I use to wear flowers in my hair when I was 16. I chose the gardenia to enhance my simple bun and pearls. It became my signature. Oh, how I thought I was original! Ha! Little did I know the history behind the flower that I took for granted.

Family, it's Women's History Month. I thought that as Miss Black USA it would be a waste of a blog not acknowledge the beauty of this month. I must admit, for years I allowed the month of March to come and go without ever taking a minute to breath the air that my SHE-roes provided me with. You know, the air that God gives willingly, but oppressors tried to make us pay for? Yeah, that air. However, this year as your Miss Black USA and a TRUE advocate for the lives of young women, I could not let this moment pass me by.

History is powerful. It defines our foundation, and can set the tone for our liberated future. I learned while in Ghana a fabulous lesson: EVERYTHING has history and EVERYTHING has meaning. The Pain we've experienced: HAS MEANING. Our names: HAS MEANING. Our victories: HAS MEANINGS. The flower I wore in my hair: HAS MEANING.

Therefore I was not surprised to see Mo'Nique on her Oscar Night, wearing the flower that once adorned the hair of Hattie McDonald, the woman who won an Academy Award for playing a feisty slave in " Gone with the Wind".

I honor these two women today and their history. Sometimes we forget that everyone has a story. We all have had a series of events that have led us to the moment where the world celebrates us. We weren't there when Mo'nique, like many "Precious" young ladies, was molested by her brother. We weren't there when Big Sister Hattie suffered from Breast Cancer before it was popular, or when her Academy Award was stolen from Howard University during the race riots of 1960's. No, we weren't there. But TODAY, we can celebrate their history and how their history has enhanced the very essence of who we are as extra-ordinary people.

I haven't worn a flower in my hair since I was 16. But, I think it's high time I bring it back out. And this time I'll know that it's meaning runs deeper than the sea filled with the tears that our SHE-roes have shed in order to ensure that we could be here today.

Your Sister,
Shayna

Moments from my moment....

Hello ALL!

I am sorry that I have been so M.I.A! It has been a very busy time in my life and I must apologize for not keeping you informed about my travels. I am going to do better ( smile).

If you haven't heard I had the honor of attending the NAACP Image awards! Last year I watched it from my living room but this year I was inspired as I sat in the audience with Miss Black USA 1995! God is so good...

The beauty of this experience was truly found not in the glitz and the glamour but in seeing the humanity in stars that we so often place unrealistic standards on. I saw Jill Scott laughing with Mo'nique until they had tears in their eyes. I saw Anika Noni Rose crack jokes during commercial breaks. I saw Tyler Perry show emotions about the recent death of his mother. THESE ARE REAL PEOPLE... 

They deserve our prayers. They deserve our respect. They deserve their own space and place to be human. 

I thank God for the gift of learning this lesson. If it had not been for Miss Black USA... I may not have learned it in such a fabulous way.

I am on my way to working on my second book... I promise we'll talk real soon!

Much Love,

Shay