Month: November 2012

Great News! Check Out Digital Sisterhood Month 2012 Schedule

Posted by on in Digital Sisterhood MonthLeave a comment

This year Digital Sisterhood Network (DSN) is hosting the third annual celebration of Digital Sisterhood Month from December 1 to December 31, 2012. “Creativity + Great Health =  Fierce Living Women” is the theme. Online events featuring the announcement of the Digital Sisters of the Year, Digital Sisterhood Leader profiles, giveaways, guest blog posts, Digital Sisterhood Radio interviews, and Twitter chats will be held. Offline events will be held in Washington, D.C. and New York City. See the schedule below. Additional online events including Digital Sisterhood Radio interviews will be added by November 30.

Helpful Information

FYI – Feel free to post the badges and use it on your blog, web site, or social media sites.  They were created by Dariela Cruz of Dari Design Studio.

1) December 1: DC Field Trip – TEDxAdamsMorganWomen, 1:00-6:00 p.m.

  • Location: Sitar Arts Center, 1700 Kalorama Road, NW, #101, Washington, DC (in Adams Morgan)
  • Instructions: Click here to register and purchase a $35 ticket on Eventbrite (deadline is November 23).
  • Event Description: TEDxAdamsMorganWomen is sponsoring ‘The Space Between,” a half-day presentation of dynamic speakers who will focus on how to move past dichotomous thinking and see the gray area in between. The speakers include: Nicole C. Lee, the first female President of TransAfrica; Karen Dolan, Fellow at Institute for Policy Studies; Kethia Clairvoyant, Founder at Fit for Life by KC; Shonali Burke, Vice President, Digital Media & Marketing at MSL Group; David Deal, CEO at Community IT Innovators; Nicolette Pizzitola, CEO at Compass Point Associates LLC; and George Koch, Founder and Chair Emeritus Artomatic, Inc.
  • NOTE:  Ananda Leeke, Digital Sisterhood Network founder, will attend the event from 2:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

2) December 2: DC Event – Fierce Living in Fashion 15 Minute Flash Mob on U Street, 1:00-5:30 p.m.

  • Location: Boutiques on U Street between 15th and 16th U Streets, NW in Washington, DC
  • Instructions: Click here to register on Eventbrite. Follow @breaellis and @digitalsisterhd and use the #dsflashmob hashtag on Twitter for event updates.
  • Event Description: Come celebrate Digital Sisterhood Month on December 2, 2012, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m with a “Fierce Living in Fashion” event that takes you on a “15 Minute Flash Mob” tour of U Street’s amazing boutiques and vintage shops located between 15th and 16th Streets, NW, Washington, D.C. All you need are $15 or more and comfortable walking shoes. The tour will be led by Brea Ellis, a fourth generation Washingtonian and the founder of What I Wore: tip to toe, a personal style blog. Digital Sisterhood Network founder Ananda Leeke, a U Street resident, will also serve as a tour guide. The “15 Minute Flash Mob” tour will begin with a meet and greet at a local cafe on U Street. Group members will be responsible for purchasing their own beverages and snacks. After the meet and greet, the group will visit the boutiques and shops. Group members will be asked to spend at least $15 during the tour so that local businesses receive financial support.  Also, the group will spend 15 minutes in each boutique or shop. Please note group members will be able to spend more time in the various boutiques and shops. The tour will end with a wrap up get-together at a local cafe on U Street (group members will purchase their own beverages and snacks).

3) December 5: Tech Women’s Creativity Twitter Chat, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET

4) December 7: DC Yoga Field Trip to Embrace DC to Shawna Renee’s Embrace Flow Class (for all levels), 6:15-7:15 p.m.

  • Field Trip Location: Embrace DC, 1650 Columbia Road, NW, 2nd Floor, Washington, DC – 202.525.1083 (located in Adams Morgan – several blocks from Columbia Heights Metro Station on Green/Yellow Line)
  • Admission Fee for Regular Students: $17
  • Admission Fee for New Students: $20
  • Instructions: You must REGISTER ONLINE and PAY in advance for the yoga classes at the studios: http://embracedc.com/classes/class-schedule. Availability is based on a first come, first serve basis. Digital Sisterhood Network did NOT make any special arrangements or secure any discounts for the yoga classes. Ananda Leeke, Digital Sisterhood Network founder, will attend the yoga class. She’ll be wearing a Digital Sisterhood t-shirt.

5) December 8: DC Event – Salon Series on DC Style, 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

  • Event Location: Tenley-Friendship DC Public Library, 4450 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Large Meeting Room #10, Washington, DC (located across the street from the Tenleytown/American University Metro Station on the Red Line)
  • Instructions: Click here to register on Eventbrite. Follow @breaellis and @digitalsisterhd and use the #dsstylesalon hashtag on Twitter for event updates.
  • Event Description: Calling fashion and style bloggers, designers, enthusiasts, and professionals! Come celebrate Digital Sisterhood Month with a Salon Series on “DC Style: Past, Present, and Future.” It will feature a discussion on DC style during the past 30 years, a fashion and style blogger town hall on the present trends in DC style, and a conversation with DC designers on the future of DC style.

