Inside from the Inside » Lena West

The YWCA of Greenwich, CT, Keeps It Real About Racism…Not!

Lena L. West — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:50:18 +0000

The other day I was surfing through some websites reviewing some sites for client work and I came upon the YWCA website for Greenwich, CT. Now, if you've ever been to Greenwich, CT, you'd know that it's not the most racially or ethnically diverse place in the world. 'Nuff said? So, I was shocked amazed interested to see this verbiage at the top, left-hand side of the web page:

For Rotimi Adebari, It Didn’t Pay to Be “The Man”

Lena L. West — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:16:54 +0000

You might not know who Rotimi Adebari is. I sure as heck didn't. Between June 2007 and 2008, he was the mayor of Portlaoise, Ireland. Apparently in Ireland, when you're the mayor, you keep your "day job". Being the Mayor is not your jay-oh.

Even When on the “Right” Side of the Law, Black Men STILL Get Killed

Lena L. West — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:43:53 +0000

I came across the sad story of Officer Omar J. Edwards the other day. It could be on Anystreet U.S.A. A guy comes outside to find someone going through the belongings in his car. Naturally, he gives chase and the thief (as they always do) escapes his grasp.

Descanse en Paz

Lena L. West — Tue, 26 May 2009 23:30:48 +0000

Today, I'm wondering why, in a world where Perez Hilton and Obama Girl get so much mainstream airtime, why no one has bothered to give Maria Amelia Lopez any "shine" while she was LIVING?

Being Black is Like Wearing an Irremovable Backpack

Lena L. West — Mon, 11 May 2009 13:00:32 +0000

I'm "phoning it in" today - ok, not literally, but I'm using audio for my post...and today I'm sharing a LITTLE bit about what it's like to be Black. Thoughts. Feelings. Questions.

Chris Crocker on “The N Word”

Lena L. West — Tue, 05 May 2009 21:24:04 +0000

It is always of interest to me to see how social media is used to justify racism. It is also always of interest to me that, for the most part, white people can look HOWEVER much of a hot mess they want and STILL have the audacity to justify using racist terms.

Kansas City Gets the Gas Face

Lena L. West — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:52:24 +0000

I read this story about Cordish County in Kansas that has created a ban on "baggy pants" in an area referred to as Kansas City Live a few weeks ago; I wasn't quite sure what my thoughts were. And, then it came to me...

Africa: “Project Unviable”

Lena L. West — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:55:46 +0000

One of the world's leading diamond producers, DeBeer's, has decided to halt production in their diamond mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo, withthe reason being the current economic climate makes the project no longer viable. Translation:

A Man Named Pearl

Lena L. West — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:00:39 +0000

I'm a HUGE fan of HGTV. I secretly want to be an interior designer, but that's another blog post for another day -- and probably another blog. Any whooooo... I had the pleasure of luxuriating while watching a special program on HGTV Sunday evening called, "A Man Named Pearl". Essentially, it is the story of Pearl Fryar, a man who has done extraordinary things with his property in one of the poorest, and by the county's inhabitant's own admission, still noticably segregated, counties in South Carolina.

When You’re Black, You Don’t Even Have Your Youth

Lena L. West — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:00:43 +0000

I'm starting to focus in a lot on health and healthcare disparities - especially as relates to race and socioeconomic "status". If you've ever heard someone say that racism is institutionalized, it's this type of story to which they are referring. I read this press release issued by the University of South Florida Health and was absolutely stunned.