poem pays homage to those who were stolen, those who left voluntarily, and those today who still feel like where they are is not where they should be. I am honored to have won First Place for this submission and I recognize that Black History is really American History. Everywhere we go we make contributions that add our quilt square to the fabric of this country. I am grateful to do my part. I am my ancestors wildest dreams! às̩e̩

BLACKS ON THE MOVE

America, the land of the free / “Give me your tired, your poor”        

Just no Blacks, like me

The Motherland ripe with bodies, BLACK GOLD

“Let me have them” / And just like that, SOLD!

The centuries rolled and we needed a plan

This was no way to live for a dog or a man

The South was a prison with progress too slow

The North should be better so why don’t we go?

For at least sixty years we left cotton and cane

To travel far west or up north by train

What would await us? None of us knew

But leaving was something we just had to do

Do you know what we’ve been through?

Have you heard what they do?

Let us pack all our pain and we’ll bring it to you

New York, California, Boston, DC

Philly, Detroit, Chicago, take me!

Let me and my family make a fresh new start

We’re hardworking people with the biggest of hearts

Funny thing is we’ve learned we can’t breathe in ANY state

America’s South isn’t the only home of hate

It seems that I’m Black wherever I live

And this foot on my neck, it just won’t give

The irony of the Constitution and Lady Liberty

Her shackles broken but ours carry into the 21^st century

There is no place of refuge for the Black American

We found that out from the Great Migration

But inside of me is much more than a slave

The greatness you stole cannot be dismayed

I will span every stretch of this land for my place in the sun

The fight for freedom, still not quite yet won

The door of no return led us to the door of escape

And we step out on courage and move by faith

We don’t get deterred by anything lost

Perseverance, resilience, many rivers to cross

Keyana M. Jones

Copyright © 2019

There is no end, only new beginnings…

I started this blog in grad school several years ago. It is a hodgepodge of my thoughts but I love and accept the representation of my beautiful mind that it yields. A vision of someone that won’t stay put in any single box the world puts me in, preferring rather the freedom to float above labels. Today I feel the need to acknowledge myself and acknowledge others who have guided me on my journey.

I would like to thank my personal trainer Reggie Lamptey, for always offering words of encouragement, assigning motivational videos for me to watch and for believing in me, at times more strongly than I believed in myself.  If I ever wanted to go to him for a pity party, he’d decline the invitation and ask to speak to the warrior within me instead. I always jokingly called him mean, but his tough love pulled me out from some of my darkest days and nights.

I also thank my holistic coach Safiya Oni, for helping me to work through visualization and teaching me to break down my tasks into smaller chunks. She identified the “analysis paralysis” I often face from “over-thinking” and not actually “doing.” This pattern had been known to immobilize me, providing a barrier between myself and my goals.

Lastly, I thank my life coach Om Boogie, for asking this question of me daily: “Who is Keyana today?” as a gentle reminder that I am always in control of the present moment. Contrary to popular belief, your past does not set a permanent precedent. At any time you can shake off old habits and chart new paths. This is a POWERFUL piece of wisdom and one of the most important tools in my kit.

What you will find in this particular entry is a journey of revelation about self-worth. An expression of that moment you realize you don’t have to accept a conclusion that someone else draws about you. Shake off that negativity and affirm who you are. “I AM” statements are the driving force behind that wise hammer in my toolkit. I use them to drive nails into the coffins of classifications  that do not serve me. And furthermore, I am teaching my son to do the same.

