humanity

Humanity begins at home.

Becoming a Warrior
It is an overcast morning in 1994. My Dad scoops me into his arms for a final goodbye hug right before my first day of kindergarten. A local journalist snaps a photo of us and captures the duality of my pink princess backpack and my blue Power Rangers lunch box, proudly grasped in my left hand. At the time, it was quite uncommon to see a young girl with an item from both the girl and boy's aisle of a store.
By Aley Way5 years ago in Families
Death, Ducks and Peyote Rainbows
by Ginger Casebeer It all started this morning when Derek pushed a woman in front of a moving cab. Accidentally, of course. He was looking for the coffee shop, she was looking in her black book, and he knocked her off the sidewalk. A few hours later, the woman, Sara, was in the hospital with a broken leg and a concussion, and Derek was filling in as personal assistant for Darla Johnson, one of New York's most famous eccentrics, for the day.
By Ginger Worthington Casebeer5 years ago in Families
The Perception of Wealth. Top Story - February 2021.
Every morning the traffic on her route to work was awful. It was a slow, torturous crawl through the suburbs while under the constant torment of nagging car horns. To Adeline, it felt like a great trek through the wilderness each day to find food for her family. Day after day, the other mammals left their homes, herded together, and trod towards the concrete jungle where they could gather the resources they needed to feed their families. She used to laugh at the idea of being stuck in that routine. Working a nine-to-three job at the supermarket was not at all what she had in mind for her career. She wanted to study nursing when she was younger. Instead, she ended up giving birth to a beautiful, although unplanned, baby boy. Now, she spends her days working at a supermarket in the city so they can get by.
By J. R. Lowe5 years ago in Families
Scars of The Heart
January 5, 2021 Today I have endured something bigger than I have in a long time. My plane has landed late this evening and tomorrow is my return to a place not forgotten but not highly held in my forethought.
By Jessica Taylor5 years ago in Families
The Businessman Who Helped To Mend Children's Broken Hearts
Sitting watching Tom Hank’s Big in the 1980’s, a young Timur Tillyaev dreamt of living a life of excitement in America. But growing up in a small two-bedroom apartment in Soviet Uzbekistan made his goal seem very far away.
By Zoe Nauman5 years ago in Families
Golden Wedding Anniversary
Golden Wedding Anniversary My parents had been married for nearly fifty years. I had done nothing for their 25th wedding anniversary, nor their 30th, or their 40th. It was insensitive of me. I am a very bad daughter. And my mother was not going to let me get away with it again. She called me a few weeks before her Golden Wedding Anniversary and told me that needed to talk. I went to see her and took her to lunch at Luby’s to see what was up.
By Gayle Michaels5 years ago in Families
The Gift
The phone started ringing, Petra popped upright in bed. The phone, which had been resting on her chest- exactly where it had fallen to at some early morning hour, flew unceremoniously across the room landing on a pile of laundry as yet undone. Petra, flailed, trying to get to the phone before it stopped ringing. Still half below the silky surface of deep sleep interrupted, she attempted a roll-to-stand, ending in a roll-to-fall including one foot inexplicably tangled in the bedsheets. "Crap!", bellowed Petra as she low-crawled to the pile and her phone, reaching the phone just as it stopped ringing. The missed call announcing itself as MOM on the screen.
By Diana Bruce5 years ago in Families
Pigwell
In Pigwell, time isn’t measured by days or weeks but by the number of eighteen-wheelers that drive past our house. That’s how I know when the weekends come and go. There isn’t as much trucking between Dilley and Carrizo Springs on the weekend, but at night, you can hear them run up and down I-35 to Laredo and back. My Ma and me still have to get up before dawn every day and tend to the hogs and goats and chickens we keep, weekends or not.
