A NIGHT OF LOVE, LAUGHTER, AND FELLOWSHIP!

Women in Transition along with our CEO/President Patricia McKinney celebrated A Night of Love, Laughter, & Fellowship. Where we danced and celebrated freedom, and liberty. This night was a night to receive direction, correction, love, and than fellowship with one another. It was again another successful night, and event hosted by Women In Transition.

Praying for Bobbi Kristina Brown.

Let's keep Bobbi Kristina Brown in our prayers as she recovers from the loss of her Mother.

Patricia McKinney weightloss has been a success!!!!

President Patricia McKinney has been working hard towards her goal, she has already dropped 35 pounds and have 10 more pounds to go and we are Inspire by her Motivation. Ladies P.M.P "We all we Got" Let's Ride....

RIP WHITNEY HOUSTON. GONE TOO SOON.

Whitney Houston was born in a rough neighborhood in the projects of Newark, New Jersey. She is the third and youngest child of John and gospel singer Cissy Houston. Her mother, along with cousins Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick and godmother Aretha Franklin are all notable figures in the gospel, rhythm and blues, pop, and soul genres. Houston was raised a Baptist, but was also exposed to the Pentecostal church.

After the 1967 Newark riots, the family moved to a middle class area in West Orange, New Jersey when she was four. At the age of eleven, Houston began to follow in her mother's footsteps and started performing as a soloist in the junior gospel choir at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, where she also learned to play the piano. Her first solo performance in the church was "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah". When Houston was a teenager, her parents divorced and she continued to live with her mother.

She attended a Roman Catholic single-sex high school, Mount Saint Dominic Academy, where she met her best friend Robyn Crawford, whom she describes as the "sister she never had." While Houston was still in school, her mother continued to teach her how to sing. In addition to her mother, Franklin, and Warwick, Houston was also exposed to the music of Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, and Roberta Flack, most of whom would have an impact on her as a singer and performer.

Houston spent some of her teenage years touring nightclubs with her mother while Cissy was performing, and she would occasionally get on stage and perform with her mother. In 1977, at age fourteen, she was the lead vocalist on the Michael Zager Band's single "Life's a Party" (the group is known for their 1978 hit "Let's All Chant"). Zager subsequently offered to help obtain a recording contract for the young singer, but Cissy declined, wanting her young daughter to finish school first.

Then in 1978, at age fifteen, Houston sang background vocals on Chaka Khan's hit single "I'm Every Woman", a song she would later turn into a hit for herself on her monstrous-selling soundtrack album The Bodyguard.

She also would sing back-up on albums by Lou Rawls and Jermaine Jackson. In the early 1980s, Houston then started working as a fashion model after a photographer saw her at Carnegie Hall singing with her mother. She appeared as a lead vocalist on a Paul Jabara (famous for writing songs for Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand) album, entitled Paul Jabara and Friends: featuring The Weather Girls, Leata Galloway & Whitney Houston (CBS Records, 1983). She appeared in Seventeen Magazine and became one of the first women of color to grace the cover of Seventeen magazine.

She also appeared in a Canada Dry soft drink commercial. While modeling, she continued her burgeoning recording career by working with producers Michael Bienhorn, Bill Laswell and Martin Bisi on an album they were spearheading called One Down, which was credited to the group Material. For that project, Houston contributed the ballad "Memories". Robert Christgau of the The Village Voice called her contribution "one of the most gorgeous ballads you've ever heard".

Houston had previously been offered several recording agencies (Michael Zager in 1980 and Elektra Records in 1981). In 1983, Gerry Griffith, an A&R representative from Arista Records, saw her performing with her mother in a New York City nightclub and was impressed. He convinced Clive Davis, Arista's label head, to take time to see Houston perform. Davis too was impressed after the performance and offered her a worldwide recording contract, which Houston signed. Later that year, she made her national televised debut alongside Davis on the The Merv Griffin Show.


Houston signed with Arista in 1983 but did not begin work on her album immediately. Arista put forth the deal to make sure no other label signed the singer from under them. Davis wanted to find the right material and right producers for Houston's debut album. Some producers were not deemed right by the label, others had to pass on the project due to prior commitments.

