Post reflection

This has really been amazing for me, I started this blog not knowing how the outcome will be. At some point I did not even know if I qualify to speak up or do any form of activism in a country where racism and discrimination is very prominent. I am only an international student from Africa, do I even have a say? Does my voice matter? will anyone listen to me? These were the questions I asked Wes Moore when he came to my school to celebrate black history month. I had the opportunity to speak with him after his speech. His response gave me the boost I needed, he spoke the right words to me, made me realized that my opinion mattered. I am happy that I was given the opportunity to do this project. I am happy that I was able to do something impactful. This has been very fulfilling, recently my professor invited someone to speak with us and enlighten us on the proper process toward activism and how to achieve the main purpose of it. I wish I had the opportunity to listen to him before I started this blog, my content would have been better 😊

Black lives matter

In recent years there has been several news and disheartening stories on police brutality. A lot of innocent young men die simply because of their skin color; something they have no control over. I watched a speech in 2016 by Jesse Williams at the BET award show and was moved to tears, because several people are protesting this injustice, mothers, celebrities, even President Obama defended the Black Lives Matter movement. Driving down the street of west Baltimore, i cannot but remember Freddie Gray, who was murdered while in police custody. It hurts to see mothers mourn their innocent young children. I can only imagine the fear most mums with teenage or grown black male kids feel everyday, it must be like constantly waiting and hoping your son makes it back home alive. This is extremely sad and disheartening.

A professor in school posted an extra credit excise and i was extremely excited because i would have done this whether grades were attached to it or not. We were told to join the African American student society of our school for a march, creating awareness that black lives really do matter. We started our walk from the library and went almost round the school. I walked in silence, thinking about all the innocent lives lost to this police brutality. I walked that day feeling a bit fulfilled that once again i took charge of my voice..... my action... I joined the march to create awareness in my own little way. 

Soda is bad for your health!

In preparation for a presentation i am supposed to give in class i did some research on SODA, i made some really shocking revelations. Did you know that coke a cola used to contains 20 ounces of sugar? that is about 17 tea spoons, it also causes dehydration over a long period of time. Frequent consumption of soda leads to build up of plaque in our teeth and eventually causing cavities. It can also cause decline of kidney function and there is also  risk of diabetes. These a just a few risk factors attached to this drinks. I was happy to be able to convince my classmates to stop the consumption of this deadly drink because the speech i was giving that day was a persuasive speech. I could see the look on people's face as i began to give them concrete evidence why this drinks are bad for our health. It was not a case of not knowing that it is bad for the health, it was more about coming to terms with th severity of the harm these drinks cause.

Some people resort to drinking diet soda, but these so called diet sodas do not help you loose weight, instead they make people overweight. On you tube i saw a video where someone inserted a nail into a can of coke and it melted, imagine what that does to your body, your intestine etc.

I remember when i was in the university, in Nigeria i was very addicted to drinking coke, o drank it almost everyday through out my period there. It was so bad that it took a lot to stop me from my addiction. Only to discover recently that coke actually contained a significant dose of cocaine in it. 

Please i encourage you all reading this post to desist from the act of drinking soda. 

How privileged are you?

The idea of privilege; that some people benefit from unearned advantages, is not something new. This has been in existence for sometime now. This term privilege is the reason why some people feel superior over others. We have all heard or experienced or at some point being oppressed or marginalized by the white privilege or male privilege. 

Recently my professor asked us to join her in a privilege walk and it was quit an eye opener. I was amazed firstly by some of the privileges i have that i did not even realize that i did, then I was somehow surprised when some people who i thought were more privileged than me too few steps back. The most surprising that that day was the white male amongst us who i expected to be the most was at the back of the line. sometimes i wonder how people feel when they are told to check their privileges. I do not think i have ever really being in a situation where i was directly asked to check mine, but hey i am a black female who has always thought that i hold little or no privileges. How privilged are you? when you really think of it and look deep down you just might be very surprised at what you discover. And like me you might be shocked at the fact that some people we consider privileged are not really privipeged, but the society today has determined who gets taken seriously, whose voice is heard over the other, who is given more importance.....

