If the color of my skin poses a problem within public schools; what about the children?
 
I chose to work in the Washington State public-school system to help educate children and to be a positive role model. As an African-American woman, I want kids of all ethnicities to see that a woman of color can be a mentor like any other school faculty member. I also recognize there are minority children that should have someone they can relate to. I remember how it felt as a child to go to an all-white school and see nobody who looked like me. There was no one to teach me with the compassion and respect for who I was as a black child. The negative experience of feeling alone in school as a kid caused me great emotional pain at the time. What I didn’t plan on was the disrespect I would later receive as the only African-American paraeducator working at my elementary school.
 
From the beginning of my employment, I had to wait for public restrooms to become available while staff restrooms were not in use. There were two bathrooms side by side. One was for staff only and stayed locked. The other unlocked restroom is for the public and was regularly full.
 
After one month of working at the school, I voiced my concern to the HR department. Although all staff in the school worked for the same employer, I received unequal treatment. In the end, I was never given a solid reason for being denied restroom access.
 
Soon after I complained, the mistreatment and feelings of isolation began. Multiple school Administrators would walk past me without acknowledging I was there. Coworkers would make me feel as if I was not in the same room.
 
One day while waiting outside of the public restroom for it to become available, the Vice Principal walks over and looks directly at me. He knew that I didn’t have a key and why I was outside patiently waiting. He let himself into the locked staff restroom without offering to let me go in first. I cried that day, and it still hurts to talk about it. I thought to myself, “this isn’t the Hidden Figures movie, this is 2018! - I should have the same access to the same bathrooms as everyone else!”
 
When I complained again, the retaliation began. I was micromanaged during my duties. I was harassed and made to feel like I wasn’t wanted there. Ultimately, a critical work review was written by the principal at this school and placed in my personnel file.
 
I chose to fight back. Although it was a long battle, I was eventually able to have the negative performance review erased from my permanent file as it was found to have no merit. A district investigator who reviewed my concerns concluded that I was supposed to be given a restroom key as soon as I initially brought the matter to HR. The investigators report concluded that I was forced to work in a hostile work environment.
 
So, if the color of my skin poses a problem within public schools; what about the children?
 
The Public Schools has an increasing number of people of color coming to work within the system. Currently, the work environment at the schools is predominately white, and not accustomed to working with other ethnicities. Most white teachers and administrators have traditionally only worked with black and brown children but not adults of color.
 
In schools, most of the Principals, teachers, and other faculty are white. Most whites have been socially desensitized, and do not see their unfair treatment of people of color as a problem. Many white people go through life with the dissonance that the oppression of black and brown people is acceptable. This belief system (either knowingly or unknowingly), says, “it doesn’t matter what the truth is, I choose not to believe that my negative behaviors towards people of color will impact them in a damaging and hurtful way.”
 
The attitudes of the faculty, their teaching styles, and behaviors affect children and adults of color devastatingly. The full long-term impact is enormous and likely never crosses the minds of the staff.
 
So, what does this say about our school system when our children are taught by people that believe black and brown individuals are second class citizens, and it’s ok to traumatize them? Please ponder that question.
 
The long-term social conditioning of most white people is problematic. This conditioning says; I am superior, I am privileged, and I can get away with anything. These attitudes create emotional trauma for our children and adults. This mentality says that it is acceptable to treat a person like me as less than because I can handle it! I do not wish to be viewed as a person strong enough to withstand these disturbing experiences. The irony is that I have been conditioned to think I am supposed to accept these unhealthy behaviors. This conditioning has led me to suppress the negative impact of what racism has done to my mind and my body.
 
The emotional pain I underwent at work caused me to seek therapy for a job that I only worked part-time at. If I’m affected working only part-time at the school district, what about the children who must endure this type of systemic oppression all day every day? The kids are told to deal with it by their parents and by society because they must go to school, right? Children do not have a voice, so adults need to be the voice for them. However, if the voice for the children is restricted to those of the privileged and oppressors, then when do the children ever get a chance to be represented?
 