Houston first recorded a duet with Teddy Pendergrass entitled "Hold Me", which appeared on his album, Love Language. The single, released in 1984, gave Houston her first taste of success, becoming a Top 5 R&B hit. It would also appear on her

During the 1980s, MTV was just coming into its own and received harsh criticism for not playing enough videos by black artists. With Michael Jackson breaking down the color barrier for black male artists, Houston did the same for black female artists. She became one of the few black female artists to receive heavy rotation on the network following the success of the "How Will I Know" video. Following Houston's breakthrough, other African-American female artists, such as Janet Jackson and Anita Baker, were successful in popular music. Baker commented that "Because of what Whitney did, there was an opening for me... For radio stations, black women singers aren't taboo anymore". Mary J. Blige commented that Houston's inviting her onstage during VH1's Divas Live show in 1999 "opened doors for all over the world".


Houston's vocal stylings have had a significant impact on the music industry. According to The New York Times, Houston had "revitalized the tradition of strong gospel-oriented pop-soul singing". A number of artists have acknowledged Houston as an influence. Mariah Carey, who was often compared to Houston, said, "Houston has been a big influence on me." She later told USA Today that "none of us would sound the same if Aretha Franklin hadn't ever put out a record, or Whitney Houston hadn't".

Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson cites Houston as her biggest musical influence. She told Newsday that she learned from Houston the "difference between being able to sing and knowing how to sing". Leona Lewis, who also has been compared to Houston, cites her as an influence. Lewis has stated that she idolized Houston as a little girl. Beyonc? Knowles told the Globe and Mail that Houston "inspired to get up there and do what did."

Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Alicia Keys, P!nk, Robin Thicke, Jennifer Hudson and Destiny's Child have all cited Houston as a musical inspiration. In 2009, Rolling Stone listed Houston as one of the 100 greatest singers of the rock era.


Houston's debut is currently listed as one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone magazine and is on Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Definitive 200 list. Houston's entrance into the music industry is considered one of the 25 musical milestones of the last 25 years, according to USA Today.

In 1997, the Franklin School in East Orange, New Jersey was renamed to The Whitney E. Houston Academy School of Creative and Performing Arts. In 2001, Houston was awarded the first annual Lifetime Achievement Award by BET.

Black Women are Beautiful - Natural or Otherwise! By: AfroDaddy.com

All women are beautiful in their own way, but black women are definitely some of the most beautiful women in the world. If you hear the media tell it, you might not think so. Billboards display ads showing a light skinned (or white), long-haired woman as the standard of beauty. TV continues to create shows that depict black women in a negative light (think "Basketball Wives of WTF"). Black rappers continue to create songs and videos dissing dark women in favor of light-skinned, long-haired women.

Commercials bombard women every day with images of them not being pretty enough, thin enough, hair long enough or light enough. Sisters, you are under attack by the corporate-driven media. Their intention: to sow seeds of insecurity and low self-esteem that will force you to spend collective millions on make-up, weaves and designer gear with the hopes of measuring up to a corporate-created false standard of beauty. Let the record show ladies that you do not need to fall into that trap because black women are beautiful - natural or otherwise.

Corporate Media Manipulation

Corporations are in the business of making money. The bigger the corporation, the more money they need to make. Corporations make no money from a woman who thinks she is already beautiful so the corporation needs to make you think you are ugly. They do this by bombarding you with TV, radio, billboard and internet images and messages that show a standard of beauty that is different from what you are.

"To be really cute you need this outfit" - BUY MY PRODUCT

"To be beautiful your hair needs to shine" - BUY MY PRODUCT

"To be attractive your skin needs to glow" - BUY MY PRODUCT

"You are ugly, but if you buy my products you will be beautiful" - BUY MY PRODUCTS NOW!

Proctor and Gamble (the world's largest advertiser) performed a recent study that found that 71% of black women feel they're portrayed worse than other women in media and advertising. Despite that, black women spend on average three times more than the general market on beauty products. Proctor& Gamble - mission accomplished.



Negative Media Portrayal

Why are the "Basketball Wives of LA" overweight and haggard while the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" are thin and fine? You mean to tell me that with all the players in the NBA you can't find 6 beautiful black women for your show? Adding insult to injury, the one "media-defined attractive" Basketball Wife isn't even a wife; she's a toss-up who neglects and abuses her child.

