FELA LIVES- Seun Kuti Live in NY!

Hi FAB Dolls and Dapper Fellas!


Hope you all had a fabulous Easter weekend! (Don't be ashamed to admit that you went Easter egg hunting; I know I did!)The amount of cookies, chocolate eggs and candy I consumed should be a sin...but I digress. The reason I am so excited today and currently jamming to Fela Kuti on Pandora is because Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 were live in NY!!!!!

Yesterday evening after all the Easter festivities, I ended up in the Big Apple with some of my FAB dolls to see Seun Kuti in concert at the Highland Ballroom! Hands down one of my favorite concerts to date!

"If you can enjoy this music, then it means we are the same" -Seun Kuti, 4.8.12

The band was amazing, the opening act was so good he had me wondering if he was in any way related to the Kuti-Klan! And of course Mr. Seun Kuti himself brought down the full house with his amazing dancers (special shout out to FAB doll Yetunde) and the engaging Egypt 80 band! I don't think I've danced that much in a while, definitely danced my shoes off (literally).

"Same shit, in varying degrees but same shit; look into humanity and the struggle is the same" -Seun Kuti, 4.8.12

It was such a fun way to wrap up the holiday weekend, and definitely had me wondering how my grandmother and her crew tore it up at Fela Kuti concerts back in the day (my grandma can Azonto better than any of you, yesso!) ;-)

"Man has no right to tell nature what to do" -Seun Kuti, 4.8.12

Be sure to catch Fela on Broadway if you can- they're currently on tour

Fela Lives yall!!!

xoxo

SiSi

A new face to the American Dream

Amidst all of the negative and racially charged incidences of today, it is great to see a shimmer of gold. This golden shimmer is brought to us today in the form of college acceptance letters received by the very proud dapper fellas of Urban Prep Academy!

With 100% of the 2012 graduating class of Urban Prep Academy being accepted into 4 year Universities, they remain committed to their responsibility to themselves, their community and this world. Founded in 2006, Urban Prep Academy is based in Westside, Chicago (yes, the neighborhood is as rough as it sounds)and has clearly set the standards high for college admittance rates.

This is their 3rd consecutive year of having such positive outcomes! Motivated and empowered to contribute to this society, they have successfully climbed a mountain, that only approximately 37% of African American men are able to accomplish. It will be exciting to see how this up & coming generation of brilliant thinkers continues to challenge the status quo in achieving THEIR American Dream!



FAB congratulates the Urban Prep Academy classes of 2010, 2011 and 2012! These young gentleman are an excellent reminder of how much can be achieved when we set our minds to our goals as opposed to our boundaries! If they aren't the definition of F.A.B; then I'm not really sure what is!

Stay in the books & Stay FAB

XoXo
SiSi

A Toast to Fabulous Women!

In honor of International Women's Day I'm introducing you to one of my favorite dolls, Moiyattu Banya. As someone I have looked up to for almost 8 years now, I am constantly amazed by her achievements, her passion and most of all her vision to empower African women. As the founder and CEO of Mbanya Global Enterprise, Moiyattu is a phenomenal public speaker, leveraging organizations in Africa while touching the lives of all those she meets with her powerful story from her beautiful childhood in Sierra Leone to the personal struggles her family encountered during a time of political turmoil.

On the heels of an inspirational homily by Monsignor Greg, I downloaded Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Leymah Gbowee's book; Mighty Be Our Powers to my nook. This novel took me on a journey that no history book (and I love history) could surpass. In addition to this, it helped me connect to Moiyattu's story, so it was great to share this reading experience with her.

Moiyattu recently told me about her opportunity to interview Leymah Gbowee, and I am excited to bring her coverage of this interview to my FAB readers today!

Happy International Women's Day FAB Dolls!

5 Things Every African Woman Must Know: A Conversation with Leymah Gbowee, by Moiyattu Banya


“For women everywhere in the world, if you are looking for a King, Gandhi or Mandela to solve your problems, you have missed the mark we are responsible for changing our own situations” Leymah Gbowee, 2-28-2012

Question: How would you say your childhood shaped who you are today?

Activism 1:
“At a very young age I learned that you should never back down from any issue in your life”

Click here to read the full interview!

Phenomenal women, with phenomenal stories! What's not to love!?!?

Be sure to add Mighty Be Our Powers to your book club's reading list!

Stay FAB,
xoxo

SiSi