There will be more minorities coming to work in the educational system. They will be working with white teachers and administrators who are untrained on the biases they knowingly and unknowingly hold against people of color. If this does not change, there will be more complaints, more litigations, and more lawsuits. However, if you are proactive, and identify the biases within the schools, then provide training immediately, you can avoid future problems while providing a better environment for the staff and children.
 
I want to see positive change in the future and gladly offer my help in achieving this.
Sharon Blake
www.facebook.com/sharonblake888
​
Editor 
John A. Huguley

Happy International Women’s day 2019!!!                                                                             March 8, 2019
Life Chronicles Publishing would like to wish all of our ladies a Happy Women’s Day!
Your bravery and creativity are what caused you to pursue your dream of becoming a published author! Your stories of healing, struggle, and light are definitely needed, please never forget this. Each of you deserves applause, so here you go! Congratulations and go celebrate yourself today.
Thank you all for trusting us with your babies.
Sincerely,
Sharon Blake

​Decompressing Through Writing
Is it an evening run? A glass of wine and a movie? Maybe you decompress by processing. We can decompress in any number of productive ways whenever we choose.  Journaling is just one of them. Sitting and thinking back over your day, and documenting those thoughts in a sentence or two.
We can use the nervous energy of our day-by-day concerns to create beautiful work in self-guided therapeutic time with ourselves. As time goes by, our sentences become paragraphs; and paragraphs, pages; pages to chapters, and perhaps even whole volumes. It can be rewarding and the act of writing, specifically, is conducive to our well-being, overall.
Now, this decompressing, this outpouring, can be at once painful and healing, refreshing and frightening.
You may be telling yourself – ‘I have nothing to say,’ but why not take the first step? You may find surprising personal value in the exercise.
You’re probably thinking, - ‘well, I’m not a writer.’ I understand. There’s an unfortunate sense of competition that we all sometimes feel about our creative output, but remember, this work is for you and you’re not obligated to share it.
‘But there are just some things I can’t even write about.’ For those things, why not play with substitute names and fictitious places? You’re held to no rules about how your story is told. 
Strategize your way through a struggle, dissect your dilemmas, pen your purposes and plan. In every way, journaling is a tool in your hands. So, create your own life chronicle.
Carla Bell

​

Hey, little brown boys and girls, this is for you!
Remember that I am fighting for you!
I’ve decided to re-join this fight, and it won’t be nice, but I have decided to fight for you!
What I have gone through is nothing in comparison to what my ancestors went through... but I do feel their despair... I don’t want you to have to go through what I am going through... but you will...at least on some level, and it won’t be fair. My hope is that if I do everything I can in my time here, I can make things better for you!
So little brown boys and girls I fight this fight for you!

Sharon B

​Finding and speaking your truth can be intimidating. However, the truth must be revealed so healing can occur. I remember the first time that I wrote about and spoke my truth, I panicked and then wanted to run and hide. I had no idea the impact my story would have on me as well as others. The initial shock of negative messages like, "who does she think she is," "what are they going to say," "what if they don’t like me anymore," and "I am the bad one for sharing my story," left me feeling vulnerable, scared, and weak! I had to silence my critics, the critic that reside in my head (toxic thoughts) as well as others negative and toxic opinions of me. 
Here is an amazing story of a lady I cherish; her story is beyond amazing! She is brave, beautiful, and she floats on the wings of a butterfly telling her truth. Meet Kim. 

“A caterpillar’s DNA is the same as a butterfly’s. The innermost knitting of the cumbersome caterpillar reflects the glorious creature it was created to be. Paired with the beautiful story of hope and resilience, this tiny creature gave me hope in times of utmost darkness” Kim Bjanes

