Source: Greater Than AIDS

From Essence

On her own since she was 15-years-old, Eva Fields was orphaned and supporting herself by her sixteenth birthday. “I was taking better care of myself than my elders were,” she admits. “But, I wasn’t making the right decisions.” By 17, she was pregnant with her second child and told she had tested positive for HIV. Thankfully, her son was born healthy, but she knew things were only going to get tougher from there. Instead of giving in to the fear and the pain, Eva chose to educate herself about HIV and AIDS. She focused on staying positive and helping others learn from her experiences and mistakes. Fields always believed she would never be able to have more children, but with medical supervision, she was able to conceive her third child, a healthy baby girl who was born HIV negative. Her story is powerful and a true inspiration to all women who have ever had to face an unthinkable diagnosis. In honor of National Women’s Health Week, we talked to Fields about protecting our bodies and our children and the importance of spreading awareness.

ESSENCE.com: You told your now-husband your status on your first real date. How courageous! Why did you decide to do it that way?
EVA FIELDS: It was scary, of course. Any time, as a woman, when you meet the one, you have those attractions and you don’t want to lose someone because of a societal stigma. Society as a whole puts a bad label on anyone who’s HIV positive. I just felt it was time to let him know and that if he cared about me enough he would either accept it or not. It was my responsibility as a woman and as an adult to let him know. We were on a lunch date and before he decided to take that first bite, I just told him. For me, it’s never been difficult to tell anyone my status. It’s difficult getting turned down and feeling rejected. That’s what makes it hard for anyone HIV positive wanting to date someone that’s HIV negative.

ESSENCE.com: What was his reaction?
FIELDS: He was like, “Okay.” Just like that. I asked him what he meant by “okay,” as I prepared to put my guard up, and then he said, “Okay. I’m educated. I have the real education, and I’m very educated on the subject.” I felt very blessed. In the past, I had come across people who were not educated and reacted terribly. I can’t blame them. Sometimes, as human beings, we fear the unknown.

Read more on Essence.com.

Stephen Cohen/Getty Images for Maxim

Well, things seem to be coming together quite nicely for quarterback Robert Griffin III.

The Washington Redskins superstar made quite the noise in his rookie season with a quiet storm presence who took charge of the football field during the regular and post-season. Well, that is, of course, until he was badly injured and could no longer play.

But having been in the off season for some time, Griffin has had time to plan for something big: his wedding day.

According to his mother, Griffin plans to marry his fiancée Rebecca Liddicoat this July.

E! Online reports that RGIII’s mom told Washington D.C. television station WTTG that Liddicoat and Griffin will be jumping the broom on July 6th in Virginia.

Apparently, a wedding registry has been created at Bed, Bath & Beyond for the couple and it coincides with the July 6th date his mother revealed.

The couple has allegedly been together since high school and were engaged back in 2010.  Griffin had his college teammate play the guitar while he made his speech in front of family and friends before getting down on one knee.

Maybe he’ll cut his hair in preparation for the ceremony. I mean…it’d be nice.

Congrats to the couple! Hopefully, the summer wedding will bring even more excitement to his game for the 2013-2014 football season!

Instagram

From ESSENCE

While Rihanna’s 5.8 million Instagram followers may love her stream of racy pictures, there’s one fan that’s totally against it—her mom.

The Bajan singer, who recently canceled her tour date in Boston due to laryngitis, told Elle UK that her mother humbled her after seeing her Instagram feed.

“I’m not afraid of any person in this world, but my mother, I’m terrified of her,” said Rihanna. “She called me two days ago and reeled me in about two unclothed pictures [my pal] Melissa [Forde] put up on Instagram, a sneak peek from a photo book she’s making about me.”

You’ve got to check out what else she said over on Essence. Many have been wondering what Rihanna’s mom thinks about some of her antics…there you go!

As an adult, does your mom still put a little fear in you every now and then?

AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn, file

If you can believe it, we’re just a little over a month away from the anniversary of Whitney Houston’s death.

With that upon us, Lady O will be sitting down with Whitney’s mother, Cissy, in one of the few interviews she’s given since her daughter’s passing. Oprah interview Bobbi Kristina as well as Greg and Pat Houston, Whitney’s brother and sister-in law, respectively, not long after the passing of Whitney. While Cissy did participate in the Lifetime reality show, On Our Own, she hasn’t done much talking about what the last year has been like on her.

The date has not been released but it is expected to air within the first two weeks of February.

But that’s not all with OWN. Network president Erik Logan recently held a meeting with the media where he broke down the good progress OWN has made, primarily thanks to Oprah showing her face more on the channel with Next Chapter. They’ve also seen great strides in the ratings when new episodes of Master Class have aired.  According to Logan their 2012 year end numbers were in the double digits, as reported by the NY Daily News.

Oprahhas quite a few stars lined up for interviews such as LL Cool J, Susan Sarandon and Alicia Keys (we already know you’ll be tuned in for that one).  Sounds good!

Can you believe it’ll be one year since we lost Whitney? Will you be tuned in to Next Chapter featuring Cissy Houston?

HRC/WENN.com

From ESSENCE

Ten months after her son was killed, Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon Martin’s mother, says she’s ready for justice to be served in 2013. She spoke with ESSENCE.com about her first holiday season without Trayvon, her thoughts on the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, and her hopes for 2013:

This year has been bittersweet. The bitter part is that I lost my baby boy. The sweet part has been the show of support that we have received from our community and from the world. We are thankful. 



This is our first holiday season without Trayvon, and I have to admit, I’m having a difficult time. I’m an emotional rollercoaster. Trayvon loved the holidays, especially Christmas and Thanksgiving. He always looked forward to those holidays. But while I am sad I’m reminded that I have another son that I’m trying to help get through not having his younger brother around.

Sybrina continues to ve a very strong woman. You can read the rest of the touching message over at ESSENCE.

From ESSENCE

In light of the murder-suicide by Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher of his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, and himself, the National Football League is stepping in to provide financial assistance to the couple’s now-orphaned child. The league has agreed to pay for funeral arrangements and provide their three-month-old daughter, Zoey, with at least $1 million throughout her life span.

According to TMZ, the NFL agreed to pay for funeral arrangements to relieve the families from massive funeral and memorial service bills.

Baby Zoey, who is now in the custody of the Belcher family, will be taken care of through the league’s Surviving Child Benefit and health care plan. According to USA Today, she will receive $9,000 a month for the next four years and at least $4,000 a month until she turns 18, or 23 if she decides to go to college.

You can get the story in its entirety over at ESSENCE.

About This Episode

We’re back with Interior Designer Robin Wilson as she takes us on an exclusive tour of her eco-friendly baby nursery. Be sure to check all all of Robin’s nursery tips when planning for your baby nursery!

About Robin Wilson

For more information on Robin Wilson Home, log onto http://robinwilsonhome.com/

About Karyn Parsons

Karyn Parsons is best known as the character “Hilary Banks” on the long-running television show, “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.” Today she is a wife and mother of two. Parsons is also the Founder and President of the Sweet Blackberry foundation after being inspired by the true tale of a determined slave and the remarkable lengths he travelled to find his freedom.  While growing up, Parsons’ mother, a librarian in the Black Resource Center of a library in South Central Los Angeles, would share stories of African-American accomplishment with her daughter.  A mother and activist, Karyn created Sweet Blackberry to use the power of stories to inspire youth. Follow her on Twitter @Karyn_Parsons.

