Advice about HATERS

Dear Kelly

I think you shouldn’t care about what people say because they just haters and they wouldn’t be hating on you if they wasn’t jealous. You shouldn’t even trip off them because they not nobody to be trying to impress anyway, so if they don’t like what you got going on - then don’t even trip. The only reason they be hating on you is because they don’t have what you have. If people hating on you, that means you obviously is doing something right. So like if somebody be like: “Yo shoes hecka ugly,” but you know yo shoes is cute, just be like: “Whatever. Don’t get mad, because you couldn’t afford them.” Or if you heard somebody was talking behind your back, you should just go up to them and confront them in front of everybody, so everybody could just see that they is hecka messy.

- La Tajh Weaver

Advice to My Cousin

Dear Cousin,

I felt like you should’ve used protection during sex. You are too young to have a baby. You’re only 15. I felt like he got you pregnant on purpose, because he put Vaseline on the condom and it broke. Now you’re going through all of this stress because your boyfriend is dead. Now you have to be a parent on your own. But as a big cousin, I’m going to help you so you won’t feel like you’re a lone.

Love,
A.M.W.

Dear Shelkeia

This was a part of an excercise introducing the girls to video blogs or "vlogs". This particular vlog is Shelkeia's advice to a scenario involving a young woman having problems with her boyfriend.


Dear Shelkeia,

My name is Monique, I'm 18 years old and I'm from Oakland, Ca. Me and my boyfriend have been together for almost two years. Right now I'm 8 months pregnant. He's a good guy, and he's been there for me when I needed someone but lately he's been acting funny. Three weeks ago, he left our apartment and said he was going to go to the store, after he didn't come back for a few hours I called him, but his phone went straight to voicemail. I called his mother, his friends, everybody, but still, I didn't hear from him. Three days later, he comes in the house, I've been worried sick, and he just strolls in and goes in the room. When I ask him what happened, he said that his car broke down and that he stayed at his moms house for a few days while it was getting fixed. I want to believe him, but the story just doesn't add up. What do you think I should do? I want us to be a family, but I don't want to put my baby through all of this drama.

Thanks,
Monique

Weak Minds, Strong Bodies

It's a new year, so we have some brand new media for you. This is the first of a series of video blogs -- or vlogs -- where the Oakland Girls speak their mind. Here's Sitkeya dropping knowledge on the idea that having a "weak mind and a strong body" allowed black people to be enslaved -- a point that was brought up in The Great Debaters -- and that she applies to pimps and hoes.