Embrace natural

Today I am going to tall about something that is very personal to me.... MY EDGES. I have struggled with bad hair edges almost my whole life. My natural hair is very nappy and thick and making it as a child was always a battle between my mum and I so she decided to let me use a relaxer to soften the texture. That was the beginning of my horrid hair journey, as i grew older i tend to used different product to be  able to maintain the soft texture but all these products did was destroy the quality of my hair and damage my edges. I eventually decided to go natural 2years ago, I cut my hair really really low you could see my scalp..lol. Gradually my hair started growing back and I used only natural hair product, the one product that helped me in my hair growth journey was Shea butter. I applied this product religiously everyday. Seeing the great improvement my hair had i was moved to teach others so they can learn from my experience. I organized a small group meeting of some of my friends that have been asking me to teach them how I care for my hair. We were a group of 6 ladies, and I explained how I make all my hair and skin care product naturally using shea butter as my main base. I got most of my recipes online and I just add a personal twist to either change the fragrance or consistency. That day I was able to show them and let them make their own personal body and hair cream. This was one very interesting event and I was glad to be able to promote natural products as i have always had concern about synthetic products and the ingredients they put in them.

Embrace People Living with HIV

I work part time at my uncle's tax office where we help people file their taxes. Today as I went up stairs to eat my lunch i could not but notice this young girl who sat by herself. Usually people come into this restaurant in pairs or groups and I asked to share same table with her as there wasn't any free one and she gladly obliged. As soon as we got talking she was full of smiles and some kind of joy that I could not explain. I had to ask why, and she said she was used to people running away from her, when asked why she said she had HIV, i was moved with so much compassion that i reached out and just held her hands. Her smile turned to tears and i said, don't cry, u don't have to cry at this point i was almost in tears. She said "my tears are those of joy, I am used to people rejecting me and instead of doing  same you reached out to touch me". I smiled because I understood what she meant, and i said but thats not how people contact the disease. I began to talk to her about a lecture i received one time regarding the way to treat people with HIV. I was a member of a non governmental organization called project 360 and one of our duties was to educate people on how to cohabit with friends and family living with the disease and how to treat others generally. 

I gave her a ride home that day and she introduced me to her siblings who were all looking at me in a strange way, wondering if i knew their sister's status or if I have similar status. We got talking and i had the opportunity to educate them. I spoke from my experience of working with people living with the disease, showing them how they can live with others infected by the disease without being scared of contacting it. I also spoke to them about prevention methods as all of them were sexually active. It was quite a great experience, I went home feeling really fulfilled. 

No to bottled water!

Being in school with a major in Nursing and one of the classes I took last semester is biology 110. This class seem to be the headache for all science major students. I managed to pass the class as almost everyone I started the class with dropped out before mid term. It was a major struggle because I had just had my baby 2 weeks before school resumed. Oh the sleepless night and constant pain from my breast being engorged while at school.

One of the topics we had in this class was knowing the Ph level of things, whether they were acid, base or salt. To drive home her point my professor told us we could check for the acidity of stuff we had at home just for practice purpose. I did not get the chance to do this as I was very busy with my new bor.

Recently I remembered that class and decided to do my own little experiment on water as I have heard that most bottled water we consume do not have the right Ph level.  Using my sister inlaw and my kids as my audience I began my experiment, I got the test kit from a local store near the house and got about 12 bottled water including garber pure baby water, Fiji, Aquafina, evian, Dasani, walmart distilled water, walmart spring water, ice mountain, smart water, voss  essential, function water and some of these water were very experiment, I had to pay about $3 for a bottle of some of the water. I was more curious to know what the Ph level of those were because that was what I was giving my baby and also my husband and I have discussed about our concern because these water have been in plastic bottles for a long long time. From the factory to when they get to the store. There was no particular reason why I only gave my baby the baby water, it is because it was labeled purified water.

