5 inspiring quotes from Michelle Obama's speech at Black Girls Rock!

This past weekend was probably one of the BEST weekends in my life. I feel so inspired, so purpose driven and extremely focused after attending one of the amazing award shows out there - Black Girls Rock!

Taped in Newark, NJ the show had an abundance of celebrities ranging from Erkyah Badu, Jill Scott, Fantastia, Tracee Ellis Ross and so many more. But the biggest highlight for me was being in the same room with the First Lady of the United States. You guys! I was breathing the same air as Michelle Obama!!! Lol!!!

My seats were amazing.....

I had the perfect bird's eye view of her. I mean just look, I was able to snap this photo of FLOTUS and honoree Cicely Tyson embracing!

What makes this show so special is that they honor women from all walks of life. The diverse honorees were actress Jada Pinkett Smith, singer Erykah Badu, actress Cicely Tyson, "Selma" director Ava DuVernay, educator Nadia Lopez and Dr. Helene D. Gayle, president and CEO of CARE USA.

 

As we start off our Monday on the right foot, I wanted to share with you 6 inspiring quotes from Michelle Obama's speech at Black Girls Rock!

1. " Black girls rock! To all the young women here tonight and all across the country, let me say those words again: Black girls rock. We rock! We rock!"

2. "No matter who you are, no matter where you come from, you are beautiful, you are powerful, you are brilliant, you are funny. Let me tell you, I am so proud of you. My husband, your president, is so proud of you. And we have such big hopes and dreams for every single one of you." 

3. "The secret to every aspiration, every opportunity is education. There is nothing more than education. That’s why I am able to stand here tonight. ... I want every one of our black girls do to the same, and our black boys.”

4." Some voices that tell you aren't good enough, that you have to look a certain way, act a certain way, that if you speak up, you're too loud. If you step up to lead, you're being bossy..........I wasn't bossy, I was confident. I wasn't loud, I was a young woman with something to say"

5. "Live life on your own terms. Anyone who has achieved anything in life knows that challenges and failures are necessary components of success" 

The show airs this SUNDAY, APRIL 5, 2015 AT 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on BET! Don't miss it!

Bonang Matheba wins BIG at the Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Awards

Today is an action packed day for South African celebrities.

As if the news of Trevor Noah taking over the Daily Show helm wasn't big enough, we now have it on good authority that South African TV personality Bonang Matheba won an award at the Kid's Choice Awards for Favorite South African DJ

Congrats Queen B!

Clad in a colorful Gert Johan Coetzee dress, Bonang looked super cute on the orange carpet where she excitedly posed for pics with fans at in sunny Los Angeles.

Sweet!

Bonang tweeted her gratitude, writing...

Angelina, Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Lopez and many others also attended the show. See the full red carpet recap here

President Obama to visit Kenya in July!

Mr Obama is set to make his first trip to his father's native Kenya as president this summer. Can you imagine the excitement surrounding his visit? It's going to be CRAY CRAY- in the best way possible though!

The White House annouced that in July, President Obama will attend the 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Summit, an annual conference that connects entrepreneurs with business leaders, international organizations, and governments.

"His trip will build on the success of the August 2014 U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit and continue our efforts to work with countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Kenya, to accelerate economic growth, strengthen democratic institutions, and improve security," Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement.

Via CNN

This will be the President's fourth trip to Sub-Saharan Africa. His last trip was in December 2013 for the funeral of Nelson Mandela. He also traveled to Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania during summer 2013 for a series of events on the United States' commitment to African economic growth, democratic institutions and young leadership development

PICS: Lupita Nyong'o in Uganda

Academy Award winning actress Lupita Nyong'o is currently in Uganda working on a new highly anticipated movie 'Queen of Katwe'.

Btw, I love that Lupita wore a dress from a Ugandan label, Kwesh in the pic above! Gotta support our own!