Today's rap videos constantly show black male rappers with latina, white or light skinned black women as the ones they lust after and fawn over. If the videos contain a slew of of black women they are all "dropping it"; shaking their asses and gyrating like over-sexed she-savages. The content, casting and message of these TV shows and videos are 100% big corporation and media driven. Thousands of high-payed executives spend countless hours casting these shows and videos to make sure the image of black women is crafted exacly as they intend it - negative.





No disrespect to Nicki Minaj. She is caught up in the corporate trap that has allowed her to make millions of dollars at the expense of millions of women. The Basketball Wives are getting paid big money to act crass on TV. Sisters what I am saying is that you don't have to emulate them.

What Black Men Really Want

For better or worse men are simple creatures. Black men are no different than anybody else. Black men do not want fake boobs, fake breasts, fake hair and funky attitude. We just want an attractive woman without a bunch of drama.

Most black women look just as good in jeans and a t-shirt as they do in $10,000 Gucci jacket.

Most black women look just as good with an afro as they do with a $1,000 weave

Most black women look great with little or no makeup

Most black women who work out and eat right will have a better body than one with plastic boobs and butt

Most black women are just as pleasant as any any other type of women

Sisters, you have a natural glow. You don't need all that make up. You have strong and sexy bodies and built-in curves. Plastic body part additions are not necessary. A black man (or any man) will NEVER discount an attractive woman just because she doesn't have designer gear. If he does you damn sure don't want him anyway. The media may do their best to shape our ideals of beauty but no amount of media manipulation can change the human condition. A fit and toned body, a feminine haircut and a nice attitude will attract all the black men you can handle and save you hundreds of dollars a month in the process. If you want to spend money on makeup, salons and hairdos, do it for yourself - not because the media tells you that you have to. Either way you go, always remember that you are beautiful - natural or otherwise.

JOHN HANSON (THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN PRESIDENT).

I know this posting will stir controversty but George Washington was not the first President of the U.S. Let's take a look at history.

A "Black" Man, A Moor, John Hanson Was the First President of the United States! 1781-1782 A.D.??? George Washington was really the 8th President of the United States! George Washington was not the first President of the United States. In fact, the first President of the United States was one John Hanson. Don't go checking the encyclopedia for this guy's name - he is one of those great men that are lost to history. If you're extremely lucky, you may actually find a brief mention of his name.

The new country was actually formed on March 1, 1781 with the adoption of The Articles of Confederation. This document was actually proposed on June 11, 1776, but not agreed upon by Congress until November 15, 1777. Maryland refused to sign this document until Virginia and New York ceded their western lands (Maryland was afraid that these states would gain too much power in the new government from such large amounts of land). Once the signing took place in 1781, a President was needed to run the country.

John Hanson was chosen unanimously by Congress (which included George Washington). In fact, all the other potential candidates refused to run against him, as he was a major player in the revolution and an extremely influential member of Congress. As the first President, Hanson had quite the shoes to fill. No one had ever been President and the role was poorly defined. His actions in office would set precedent for all future Presidents. He took office just as the Revolutionary War ended. Almost immediately, the troops demanded to be paid. As would be expected after any long war, there were no funds to meet the salaries. As a result, the soldiers threatened to overthrow the new government and put Washington on the throne as a monarch.

All the members of Congress ran for their lives, leaving Hanson as the only guy left running the government. He somehow managed to calm the troops down and hold the country together. If he had failed, the government would have fallen almost immediately and everyone would have been bowing to King Washington. In fact, Hanson sent 800 pounds of sterling siliver by his brother Samuel Hanson to George Washington to provide the troops with shoes.

Hanson, as President, ordered all foreign troops off American soil, as well as the removal of all foreign flags. This was quite the feat, considering the fact that so many European countries had a stake in the United States since the days following Columbus. Hanson established the Great Seal of the United States, which all Presidents have since been required to use on all official documents.

President Hanson also established the first Treasury Department, the first Secretary of War, and the first Foreign Affairs Department. Lastly, he declared that the fourth Thursday of every November was to be Thanksgiving Day, which is still true today.