At the end of my experiment I was shocked at the revelation I got. Most of this bottled water and purified water were all extremely acidic. The safest was was essential whose Ph was around 9 but it is very very expenisve. My sister inlaw was happy I did the experiment and we both sent out a broadcast to as many people as we know, we headed out to the store and got jugs for purifying water and resorted to tap water. Now I am an advocate for purifying your water at home, I tell everyone I come across, it is the safest thing to do.

I love this feeling.......

I have been meaning to post this for a while now but got caught up with life. Lol

Today I will be talking about the fulfilling feeling I felt, a feeling of happiness and satisfaction. I felt like I accomplished a huge thing, just being part of the activist that helped stop Donald Trump’s health care bill. I joined a group of people who send me daily actions to either call a senator or house of rep member in order to influence the decision that will yield positive change.

So that evening I was home playing with my kids when I got the text, I screamed out loud my 7 months old baby started crying because he thought something bad had happened so I picked him up and started dancing to no music only words, I kept saying YES! YES! My little girls joined me in the dance not kowing what mummy was excited about.  The text read WE DID IT! Our calls helped.

When we got exhausted my 7 year old daughter asked  “mummy, why are you so happy”? I sat them down and explained it to them in the best way I could and I said your mummy was a part of that baby can you imagine? My four year old daughter said wow mummy you are a super Hero. That brought tears to my eyes. I did not feel like one, I had not done so much but this little act of activism felt that way. It is extremely important to act and be the change you want to see. I refuse to sit and watch things happen, I will always be a part of positive change!

Nursing Licensure Law

Currently I am a nursing major student and being a nurse has always being my passion. I love helping people and I love the fulfilling feeling of knowing that I was part of the healing process for a sick person. The law that I chose to learn about is a proposed change in the licensing of nurses which could have a big impact on health and social care. Different states have distinct nursing practice licensing bodies that are unique, and usually not recognized in other states. The proposed law seeks to conduct a revision of the current State Board of Nursing - Nurse Licensure Compact (General Assembly of Maryland, 2016). If the nurse licensure law is passed, an Interstate Commission of Nurse Licensure Compact Administrators will be formed. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing would hold the mandate for ensuring that all its nurses are well-qualified, and hold valid licenses. The nurses would have to pay a reasonable amount of money per annum to be licensed. The money would go towards the administration costs and exam fees for the licensure exam, which would be held at partner nursing schools. The licensure exam would be like the bar exam for lawyers.

 The licensure of nurses would be critical for the recognition of professionals in the field. Nurses make major contributions to human health through multiple roles, such as advocating for better health, and giving medical care and advice to patients about their after being discharged from the hospital. Most professionals have to move for personal reasons, such as their spouses being transferred to a different state. If nurses have to, or want to move to other states, they should still be able to practice their profession without having to go through major hurdles such as waiting for several months to do exams. 

            I support the bill because nurses play a major role in patients’ well-being. The country would go into a crisis if there was a sudden shortage of nurses. One of the ways that a crisis can be prevented is through ensuring that all nurses can practice in diverse states, as long as they have a national license, regardless of their current state of residence. I had a meeting with some of my friends who are nursing major students as well and enlightened them about my findings and I also encouraged them to support the bill as it affects us directly. I was also able to show them how to call their senators and speak to them concerning a bill or issue that affects us and our society. Like my professor once told me; these senators are there to serve you.
 

References

General Assembly of Maryland. (2016). Status of All Senate Legislation Introduced 2017 Session. Retrieved from http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/webmga/frmMain.aspx?stab=01&pid=billpage&tab=subject3&ys=2017rs&id=SB0041

Not my president day!

So.... Yesterday 02/20/2017 was #notmypresident day. While others sat at home to enjoy thier holiday,I went to school, wrote a test and went about my business as usually. I also had the opportunity to discuss with a group of young people I asked how they were celebrating their president's day and their responses were quite intriguing. They all had different reasons why President Trump is not their president so I decided to make a video and post it online for other young people to view and join in the #notmypresident campaign. 

This got me thinking really hard though, the future is really in our hands, what we make of it is dependent on us........ who we are today will build what we become.