I invite you to take a glimpse into a day of my life by reading a letter I felt compelled to write when my son was denied a seat at the table. Although crushed at first, we licked our wounds and set out to get the wood necessary to build our own table. That hammer I spoke of will surely come in handy.     *insert sly KMJ smile*

Check out my original correspondence between the Cornell Summer Program here: Letter_Cornell Director

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This post was inspired by an article written by Greg Lorjuste on 2/19/18 – My Path From A 1.4 GPA To The White House

#Cliffdiving

“Let’s jump off of a cliff,” he said

“YES! It will be fun!” he said

But there was no net,

And that’s just what I get,

Now I’m left holding all of my pieces…

~KMJ~

1/7/2017

Wave Early

Wave Early

I wasn’t ready when you called

I don’t know why life has us playing these cruel games

Always hide and seek with each other’s heart

I go running to find you, but you’re not there

You call out my name but I’m too far away to hear it

Back and forth we go

Getting nowhere fast

I wasn’t ready when you called for me

Your lips were saying sweet words

That my ears just could not, would not hear

“The one who got away”… Me?

I always thought I was the one you ran far, far away from

How could this love you speak of be for me?

How could this happily ever after tale end with birds flying about our heads

Donning wreaths of flowers around our necks?

Nah, not our story

The one with the poison that seeps through more than apples

Yup, that would be our love

Eyes wide shut in a comatose state

Needing more than kisses to revive the thumping of a bleeding heart

So I can’t be ready when you call

I won’t be there when you send for me

I’ve traded in heartache and heartbreak for a one-way ticket to Paradise

Freedom from Mr. Wrong who could never be right for me

Sweet nothings aint nothing when they don’t last very long

Words upon words lacking harmony, thus lacking song

Please keep far away from me with your empty promises

I have no room to pack your sins on top of mine

For that I’d have to pay extra

And you and I know this has already cost us too much

So wave your goodbyes early

For by the time you blink

I’ll already be gone

~KMJ~

5/13/15

The Eyes of a Stranger

The Eyes of a Stranger

In the eyes of a stranger

I’ve never seen danger

Some people call me crazy

But of course I don’t agree

When we sit for a while

I can’t help but smile

Some chitchat here and there

And of course I’m filled with glee

Who is this man?

Like to know if I can

An hour goes swiftly

Packed on a bus with such little space

Does my hair look fine?

Could I make this man mine?

1, 2, Inhale… 3, 4, Exhale

Be cool and put on your game face

You’re awesome, don’t blow it!

You’re nervous, don’t show it!

He laughed, he smiled, so there!

Looks like you’re good to go

The heart is resilient

And love can be brilliant

It’s not life or death

Even if he says “No”…

~KMJ~

5/14/15

So, Oh Well

The end of our road again?

Ok, that’s fine

I’m immune to your grand exits now

Each one less impressive than the one preceding

Who is this performance even for?

Certainly not me

I’ve stopped listening to your soliloquy long ago

Oh didn’t you know the curtain closed on this show?

I guess you were looking too long in your dressing room mirror

To notice your leading lady has long departed

Time to recast and honey break a leg!

One break here and one break there will make the broken heart easier to withstand

My understudy will need to be a pro at dealing with the broken things

Especially the broken parts of you

The parts you ignore with grand speeches

Knowing everything about everything

But sadly nothing about yourself, or me, or us

But I learned that’s not blissful ignorance you seek

No, it’s just plain denial

A temper tantrum of a fully grown man

Longing to have your way in spite of everything

So, oh well

What’s lil ol’ me to do?

To exchange my dancing shoes for laced up sneakers

I’m done doing this tango with you

All I want is to run in the opposite direction

When you bring the house down

All to keep from being lost in the rubble

Lost forever in the pit of you

~KMJ~

5/14/15

Why I Ran Through the Mud: Top 5 Reasons

Why I Ran Through the Mud: Top 5 Reasons

Mudderella NY/NJ 2014 was quite an experience. To become physically fit, I trained from January – May with the workouts provided on the website (http://mudderella.com/workouts/). The tagline for the event was “Own Your Strong” so did I feel strong? %$#& YEAH!

