When I return from my trip, I will host a live chat on Vokle about my experiences on March 5 at 8:00 pm ET. Please join me. Click here to register and participate in the online chat.
One more thing — I began 2011 with a commitment to conduct digital advocacy and raise funds on Crowdrise.com for two Haitian organizations over the next two years (January 2011 – January 2013):
I am also raising funds for Renewal 4 Haiti with my “Open your heart to Haiti today!” CafePress.com site. Please consider making a donation to support these organizations. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!
I’ll be back to my social media schedule in March. Until then, enjoy February!
Last night’s Digital Sisterhood Radio show featuring a discussion about the digital advocacy efforts of Heart of Haiti Ambassadors “Mommy Niri” Nirasha Jaganath and ‘”Real Life Sarah” Sarah Pinnix was filled with insights on the power of giving back and supporting Haitian artisans through Macy’s Heart of Haiti partnership. See highlights from the Twitter conversation below. If you missed the show, click here to listen to the audio recording.
Twitter Highlights from 1/19 Heart of Haiti show on Digital Sisterhood Radio:
Today I am keeping the heart of Haiti beating by hosting a Digital Sisterhood Radio show about the digital advocacy efforts of my fellow Heart of Haiti Ambassadors. Click here to tune into the live show at 8:00 pm ET. You will have an opportunity to hear from the following Heart of Haiti Ambassadors:
This morning I listened to Amy Goodman’s Democracy Now! program and learned that former despot Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier” returned to Haiti yesterday. Anger filled my entire body. Why? I couldn’t imagine how “Baby Doc” was allowed to return to a country he had harmed deeply. I carried the anger with me into my morning subway commute. As I walked to work, I wondered what could I do to keep the Heart of Haiti beating today. So I decided to use my Digital Sisterhood Twitter account as a vehicle for sharing a message that asked my Twitter followers to join me in taking a deep breathe and sending love and light to Haitians at 12 noon. I am going to do it this week. Join me.
On January 15, 2011, I served as one of the keynote speakers for the Vision Quest Retreats’ Taking your Dreams from Design to Destiny: The Next Level Conference held in Washington, DC. My talk focused on the inner women who live inside of women (archetypes or personalities) and how they can help women shape their dreams and ultimately their destiny. Click here to watch the video of my keynote (19 minutes). Click here to read my speech which includes six tips on how to tap into your inner women (or men). The conference is an annual event organized by Dr. Nicole Cutts, a success coach and psychologist, and Marie-Isabel Laurion, an Ameriprise Financial Planner.
Photo Credit: Vision Quest Retreats
The women who attended the event were full of energy and enthusiasm. They inspired me to really explore my intention of creating and maintaining my home as a sanctuary during Dr. Nicole Cutts’ dream goal setting session.
As a Heart of Haiti Ambassador, I am on the look out for ways to keep the Heart of Haiti beating in 2011 and beyond. One way I discovered is to support local entrepreneurs who are raising money to fund projects that help rebuild Haiti. In early January, I discovered a set of fabulous set of recycled black rubber bangles from Haiti made by a DC based photographer Nicole Wolf – http://twitter.com/nicolewolf – in REDEEM, a boutique located in my 14th and U Street, NW neighborhood in DC. I bought a set of three for $10. The money I spent will help support Nicole’s Up from Under Facebook Cause, a Haitian home rebuilding project. If you are in the DC area, drop by REDEEM, 1734 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC to purchase a set of bangles. Visit http://redeemus.com for more information.
Nicole’s Haiti fundraiser inspired me to create my own using my art work from my novel Love’s Troubadours – Karma: Book One. Visit my Cafepress.com site for my “Open your heart to Haiti today!” fundraiser – http://www.cafepress.com/openyourhearttohaititoday – to check out t-shirt, cups and other items. Your purchase will help support Renewal 4 Haiti, a grassroots nonprofit organization that is providing medical care in Haiti. Visit http://renewal4haiti.org for more information.
Yesterday I learned Influential1s.com included me in their first class of 2011 influencers. See the influential1s.com press release below. Click here to read my bio. What a honor! I am truly humbled to be in the company of many of the people I admire and learn from. Many thanks to Mike Street and Dupé Ajayi, founders of Influential 1’s web site.
NEW YORK, Jan. 11, 2011 – (influential1s.com) as a means to pay tribute to the many un-recognized influencers in the urban space.
Social media is driven by influencers, no matter what the tool is: Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare – their success is dependent on user buy-in. User buy-in is determined by early adapters: The Influential 1’s.
The Starting Class:
Clarence Wooten – CEO of Groupsite.com
Ananda Leeke – Author
Louis Pagan – Managing Partner for Hispanicize
Lynne d Johnson – Senior Digital Strategist for R/GA
Baratune Thurson – Director of Digital for The Onion
Dawton Thomas – Editor-in-Chief for Global Grind, Inc.