The links below are for the video, you will have to copy and paste it on your browser to be able to watch it. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9jMf3T6l5DsOTZ6N1FQcGxxSlU/view

https://doc-08-2k-docs.googleusercontent.com/docs/securesc/uirut3bv0t2untitplf7eddtaoa62ftj/ep160tcv0mupe8kq6dts7cph6gmjsvbc/1494460800000/12992376705602684089/09153464706519496532/0B9jMf3T6l5DsOTZ6N1FQcGxxSlU?e=download&nonce=nvhv44tmrl01s&user=09153464706519496532&hash=nhefeq2cvibcdrflv9ffqt8r2kfee4bf

Hate crimes..... Prohibition and Protected Classes

Today I am going to talk about my first action toward activism and I have chosen to speak againts the hate crimes prohibition and is sponsored by Senators Lee, Smith, and Benson. The proposed bill is referred to “Hate Crimes – Prohibitions and Protected Classes – Expansion to Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders” (General Assembly of Maryland, 2016).

            The bill seeks to ensure that the victims of a hate crime are awarded, and legal action is taken against their perpetrators. Considering the fact that the world continues to develop and advance on multiple avenues, one of the areas that have continued lagging behind is equal and just treatment for all human beings. In addition, science has contributed to the availing of knowledge that all human beings are similar beneath their skin, and should therefore not be judged by the factors that are beyond their control, such as the color of their skin, heritage, ethnicity, or country of birth. Hate crimes that are perpetrated against most minority groups continue to support backward thinking and negatively impact the development of the human race. If the bill is upgraded into law, civilians or police authorities that carry out hate crimes against other persons face being criminally charged, dismissed from their jobs, and even being fined.

Therefore, I have started a Facebook group. The social media page is targeted at like-minded individuals that are passionate about equal rights and justice for those that have been unfairly treated. There are many young individuals who had promising futures ahead of them, but unfortunately, their lives were cut short because of hate crimes against them.

            This activity pertains to overall human development, but it mainly impacts physical development. Involvement of a high number of people to put pressure on legislators to pass the bill would result in saving many lives. Professionals in authority such as policemen would be deterred from engaging in violent acts that would result in bodily harm and even death of minority groups. The Facebook page which supports the hate crimes prohibition bill made me feel empowered to make a positive contribution to the society.

References

General Assembly of Maryland. (2016). Status of All Senate Legislation Introduced 2017 Session As of 5:50 AM on 2/8/2017. Retrieved from http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/Pubs-Current/Current-Senate-Status-Report.pdf

Reflection

This is my very first blog post ever and I am somewhat excited and also nervouse about it. Especially because of the whole essense of it. First of all let me introduce myself, my name is Eseose Akhimien but everyone call me Ese, I am married with 3 kids, a 7 yr old girl, 4 yr old girl and a 6 months old boy. I am from a beautiful country called Nigeria, it is also referred to as the giant of Africa. I had my first degree in microbiology 12 years ago and decided to go back to school recently to pursue my passion which is caring for others.

I have never been involved with activism before so this is totally new for me. Before starting this, alot of thoughts went through my mind because I am an international studentand I was not sure about how much voice i have, if my voice mattered or if i even had one. I was opportuned to meet with Wes Moore the profound writer of The other Wes Moore and I asked him these thoughts that were bothering my mind. He said YES Ese! you have a voice and YES! your voice matters. I stood there energized as he confirmed everything that I was hoping someone would. I knew deep down that the problem will not be if I used my voice or not, it will be that I stood by and watch things happen, terrible things. America is a great nation, I had so much high expectations before i came here. But being here has shown me another side of this great nation that I never knew or hthought never existed. One of my philosopies in lifge is to be the change that I want to see in this world. If i can effect that change through activism then Yes! I WILL!

 Activism is taking action to effect a change. I often see others take part in acts of activism but it has never really occurred to me to be part of it. I am happy that my professor is giving me this push to be the change I want to see in this country. Getting involved to effect change is more valuable than just sitting and complaining with the crowd. It is quite fulfilling to know that I take part in something that might bring positive change in my society. I am looking forward to posting my actions and outcomes here. yay!