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Greetings!
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 I love reading! And when summer comes, I always look for a title by a sistah author that contains something about the sun.
So when I ran across a book by one of my favorite authors, Marita Golden, called, "Don't Play in the Sun," I instantly picked it up. Wow! It wasn't what I expected at all!
The subtitle, "One Woman's Journey Through the Color Complex," sheds light on an aspect of the sun that is still problematic for many of us chocolate folk: the message that the sun's darkening effect on our skin is something
negative we should avoid. That somehow our blackness makes us less
valued by us and others. It's old stuff, passed down generation-to-generation, that we just can't seem to shed. Sad.
Sistah Marita writes, "I want you to
look at yourself. See the beauty of your face. But you cannot see your
face, really see it, until you clear your mind."
I find it curious and disappointing that in 2010 we're still wrestling with the color issue. CNN recently aired a special documentary on the values children attach to skin color. The result? Darker skin typically ranked as a negative attribute.
Jada Pinkett Smith graces the cover of the latest ESSENCE with the headline, "Celebrate our Bodies and Skin Tones." In the article she says, "There's a lot of shame we carry in our skin. But a lot of healing can come from us confronting our bodies and scraping off the shame."
Both Sistah Jada and Sistah Marita go on in elegant and eloquent fashion, imploring us to embrace our unique and glorious beauty--just as we are.
I add my voice to that chorus of esteemed sistahs. Our
Blackness is a gift. An honor. A beauty as vast and delicious as the vanilla, butterscotch, mocha, coffee hues we inhabit.
So my sistah, celebrate yourself. Your color, your hair, your "sistahness." Care for yourself. And teach all the little sistahs in your life to love up on themselves, too.
To shine, radiant as the sun. That is what it means to be WHOLE.
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| Quick Links | WHOLE is a monthly self-care newsletter created especially with African American women in mind. Have you missed our other issues? Don't worry! They're waiting for you in our Archive.
WHOLE is brought to you by WeSpeakLoudly, a women's health education and consulting firm dedicated to improving the health of African American women and girls. Learn more at our website.
Don't miss our blog WHOLE Express, with quick tips and insights on improving your health.
What to be in touch? Drop us a line!
WHOLE and WeSpeakLoudly are registered trademarks.
Copyright 2010
Jacci Thompson-Dodd, MA, MSSS
All rights reserved
ISSN: 1946-1631
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Love Your Nappy Hair!
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 Summer sun can be brutal to our tresses. But here are five natural haircare tips that your tresses will love: - "Co-wash." That means washing your hair with conditioner instead of shampoo. Most shampoos contain sulfates and alcohol that are great for removing product build-up but leave your hair stripped of moisture.
This can lead to an excessive amount of breakage. Co-washing rids your hair of product build-up, while leaving your hair moisturized. It helps in detangling, too. I love VO5 Moisture Milk! It's affordable, rich, and comes in luscious-smelling Peach and Strawberry--two of my favorite summer scents! - Moisturize and seal. Our hair craves moisture! Feed it everyday with a moisture lotion like BioInfusion or Organic Root Stimulator. They're both made with olive oil, and absorb quickly into the hair without weighing it down or making it sticky. To lock in the moisture, seal it with a dab of natural oil like organic shea butter, coconut oil, or Hot Six Oil--a combination of oils especially blended for natural hair and skin. Stay away from petroleum or mineral oil! They can weaken the hair, making it brittle and subject to breakage.
- Wear protective styles. Excessive pulling, combing, and manipulating of every kind can harm your hair. Rock some bantu knots, twists, or braids as healthier alternatives.
- Protect hair at night. With all the attention we place on our hair during our waking hours, we often forget that our hair needs attention when we sleep, too! Keeping in the moisture, and protecting against the friction of bed linens and clothing is critical. Tie up the hair in a silk scarf, or use a silk pillowcase instead.
- Drink lots of water! Your hair is alive and gets thirsty just like the rest of your body. So drink lots of water--just plain water--to make sure you're moisturizing your hair from the inside out.