6) December 9: DC Museum Field Trip to the National Museum for Women in the Arts, 3:30-5:00 p.m.

  • Field Trip Location: 1250 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC (two blocks from the 13th Street exit at Metro Center on Blue, Orange, and Red Line)
  • Admission Fee: $10
  • About Exhibition (text taken from NMWA web site): Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, and Power” exhibition is a provocative exhibition that illustrates the importance of women in the world of popular music from the 1920s to present day. It highlights the flashpoints, the firsts, the best, and the celebrated and sometimes lesser-known women whose artistry advanced the progress of rock-and-roll music. Featuring more than 250 artifacts and performance videos, the exhibition moves through rock-and-roll eras, demonstrating how women have been engines of creation and change.
  • Instructions: The group will meet at the information desk at 3:30 p.m. and will go to the exhibition at 3:40 p.m. Ananda Leeke, Digital Sisterhood Network founder, will serve as the event hostess. Everyone is responsible for purchasing their admission ticket.
  • Contact Information: You can reach Ananda Leeke via email at kiamshaleeke@yahoo.com or @AnandaLeeke and @DigitalSisterhd on Twitter.

7) December 11: DC She Writers Meet Up at Teaism, 6:30-8:00 p.m.

  • Meet Up Location: 400 8th Street, NW, Washington, DC (by the National Archives Metro Center on the Green/Yellow Line) – www.teaism.com/Restaurant/PennQuarter.aspx?SubModuleID=7
  • Event Description: Calling all DC area women writers! Join Digital Sisterhood Network for a DC area women writers meet up group. Please bring a copy of your book or a favorite book that you would like to swap with another writer.  We will also discuss our writing journeys and upcoming events. Ananda Leeke, Digital Sisterhood Network founder, will serve as the event hostess. Everyone is responsible for purchasing their own beverage and meal. The group will meet on the second level. Be sure to visit SheWrites.com, an online community of women writers.
  • Contact Information: You can reach Ananda Leeke via email at kiamshaleeke@yahoo.com or @AnandaLeeke and @DigitalSisterhd on Twitter.

8) December 12: The Creativity of Beauty, Fashion, Style, and Lifestyle Bloggers Twitter Chat, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET

9) December 14: NYC Drop By and Chat Meet Up at Argo Tea, 4:00-6:30 p.m.

  • Meet Up Location: Argo Tea, 275 Seventh Avenue (located at Seventh Avenue and W. 26th Street), New York, NY
  • Event Description: Calling all NYC area digital sisters! Drop by and chat with Ananda Leeke, Digital Sisterhood Network founder at Argo Tea. It’s informal. There’s no need to make an appointment. Just come on by and chat about what you are working on, any lessons learned from 2012, and plans for 2013. Everyone is responsible for purchasing their beverages and snacks.
  • Contact Information: You can reach Ananda Leeke via email at kiamshaleeke@yahoo.com or @AnandaLeeke and @DigitalSisterhd on Twitter.

10) December 15: NYC Field Trip to the Brooklyn Museum, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (followed by a lite snack in Museum Cafe)

  • Field Trip Location: Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY
  • Admission Fee: $12
  • Event Description: The group will meet between 11:30-11:40 a.m. in front of the Mickalene Thomas: Origin of the Universe exhibition on the fourth floor in the Morris A. and Meyer Schapiro Wing of the Brooklyn Museum. Ananda Leeke, Digital Sisterhood Network founder, will serve as the event hostess. Everyone is responsible for purchasing their admission ticket and any beverages or snacks in the Museum Cafe.
  • About Exhibition (from the Brooklyn Museum web site): Brooklyn artist Mickalene Thomas is best known for her elaborate, collage-inspired paintings, embellished with rhinestones, enamel, and colorful acrylics. Her depictions of African American women explore a spectrum of black female beauty and sexual identity while constructing images of femininity and power. Origin of the Universe, Thomas’s first solo museum exhibition, highlights recent bodies of work that examine interior and exterior environments in relation to the female figure. Their settings are often inspired by her 1970s childhood.
  • Contact Information: You can reach Ananda Leeke via email at kiamshaleeke@yahoo.com or @AnandaLeeke and @DigitalSisterhd on Twitter.

11) December 17: DC Yoga Field Trip to Tranquil Space for Kimberly Wilson’s Yoga & Meditation Class, 8:00 p.m. 9:15 p.m.