The Articles of Confederation only allowed a President to serve a one year term during any three year period, so Hanson actually accomplished quite a bit in such little time. Six other presidents were elected after him - Elias Boudinot (1783), Thomas Mifflin (1784), Richard Henry Lee (1785), Nathan Gorman (1786), Arthur St. Clair (1787), and Cyrus Griffin (1788) - all prior to Washington taking office. So what happened? Why don't we ever hear about the first seven Presidents of the United States?

It's quite simple - The Articles of Confederation didn't work well. The individual states had too much power and nothing could be agreed upon. A new doctrine needed to be written - something we know as the Constitution. And that leads us to the end of our story. George Washington was definitely not the first President of the United States. He was the first President of the United States under the Constitution we follow today. And the first seven Presidents are forgotten in history.

MADAME CJ WALKER (SARAH BREEDLOVE).

Born as Sarah Breedlove on December 23, 1867, Madame C. J. Walker started her descent through life. She was born to Owen and Minerva Breedlove. Her family lived and worked on a cotton plantation in Delta, Louisianna. Sarah had one older sister, Louvenia, and one older brother, Alex. She was the first person in her family to be born free. The Breedloves worked incredibly hard and could not afford to miss even one day of work. As soon as Sarah was old enough, she too started to work.

When Owen and Minerva died in a yellow fever epidemic, the three Breedlove children tried to work the family's land on their own, but without the aid of two adults it was virtually impossible. Alex took it upon himself in these hard times to move to Vicksburg and seek out some work. Leaving Sarah and Louvenia alone on the farm. Just to make enough money to stay alive, Sarah and Louvenia worked from dawn until dusk everyday at their washtubs. The only few moments of Sarah's day that were for her was spent sitting on the riverbank near her cabin.

In 1878, another yellow fever epidemic reared it's ugly head and more than 3,000 people in the vicinity of Vicksburg died. In addition, the cotton crop failed that year. Hence making many, including Sarah and Louvenia, homeless. The girls moved across the river hoping to find work, as did others.

The white population in Vicksburg was none too pleased with the sudden burst of African Americans in their town. As a result, the Breedlove girls were in constant fear of racist groups such as the Klu Klux Klan and other cliques of the same nature and goal. Eleven-year-old Sarah long to get away from the town and start a new life for herself. She was also fed up with her brother-in-law, Willie Powell, because he was "Cruel and comtemptuous."

When Sarah was fourteen, she fled from Vicksburg to "get a life of her own." She then married a Vicksburg laboror named Moses McWilliams. She had a feeling that his name might be a nice sign and had a nice ring to it. Sarah and Moses did what they could to earn a decent living. During their marrige, Moses worked doing anything he could, and Sarah was a washerwoman once again.

When June 6, 1885 rolled around, Sarah had a little baby girl. She and Moses named their bundle of joy Lelia. After Lelia was born, Sarah's workload was almost doubled. Not only because she had to work AND look after a baby, but also because she wanted to make enough money so Lelia would have an easier childhood than her own.

Moses died in 1887 leaving Sarah with the responsibility of raising a child alone. She was twenty and she had no intention of going back to her sister's home, but she did not know what to do on her own. She then learned, after asking the neighbors, that there was a lot of job opportunities in St. Louis as a laundress, and that the wages were better. So she moved to St. Louis.

It was then that Sarah sent her daughter to school. As the years passed, Sarah saved as much as she could so that when Lelia graduated from high school her proud mother would have enough money to send her to Knoxville College in Knoxville, Tennessee. About that time, Sarah remarried. Her second husband was John Davis. He was a heavy drinker and so Sarah divorced him before Lelia actually went to college.

When Sarah went to the festivities where delegates of the National Association of Colored Women, she saw the incredably well groomed Margret Washington. This got her thinking about her own apperance, and she thought that if she looked like that she would be more self-confident. Sarah had nice clothes and a good completion, but she was self-conscious about her hair. It was patchy and broken and revealed her scalp in several places. Since many women shared Sarah's hair problem, she decided to try some different hair products, but didn't have much success. Then she thought that maybe if she thought up her own hair formula, one that actually worked, she could make a quaint little business for herself.