Here are my top 5 reasons for why I chose to run through the mud:

1. THE CHALLENGE IS INTRIGUING – The thought of going through an obstacle course, if you’ve never done one, is pretty scary. You automatically think to yourself, “I’m not cut out for this!” but a small part of you is also like, “But wouldn’t it be cool if I DID do it?” So the thrill chaser in me was intrigued. Of course I am the girl who found chatting with strangers online invigorating more than a decade ago, and the girl who jumped out of an airplane skydiving, before I ever took a plane ride for leisure, and yes the girl who got that VCH piercing because it seemed so bad A$$. Thus, Mudderella was sure to be another feather in my cap.
2. YOU FIND FRIENDS IN UNLIKELY PLACES – So I heard about Mudderella from a woman who wanted to create a team. Her enthusiasm made me enthusiastic. I said yes! Then I spread the word and invited my closest friends to join us. That’s where things went awry. Out of all the people I asked, only ONE person stepped up to the plate with me. That got me thinking about my circle. It obviously needed to be expanded. Our team ended up being comprised of 12 people and I only knew a few of them. I wondered how this ragtag bunch would do, but surprisingly, we connected immediately for a common goal: To support one another and have a great time! It was remarkable to see how quickly we meshed as if we had been the best of friends for years. This bond propelled me to do my best on game day. We were in it together and there was no turning back.
3. YOU GET FILTHY – Ok, so obviously the operative word in Mudderella is MUD. And lots of it. Although I knew what to expect, I really didn’t know what to expect! That mud is an experience all in itself. I’m talking WALKING through it. Before we even got to Obstacle 1, the walk from the Start line was a challenge. Sneakers were lost and people were going down. I thought, “What have I gotten myself into!?!” Then later on at one of the obstacles, I accidently got dunked in a pool of muddy water. All was lost at that point. I was covered from head to toe. To my surprise I wasn’t bothered by it. Startled, yes, but I survived. I couldn’t see a thing and someone came to my rescue with napkins to wipe my eyes. All I could do was laugh and smile, even risking getting mud in my mouth. Yuck! So this was the pinnacle of the Mudderella experience, huh? Yup. Warning: Divas stay home! Signing up was a chance for me to forget about how I look on the outside and focus on what I’m made up of on the inside! And that’s where the best stuff is.
4. GETTING FIT – I enjoy exercising, but are there times I slack off? GUILTY! However when I made the decision to participate in Mudderella, I knew I had to be focused and committed to a workout regimen. I was proud of myself that I woke up every morning at 5am to do the 1hr session. I had created a MudderellaTrainingLog to track my reps and put it all in a handy, dandy Mudderella binder. That binder was my workout bible. For 5 months I trained and saw results. I looked strong. I felt strong. I was strong. I was ready to take on anything. When I came home after the event, I didn’t even feel winded. I took a shower, then a bath, soaking with Epsom salt. The next day, I was up and working out again. Go me!
5. SUPPORTING A GREAT CAUSE – The proceeds for Mudderella go to an organization called Futures Without Violence (http://mudderella.com/futures-without-violence/) that works to prevent and end domestic violence. As a woman, domestic violence is a relevant topic. Unfortunately my peers and I have experienced toxic relationships that have led or could have led to domestic violence. Therefore, to donate to an organization that fights for DV awareness was something I could not resist.

These are my top 5 reasons for why I ran through the mud. It was a great event that I’m thrilled I was able to experience. My team #BeautyFlies said they’d love to do it again. So I’m looking forward to next year! Will you join me? The choice is yours…

An Ode to Blogging

It’s probably redundant to say that I am a fan of blogging. That’s evident by this blog I’ve begun even now. However, I do want to point out that there are critics to this form of writing and notable bloggers have fought to find their place in journalism.

In an article by Andrew Sullivan entitled “Why I Blog,” he made a strong case for why the web log should not be dismissed. He made a comparison between formal music and jazz that sums up the relationship between formal writing and blogging quite perfectly.  “Jazz merely demands a different way of playing and listening, just as blogging requires a different mode of writing and reading.”