I awake to dreams full of my screams like gusts of wind aimed at my family. Within the past few weeks, these dreams have invaded my sleep almost every night. My mom is there; my siblings are there, even my tias and primas are there.
There are various scenes, but the theme is always the same. The tension increases, my desperation takes over. It's like the room shrinks around me, compressing the truth out of me. The memories of the abuse of rape rush out like I'm a fire-breathing dragon. The truth is desperate to come out. It needs to be released. It speaks to me: you've held me in for far too long. For what? Who and what are you still scared of? 
In my dreams, I hear someone whispering to me. It's okay, to tell the truth now. You don't have to keep protecting them from your truth. You need to live your life. The hidden stories within you are tying you down in the barren, desert land of silence. You don't belong here anymore. Silence is no longer your home.
These whispers encourage me to speak. Finally, just speak. So, naturally, I scream. I yell. "Do you know why they are treating me this way?" "Do you know why they treat me like I am no longer part of their family?" "Do you know how much it hurts?" Then, I spit out the truth. And I wake up. I wake up wishing it hadn't just been a dream.

But, I refuse. I will no longer make my home in the barren land of silence. Even if it means, family rejection. I refuse to be another woman in my family who is forced to live and believe her story is too shameful to bring to the light.
I will be the one to say all the things Las mujeres en mi familia couldn't. If I could voice the pain carried by the generations of women in my family, I think my pain will be worth it. I will be the one to discover a new place to call home.
What will it do? I ask myself.
I know what it will do: it will give me wings.
The truth will set me free. It will set us all free.
Written by Kim Bjanes and Sharon Blake

​Are you dreaming of writing a book? However, you are afraid of what others may think or say about what it is you have to offer the world? You are not alone if you have or are experiencing any of these negative self-talk narratives such as:
my story is just like everyone else
what I have to say is not that important
no one will want to read my book
what will people say and think
 can my book really help anyone
These authors have battled in one way or another some form a fear or challenge as it pertains to seeing their dream of becoming a published author materialize. But they did it! Be assured that on the other side of fear is where you want to be. You must walk right up to fear and look it in the face and say, “Not today fear, today I will fulfill my calling!” Allow me to introduce some courageous authors who have walked through their fears to show up for their destiny!
Taya Simpson 12-year-old author of How to Stop Bullying: A Guide and Journal - Taya states, “ I wanted to write a book to help other kids because I was bullied too.” Kristal Clark and Carla Yarborough- A Life Guide to living Victoriously Over Abuse -  Rock: No matter what you throw at me; Paper: No matter how you try to crumble me; Scissors: No matter how you try to cut me down. I am an OVERCOMER!  Todd Alan Cudabeck- Six Keys to Life Mastery: Unlocking Life Skills for Successful Living - Todd states, “ Today I can honestly say that I know who I am. I know my gifts, and I am grateful that every morning I wake again to a new day.”  Kathei McCoy- To Mothers Raising Sons: How to Love them to Life Instead of Death - This book takes you on my journey of love, devastating loss, and triumph!  Latoya Dukes-Breakthrough the Unbreakable: My Truth and Lies of Sexual Abuse - “My truth versus their lies and the lies I told myself.” Maria Y Drayton- The King and I: Steps for Living in Today’s World Through Intimacy with the Lord -  “I grew up reading Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret”, by Judy Blume. Of course, I changed the title to Are you there God? It’s me, Maria.”  These authors bio’s and or books can be found at www.mylifechronicles.org and www.amazon.com.
They stepped outside of their challenges and fears and so can you. If you choose, you can push past fear and write the book. There are fellow authors in this world who know what you are experiencing, and we are all cheering you on! 

In this life, we choose paths that will serve consequences and or a response; some call it karma and others call it fate. However, not making decisions permits results as well. If we want to ensure that life will bring us the happiness we seek, we should solidify our intentions regarding our choices.
This past weekend I attended the “Rising Above” LA Live Film Festival with Meredith O’Connor and Summer Moore, these two women are passionate and intentional about their choices in creating film and music. It is empowering to see women in the arts making a difference for a cause. Meredith is the Celebrity Youth Leader at The United Nations, Anti-Bullying spokesperson, and singer-songwriter. Summer Moore is an Award-Winning writer for her short film Karma of Happiness, producer, and actress. I spoke with these two ladies, and this is what they had to say:

​