Sarah left St. Louis because in St. Louis she would be in competition with the Poro company. She moved to Denver, Colorado on July 21, 1905. There she experimented a little more to perfect her product. She came up with three final formulas. They were called the Wonderful Hair Grower, Vegetable Shampoo, and Glossince. She sold them door to door.

Her advertisements had a picture of her before and a picture of her after. She stated that her well groomed and long hair was like that because of her hair products. Sarah kept in touch with her friend, Charles Joseph Walker of St Louis. One day he showed up in person in Denver. On January 4, 1906, Sarah McWilliams became Madame C. J. Walker.

Madame Walker's hair products were soon making $10 a week, which was quite an up from just $1. She also went on many sales trips to sell her wonderful hair products.
In 1908, Madame Walker and her daughter moved to Pittsburgh and opened up the Lelia College. It was a college that was actually a beauty parlor and a training school. When you graduate from this college you became a "hair culturist".

Madame Walker's business spread like wildfire in Pittsburgh in the two years she was there. Even though Pittsburgh was a fine city for her business, Walker wanted to find a city that could house her national headquarters. She decided, in 1910, that Indianapolis, Indiana was the spot for her. That is where you can find the Walker Theatre.

ROSA LOUISE PARKS.

Rosa Louise Parks was nationally recognized as the "mother of the modern day civil rights movement" in America. Her refusal to surrender her seat to a white male passenger on a Montgomery, Alabama bus, December 1, 1955, triggered a wave of protest December 5, 1955 that reverberated throughout the United States. Her quiet courageous act changed America, its view of black people and redirected the course of history.

Mrs. Parks was born Rosa Louise McCauley, February 4, 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama. She was the first child of James and Leona Edwards McCauley. Her brother, Sylvester McCauley, now deceased, was born August 20, 1915. Later, the family moved to Pine Level, Alabama where Rosa was reared and educated in the rural school. When she completed her education in Pine Level at age eleven, her mother, Leona, enrolled her in Montgomery Industrial School for Girls (Miss White's School for Girls), a private institution. After finishing Miss White's School, she went on to Alabama State Teacher's College High School. She, however, was unable to graduate with her class, because of the illness of her grandmother Rose Edwards and later her death.

As Rosa Parks prepared to return to Alabama State Teacher's College, her mother also became ill, therefore, she continued to take care of their home and care for her mother while her brother, Sylvester, worked outside of the home. She received her high school diploma in 1934, after her marriage to Raymond Parks, December 18, 1932. Raymond, now deceased was born in Wedowee, Alabama, Randolph County, February 12, 1903, received little formal education due to racial segregation. He was a self-educated person with the assistance of his mother, Geri Parks. His immaculate dress and his thorough knowledge of domestic affairs and current events made most think he was college educated. He supported and encouraged Rosa's desire to complete her formal education.

Mr. Parks was an early activist in the effort to free the "Scottsboro Boys," a celebrated case in the 1930's. Together, Raymond and Rosa worked in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP's) programs. He was an active member and she served as secretary and later youth leader of the local branch. At the time of her arrest, she was preparing for a major youth conference.

After the arrest of Rosa Parks, black people of Montgomery and sympathizers of other races organized and promoted a boycott of the city bus line that lasted 381 days. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was appointed the spokesperson for the Bus Boycott and taught nonviolence to all participants. Contingent with the protest in Montgomery, others took shape throughout the south and the country. They took form as sit-ins, eat-ins, swim-ins, and similar causes. Thousands of courageous people joined the "protest" to demand equal rights for all people.

Mrs. Parks moved to Detroit, Michigan in 1957. In 1964 she became a deaconess in the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME).

Congressman John Conyers First Congressional District of Michigan employed Mrs. Parks, from 1965 to 1988. In February, 1987, she co-founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development with Ms. Elaine Eason Steele in honor of her husband, Raymond (1903-1977). The purpose is to motivate and direct youth not targeted by other programs to achieve their highest potential. Rosa Parks sees the energy of young people as a real force for change. It is among her most treasured themes of human priorities as she speaks to young people of all ages at schools, colleges, and national organizations around the world.

The Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development's "Pathways to Freedom program, traces the underground railroad into the civil rights movement and beyond. Youth, ages 11 through 17, meet and talk with Mrs. Parks and other national leaders as they participate in educational and historical research throughout the world. They journey primarily by bus as "freedom riders" did in the 1960's,the theme: "Where have we been? Where are we going?"

As a role model for youth she was stimulated by their enthusiasm to learn as much about her life as possible. A modest person, she always encourages them to research the lives of other contributors to world peace. The Institute and The Rosa Parks Legacy are her legacies to people of good will.

Mrs. Parks received more than forty-three honorary doctorate degrees, including one from SOKA UNIVERSITY, Tokyo Japan, hundreds of plaques, certificates, citations, awards and keys to many cities. Among them are the NAACP's Spingarn Medal, the UAW's Social Justice Award, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Non - Violent Peace Prize and the ROSA PARKS PEACE PRIZE in 1994, Stockholm Sweden, to name a few. In September 1996 President William J. Clinton, the forty second President of the United States of America gave Mrs. Parks the MEDAL OF FREEDOM, the highest award given to a civilian citizen.

Published Act no.28 of 1997 designated the first Monday following February 4, as Mrs Rosa Parks' Day in the state of Michigan, her home state. She is the first living person to be honored with a holiday.

She was voted by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most Influential people of the 20th century. A Museum and Library is being built in her honor, in Montgomery, AL and will open in the fall of the year 2000 (ground breaking April 21, 1998). On September 2, 1998 The Rosa L. Parks Learning Center was dedicated at Botsford Commons, a senior community in Michigan. Through the use of computer technology, youth will mentor seniors on the use of computers. (Mrs. Parks was a member of the first graduating class on November 24, 1998). On September 26, 1998 Mrs. Parks was the recipient of the first International Freedom Conductor's Award by the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

She attended her first "State of the Union Address" in January 1999. Mrs. Parks received a unanimous bipartisan standing ovation when President William Jefferson Clinton acknowledged her. Representative Julia Carson of Indianapolis, Indiana introduced H. R. Bill 573 on February 4, 1999, which would award Mrs. Rosa Parks the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor if it passed the House of Representatives and the Senate by a majority. The bill was passed unanimously in the Senate on April 19, and with one descenting vote in the House of Representatives on April 20. President Clinton signed it into law on May 3, 1999. Mrs. Parks was one of only 250 individuals at the time, including the American Red Cross to receive this honor. President George Washington was the first to receive the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor. President Nelson Mandela is also listed among the select few of world leaders who have received the medal.

In the winter of 2000 Mrs. Parks met Pope John-Paul II in St. Louis, MO and read a statement to him asking for racial healing. She received the NAACP Image Award for Best Supporting Actress in the Television series, TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL, "Black like Monica". Troy State University at Montgomery opened The Rosa Parks Library and Museum on the site where Mrs. Parks was arrested December 1, 1955. It opened on the 45th Anniversary of her arrest and the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

"The Rosa Parks Story" was filmed in Montgomery, Alabama May 2001, an aired February 24, 2002 on the CBS television network. Mrs. Parks continues to receive numerous awards including the very first Lifetime Achievement Award ever given by The Institute for Research on Women & Gender, Stanford University. She received the Gandhi, King, Ikeda award for peace and on October 29, 2003 Mrs. Parks was an International Institute Heritage Hall of fame honoree. On February 4, 2004 Mrs. Parks 91st birthday was celebrated at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. On December 21, 2004 the 49th Anniversary of the Mrs. Parks' arrest was commemorated with a Civil Rights and Hip-Hop Forum at the Franklin Settlement in Detroit, Michigan.

On February 4, 2005 Mrs. Parks' 92nd birthday was celebrate at Calvary Baptist Church in Detroit, MI. Students from the Detroit Public Schools did "Willing to be Arrested," a reenactment of Mrs. Parks arrest. February 6, 2005 Mrs. Parks received the first annual Cardinal Dearden Peace Award at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Detroit, MI. February 19 - 20, composer Hannibal Lokumbe premiered an original symphony "Dear Mrs. Parks." Mr. Lokumbe did this original work as part of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra's " Classical Roots Series." The beginning of many events that will commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Mrs. Parks' arrest December 1, 1955.