Want More Mommy In Chief? Watch these episodes:

Season 2

• Episode 1: Are You A Good Enough Mother?
• Episode 2: New Motherhood and Balancing A Busy Work Life
• Episode 3: How to Decorate an Eco-Friendly Baby Nursery
• Episode 4: Foodie, Nicole Friday on Kids and Career
• Episode 5: Melissa Beck, From Hollywood to Stay At Home Mom
• Episode 6: Single Mom in The City
• Episode 7: Mommy Mogul and Marketing Wiz Monique Jackson at Home With Her Boys 
• Episode 8: Beauty Maven Jodie Patterson Talks Four-Day Work Week for Moms 
• Episode 9: Tonya Lewis Lee on Motherhood and the Importance of Women’s Health

Season 1

• Episode 1: Back 2 School
• Episode 2: Happy Halloween
• Episode 3: Socially Responsible Kids
• Episode 4: Money Talks
• Episode 5: Keeping Families Healthy
• Episode 6: Thanksgiving Madness
• Episode 7: Highlights and Best Moments
• Episode 8: Stylish Moms
• Episode 9: Best Apps for Moms
• Episode 10: Socialite Kids
• Episode 11: Hair Talk with AfroBella
• Episode 12: Happy New Year!

About This Episode

We travel to the home of eco-friendly interior designer Robin Wilson and speak with her as she preps for the arrival of her very first baby and tells us how she will manage her thriving business as a new mom.

About Robin Wilson

For more information on Robin Wilson Home, log onto http://robinwilsonhome.com/

About Karyn Parsons

Karyn Parsons is best known as the character “Hilary Banks” on the long-running television show, “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.” Today she is a wife and mother of two. Parsons is also the Founder and President of the Sweet Blackberry foundation after being inspired by the true tale of a determined slave and the remarkable lengths he travelled to find his freedom.  While growing up, Parsons’ mother, a librarian in the Black Resource Center of a library in South Central Los Angeles, would share stories of African-American accomplishment with her daughter.  A mother and activist, Karyn created Sweet Blackberry to use the power of stories to inspire youth. Follow her on Twitter @Karyn_Parsons.

Want More Mommy In Chief? Watch these episodes:

Season 2

• Episode 1: Are You A Good Enough Mother?
• Episode 2: New Motherhood and Balancing A Bust Work Life
• Episode 3: How to Decorate an Eco-Friendly Baby Nursery
• Episode 4: Foodie, Nicole Friday on Kids and Career
• Episode 5: Melissa Beck, From Hollywood to Stay At Home Mom
• Episode 6: Single Mom in The City
• Episode 7: Mommy Mogul and Marketing Wiz Monique Jackson at Home With Her Boys 
• Episode 8: Beauty Maven Jodie Patterson Talks Four-Day Work Week for Moms 
• Episode 9: Tonya Lewis Lee on Motherhood and the Importance of Women’s Health

Season 1

• Episode 1: Back 2 School
• Episode 2: Happy Halloween
• Episode 3: Socially Responsible Kids
• Episode 4: Money Talks
• Episode 5: Keeping Families Healthy
• Episode 6: Thanksgiving Madness
• Episode 7: Highlights and Best Moments
• Episode 8: Stylish Moms
• Episode 9: Best Apps for Moms
• Episode 10: Socialite Kids
• Episode 11: Hair Talk with AfroBella
• Episode 12: Happy New Year!

Source: victimsheartland.forumotion.com

Some people should not be allowed to have kids.

29-year-old Jacole Prince was arrested and charged with assault in the first degree, child abuse, and endangering the welfare of a child in the first degree after law enforcement found her ten-year-old severely malnourished, covered in her own urine and feces and locked in a closet.

ABC News reports:

The girl weighed just 32 pounds, and hospital records indicated that she has only gained 6 pounds since she was 4 or 5 years old, according to a police probable cause statement. The girl also suffers from “multiple healing skin injuries and failure to thrive,” the statement said.

“She weighed a little over a third of what a 10-year-old should weigh,” Kansas City Police Capt. Steve Young said. “We don’t know how long or how frequently she’s been in there [the closet], but it’s clear she’d spent a significant amount of time in there.”

