"All The Women I've Loved" DVD Release

The long-awaited release of play and now movie "All The Women I've Loved" is finallyyyyyy here! 

Starring former Miss Black Louisiana USA, Ms. Tiffany Lloyd, this hip sophisticated romantic “dramedy” about a confident and handsome TV executive, LeBaron Brown, who has it all. Great career and beautiful girlfriend... Life is perfect…

Until he gets dumped! Phoenix Morgan, his long time girlfriend was certain LeBaron would propose on their four-year anniversary. She was wrong. He had no idea that failing to “pop the question” was the last straw. She had no idea her choice would hurt so much…

She had no idea her choice would hurt so much…

Distraught, LeBaron seeks the wise council of Dr. Carter, a charismatic therapist. During a series of hilarious sessions he relives the relationships that have shaped his philosophy on Heartbroken, Phoenix, a buyer for Saks Fifth Avenue, heads to Paris for Fashion Week. There, her life takes an unexpected turn.   

Al Green asked, “How do you mend a broken heart?” Well, a charming music producer will help her answer that question... Will LeBaron come to his senses before it’s too late? 

Or will Phoenix find true romance in the city of Love? DVD goes on sale September 1 on Bryon Harmon Productions. Annnnnnd you can see me at 1:08!

Don't forget to "Like" the movie facebook page: "All The Women I've Loved"

WHY chase the crown??

An email message from Steven Roddy of The Pageant Planet. Definitely made me think about a lot. This being the night before my last semester of grad school, he helped but some things in perspective:

Why are you chasing the crown? Why are you willing to sacrifice boyfriend time, food, energy and even a year of college in order to win the title? Until you can honestly, and openly identify your personal "why" you will not win. 
That's a pretty bold statement isn't it? 

Sure you might win some local pageants but in order to win on a national level you need to know why you are competing. I have been taught and I firmly believe that when the "why" is BIG enough the facts don't count. 

The fact that you might not be the "beauty queen type" or that you may not have the perfect body or the best interview will not hold back the girl with a strong enough "why".

"Why?" ...I am glad that you asked :)

What you do on stage is not nearly as important as what you do off stage when you are not competing...that is where pageants are won and lost. So many girls make the mistake of believing the lie that their performance on the night of the pageant determined the outcome.

I don't agree. How you prepare mentally and physically the nights prior to the pageant will determine if you win. This is where your personal "why" is so important. 

If you can identify that the reason "why" you are competing in pageantry is to earn money for college, to become a famous model or to simply have the status of wearing the crown then you can fall back on that desire when you don't feel like training for your pageant. This will push you to train harder and longer when other girls slack off. 

Furthermore, if you know "why" you are competing in a pageant you are no longer a contestant. You are a woman with a cause. You are someone with a goal. 

Martin Luther King possessed that type of goal. 
Mother Teresa was that woman with a cause. 
Adolf Hitler was a man with that kind of drive. 

Regardless of their reason, these people knew what they wanted and "why"...and for better or worse they shook the pages of history. 

You can also....if you know "why". 

Take out a piece of paper right now and write down the reason why you want to win your pageant. If you can write it out then I challenge you try to dig deeper to see if that is the REAL reason or the superficial one that you think people will accept. 

If you can't then I challenge you to keep asking yourself "why" you want to win until you discover the real reason you want the crown so badly. 

Remember, "A wish becomes a want, becomes a need, becomes a got."

With your crown in mind, 

 

Steven Roddy

Thanks Steven!! Just took out a piece of paper to do some "WHY" soul-searching. 

My Platform

Improving Higher Education in Louisiana

Improving the state of higher education in Louisiana does not have a simple, textbook answer. But one thing is certain, a child’s progression towards a college degree starts long before they ever set foot on a college campus.

Importance Statewide

Many fail to realize the economic power holding a college degree may have. Someone with a Bachelor’s Degree earns up to $25,000 more per year on average than someone with just a high school diploma (State Legislatures. June 2011. Bautsch. Page 24). A degree translates into more revenue flowing statewide in numerous ways:

• Average career is 40 years, so that extra $25,000 per year translates into $1 million more in career earnings
• Higher income translates into higher tax revenue for the state.
• College graduates generally pay more in income and sales taxes, while depending less on social service programs like Medicaid or federal assistance.
• College graduates are more likely to be employed.

The big issue facing the state of Louisiana is that at least two out of every five college students do not graduate – making risky investments for state programs such as TOPS. Weak academic preparation in K-12 is the fourth leading cause to college dropout (Bautsch).

The number of nationwide, jobs requiring some form of training or education beyond high school will continue to increase. By 2018, it is estimated that close to 33 percent of jobs will require at least a Bachelor’s Degree and 29 percent will require at least a certificate or associate degree (State Legislatures. June 2011. Colvin & Hinton. Page 12). With that being said, strengthening higher education will have a direct and positive correlation to a state’s economic, social, and cultural health.

People of Color being left behind

Tight budgets have handcuffed lawmakers into considering options that could change the face of public universities forever. How does higher education adjust so it can still flourish while facing massive budget constraints? – Tuition. Fundamental changes in the way the state operates and finance public universities must change if it will continue to offer high quality education to all students regardless of the socioeconomic backgrounds or ethnicity. The move to fund universities based on academic performance is starting to take hold with the passing of legislation such as the LA Grad Act and LA Grad Act 2.0. These pieces of legislation help the state set goals for colleges. They are performance contracts between the state and schools to detail what the state will provide, and what performance level they expect out of the university to continue to fund at that level. This trend is slowly draining the ‘public’ out of public education. State universities are beginning to run like private enterprises, and charging high tuition makes attaining a quality education available to only a certain sector of the population. This leads to market driven policies which increase economic and social stratification among students, a blow to the policy objective of equal educational opportunity for all (State Legislatures. June 2011. Bell. Page 21).

My platform for Miss Black Louisiana USA 2012 has a three prong approach:

1. Pre-K: High quality pre-school programs have long lasting effects by improving student outcomes well into adulthood. Research shows much improved educational skills and higher test scores. Evaluation of LA 4 shows student advancement within ONE year in language, literacy, and math skills when compared to peers not enrolled in a Pre-K program (Center for Child Development. “LA4 Longitudinal Report” La Department of Education. 2007). With weak academic preparation being the No. 3 reason college students fail to return for their sophomore year, the need of a strong foundation of early childhood development is one way to improve higher education success. As part of my platform, I will strive to inform citizens of the importance of early childhood development and how it affects their child and Louisiana’s future.

2. Improving Academic Success in K-12: The need for sustained support throughout a child’s K-12 years is imperative to their future higher educational institutional success. Failure to attain a Bachelor’s Degree could lead in the increase of jobless claims throughout the state as the percentage of jobs requiring at least a BA will continue to increase. With education levels and poverty rates running hand-in-hand.  I will continue to convey the importance of improving literacy levels in Louisiana poor communities to ensure our students are prepared for higher education. My platform will focus on finding ways to ensure our African-American students are prepared for college through mentoring programs or college-prep courses; I will strive to improve educational outcomes for students.

3. Political Participation: Finally, too many constituents are unaware of the laws made at the state Capitol and how they can affect educational programs. As part of my platform, I would like to convey the need of voter participation in the African American community and initiate a voter registration drive.