Who says you can't be Harmonious?

I break bread with the Christians...
Fast with the Muslims...
Meditate like a Tibetan monk...
Hail Mary with the Catholics...
Do Lint with the Creoles...
Pray like a Baptist...
Eat Pho with my Asians...
Make enchiladas for my family...
Educate like a teacher,
Learn like a student...
Do theater with the children...
Bring laughter to heal hurt...
Samba like a champion...
Speak French-Creole like a local...
Speak Spanglish like an American...
Weave baskets like a Pima...
Walk like Gandhi...
Lead like Dr. King...
Mindset of Mandela...
Heart like Mother Teresa...
Pay homage to the past and present...
If you want your HARMONY...
I GOT your HARMONY...

My Imagine

Imagine there's a unified body of people...
where race, ethnicity, and background is not looked at, where culture is accepted, shared, and celebrated amongst all beings...
where Muslims, Christians, Buddhist, and other faiths can come together to coexist...
where gay, straight, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, and those in questioning can live in harmony without judgement or shunned upon ways of life...
My mind paints a picture of a world coming together and leaving there biases behind in order to be open minded to what the future holds for this generation and for those to come. Coexistence is not a lifestyle of tolerance, but of a willingness to understand the lifestyles of others without judgement. Unity in the world is possible if we think globally and act locally in our communities to spread awareness of an acceptance of any and all people.

Peace

My mind, body and soul meditates for peace,
not just any kind of peace,
peace of mind...
peace of cultural acceptance...
peace of religious harmony...
peace of non-violence...
peace of patience...
peace of love...
peace of diversity...
peace of community...
My mind, body, and soul cries for peace,
a non-silent peace.

Religious Harmony

How is it that the Buddhists in Bodh Gaya have maintained a friendly relationship with the Muslims despite their historical fact that they are descendants of people who may have been involved in the destruction of Buddhist institutions in the past? Have we become so blind to the fact that if we coexistence we may live in a harmonious world . The choice is always yours to determine your faith and destiny. What happened in Norway was tragic. However, it was also a wake up call that we live in an unjust society. I believe, the way to see the light at the end of a dark tunnel is to express our differences through non-violence that will place love in the center of our hearts and abate hate.

Legit

The Best Brotherhood

"Going Greek," a term for joining fraternity and sorority life, a thought that had always been in the back of my mind until one day I actually "went Greek." This has by far been one of the most important and life changing decisions that I have made in my lifetime. I gained a brotherhood that I call my immediate family and a sense to enhance my education, cultural awareness and diversity, and my respect for other cultures. Going Greek isn't for everyone. If you really love community service, philanthropy work, social networking, professional development, leadership advancement, social change and justice...just some of the few things that come along with it, then this may be for you. Not all Greeks are about drinking, partying, drugs, and other negative stereotypes, most are about progressing their members and building lifelong ties with them. I never would have imagined this much success and happiness through joining a fraternity, but this particular brotherhood made me feel home. As a charter founder, expansion director, brother, and advocate of this noble fraternity, Epsilon Sigma Rho Multicultural Fraternity, Inc. I feel.... legit with the direction that this true and divine brotherhood is taking me.

Be Prideful Of Who You Are

Run for College Senate Poster

May 2011 I decided to transform my college life experience by joining the Undergraduate Student Government at ASU. My goal was to create more diversity in USG at ASU to show the leadership skills that one has to offer. Not that ASU's USG wasn't diverse already, i just wanted to be an addition into promoting minority leadership on campus. I got on board with USG as a Senator. As a Senator to the School of Letters and Sciences & University College I am able to represent them on various issues within campus and university administrative policy to make change where change is needed. I also contribute and advise the College Council withing both colleges. I was happy that I decided to make this transformation not only for diversity, but to share with the ASU community what I have learned through a life of progressive & positive leadership, a devotion to cultural awareness, and an advancement of higher education. A feeling of... pride came over me for the reason that I wanted to be a figure of diversity to show that it doesn't matter what color or imperfections you think you may have...any and everyone has the ability to lead.

Accomplishment

Multicultural Night 2011

So.... the Epic Zeta Chapter of Epsilon Sigma Rho Multicultural Fraternity, Inc. had the honor of hosting our first annual Multicultural Night at Arizona State University. Our aim was to not just cover the surface of culture but to deeply embed the audience and ourselves in the reasoning (behavioral & symbolic) behind different cultures. At this event members of my organization acted out a skit that would be the consequences of a thing called the bystander effect. This effect is when something is said and you do nothing to change it, leading for it to grow in you and to act out your rage and emotions on others. Overall, after hosting this event, it had me leaving the night with a sense of... accomplishment knowing that the people that came left with a message to speak out against defamation and ignorance along other things that may be negative in the world.

Take a look for yourself: http://vimeo.com/25910123

Through Complexion is Community

As myself and my fraternity brother's sit on the bus headed to ASU Preparatory Academy to revitalize and refurbish the school, I begin to think about the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. as this Day of Service is to honor his legacy. My mind begins to ponder, thinking about where this great man stood on service. Then I realized that I read something of his that was about service:

"Everyone can be great, because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul of generated by love."

After remembering this, my day became so much better because I went into that school with a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love. I knew that my purpose that day was to work with like minded individuals who would look beyondPublish Post my complexion and see community... that's what Dr. King stood for.

My message to the students of ASU Preparatory Academy

Enriched

I never knew how much a clean street would make such an impact on a urban community. My fraternity, Epsilon Sigma Rho Multicultural Fraternity, Inc. - Zeta Chapter formerly One Love at ASU, adopted 44th Street and Washington to Van Buren to clean up as a monthly project. I'd like to think that the contributions that we made to that one little section of street gave way to a community development plan by building stores and more consumer attractions based on love and support to give back and in to the community. We've been cleaning this street for about 2 years now and I feel... enriched.

Achieve

2011 - NEA-SP Outreach to Teach

It was a tiring Tuesday morning with me being upset that I had to wake up at the crack of dawn for a tough labor project. Not realizing what I would be getting myself into at the Student Leadership Conference for the National Education Association with the community service for the day, I just patiently awaited for further instruction. Myself and 100's of other students from around the US arrive to Dawes Elementary School in Illinois to a full day of service called Outreach to Teach. Throughout the day while I am working on landscaping in and throughout the school the teachers, parents, staff, community members begin to talk to me and tell me how appreciative they are of our services and how much it means to them. It wasn't until I seen a few of the elementary school students with tears running down their faces in happiness for what we have done for them and their school was when it really hit me deep. I got  a full understanding of why I am a member of the National Education Association and how my contributions to this one community changed so many lives. A feeling of.... achievement came over me.

Overjoyed

As I sit in the back of the classroom waiting to do my presentation of campus involvement for incoming freshmen whom goals and ambitions are to become the future of education, I listen to their conversations; how brilliant these students are becoming. I give them a presentation of campus life involvement and how they can get involved. I pose the question, "who likes community service, better yet who loves community service?"  As I expect for little to none of them to raise their hands a surprising 90% of them excitingly throw their hands in the air. Trying not to let my excitement get the best of me, I begin to tell them how astonished and happy that I am to be speaking with them and to get them involved in the great experiences of college life. It's funny how life can uplift you through the ambitions and aspirations of youth aspiring to do great things for a better tomorrow. It makes me feel...overjoyed!