Category: Feature

Small & Black Owned Businesses

by Rhobie Toussaint, posted in Articles, Feature

Support The Little Guys

By Rhobie Toussaint

Original published on The Harbinger

It is no secret that COVID-19 drastically impacted many things – the way people perform everyday tasks, the concept of “normal,” and the economy. And in the midst of it all, small businesses took a hard hit. By May 2020, thirty million unemployment claims were made, many being from small businesses.

Hence, there are many reasons why customers should support small/Black businesses.

Support for a small/Black is support for their communities. With the coronavirus bringing an economic crisis to many, small businesses have suffered greatly. When a small business suffers, so does the community and the workers involved. There have been over 100,000 small businesses that closed as a result of COVID-19 and its economic impact, according to the Washington Post.

Thus, supporting different businesses that may not have the resources to survive an economic crisis would greatly benefit them, as well as different communities.

Many small Black-owned businesses manufacture/sell a wide variety of items, from clothing to hair products. Support for these businesses will not only help them flourish and succeed, it will also play a role in closing the racial wealth gap that is still so prominent in American society.

The Brooking Institution found that in 2016, a typical white family’s net worth is around ten times more than the net worth of a typical Black family, further showing how the support of Black-owned businesses has a correlation to closing the wide racial gap.

Small businesses usually have a more personal, ‘homey’ feel. Owners of small/Black-owned businesses take the time to send their products in a package that is carefully packaged with a personal message of how much they appreciate the purchase. These hard-working individuals put their love, appreciation, and effort into every single package and add their own personal touch to it.

“Owners of small businesses are usually doing something that they are passionate about. I think it’s why they put so much detail into their products and their packaging. The ‘thank you’ notes I receive from them when I order something feel meaningful and genuine,” said Laudith De Los Santos, a senior at MLEC.

These small businesses are often passion projects or for a good cause. Behind many small owned or Black businesses is a story of wanting to create change or doing something in their community that has not been done before. As a result, owners of these businesses, and the work that they do, are fueled by their passion, making the support for them that more important.

Kaylin Berner, a music therapist in South Florida, is an example of someone using their passion and their business to help others.

“I do two different categories of music therapy. We do a broad range, this is something I do…It’s cool to be able to provide those services. A lot of the time these people wouldn’t have the opportunity to get into music but this offers them a chance.”

Berner is a music therapist who aims to advocate for those who are disabled people by providing them with “normal” therapy — but also taking the time to innovate different kinds of treatment. Her small business is an example of genuity and true allyship for the betterment of society.

Small/Black business owners generally put a lot of care into the work that they do, all while trying to provide consumers with quality products. Unfortunately, the economic crises caused by COVID-19 caused a lot of these businesses to close down, which is why the support for them is more important than ever.

Small and Black-owned businesses are essential in so many ways; it is time that we support them in the way that they always support us.

Although this article was originally published in December, it is still as important to support small and Black owned businesses. They put a lot of time, effort, and care into the products they create, as well as the services they provide.

Later this week, I will be promoting different Black owned businesses on my Instagram page @inmyoptimisticmind, so if you’re at a lost of where to start, you can definitely check it out.

All the love,

Rhobie

[New] Normal

by Rhobie Toussaint, posted in Articles, Experience, Feature

My New Normal

By Rhobie Toussaint

On March 13, I woke up after snoozing my alarm numerous times. Little did I know, March 13 was also the last day I woke up at 5:30 AM, went to school, and saw my school friends. It was the last day I knew what “normal’ was.  

It is currently a little past Mid-April, over one month after my last day at school (though I didn’t know it was my last day at the time). [Mostly] Everything has changed. My mornings on weekdays begin with classes via Zoom that I dread to wake up for. Sometimes I wake up early enough to do my devotional before “class,” and other days I do them right before falling asleep again. 

Every day my mom calls my name over five times to help her with something. She, a teacher, also has to work from home now. I know this is all new to her too, but I can’t help rolling my eyes at least once every other day before reluctantly rolling out of bed, dragging my feet to the living room, and plastering a fake smile on my face right before  saying “yes, mom.”

There are times when I am so lucky that my mom remembers that she needs something else right before I open my bedroom door. I take a deep breath, turn around and walk right back to the living room. 

Whenever I exit my room it is always for a specific reason — to remind my dad to take his medicine, to eat, to go to the bathroom, to step outside for five minutes so I can remember what it feels like to be outside and then washing my hands again, things of that sort. 

And on the (very) few occasions when I get to step into the car and head to Publix for groceries, I see masks on everyone, everywhere. But it doesn’t seem like anyone’s afraid. It’s as if they are simply used to this, as if they have accepted that this is their new normal.