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WHOLE Self-Care Inspiration: DYI!
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 Sometimes your emotions, relationships, job, clothes, and clutter can hold you hostage in an unhealthy state of being. Why? Habit. It's familiar. You settle for these things because you can't see or don't believe you can have anything better. You can! DYI: Declare Your Independence!
To DYI means busting free of the constriction that others impose on you. Letting go of all the "stuff" that weighs you down. It means curing yourself of the "disease to please" others and start pleasing yourself. It means daring to try new things! New styles, new foods, new friendships, new places. Time to move on!
To DYI is liberating! Freeing yourself from convention and regret. It allows you to embrace a deeper, fuller, sense of who you are and what is possible. Declare your independence, my sistah. Change is good. Growth is nourishing. It is self-acceptance. Self-love. Shine, baby, shine!
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Too Hot to Cook? Eat it Raw!
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 I'm a foodie. I watch cooking shows, collect cookbooks, and devour food magazines. But it's the food itself from which I draw my most compelling inspiration, so I'm even experimenting with growing my own herbs and veggies. (These are my very own Sweet Peas pictured to the left.)
This time of year, Mother Nature outdoes herself with a bounty of colorful fruits and veggies. Corn, tomatoes, yellow squash, and zucchini are all coming to their peak of ripeness right now, and begging to be consumed. But who wants to cook when it's hot? So why not eat it raw!
Here's a quick and easy salad you're sure to love--from prep to table in just 10-15 minutes! This recipe serves six, larger than our usual yield. But this salad keeps so well, we thought you might appreciate having more around to eat throughout the week.
WHOLE Confetti Salad
Ingredients
2 ears yellow corn
2 ears white corn
2 medium zucchini
2 medium yellow squash
1 lb roma or grape tomatoes, seeded and halved
1/3 bunch cilantro
Salad dressing
1 lime
1 lemon
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 tsp fresh thyme
1/4 tsp ground cumin
2/3 cup olive oil
Black pepper and sea salt to taste
Garnish
1/4 cup chives, chopped
Preparation
- Remove and discard the corn husk and silk. Wash ears of corn, then carefully cut off kernels into a large bowl, slicing lengthwise down the cob. Set aside but keep the cob for a great tip later!
- Wash and coarsely chop zucchini and yellow squash and add to corn in the bowl.
- Wash tomatoes, cut in half, remove and discard the seeds, then coarsely chop the remaining flesh. If you are using grape tomatoes, you can simply keep them halved or quarter the pieces. Add to veggies in the bowl.
- Wash cilantro and remove stems. Tear leaves of cilantro over veggies in bowl. Lightly toss ingredients, then set aside.
- For salad dressing, zest lime and lemon into a medium-sized jar with tight-fitting lid, then juice them into the jar, removing any seeds. You should have about 1/3 cup of juice. If not, please add more lemon or lime juice to achieve the required amount.
- Here's our tip for the corn cobs: take a spoon and scrape the flecks of corn and milk from the cobs into the jar. It adds an incredible fresh corn taste to the salad and helps to thicken the salad dressing! Add all other ingredients to the jar, close the lid TIGHTLY and shake vigorously until salad dressing is emulsified. Add sea salt and black pepper to taste.
- Drizzle dressing over veggies until lightly coated--DON'T DRENCH IT! Toss until well combined. You'll probably have some dressing left over. Fine. It will keep nicely in the fridge. Garnish with chives, and serve at room temperature or chilled. Salad will keep about 4-5 days in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
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Have a great summer! Stay cool, and stay tuned to WHOLE. We're putting together some great new articles and resources that we're sure you'll love and want to share. As always, drop us a line with any comments, questions, or suggestions. It's easy to share WHOLE, just click here!
Looking forward to seeing you again next month!
Yours in health,
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Jacci Thompson-Dodd WeSpeakLoudly WHOLE is brought to you in part through the support of Juice Plus+. Photo credits: Jerry Vines, Artsandsoul, and Sarah Fix
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