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Baby Jade

Feb 07
0

Madiba Still on my mind….

By | Baby Jade, Blog, Infomation, Uncategorized | No Comments

“A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.” –Nelson Mandela
As we start off a New Year, many of us will reflect on this past year and the mistakes, blessings, trials, tribulations, and mercy we found. Unfortunately, December was a month of tribulations for me. In a month where the world celebrates the birth of Christ, I found myself mourning His sons. By Christmas day I found the wounds just starting to heal. I sought refuge and found it in the most beautiful place; in the words of Mr. Nelson Mandela.

Mandela was a giant among men. He fought for the equality of all. A look back at his life, one can see that Mandela was who he was because of the amount of courage and faith he had. He knew the journey he was going to embark on would most likely end with his imprisonment or death, but he didn’t let that stop him. He chose to accept his fate and battle the struggles facing his people head on; prepared for death.

I started to dissect who Mandela was. A person of flesh and blood as I am, Mandela possessed no extraordinary powers, just a belief in a free world. That belief was enough to send him on a full blown life campaign to ensure that he, his children, and his fellow countrymen, live as they were born; free.

I now find myself seeking to find my belief. To be the change I want to see in this ever evolving world. Although I can only hope to accomplish a tenth of what Mr. Mandela accomplished, I have set a New Year’s mission. To be vocal. To fight for the causes that matter the most to me. I only pray I do it with the same style and unselfish grace as Madiba. One can hope no?

In a world where Superhero’s have become a staple, I find that they do in fact exist, just not as we’ve always envisioned them. They are men and women who walk among us in broad daylight sheathed with nothing more than courage and a belief.

Our recent trip to Sundance gave us the extreme honor and pleasure of meeting Madiba’s grandson Kweku Mandela. He is truly his Grandfather’s spirit, so humble and very much about the fight for humanity and equality. A highlight in my life and a great joy considering I will never be able to personally meet Madiba.

Mandela was released from prison at the age of 72. Let his life be testament that one should never give up on what matters, and that you can make a difference at any age. He is the epitome of a superhero.

“Death is something inevitable. When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace. I believe I have made that effort and that is, therefore, why I will sleep for the eternity.” –Nelson Mandela. I can confidently say Madiba’s beautiful soul has found absolute peace.

*Thank you for continuously reading my blogs. For more content check out my YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/c/bethlehemawate*

Let’s connect on social media, I’d love to hear from you:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bethlehemawate
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethlehemawate
Snapchat: betu_la

Xo, B

Dec 29
0

Propaganda at Christmas? Sad yet true.

By | Baby Jade, Blog, Uncategorized | No Comments

With Thanksgiving just ended we are in the full fledge countdown to Christmas. With this comes lights, tree trimming, Egg Nog, cooler weather and of course those Christmas carols. I have always looked forward to the carols. They are absolutely my favorite part of the season. I’ve even been guilty of listening to my Christmas Pandora stations, in the spring and summer months.

Traditional, contemporary, secular and religious, it doesn’t matter; I love Christmas carols. That is, all but one. This particular song was written in the 1980’s, and every year I have to endure hearing it, I get this feeling of rage in the depths of my soul. It literally has the opposite effect on me than intended. The dreadful song? “Do They Know Its Christmas?” The song is downright offensive. It strikes nearer to me than most because I am African and the song comes off as propaganda rather than a cause. The following lines in particular are what hock me off the most:
♬ Well, tonight, thank God, it’s them,
Instead of you
And there won’t be snow in Africa this Christmas time,
The greatest gift they’ll get this year is life,
Where nothing ever grows, no rain or rivers flow
Do they know it’s Christmas time at all?♬
My understanding is that this idiotic song was written during a 2 year famine in Ethiopia. The hope was to bring awareness & raise money for the cause. Sounds honorable enough, right? First rule to being honorable: be as sensitive to the people as you are the cause, otherwise, it’s a gimmick.

1. The bit about thanking God it’s them instead of you? While I can understand where they might have been trying to say with this line, at the end of the day it’s what you write that matters. And this? Insensitive.

2. Snow is NOT an indication that Christmas is here. Hello? LA.

3. Ethiopia is a country, Africa a continent. A famine in one part of a continent does not stop growth and running rivers in another. Does a drought in Kentucky stop trees from growing in Canada? Been to Africa, trust me, shit’s growing beautifully.

4. I believe the greatest gift anyone ever gets is their life. Next?

I mean the use of “logic” in this song is ridiculous. There actually is none. But to answer the question “Band Aid”, yes, those that celebrate do in fact know its Christmas time.

*Thank you for continuously reading my blogs. For more content check out my YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/c/bethlehemawate*

Let’s connect on social media, I’d love to hear from you:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bethlehemawate
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethlehemawate
Snapchat: betu_la

Xo, B

Nov 05
0

Bethlehem in the City…

By | Baby Jade, Blog, Uncategorized | No Comments

Ex·tro·vert

Noun

  1. an outgoing, overtly expressive person.