Mrs. Parks has written four books, Rosa Parks: My Story: by Rosa Parks with Jim Haskins, Quiet Strength by Rosa Parks with Gregory J. Reed, Dear Mrs. Parks: A Dialogue With Today's Youth by Rosa Parks with Gregory J, Reed, this book received the NAACP's Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, (Children's) in 1996 and her latest book, I AM ROSA PARKS by Rosa Parks with Jim Haskins, for preschoolers.

A quiet exemplification of courage, dignity, and determination; Rosa Parks was a symbol to all to remain free. Rosa Parks made her peaceful transition October 24, 2005.

Womenintransition Blogtalk Radio coming soon.

A Night of Love, Fun and Laughter!! Feburary 17th 2012

We are going to have a "Great" Time on this evening.

THE HISTORY OF COSMETICS.

Eye shadow is a cosmetic that is applied on the eyelids and under the eyebrows. It is commonly used to make the wearer's eyes stand out or look more attractive.


Eye shadow adds depth and dimension to one's eyes, complements the eye color, or simply draws attention to the eyes. Eye shadow comes in many different colors and textures. It is usually made from a powder and mica, but can also be found in liquid, pencil, or mousse form.

Many people use eye shadow simply to improve their appearance, but it is also commonly used in theatre and other plays, to create a memorable look, with bright and even ridiculous colors. Depending on skin tone and experience, the effect of eye shadow usually brings out glamor and gains attention. The use of eye shadow attempts to replicate the natural eye shadow that some women exhibit due to a natural contrasting pigmentation on their eyelids. Natural eye shadow can range anywhere from a glossy shine to one's eyelids, to a pinkish tone, or even a silver look.






Nail polish, or nail varnish, is a lacquer applied to human fingernails or toenails to decorate and/or protect the nail plate.

The Incas decorated their fingernails with pictures of eagles, but it is unclear how the practice of coloring nails progressed following these beginnings. Portraits from the 17th and 18th centuries include shiny nails.

By the turn of the 19th century, nails were tinted with scented red oils, and polished or buffed with a chamois cloth, rather than simply polished. English and US 19th century cookbooks had directions for making nail paints. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, women pursued a polished rather than painted look by massaging tinted powders and creams into their nails, then buffing them shiny. One such polishing product sold around this time was Graf's Hyglo nail polish paste. Some women during this period painted their nails with clear, glossy varnish applied with a camel-hair brush. When automobile paint was created around 1920, it inspired the introduction of colored nail glosses.







Mascara is a cosmetic commonly used to enhance the eyes. It may darken, thicken, lengthen, and/or define the eyelashes. Normally in one of three forms—liquid, cake, or cream—the modern mascara product has various formulas; however, most contain the same basic components of pigments, oils, waxes, and preservatives.

Make-up was considered unsightly and uncouth in Western culture up until the Victorian era. During the Victorian era, social opinion shifted radically towards the promotion of cosmetics, and women were known to spend a majority of their day occupied with beauty regimens. Great efforts were made to create the illusion of long, dark eyelashes. Attempting this, Victorian women made a type of mascara in their own homes. They would heat a mixture of ash or lampblack and elderberry juice on a plate and apply the heated mixture to their eyelashes.

The product that people would recognize as mascara today did not develop until the nineteenth century. A chemist named Eugene Rimmel developed a cosmetic using the newly invented petroleum jelly. The name Rimmel became synonymous with the substance and still translates to “mascara” in the Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, Greek, Turkish, Romanian, and Persian languages today.









Lipstick is a cosmetic product containing pigments, oils, waxes, and emollients that applies color, texture, and protection to the lips. Many varieties of lipstick are known. As with most other types of makeup, lipstick is typically, but not exclusively, worn by women. The use of lipstick dates from the ancient times.

Ancient Mesopotamian women were possibly the first women to invent and wear lipstick. They crushed semi precious jewels and used them to decorate their lips. Women in the ancient Indus Valley Civilization applied lipstick to their lips for face decoration. Ancient Egyptians extracted red dye from fucus-algin, 0.01% iodine, and some bromine mannite, which resulted in serious illness. Cleopatra had her lipstick made from crushed carmine beetles, which gave a deep red pigment, and ants for a base. Lipsticks with shimmering effects were initially made using a pearlescent substance found in fish scales.

