#BCFEST, Big K.R.I.T and the Hardest Thing I’ve Ever Done

I was raised in the south. (raises roof and spins shirt around like a helicopter) We’re known for many things that I love: saying hello even if we don’t know you, the best high school football teams in the nation, getting more bang for your housing buck, and men still open doors for ladies. I don’t even know what a twang is, but I still have one when I talk at times.

We’re also known for soul food! Fried chicken and fish, fat back, ham hocks, pig feet, neck bones, collard and mustard greens, sweet yams, cheese with pieces of macaroni in it, red velvet cake, cobbler and the beloved banana pudding! I’m not sure if I was sheltered or saved, but I didn’t have pulled pork BBQ until I was 25 – we grew up on chopp’d BBQ and even now, I don’t think my idea of BBQ will ever change. Nope.

While I love the south and I love soul food, I’ve come to look at the food we eat and our approach to it differently in my adult hood. I hate it. Well, maybe that’s not true, but I do hate that my aunt lost her leg to diabetes last year. I hate that a few of my loved ones breathe heavy just getting in the car. I hate that sometimes my family goes all day without eating vegetables. I know its mentality and extends far beyond soul food itself.

It’s difficult for me to change something I’ve been doing for just a year, so imagine the challenge we face when trying to break traditions that have been passed down for decades or change how one person has been cooking and viewing food for 50 years.  On top of that, try leading by example and being the ‘bad guy’ at times. This is one of the hardest things I’ve tried to do in my lifetime. I’m trying,… but sometimes I’m unclear of whether I’m succeeding or not. Change cometh slowly (what verse is that? lol)

I was happy to spend part of my Earth day weekend at the Broccoli City Festival in DC. It was a mixture of Hip Hop and sustainability (of earth and YOUR body). #winning

#BCFest was founded by Brandon McEachern, and this is what he recently said to the Washington Post “I don’t want to claim to be a tree-hugger or preacher, just that it’s OK to drink water and eat some damn carrots. … The best way to convert people is do it with partying.”

I dig it B!

The pictures: The festival was a great time! I especially enjoy events that draw different kinds of people from various walks of life to convene for one positive purpose! Check out some of the acts: singer JMSN, rapper Phil Ade, band Black Alley, and rapper Big K.R.I.T. They put on a good show!

I think the Earth and our BODIES are temples and we have to take care of them. Once you get yourself on the right track, tap the shoulder of someone next to you – or just do it together. Brandon McEachern is doing it. I’m doing it. I want you to keep doing it.

Today, I’m thankful that someone tapped my shoulder and showed me how to take better care of my temple and the temples around me. God bless.