If you would have asked me six years ago, whether or not I considered myself an extrovert or introvert  it would have taken me .3 seconds to shout EXTROVERT from the tops of my lungs. Making a point, you know? Lately, though, I’ve had to really think about what I consider myself now days. As I scanned my brain for examples, I sadly started to accept that maybe I’d turned into an introvert over the years, and that thought bothered me.  For years I was known as the loud, rambunctious, girl who never knew when to SHUT UP! Teachers would always start parent-teacher conferences with “Bethlehem is a bright young lady but she has a tendency to talk, a lot.” One teacher, Mr. Doval, went as far as to say that I had “oral diarrhea”. Gross.

My parents would berate me for being so talkative but also beamed at the thought of me being a lawyer, because God knows; with a mouth like mine I could only be destined for big law talk. Please. I always knew what I wanted and where I wanted my so-called big mouth to take me. So when I moved to Los Angeles, and realized that talking to folks didn’t quite hold the same meaning as it did in Minneapolis, I started to hold back from talking to anyone; to the point that I just gave up talking to anyone at all. My journey was leading me into a downward spiral of being an anti-social bitch in the most awful way. I allowed myself to be bitter, to hold off on the quips and repartees that used to easily flow from my soul.

I blamed LA. This city with its unrealistic standards on beauty and the vanity, but this is LA, and I knew that coming in. Suddenly, I realized what the core source of this new found behavior had been. Me. I had allowed Los Angeles and all the intimidating factors it held stop me from being who I once was. No one stopped me. No one questioned me, yet I allowed it. Why? I didn’t understand it, but I had had enough! I wanted to break free from this introverted bitter bind that I now found myself in. So I started to let the guard that had crept up come down, I found myself talking to strangers more, being a lot more freeing with my thoughts and feelings and it felt great! Unfortunately, the bitchy part stayed. Guess that was always there 😉

It wasn’t easy, by any means, and I still have a ways to go but I’m finally starting to feel like I belong in this city and not like I just live here. The hunger that has risen while the shyness has diminished is reminiscent to that of me at 12 and that is the driving force for pushing through this city. It’s tough, I won’t lie but I’m not afraid anymore, and THAT is grand!

~ 11/5/13 Bethlehem Awate (aka: Baby Jade)

*Thank you for continuously reading my blogs. For more content check out my YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/c/bethlehemawate*

Let’s connect on social media, I’d love to hear from you:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bethlehemawate
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethlehemawate
Snapchat: betu_la

Xo, B

Oct 24
0

You’ll Always Find Your W-A-Y…

By | Baby Jade, Blog, Uncategorized | No Comments

As the intercom turns on and I hear the voice of the Captain telling us we’re getting ready to land, my heart does a series of summersaults. This is it. In 30 minutes we would be landing in the city of Angels. I was embarking on the biggest, life changing adventure and all I could think about was “Hope there’s a Target nearby.”

The decision to move was fueled 60% the entertainment industry, 25% a chance to establish my independence, and 15% rebellion. Having always been “the good child” I knew that moving to Los Angeles defied my folks’ wish for me to graduate college, find a good Eritrean husband, and produce as many children as was humanly possible. Every girls dream right? Wrong! I craved more!! I wanted to run the world, I wanted to eat life, I wanted to explore a new city, but mostly I wanted to entertain! I figured everything could be accomplished if I just achieved that last goal. So, I rented an apartment online, bought a one way ticket, kissed everyone goodbye and left.  I felt energized! I felt empowered! I felt invincible! The feeling was so great and lasted me most of my flight. I’m brought back to reality as the intercom once again goes off and the Captain informs us it’s a crisp 65 degrees in LA that night.

As with anything, being in LA was about finding my placement. It was rough in the beginning, I felt I had to shed the Minnesota nice and put on a tougher shield. The unbalance was eating away at my soul and causing me to be the worst version of myself I’d ever seen. Moving back home seemed like the only way to rectify my situation. I was working retail, I didn’t have a car, I lived 3 in a 2-bedroom to save on rent…nothing was adding up. I was just about to give up when one day I saw it! A Warner Bros. production truck pulled into a side street. I looked ahead and what I saw lit me up like a child at Disneyland (the other plus to So. Cal), cameras, lights, wires or every shape and size, and so many people! I had walked right onto a filming location. I sat in awe as I saw the director call “action” and everyone but the actors were silent as the grave. The scene went on without a hitch and as the director yelled “cut” and the people around me started bustling to prepare for their next scene, I was reminded. Reminded why I moved to Los Angeles, reminded where my passion lied, reminded who I was just 2 years before.

I am now coming up on my 5 year anniversary. Moving to LA was the best wor

*Thank you for continuously reading my blogs. For more content check out my YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/c/bethlehemawate*

Let’s connect on social media, I’d love to hear from you:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bethlehemawate
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethlehemawate
Snapchat: betu_la

Xo, B

st decision I have ever made. Here’s to another 5 years: salute!!

More Baby Jade (aka: Bethlehem Awate) on the way…