25 September 2008

It's All Greek to Me

One of the greatest decisions I have made in my life was to become a member of Phi Mu Fraternity. Founded in 1852 at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia, Phi Mu has provided 156 years of amazing sisterhood. Once known as the Philomathean Society, the second oldest secret society for women, our sorority became Phi Mu in 1904. I had the honor of hosting a Phi Mu Foundation fundraiser video for breast cancer survivors and was a national convention speaker in 2006 in Nashville, TN. What an experience it was to look out into a sea of faces who were all my sorority sisters! On a particular flight from TX to MD several years ago, a flight attendant brought me a note from a passenger who was sitting in the back of the plane. I opened it and it said “Hi Phi Mu Sister, it is nice to see you on board!” I was wearing a pink Phi Mu jacket which I had embroidered in a store near SMU in Dallas, and it was my first time wearing it. How awesome it was to meet a sorority sister on the same flight, thanks to my jacket. Not only are Phi Mus everywhere, but GREEKS are all over the place! Now that you’ve heard about my Greek highlights, I want to hear about YOU! What fraternity or sorority do you belong to & what do you love the most about your organization? GO GREEK!!

23 September 2008

Rock the VOTE

There is absolutely NO reason why people should not vote in this year’s election. At a time when our laws actually allow everyone to vote now, all of us need to go to the polls this year. When one thinks about all of the women and people of color who were DENIED the right to vote & the sacrifices they made for us all to cast our ballots, we owe it to them and to ourselves to go to the polls. You can ROCK the VOTE by registering on their Website if you have not already done so.

18 September 2008

Rikki Hosting WISE TV: Faith, Race & Politics

Wise TV Forum WISE-TV Forum is a new television series in Chicago, Illinois, that promotes WYCC-TV 20’s mission to enrich, enlighten, entertain and engage the diverse and multicultural Chicago area and help bridge the gap between racial, ethnic, class and gender groups. WATCH ME HOSTING THE SHOW Faith, Race and Politics Saturday, September 20, 2008 8:00 PM Monday, September 29, 2008 8:00 PM Wednesday, October 01, 2008 4:00 AM Prominent religious leaders representing the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths discuss what happens when race, politics and the clergy collide. The guests discuss how the media manipulates the message and attempts to restrain the clergy's freedom of speech. They also discuss the issue of Neo-McCarthyism in the current political climate in America, and how the religious can create social change both locally and globally.

15 September 2008

11 September 2008

The Israel Association for Ethiopian Jews (IAEJ) is a very special non-profit organization that helps to provide equal employment and education for Ethiopian Israelis. IAEJ is based in Jerusalem, with employees through Israel helping to further their cause by helping Ethiopian immigrants assimilate into Israeli culture. You can see more photos by photographer, Ilan Ossendryver, and learn more about Ethiopian Jews who benefit from IAEJ through his amazing photos! As a Black woman who is also Jewish, I will always have a fondness of the incredible work IAEJ is doing to help my brothers & sisters in Israel. I am working with the jewelry company Israel Blesing who is also helping IAEJ by offering a 10% discount to you for your online purchase. In addition to your discount, they will donate 6% of your purchase to IAEJ. To redeem your discount, use the code IAEJ in the coupon code box and click “Apply Coupon.” Thank you for helping to support Ethiopian Jews as they seek equality in Israel. Every donation is a big step towards that goal.

10 September 2008

A Treat from Israel

I received a special treat from Tel Aviv. It is a necklace with my Hebrew name, “Rachel Tovah.” If you don’t read Hebrew, it is read from right to left. The first three letters represent (in English) “R” “CH” “L” The next four letters from right to left are equivalent to “T” “O” “V” “H.” I bought my necklace from a company in Israel called Israel Blessing, and they truly are an amazing company!! Before I ordered my name necklace, I sent them an email with several questions about their products, which were answered immediately. A real bonus is their shipping. They sent my necklace weeks before I had expected it. I will certainly order from them again. Their products also come in script & not just the block letters. I prefer the block because I learned to read Hebrew in block when I was studying for my Bat Mitzvah.

07 September 2008

Polo in the Park

There is nothing like a Sunday afternoon of Polo in the Park. As an avid equestrian and former novice polo player myself, I have enjoyed this season for many years. Mercedes-Benz sponsored today’s event and flanked one of the fields with their vintage cars. I even found one made in the same year I was~and like any early 1970s model, is still in its prime ;). Of course, the half-time brings the ever-popular & traditional stomping of the divots, but not the steaming ones! Some very clever little boys turned the goal posts at one end of the field into their personal soccer match while the rest of us stomped the rest of the field. Only one more weekend of polo is left, then the only polo ponies I will see for a while will be at the Ralph Lauren store.