Farai Chideya – Managing Editor of Pop and Politics
John Andrews – VP of Development for Rethink Impact
Jocelyn Harmon – Director of Business Development at Care2
Kevin Powell – Activist, Writer, and Public Speaker
Jeff Johnson – Journalist, Social Activist, and Political Commentator
“We are paying homage to the influencers who are shaping the urban/digital industry,” said Mike Street co-founder of influential1s.com. “In 1903 W.E.B. DuBois released his essay called ”The Talented Tenth.” DuBois was an influencer and he knew the importance of highlighting the best of the best. So 1/11/2011 marks a historic date for us as we pay tribute to the influential one’s who will carry on the tradition of being exceptional men and women and moving the urban community forward in erasing the digital divide.”
The list highlights the urban cultural influencers who made waves 2010 and will undoubtedly impact their core discipline areas in 2011. Dupe Ajayi, co-creator, commented, “Social media plays host to a wealth of valuable information. How can anyone decipher it all to yield that which is most relevant to them? These 11 have risen to the top with doing just that; filtering the noise so that people get what is most important to them in the most succinct way while peppering in dashing of their distinct personalities. They are ‘Heroes of the Web’.”
About Influential 1’s
Influential1s.com was created to pay tribute all year long to the people that are positively affecting our culture. The site will be updated on a regular basis and serve as a resource, directory, and hub for acknowledging the urban influencers who are shaping the culture, starting trends, launching businesses, and beyond. The site was launched on 1/11/2011 and is owned by Mike Street (@streetforce1) and Dupe Ajayi (@theajayieffect). For inquiries, contact info@influential1s.com.
Today marks the first year anniversary of the Haitian earthquake. As a Heart of Haiti Ambassador, I am honoring the memory of three dynamic feminist leaders Myriam Merlet, Anne-Marie Coriolan, and Magalie Marcelin who died as a result of this devastating event. See the photo and look in the background for the wall hanging displaying photos of the three feminist leaders (photo was taken on January 27, 2010 at The International Feminist Solidarity Camp held in the Dominican Republic).
Myriam Merlet served as the chief of staff of Haiti’s Ministry for Gender and the Rights of Women. She was also an author, activist, and founder of Enfofamn, an organization that raises awareness about women through media, collects stories and works to honor their names. She convinced author and playwright Eve Ensler to bring “The Vagina Monologues” play to Haiti. Her efforts also established safe houses for women in Port-au-Prince and Cap Hatien.
Magalie Marcelin enjoyed a dynamic career as a lawyer, film and stage actress, and founder of Kay Fanm, a women’s rights organization that addresses domestic violence and provides services, shelter, and microcredit loans to women.
Anne Marie Coriolan was as a top adviser to Haiti’s Ministry for Gender and the Rights of Women and founder of Solidarite Fanm Ayisyen (Solidarity with Haitian Women, or SOFA), an advocacy and services organization.
Today I am sending love and light to these three feminist leaders and the women of Haiti. May we all be inspired by their legacy of service!
My digital advocacy work as a Heart of Haiti Ambassador has opened my heart to Haiti and her people in a major way. After reading journalist Lisa Armstrong‘s article about Haitian women who are mobilizing to fight for protection and justice for their Haitian sisters after the January 2010 earthquake in the January issue of Essence Magazine, I decided to launch a two year fundraising campaign for Fonkoze, the largest grassroots microfinance institution (MFI) in Haiti that is committed to the economic and social improvement of Haitian people and communities and to the reduction of poverty in the country. Fonkoze was one the organizations mentioned in Armstrong’s Essence article.
When Father Joseph Philippe, a Haitian Catholic priest, established Fonkoze in 1994 to support the economic development of all Haitians, he targeted Haitian women. Since then, Fonkoze has served more than 45,000 women borrowers, most of whom live and work in the countryside of Haiti, and more than 200,000 savers. What a powerful legacy!
Tomorrow morning I will lead a short online yoga and meditation session at 7:00 am ET that will be dedicated to the people of Haiti and organizations like Fonkoze. Click here to participate in the live show. If you miss it, you can watch the video. At the end of the session, I will invite everyone to join me in supporting Fonkoze by making a donation to their web site and/or my Crowdrise fundraising project this week to honor Haiti and her people on the first anniversary of the January 12th earthquake.
You don’t have to wait until tomorrow to make a donation. Feel free to do it now. See the links above. Thank you for your support!
PS: Check out the video below featuring one of Fonkoze’s graduates.It is powerful. It will open your heart even more to Haiti and her people!
I had to come back from my social media vacation and share the great news! Recently, I was selected to travel to Haiti as a Heart of Haiti Blogger Ambassador with Willa Shalit of Fairwinds Trading and the Everywhere team on February 25-28.
Ananda Leeke 