It is probably no coincidence that I would gravitate toward blogging since I have maintained a personal journal since elementary school. Sullivan notes that “the historic form closest to blogs is the diary.” I am thrilled by the idea of pouring out the trappings of my heart, but now I must get used to exposing them for the world to see. I hope to pursue this blogging journey with the same fervent attention that I give to the little blue journal on my nightstand.  I want to be as passionate about news and events outside of my life as I am about the personal tragedies and triumphs I record from my own little world.

The face of journalism is changing all around us and many, including myself, are ready to jump board and explore this unchartered sea.

Check out “Why I Blog” by Andrew Sullivan: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200811/andrew-sullivan-why-i-blog

The 21st Century Endangered Species

“For people who still love print, who like to hold it, feel it, rustle it, tear stuff out, do their I. F. Stone thing, it’s important to remember that people are living longer. That’s the most hopeful thing you can say about print journalism, that old people are living longer.” (Phil Bronstein, San Francisco Chronicle editor at large)

The word is out… young people are not reading newspapers. That’s typically been an older person thing and now that the state of the newspaper industry is up in the air, there may not be newspaper print available by the time the new generation reaches their old age! Why don’t many 20yr olds rely on print for their news? One culprit… the internet. This generation grew up with the advent of the World Wide Web and have taken it and run with it. Newspapers didn’t stand a chance with them. It’s like comparing the mental math ability of the person who was taught on the abacus to the person who had a calculator at his/her disposal.

I’m ashamed to admit that I am guilty as well. When was the last time I read a newspaper? I certainly haven’t picked up one this year. Shameful. What’s even more pitiful is that I am not alone. Just out of curiosity I asked ten of my peers (age 21-28) if they had read a single newspaper at all this year, sadly only 2 of the 10 had and they did so for a specific reason, not for leisure.

Phil Bronstein of the San Francisco Chronicle remarked that it is the older generation that may have been keeping the newspaper industry on life support for these past few years. If that is true, then has the countdown begun for its extinction? How can newspapers appeal to the younger generations who just aren’t interested in what they’re selling?

This is a question that is surely being pondered across newsrooms today. They see the great divide and are no doubt scrambling to keep their ships afloat. If the internet is one of the causes for this problem, then it stands to reason that it should be factored into the solution as well. Fighting fire with fire. This is the direction that many newspapers are already going in. As with most things, technology is the catalyst for bigger things in the future, though better has yet to be determined.

(Written in response to this New York Times article by Maureen Dowd: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/26/opinion/26dowd.html?scp=33&sq=journalism&st=cse )

Perfecting the Soup: A Recipe for Tomorrow’s Journalists

With the ever-changing climate of news media, it has become necessary for the journalism curriculum to be revised. In order to service the journalists of tomorrow, schools are beginning to understand that some of yesterday’s lessons just don’t cut it. How are the reporters of new and old different from each other? How are they the same? These are some of the questions being asked by mass communication professionals.

For the past five months I have been learning about the need for a “multimedia journalist,” a journalist who is able to produce news in a variety of forms.  This approach is supposed to help bridge the gap between traditional news reporting methods and the opportunities afforded by the internet. Today’s journalists are definitely expected to be better-rounded in their skill set and do more than just write their news story.

In a recent New York Times article written by Brian Stelter, how journalism schools are responding to the multimedia approach was discussed.  One contributor, Tom Fiedler, a dean of the College of Communication at Boston University argues that it is still important to teach the basics of journalism no matter how a story will be packaged for the public. He says, “We want to teach our students to make a great soup. What they serve it in matters little.” In a mad dash to keep up with the times and get news out to an audience that wants it at their fingertips, today’s journalists have the task of balancing quality with quantity.

It will be interesting to see how the new generations of journalists tackle the issues faced now in reporting the news. I’m sure it will take a fresh eye to look at the problems from different angles in order to come up with the best solutions. No one is denying that previous methods are getting outdated. The question now is what new methods will yield the best results and make for the tastiest soup.

Check out Stelter’s article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/education/edlife/journ-t.html?scp=27&sq=journalism&st=cse