Kansas City police met Missouri Children’s Division workers outside the apartment building Friday morning after the division received a hotline call about a girl who was locked up and unable to eat or use the restroom.

When a division worker told two women outside the apartment that three children lived in the apartment, the neighbors said they had never seen the third child even though they’d lived there for “several years.”

“We never knew of her the whole three years we’ve been down here,” Kimberly Kelley, another neighbor, told ABC’s affiliate in Kansas City, KMBC-TV. “She told us she only had two kids.”

The girl was found standing in the closet, according to the statement. She told officers “the closet was her room,” and she couldn’t go to breakfast with her mother and sisters because she “messes herself.” She also sleeps there, she said.

At the hospital, the child told detectives she had not been let out of the closet for two days, and she does not eat every day. She said her mother gets mad and “punches her on the back” because she “keeps peeing on herself.”

She is not allowed to play outside like her sisters, and instead has to play behind the couch, the girl said.

Jacole and her boyfriend were both arrested at his house. Jacole says she hid her daughter because she would get in trouble if someone saw how malnourished and dirty her daughter is. As for the other kids? CBS News says that neighbors told the Associated press, the woman’s other daughters were clean, happy and, if anything, “spoiled.”

The boyfriend is the father of Jacole’s other two kids, but not the ten-year-old. He says he had no idea she was locked in the closet.

There are a lot of questions in this story that will probably be answered when this case goes to trial. Such as, where is the father in this story? And if the boyfriend didn’t know the little girl was locked in a closet, where did he think she was? Were there no grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins or friends who inquired about the child?

Thankfully, the police were tipped off after someone called the child abuse hotline. That phone call likely saved this little girl’s life.

I don’t understand these mothers who treat their children this way. If someone has a child they don’t want, can’t they put them up for adoption or even drop the child off at the foster care office without legal repercussions? There has to be a solution beyond nearly starving a child to death and forcing her to live in her own bodily waste. If this little girl’s dad is still alive, maybe they’ll find him and arrest him too.

What do you think about this story?

Alissa Henry is a freelance writer living in Columbus, OH. Follow her on Twitter @AlissaInPink

More on Madame Noire!

• HALF ON A BABY: The Top 7 Ways You’ll Know He’s Ready For Kids
• Race To The Ring: Will These Women Get Their Famous Men To Put A Ring On It?
• Are You an Alpha Female?
• Let’s Talk, Ladies: Are You Afraid Of The “S” Word?
• My Story: For Colored Girls Who’ve Considered Suicide When the Law Couldn’t Protect Them From Incest
• Locs to Love: 7 Celebs With Fabulous Locs
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yeahshesaidit.com

My mother is not an entrepreneur. She is not a self-made millionaire with her own company. She does not own a home with a vacation property on the side. She is not rich or has any inheritance to her name.

She did not discover a new product for consumers, invest in any stocks or networked her way to the top. My mother is a normal African-American woman born and raised by a single mother in one of the country’s most dangerous cities. She has been your average blue collar worker for as long as I can remember, and now because of the economy and job market, she is in between careers. And yet, she is the wisest, wealthiest person I know.

I know this because I have always had high standards for my mother. As an only child of a single mother, I knew her worth, I felt her struggle firsthand, and through her struggle came wisdom, something I knew to cherish.

I am appreciative to reflect on this Mother’s Day from a new angle: in my early twenties with a college degree, no children and a successful, growing career in the media industry in New York City. These are all manifestations of my mother’s hopes for me, since she did not have the same. She became a mother at my age and knows the importance of youth, especially when it comes to achieving your professional goals.

As the wisest, most business-savvy person I know, my mother has imparted many lessons that I still remember in my everyday life, especially in the corporate workplace. Although I still remain like a deer in headlights sometimes when it comes to being an African-American female professional in the workplace, I revert back to her teachings and never stray far. Some of my favorite quotes remind me of her lessons and past experiences…

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