During the Islamic Golden Age the notable Arab Andalusian cosmetologist Abu al-Qasim al-Zahrawi (Abulcasis) invented solid lipsticks, which were perfumed sticks rolled and pressed in special molds, and he described them in his Al-Tasrif.[citation needed] In Medieval Europe, lipstick was banned by the church and was thought to be used as an 'incarnation of Satan', cosmetics being 'reserved' for prostitutes








Foundation is a skin coloured cosmetic applied to the face to create an even, uniform colour to the complexion, to cover flaws, and, sometimes, to change the natural skintone. Foundation applied to the body is generally referred to as "body painting".


The use of cosmetics to enhance the complexion has been known since antiquity. “Face painting” is mentioned in the Old Testament (Ezekiel 23:40). Ancient Egyptians used foundation. In 200 B.C., ancient Greek women applied white lead powder and chalk to lighten their skin. It was considered fashionable for Greek women to have a pale complexion. Roman women also favoured a pale complexion. Wealthy Romans favoured white lead paste, which can lead to disfigurements and death. Men also wore makeup to lighten their skin tone. They would use white lead powder, chalk, and creams to lighten their skin tone. The cream is made out of animal fat, starch and tin oxide. The fat would be made from animal carcasses and they heated the carcasses to remove any color. Tin oxide is made out of heating tin metal in air. The animal fat provides a smooth texture, while the tin oxide provided color to the cream.


In the late 18th century and early 19th century, Victorian women wore little or no makeup. Queen Victoria abhored make-up and deemed that it was only appropriate for prostitutes and loose women to wear make-up. It was only acceptable for actors or actresses to wear make-up. In the late 19th century, women would apply a whitening mixture made out of zinc oxide, mercury, lead, nitrate of silver, and acids. Some women stayed out of the sun, ate chalk, and drank iodine to achieve whiteness.

Taking Photography to a "New level"

This is Just Stunning!!!

Patricia Photos Taken By Anton Photography

THE QUEEN OF FASHION!

Women In Transition CEO/President Patricia McKinney. She is the Queen and First lady of Fashion. She is also known as the New Age Jackie Onassis bringing fashion to a higher level of uniqueness. She is also promoting healthy weight loss. Check out more about her weight loss blog. www.pmpweightloss.blogspot.com.

HOW TO DEVELOP YOUR PERSONAL STYLE!

How do you like to dress? Are you wild or more conservative? Do you prefer business formal or casual comfort? Is your current wardrobe classically elegant or fashion forward? Consider the persona you want to present to the world.

Think about:
•Your age. Clothing should always be age-appropriate. If you've got grandchildren and you're dressing like them, there's a problem. It's OK to want to look youthful -- just make sure your outfits suit your stage of life.
•Your occupation. You wouldn't wear jeans and a cut-off T-shirt to work at a law firm, and you wouldn't wear super-high heels and a short skirt to teach kindergarteners. Use your profession as your guide when you shop. Once you've got an appropriate ensemble for your job, jazz it up with a few accessories to add your own personal flair.
•Your lifestyle. Stiletto heels are just fine for the city, but they'll make you stick out like a sore thumb if you live way out in the country. Fashion should combine form and function, and it should fit well with your surroundings.

Remember that you don't need to buy designer duds to express your personal style. Even jeans and T-shirts can be stylish if you feel comfortable in them and choose the right ones.

Find a celebrity or model (or a few) who best captures the style you want to emulate. Flip through the pages of leading fashion and entertainment magazines to find pictures of your style icons. Cut out those pictures and paste them into a binder or hang them up around your room to inspire you. Don't copycat --just use elements of that celebrity's look as a springboard to create your own style.

Take your own pictures. Carry along a camera or sketchpad as you window shop.

Inspiration can come from a variety of sources. Don't just look at what's hot today. Scour vintage clothing stores and flip through the pages of old magazines and history books so you can see the origins of the latest styles. Look to both modern and classic fashion icons, like Jackie Onassis or Grace Kelly. You might find that your personal style combines elements from both your grandmother's era and your own.