Then when I get back home, I bring the groceries inside, change my clothes, wash my hands, and then sanitize everything (safety precautions). By then, it is usually time for another nap, but sometimes I get a reminder that I have an assignment due in a few hours instead. On those days, I glare at my laptop before opening it. 

Some days I write, some days I ignore the news alerts of how many new cases of COVID-19 there are in Florida, but of course, I can’t forget the days when I lay in bed for hours with a million thoughts swirling around in my head.

Some of them are so convoluted that I can barely make any sense of them. 

If I want to talk to my friends, then I have to call them. And if we want to see each other, we FaceTime. We reminisce on the days where social distancing wasn’t in place, before realizing that just over a month ago, our lives were completely different. 

Just over a month ago I was planning a trip to the beach. Just over a month ago I was allowed to go to church services throughout the week and I was able to hug everyone after service was over. 

Just over a month ago, my “normal” was different. And now, it will never be the same.

 

In the words of an article I read, “It’s a slow life, this social distancing thing.” Even when I was writing this piece, it was still mind-blowing to think about the fact that EVERYTHING was different just over a month ago. And even after this passes, nothing will ever be the same. 

Every day can feel like a blur when you’re home all day, every day, but the extra time also leaves an opportunity to self-reflect, to make changes that you’ve been putting off. You can take up new hobbies and try out new things. 

Right now, all of us have a different ‘normal.’ In fact, the very picture of what normal looks like in our minds is probably all distorted. But we can make something of it. 

Make something of your new normal. 

November 29, 2019

by Rhobie Toussaint, posted in Articles, Feature

Native American Heritage Day

November 29, 2019 will serve as Native American Heritage Day—a holiday dedicated to acknowledge and celebrate Native American culture, and their contributions to the United States, something calendars failed to notify.

In 1986, President Reagan declared that the week of November 23 to November 30 would serve as American Indian Week. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush declared that November will be Native American Heritage Month, and it has been approved to be so annually. 

“This month, we recognize the contributions made by Native Americans since long before our founding, and we resolve to continue the work of strengthening government-to-government ties with tribal nations and expanding possibility for all,” said former President Barack Obama in his 2015 proclamation. 

“Thanksgiving and the month of November, Native American Heritage Month, are an important time for the nation to renew a year-round commitment to honoring and strengthening the relationship between tribal nations and the United States,” said Jeferson Keel, President of the National Congress of Amderican Indians (NCAI), during a statement. 

More often than not, the contributions of Native American tribes to the United States are forgotten. It was these tribes who played a role in providing democratic ideas which were used by the framers of this country’s constitution. These are also the same people who first grew crops such as potatoes and helped the Europeans survive by showing them how to farm effectively. 

“They used techniques such as burying fish and burying different metals which was useful because it gave nutrients for the plants and kept the soil rich,” said Jiles Colemen, who is from Native American descent and has recently posted a now viral TikTok video on the realities of Columbus day.

They have made contributions to the U.S. military as approximately over 24,000 Native Americans served during World War Two. In current times, there are over 240,000 Native Americans who serve in the US Armed forces, according to the US Department of Defense.

These are just some of the many things Indeginous Tribes helped with in the country, which would make them and their actions vital to the United States even before it became the United States of America, and are many of the reasons to pay attention to Native American Heritage day. 

Despite the significance of their contributions and traditions to our lives, there is not enough focus on Native American Day and month. There are a multitude of schools that fail to include the teaching of said contributions in the history curriculum. 

“Native Ameircans are not given the recognition that we rightfully deserve. We’re looked at as more of a laughingstock and historical figure than we are as a people. I think that’s because we were so diminished in history. The educational system has failed to educate our youth on the contributions of my people,” said Maya Gillogly, whose family is part of the Sauk tribe and is an activist for Native American Awareness through social media.

It is important that we know and understand our history, and for everyone in the U.S, whether we care to admit it or not, Native Americans are a part of that. 

“It breaks my heart that we were the main force that built the country and now the country lays on our backs,” said Gillogly. 

 

Native American Heritage Day was a few days ago, but this story is still important. I think it is important to recognize that Native Americans are indeed still here and have contributed a lot to the United States. They should not be forgotten, so I wanted to take the time to bring recognition to Native Americans and their Heritage Day.

 

In Touch

by Rhobie Toussaint, posted in Articles, Feature

Going the Extra Mile to Keep A Friendship

Originally published in the Harbinger

As the school year comes to a close, a great fear approaches for seniors: separating from friends. It may feel like graduation will hold the last memories of hugs, conversations, and friendship; however, this doesn’t have to be the case. If both parties put in effort to keep the treasured bond, distance will no longer be a determining factor within the friendship.

Social media is becoming an integral part of the lives for many, and friendships can both be initiated and maintained through it. You can send snaps to your best friend and vice versa, showing how one another’s day is going or laughing at memes sent through the DMs of Instagram.