  • Field Trip Location: 1632 17th Street, NW, Washington, DC – 202.328.9642 (located several blocks from Dupont Circle Metro Station on Red Line)
  • Admission Fee: $19
  • Instructions: You must REGISTER ONLINE and PAY in advance for the yoga classes at the studios:http://www.tranquilspace.com/yoga/schedule.html. Availability is based on a first come, first serve basis. Digital Sisterhood Network did NOT make any special arrangements or secure any discounts for the yoga classes. Ananda Leeke, Digital Sisterhood Network founder, will attend the yoga class. She’ll be wearing a Digital Sisterhood t-shirt.

12) December 19: Using Creative Ways to Make Fitness and Healthy Eating Fun Twitter Chat, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET

13) December 20: “Sweet Treats: Coffee, Tea and Dessert” Meet Up for Women Bloggers and Social Media Influencers at the Mediterranean Spot, 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

  • Meet Up Location: Mediterranean Spot, 1501 U Street, NW, Washington, DC – 202.232.7108 (located at the corner of 15th and U across the street from Cake Love; two blocks from the U Street/Cardozo Metro Station on the Green/Yellow Line)
  • Event Description: Ananda Leeke, Digital Sisterhood Network founder, will host an open discussion with women in social media and tech on how to use the power of creativity in their digital experiences, interactions, and work. Everyone is responsible for purchasing their beverages and snacks. Beverages (coffee, tea, hot chocolate, chai, apple cider, lattes, frappuccinos, smoothies, sodas, juices and bottled water) cost $1.00 to  $4.50. Desserts (cakes, pies, brownies, baklava, muffins, cookies, and croissants) cost $1.99 to $3.99.

13) December 26: Fierce Living Women’s Commitments for 2013 Twitter Chat, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET

#BlogforObama: Why I am Voting for President Obama

Posted by on in #BlogforObama2 Comments
Ananda before voting on Election Day 2012 in DC

Happy Election Day!

Today, I thought I would share my reasons for voting for President Obama as a part of my work with the #BlogforObama community of women bloggers. I’ll start with a story about my 2012 election inspiration: my parents, Theresa and John Leeke. They are actively engaged over 70, cyber-citizens who use their social media platforms to do exactly what Morra Aarons-Mele wrote about in her recent Huffington Post article, “Each One Reach One; Social Media GOTV:

“Turns out, we can use our social media networks to influence friends and followers to vote.”

President Barack Obama

Their Facebook posts are passionately written to inform their families, friends, and colleagues about President Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign. They also share information about the many ways Governor Romney has mispresented himself and his campaign. They post daily and weekly.

Dr. John Leeke (middle with t-shirt) volunteering at PG County, MD Obama campaign office

My father took his social media support for President Obama to a higher level when he started using his Twitter account and Tumblr blog to advocate on behalf of the Obama 2012 campaign. He also upped his on-the-ground volunteering game by traveling to Virginia several times to knock on doors with his fellow Prince George’s County, Maryland residents.

Dr. John Leeke leading a bus chat for Obama 2012 campaign effort in Virginia

When I was getting discouraged in June, my parents told me to invest 200 percent in the Obama 2012 campaign. So I jumped in with weekly blog posts, Facebook status updates, and tweets. I also volunteered for the D.C. Obama team and with my father at several local phone canvasing events in P.G. County, Maryland. My monthly Yoga for Obama fundraiser classes in Malcolm X-Meridian Hill Park gave me a chance to share my love of yoga and the Obama campaign. Contributing financially to the campaign via BarackObama.com helped me own a piece of the Obama 2012 rock. Seeing President Obama’s live web cast at BlogHer this summer was energizing. Joining the #BlogforObama community of women bloggers and live tweeting during the debates in September and October allowed me to add my support to the voices of women online.

Me and digital sister Tracey Friley at BlogHer’s live web cast with President Obama
Dr. John Leeke volunteering at PG County, MD Obama campaign office
Me volunteering at PG County Obama Campaign Office
#BlogforObama Campaign
Me canvasing for Obama 2012 campaign on U Street in DC

Today, I got up early and had my own personal Yoga for Obama yoga session at home before heading out to Starbucks for a hot chocolate and a 10-minute walk to my voting center. As I walked to the center, I thought about the many reasons I support President Obama.

President Obama at Barnard College
Obama Women for Healthcare
Obama buttons

Here’s a short list of the some of my reasons.

1) My President knows women’s rights are ESSENTIAL and IMPORTANT.

2) My President has been working since he entered the White House in 2009 to make America better with programs and funding that support education, healthcare, jobs, and the list goes on and on.

3) My President is committed to building a stronger economy.

4) My President supports military families and has ended the war in Iraq.

5) My President makes all of his administration’s policies and activities available online.

6) My President CARES about all Americans.

7) My President knows America must invest in her youth, education programs, job training programs, technology, and the list goes on and on.

Voting sign from DC
People in DC getting ready to vote today
Me smiling after I voted for President Obama this morning

What are your reasons for voting for President Obama?

How will you celebrate his victory today?

What are you going to do to support him in his next administration beginning on November 7?

UPDATE: SO HAPPY POTUS Obama won the election and has a second term.