Worth More than Rubies Celebrates 10 Years with Rawsistaz

They use to say, "If you want to keep something from them put it in a book." Thank God that now we're writing the books! That we is the African American literary community.

Groups like Rawsistaz are what our community is all about. For the last 1o years this literary giant has uplifted, encouraged, and promoted African American Literacy.

The Reading and Writing SISTAZ (R.A.W. SISTAZ) A Literary Group was founded by Tee C. Royal in September 2000 and focuses on reading, writing, and discussing books primarily by African American Authors.

The group was initially to be a small branch off of the SISTAZ (www.sistaz.org) email loop, but because of the overwhelming interest from women outside the organization, they decided on a separate entity to accommodate the incoming requests for membership. They now have the main group and RAW4ALL, their literary hang-out.

Online, Rawsistaz offers more than the normal meeting once a month to discuss books. They have active email dialogue about books they’ve read, upcoming books, literary events, and they even cross over into the writing arena. Some of the members are published authors while some are aspiring to be authors and are encouraged to share their writing tips and works for critique,

Their vision is to “Keep You In the Know” by providing information to the African-American Literary Community regarding books, authors, and other publishing industry news.

We at Worth More than Rubies Salute Tee C Royal and the members of Rawsistaz for a job well done.

To learn more about Rawsistaz click here

State of the Black Union

The State of the Black Union is at a crossroad. The Election of Barack Obama as the first African American President of the United States signals a change. But, this change will not come from the White House. It will come from our house.

Obama's election has removed one of the last remaining barriers to the glass ceiling. The African American community must now release the excuses of the past and come together collectively to take responsibility for our outcomes.

As a participating blogger in the State of the Black Union 10th anniversary celebration, I am prepared to provide commentary on issues that affect our communities. (i.e.,poverty, single parent families, domestic, etc.)

I was a teen mother who was abused in my first marriage. I eventually divorced and became a single mother. I was never on welfare and I did not receive child support from my ex-husband.

I am now an author, educator, inspirational speaker, talk show host, and entrepreneur. Therefore, I have a unique perspective on the solutions necessary to effectuate the type of change that we seek.

Dialogue is so important now with all of the controversial issues that we face. My input will cause people to think about taking individual responsibility for their choices and understanding that the only person over whom they have control is themselves. Therefore, individuals are ultimately responsible for the changes that are made in their lives.

I seek to help people understand that we all teach people how to treat us and therefore, if we want to develop positive relationships, we must create positive lessons for those around us by allowing only respectful, mutually empowering, interactions with those around us. Anything less can no longer be tolerated.

I am all about transparency and speaking the truth in love, even if it means that sometimes a few feelings may be hurt in the process: The ultimate goal is edification; getting people to understand their own worth and the contributions they can make by inspiring, encouraging, and empowering people to make a difference.

Coverage of the event will not only be included in my blog, but it will also be included during my internet radio show www.blogtalkradio.com/worthmorethanrubies and in my online magazine www.cheryllaceydonovan.com/magazine.html. Through syndication, social networking groups such as the National Business Women Enterprises Network, Black Business Women Online, the Black Authors Showcase and The Black Authors Network will also benefit from the information that I cover during the State of the Black Union 10th anniversary. This will bring an entirely new base of people to the discussions like never before. Blogs posted to these sites through syndication will allow participants to dialogue about the issues being discussed during the State of the Black Union. This input can then be brought back to the table and opened for discussion during the event.

I look forward to participating in the State of the Union 10th anniversary and I hope that the solutions brought forth will be utilized for the purpose of uplifting our community.

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Brother to Brother Literary Symposium

Ladies and Gentleman,

I am happy to announce that the Brother 2 Brother Literary Symposium (B2BLS) will be held this year at TSU University . The event is November 21-22, 2008 . We are excited with this great opportunity and are moving forward with great purpose and direction to help the youth of the City of Houston . With your help we can make this event spectacular. We already have the commitment of four major publishing houses to put a book in every person's hand that attends our event. Remember the event is free and open to the public.



That's why we need your assistance. Your tax deductible contribution in the amount of $40.00 will sponsor 4 children. It costs $11.00 per day for our two day event for a child to attend. It costs $52.00 a day to incarcerate a person. Please make your donation by 11-10-2008 . Save a youth from Dropping out of school. The drop-Out rate in Houston is 50% for young men and 37% for young women. Please go to www.b2bls.com and make your donation on the Paypal button or you can send it in to:

B2BLS

PO BOX 752481

Houston , TX 77275



You will get no return on your tax dollars from a person incarcerated. The 2400 youth attending our event, just working part-time at $7.00 per hour can bring into the Houston economy over $16 million dollars.



You can inspire faith, hope, education, and dreams by lending your support. Please give and show you care about our youth and Houston. I am here and dedicated to the Houston Community and to TSU University to shed a positive educational light that beacons our youth to opportunities and possibilities of a great future and productive life.



Don't just talk about it, be about it! Help us help our youth. Help us help Texas . Together we can make a positive difference and spread learning and literacy across this great state. Please feel free to forward to friend and other business owners that can help make this a remarkable event. Please help Houston youth. We are a 501C-3 Organization.



Thanks and I can be reached at 816-914-1560.



Vincent Alexandria

Chairman B2BLS

Are African American Women Being Held Hostage by the Welfare System?

Purported as being assistance for women, the welfare system is anything but. It's punitive nature only serves to make women more dependent. Housing, medical care, and food are all a part of what this system offers. If asked what they would choose, welfare or a minimum wage job at a fast food restaurant (which is what most welfare recipients are educated for), many of these women will choose welfare.

In addition, when these women do try to better themselves through education or entry level jobs, they are faced with the threat of their assistance being taken away prematurely.

And what about family preservation? If these women want to make a life with the fathers of their children, they can forget it.

The system was designed for failure. Instead of being a hand up it has become a hand out. When asked, many of these women can't even tell you why they're on welfare. The best they can do is say that there mother was on it too.

I'm left to wonder what has happened to good old fashioned work ethics. I have said before and I will say it again, it seems that in the past we did so much with do little and now we have so much and we can't seem to do anything.

The sense of entitlement seems to have permeated every facet of our society. We must begin to change the mindsets of those destined to live on the welfare system perpetually. We must show them that there is another way.

It's easy to be an armchair quarterback and talk about everything that's wrong about the way the system works, but it takes a lot more effort to get out of the chair and participate in making the change.

The cyclical poverty that is the environment of mothers who are on welfare must be changed by us collectively if we are to ever see a difference in our society.