What Would Angelou Do?

The world feels a little emptier now, more hollow, less sincere, as we have lost a hero, a leader, a mother and a friend. Through her words, she will live on, through her wisdom, we will grow, and in her absence we must rise up and fill the void she left us with the courage and sagacity she always knew we had within us. 

As a writer, this is a call to action. As a woman, this is an awakening. As a human being, this is a chance to follow in the footsteps of the great human being we have lost.

In her passing, as a flood of her quotes fill Facebook and Twitter feeds around the world, one cannot help but to (or maybe it's just me) pause and take inventory of our lives. Not everyone will be remembered in the same way or in the same capacity that she is, but everyone has the ability to, as she once said, "Try to be a rainbow in someone else's cloud". Not everyone will publish great American novels, receive 50 honorary degrees and touch the hearts of millions with poems but everyone can be their own version of phenomenal.

So I ask, W.W.A.D? What would Angelou do? 

And I answer, be courageous. 

"Courage is the most important of all the virtues 

because without courage, 

you can't practice any other virtue consistently."

- Maya Angelou        

                       

         

Chocolate Compass is about more than just travel for the sake of travel. It's about opening eyes around the world, exposing ourselves to and exploring other cultures and taking steps towards understand and creating a better tomorrow.

 An' ain't we bad?

An' ain't we Black?

An' ain't we fine?

I want to write and I want to travel. Not only that, I want to encourage others to do the same. I don't need to make millions, I don't need a fancy house or shiny jewelry, I just want to be happy and to find ways to bring happiness to other. To me, that's success. To me, that's living.

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, 

but by the moments that take our breath away."

I want to use what I love to a make positive changes in the world. I won't change the world as a whole, but I can put a dent in it. I can be a light and a rainbow to generations of youth who waste away, anonymously and quietly in the shadows of poverty and misfortune; the chocolate youth who haven't been afforded the same opportunities as others, whose interests aren't catered to and whose lives aren't always depicted in a positive light. I want to spend my life encouraging and exposing youth to people and places and things and ideas that may change their lives for the better.

Maybe that's too much to ask. Maybe it's not feasible in this economy. But as long as the necessity exists, so exists my desire to beat the odds and make that dream a reality.

Chocolate Compass WILL rise.
Chocolate Compass WILL not be defeated.
Chocolate Compass WILL be phenomenal.

"Nothing will work unless you do."

"Nothing can dim the light which shines from within."

                          

Dr. Maya Angelou

April 4, 1928 - May 28, 2014

Our Kids Don't Even Know They're Beautiful, How Do We Expect Them To Know They Matter?

If you had your doubts as to why projects like Chocolate Compass are relevant and necessary, please watch.

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There is really nothing I can write here that can express this issue any better than these students have. 

 

As we still battle public and personal demons on a daily basis, as we feel the constant weight of needing to "prove ourselves" some how we must try to remember the words of Dr. Maya Angelou, "You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody". 

 

Easier said than done. Easier read than believed. But let's continue to raise awareness and continue to support one another because no matter how some may try they can never fully understand what it is like. They may empathize, and though the empathy is appreciated (as long as it is sincere and not for show), they will never be able to walk in our shoes. They will struggle to understand the weight and the pressure. They are not to blame. This is not a call to action against a people, it's a raising of awareness for our people. It's an acknowledgment, stating that it's tough, it's been tough and it will continue to be tough. 

 

We need to fill those gaps and have faith in ourselves as a culture and as a community because the pressure of being and feeling alone is too great a burden to bare. 33. It's not enough, yet it's more than enough. It's not enough to be an end but it's more than enough for a beginning.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Spread some chocolate love, y'all! 

Whether you're single, married, on-again-off-again, just keep spreading the love.

Thug Notes: Making Reading "Street" or "Trill"

Thug Notes is the main hookup for classical literature summary and analysis. What more can we say.

Your host, Sparky Sweets, PhD, takes you on a literary journey the only way literary journeys should be taken, like a thug, offering brilliant summaries and analyses of some of our favorite pieces of literature. From Hamlet to The Hobbit, Sparky Sweets tells it how it is once a week as he entertains and educates the masses. Minus the curse words, we wouldn't have it any other way.

More than just comedy, Thug Notes serves a legitimate purpose and has a following of well over 100,000. Started back in 2013, Thug Notes has produced over 45 videos and has received upward to 4.5 million views.

Some of our favorites:

To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Thug Notes is a prime example of "get in where you fit in". We ain't mad at ya! Keep 'em comin'!

Maya Penn: It's Never Too Early For Great Ideas

Naturally, when you see someone doing great things you want to help celebrate and help spread the word. When that someone is a chocolate drop set on making the world a better place you want to help raise them up even more and shout from the mountain top "There's hope for this generation yet!"

Maya Penn, age 13, is already deep into a career, something most people don't do until much later in life. She has yet to stroll the halls of high school but has already graced the stage of TED Talks,  The Steve Harvey Show and many other venues promoting Maya's Ideas, her Eco-friendly clothing and accessories as well as her educational animated cartoons (Maya Penn). 

Maya is proof that a little vision coupled with a sense of purpose can create something wonderfully grand. We love her heart, her spirit and, without a doubt, her hair and we can't wait to see what more she has in store. 

Good work, Maya! Chocolate Compass is proud of you! Way to be a part of the Chocolate Current!

Check out more on Maya: Maya's Ideas.