“We have a streak on snapchat and send each other posts on Instagram and Twitter,” said Alexandra Roberdeo, a MLEC alumnus and freshmen at Hamilton College, about her ongoing friendship with Daylin Delgado, a MLEC alumnus and freshman at Amherst College.

When you’re miles apart from each other with different schedules, talking to your best friend everyday is nearly impossible. But catching up once a week or every other week ensures that you keep in touch.

“We don’t call often but we’ve also never been the type to call all the time. We do update each other or ask each other questions like once a week,” said Daylin.

If you and your best friend are in different states, or even just different schools, there is always something new to talk about, ranging from teachers to mini adventures to relationships.

In trying to keep your bond, it is important to take advantage of every opportunity and never hesitate taking the time to tell your best friend about all the mishaps and exciting things that happened throughout the week.

And although busy schedules and distance may make it difficult to see each other often, try and make room for a visit or two. Perhaps this can be done spontaneously, on a weekend when you both are free or for special occasions such as birthdays.

“It’s not like the distance can get in the way. Last semester, I felt myself missing home a lot, so I took a train to Massachusetts and surprised Daylin,” said Alexandra.

It is also important to understand that while some friendships work out after high school, some simply don’t. It happens. However, it doesn’t hurt to try, especially if your friend holds great significance to you.

“Don’t worry about it. If it’s meant to last, it will. You can’t force something to work, but you should definitely work for it if it’s important to you,” said Daylin.

As the final days of high school approach, remember that with some effort, surprise visits, snap sending, and meme sharing, the bond you share with your best friend doesn’t have to end.

Habits

by Rhobie Toussaint, posted in Articles, Feature

You’re Not Alone: Things Mothers From the Caribbean and South America Tend to Do

It’s seven a.m. on a Saturday morning and you hear a voice complaining about how it is nearly 8:30 and that no one does anything in the house. Chances are that voice is your mother, and she’s either from the Caribbean or South America.

From Haiti to Nicaragua, one can find similarities in cultures, such as the dishes made. Thus, many people with parents from the Caribbean or South America can agree on different habits their mother have. One of them: Cleaning. A lot, maybe even excessively.

“My mom’s always doing chores, and she has to make it known that she’s doing them,” said Jarell Burks, a sophomore at MLEC.

Whether it is early on the weekends, or the middles of the week, many can agree that they spot their mother sweeping or mopping around the house. During this, she may [not so] subtly mention she does the most work in the household. It can get even worse – complaining after taking over the task because you’re not doing it right.

“When my mom tells me to clean, I clean. Mid-cleaning, she says, ‘you’re doing it wrong. Let me do it.’ Not even ten minutes later, I would hear her mutter, ‘I always have to do everything in this house,” said Laudith De Los Santos, a sophomore at MLEC.

Along with the great amount of cleaning, mothers from the Caribbean and South America make food that seems to last forever. A meal which only consists of rice, beans, and chicken can last from three days to an entire week.

“The food lasts for days, even more so on the holidays, added Laudith.

Laudith recalls the year her thanksgiving dinner which included turkey, rice, and potato salad, lasted for an abnormally amount of time. She said that it was New Year’s Day, and there was still Thanksgiving dinner being consumed.

“I wish I was kidding,” said Laudith.

It is as if whenever these mothers are cooking, they think “I wonder how long this food can last.” The answer, it seems, is always pretty long. And even though they tend to overcook, and the food can last a lifetime, some cook another dish before the leftovers are finished.

Mothers that are from South America and the Caribbean also tend to have a problem with time. As in over-exaggerating when they are telling you to hurry up. As in, saying you’re waking up an hour late, when it’s really ten minutes.

Junior Samendie Blanchet remembers the night she asked her mom to wake her up at 8 o’clock the next morning. “She woke me up at 6:30 telling me it was almost 8:00. I rushed for no reason.”

The cultural similarities that contribute to the similarities in habits are something the children of these parents bond over. There are posts on social media platforms, such as Twitter, in which one person posts about their mom cooking as if it was a disease, and somewhere in the comments, there is an “I’m convinced we’re all living the same lives.”

Recently, someone posted a comedic video on Instagram. In it, the male and the chef in the video was “God,” and the food he was making was the quality of Caribbean mothers. The amount of rice put in the pan represented the extent of the quality they have.

For example, the quality “best cooking” was on a sheet of paper was placed in the pan, followed by an abundance of rice being poured into it. However, when “admit when they’re wrong” was on the paper, the chef, or “God” places two grains of rice. He took one of them back.

So, if you have a parent from the Dominican Republic, Haiti, the Bahamas, Nicaragua, or anywhere else in the Caribbean or South America, and you experience being woken up at 7 a.m. with the sounds of cleaning and “I have to do everything here,” know that you’re not alone.

Someone not too far from you is probably being woken up the exact same way.