By Darryl Brooks5 years ago in Families
1st Annual TIPIN Project GRITSMAS GIVEAWAY
With so much going on in the world and so many falling victim to the circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the people of The TIPIN (There Is Power In Numbers) project felt that it was necessary to put themselves aside and serve their fellow man for the holidays. I, Kirston Jarre’ Pittman am a graduate of LSU and former NFL player with the LA Rams. We were able to partner with the NFL through the Social Justice initiative and work with Sherrif Mike Tregre of the St. John The Baptist Parish Sherrif’s Office to deliver Christmas to over 23 families and over 80 children from the ages of 6mos-18 years of age. I was fortunate to be accompanied by one of the sweetest people every allowed to walk this planet, Mrs. Ingrid Perriloux. Before we embarked on the journey of shopping for 8hrs on Friday and another 8hrs on Saturday for the GRITSMAS Giveaway, I told her that I didn’t know if I’d make it through all of that shopping for so many people. She looked at me with eyes of experience and said, “Young man, just enjoy it.” And that I did. The ego and prideful side of my being reared it’s ugly heed as I thought of all the things that could happene while we were shopping for the youth. What if we don’t find what they want? What if we don’t get the right gifts? What if they don’t like the gifts? How long will we be shopping for all of these things? My mind went a million places in a minute and was suddenly calmed with the words, “Young man, just enjoy it.” At first, I was still like man, this will be a long day of waking up and down the isles of Club Walmart is what we call it in the country. After an hour or two, I found myself becoming overtaken with the holiday spirit. Jumping into the plush animal rack, dunking basketballs in the goals, skate boarding down the isles, and even setting a timer to see how fast we could find a certain amount of gifts. Mrs. Ingrid’s advice was replaying in my head. “Young man, just enjoy it. And that I did...too much. I realized that the experience of shopping for others put me in touch with a side of myself that I haven’t felt in quite some time. The inner child within me. I felt like a kid again running up and down the isles just grabbing toys off the rack and slamming them in the basket! I felt free to be myself and I became lost in the cause. It felt good to be in the position to serve my fellow man and it also felt good to be enjoying serving others. I didn’t look for a reward at all from the opportunity to serve those that were in need but I do know that the feeling I felt while shopping was a reward that was more valuable that I could have asked for. On the day of the event I was as nervous as I was before playing my first collegiate football game. Sherrif Mike Tregre and the great people of St. John The Bapstist Sherrif’s Office really supported the cause by providing the people, space, music, elves, Santa, and decorations. I can honestly say that it was one of the highlights of my life being able to be apart of an event tailored to bringing smiles to the faces of our youth. One particular moment stood out to me. A mother walked in with a full face of tears due to the joy and appreciation she felt for what was being done for her and her family. I hugged her, told her this is why we’re here and we are glad to help her during this difficult time. I had to walk away because I began to tear up as well. I look around and a few others were walking away with water in there eyes. That moment of humility. To share such a moment with another human being was enough for me. I was grateful to be apart of the event and humble that God gave the vision for The TIPIN Project to put that type of event together. Often times we get so caught up in our lives and the daily hustle and bustle to make a dollar that we often lose sight of those that aren’t as fortunate as we are. There was a moment in time when I began to reflect on how I’ve never been hungry, thirsty, homeless, or have never been without clothing and shoes. That glimpse inside of my heart created a passion within me to serve my fellow man. With so much turmoil going on in our country and the uncertainty of a global pandemic, now is the time for us as human beings to put aside race, color, and politics and unite to ensure the common good of humanity prevails. We are The TIPIN Project and we are here to serve our fellow man and do our part to put smiles on the faces of people all over the world. Thank You.
By KingK5 years ago in Families
The Backpack
“Ok, Ma’am,” said the dispatcher. “We can provide a police escort, if you wish. Your husband will not stop you from leaving. There will be a restraining order against him.”
By Monique Sabrina5 years ago in Families
Black Joy. Top Story - February 2021.
We can collectively agree that 2020 was a challenging year. People were losing jobs, losing family members to COVID, and children not able to play outside. Racism was a topic over the summer; Breonna Taylor and George Floyd's deaths sparked protests and boycotts. Last year reminded me why I write—it's because I want to remind people that my history doesn't start with slavery and that African Americans aren't monolithic. To continually tell my story about my black experience. I am happy to see that Vocal is allowing us to tell our stories about the black experience. The media continually bombarded us with information about the pandemic and created a ton of anxiety. After turning off my phone, I quickly realized what mattered to me the most. Being with family. After reading the prompt, two remarkable people popped up in my head. They are my nieces Islah, age three, and her sister Nylah 3 mos. These two beauties have two fantastic aunts that love both of them very much. I'm labeled the funtie.
By teisha leshea5 years ago in Families
Maria and Bitcoins
Maria and Bitcoins Written by Aydin Aguilera Sometimes I think Maria is very lucky, but most of the time I feel real bad for her. And even though everything is different now, I still feel bad for her. If only Maria knew how guilty I feel, living my everyday life the way I do. I can go to the store, get groceries, go for a drive, watch the sunset, and even watch the sun rise if I ever got my lazy ass out of bed. Maria can’t do these things. She can’t put on a mask like the rest of us and go out into the world. And even when she did get to go out into the world, she gets stared at all the time. People look at my sister and they probably think I’m her paid caregiver or something. And they look at her and they get all grateful they don’t look like her, and that they’re not in a wheelchair. They get grateful that they’re not obese and they don’t have crooked eyes and very little hair. They look at what she’s wearing, and they look at what they are wearing, and they feel grateful they don’t have to wear big dresses like Maria has to because of her weight.
By Aydin Aguilera5 years ago in Families