Dr. Martin Luther King Jr: Not Just A Dreamer

Our man crush is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King was born Michael King Jr. on January 15, 1929. He was an American Baptist minister and human rights activist. He was also a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience based on his Christian beliefs.

The Woman That Was Flora Nwapa

Image Credit: Buzz Nigeria

We loved when Google Doodle showed a black woman in what looked like a field of corn seemingly planting (or harvesting) books on October 16, 2017. We were piqued. Who was this woman?

5 Things You Probably Didn't Know Were Invented By Black People

Credit: All Events

Black people are awesome and many times, we don’t get the credit we deserve. All through history, we have always created or contributed to the creation of ingenious inventions for the advancement of human kind.

Uduak-Obong Jackson: Writing Against Suicide

Uduak-obong Jackson
Image: Uduak's Facebook Profile

We are amazed by the awesomeness that is Uduak-obong Jackson.

Turning 28...And Not Repeating My mistakes

Our founder wrote this to commemorate her birthday and from all of us at SHADES OF US, we want to wish her a wonderful birthday today. Happy Birthday Ramat!

Shades Of Us: Unveiling Our New Look

Hey.

So we have been making some noise about changes we want to make and the time is finally here.

Minding Your Business

Image: Trust Tru Katsande for Unsplash

One of our previous posts, Accept Your Husband Like That, received some praise, a healthy discussion and some backlash. We were very happy! If we have people talking about the issue, we must have done a good job. But before we tell you more about our glee, let us discuss some of the issues raised.

Chude on The Government, Global Comparisons And The Future Projects

We sat with Chude Jideonwo, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of RED MEDIA AFRICA, and we talked about many aspects of the Nigerian life; from youth participation in government and governance, social media, activism and advocacy, to his work with his various institutions and the likes.

Zion Oshiobugie: From House Boy to Entrepreneur

Zion Oshiobugie
CEO, Clever Minds Integrated Services
Credit: Nairaland

Let us talk about Zion Oshiobugie, shall we?

Accept Your Husband Like That

Thought Catalog for Unsplash

I have hashed a lot about the place society has relegated women to and while this is one of them, it is slightly different.

Confusion About Religion

Note: This post is not to malign any religion but to share my confusion about the role of religion in humanity's advancement.

So many thoughts have been racing through my head about the many aspects of religion. These thoughts have grown to become huge questions needing answers. So let me walk you through them.

Keep the HIV Fight On

Photo by Klaus Nielsen from Pexels

As global attention is being pulled out of HIV program funding, we need to keep the HIV fight on.

DID YOU MISS ANY OF THESE?

HEYYA GUYS!

This week was wow! We had so much excitement on Monday and for a minute there, we were almost busting out of our seams. Somehow, that energy didn’t carry to the end of the week. Why? Can we get our excitement back?

Well, tomorrow is the start of a new week and we hope to be back with full ‘ginger’.

Anyway, these were our biggest stories and posts this past week;

Ending Violence Against Women

Image Credit: BBC - AFRICA'S A COUNTRY

There is a concerted effort to keep women ‘in their place in society’. It doesn’t matter if it is in the seeming free societies of the Europe, Australia, America or South East Asia; the strict societies of the Middle East; the budding developments of Africa; or the backwater towns of each of these regions. The common factor is that society has carved out a place for women and girls and when they refuse to stay in 'their lane', they are most often met with violence.

The Child Labor Dilemma

📷: Fortune

I have always been against children working; and by working, I don’t mean house chores. I believe that children shouldn’t have to hustle or work for the upkeep of their families. I want a world where children are allowed to have their childhood, to go through the motions of finding themselves, to have puppy love, and then formulate principles for their adulthood. This is because ‘adulting’ is hard and a lifetime work. I want children to enjoy their childhood before adulthood comes a-knocking.

On 'Exaggerated' Menstrual Pains

📷: Diva Diaries

P.S.: If you think talking about menstruation is nasty or disgusting, log off now. Your opinion doesn’t matter to us.

TOP POSTS THIS WEEK

Hey guys.

So this week was full! We had a lot of things that we talked about and we were excited to have you follow us on this journey. We crossed the 30000 view mark and we are excited about this achievement. With your continued love and support, we are heading for the furthest part of the galaxy. Thank you darlings.

So these were the top stories, pieces, videos and the likes we had on our various platforms.

Mob Justice

Armed African Mob
Image: Otago Daily Times

The news of a ‘7-year-old boy’ gruesomely tortured and burned to death for stealing Garri broke yesterday (November 16, 2016) when a user on Twitter, @Adeyanjudeji, tweeted pictures about it and Linda Ikeji carried it on her blog. In a matter of hours, a video had surfaced to join the pictures and though I didn’t watch it, the pictures were enough to show people standing by as this little boy was beaten up, draped with a tire, and set ablaze; all by a mob of men and women frothing at the mouth with supposedly righteous indignation. It was later discovered that he was a full-grown man as opposed to the little boy that was originally reported.

Tolerance

Tolerance
Picture Culled from: ODYSSEY 

Tolerance.

Noun

tol•er•ance \ˈtä-lə-rən(t)s, ˈtäl-rən(t)s\

: Willingness to accept feelings, habits, or beliefs that are different from your own

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

A relatively simple word.

Why then is so hard to understand?

Why is it so difficult to apply in our everyday lives?

The Idiots That Catcall

How Women Are Catcalled
Picture Credit: GURL

Walking down the street is a chore for women; especially if there are men positioned anywhere on that street. Most ladies will tell you they have been catcalled one way or the other.

Dear Parents, Here is Some Much Needed Advice

Image: Parent Pump Radio

Dear Parents,

Dear Governor elRufai...

Nasir Ahmed el-Rufai
Governor of Kaduna State
Credit: The Guardian

Good day, Your Excellency,

Why We Love Hillary Rodham Clinton

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Picture: MISES INSTITUTE

The first time I really took note of Hillary Rodham Clinton was when she was propelled to national (and international) ridicule by Bill Clinton’s affair in 1998. I was nine years old then and didn’t really understand politics. I was however very sad that Hillary Clinton had been publicly embarrassed by the scandal. I didn’t have access to the internet then but I followed every article that mentioned Hillary Clinton on the dailies. And even though I didn’t completely understand a lot of what I was reading, I grew fascinated with her.

What Trump's Victory Should Mean For Africa

Donald Trump,
President of The United States of America.
Picture Credit: TIME

As the world reels from the news that Donald Trump is the President of the United States of America, we need to take a look back at what the win, combined with the proposed British exit – Brexit – from the European Union means for Africa, Africans and black people in general.

Angry Black Woman

Photo by ShotPot on Pexels

Hey guys.