The upcoming Disney flick 'Queen of Katwe' will be based on the life of Fiona Mutesi (pictured above) a Ugandan teenage girl who grew up on the streets of Katwe playing chess since her childhood and because of that, she has traveled and met prominent people like Gary Kasparov, the greatest chess player ever, Bill Gates, Bill Clinton among others. Lupita will player her Fiona's mother in the movie

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Lupita received a warm welcome at a fundraiser and discussion on the movie in Kampala on Saturday. A few fans even snuck in a few selfies...I can just imagine the excitement in the air!

Lupita shared the pic above with fans tweeting: "From 6000 pearls to just 1: Uganda. Excited to be back in East Africa to work with @MiraPagliNair on #QueenOfKatwe'

Can't wait to watch it!

Trevor Noah might be the new Daily Show Host!

UPDATE: Per the New York Times, after only three appearances on that Comedy Central show, Trevor has gotten a huge and unexpected promotion. On Monday, Comedy Central will announce that Mr. Noah has been chosen as the new host of “The Daily Show,” succeeding Mr. Stewart after he steps down later this year.

This is MAJOR!! Congrats Trevor. He confirmed the news via Twitter by sharing:

He was so awesome when I met him a few years ago, he deserves all the shine! From Soweto to the Soundstage at Comedy Central- he's made the nation of South Africa immensely proud.

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Major news alert!

In Dec 2014,  we were all SUPER stoked about the glorious news of Trevor Noah joining the Daily Show as a correspondent. Little did we know that his addition to the show might be the tip of the iceberg! 

According to Variety the South African comic might be on the "short list" to replace Jon Stewart. MAJOR!

Trevor has plenty of receipts. He's toured extensively around the globe (sold out shows might I add) and he made history as the first SA comic to appear on The Tonight Show and the Late Show with David Letterman.

Via Variety:

Like Stewart, Noah is no stranger to tackling thorny issues. In South Africa, he was known for riffing on the topics of race and politics, even using his mixed-race parentage to get laughs. Noting that his mother is a black South African and his father a white Swiss, he once told an audience, "I was born a crime," according to a 2013 report in the Wall Street Journal.

And he has experience with wee-hours programming, He hosted a latenight show in South Africa for two seasons...

Pretty On FLEEK: 14 pics of South African beauty Rolene Strauss aka Miss World 2014

Since winning Miss World in December 2014, 22 year old Rolene Strauss has had quite the year. She's hit the ground running visiting America, Sri Lanka, the Philippines all while maintaing her duties as Miss World. 

Every time she steps out she always manages to look like a million bucks. A true sight for sore eyes.

Lets take a stroll down memory lane and look back at some of her most gorgeous candid pics pulled from her Facebook/Instagram/Twitter page.

Selfie game is on FLEEK!

Even with the rollers! Yaaaaas!

I love that Rolene is the perfect combination of beauty and brains. In addition to being a model she's also fourth year medical student at the University of the Free State. #TeamSmartGirls

The South African beauty shares a close relationship with her Dad. Her parents struggled to conceive and waited five years for their baby girl. Rolene was actually the first test tube baby in Bloemfontein. She was worth the wait!

I would love to know her fitness secret...

In August 2014 folks allegedly criticized her for being overweight! She looks great then and now! I wonder what they had to say after she won the title. 

So what is her fitness secret? Is it youth? Good genes? Unicorn water? I need her to spill stat!

Ok after a lil more insta-stalking it seems she works out to keep her body fit & fab!

But listen, I could run 2,000 miles a day and never be this snatched! Hmmmmph

Unfair! She's flawless!

Late last year she was asked if she has a boyfriend and if she's single. Rolene replied "I definitely don't have a public relationship" Hmmmm so is that a yes or a no? So cryptic!

This weekend Rolene will be on hand to crown a new Miss South Africa. Can Mzansi nab the Miss World title back to back? Only time will tell!

Good luck to the ladies competing this weekend, you've got big shoes to fill!

Details on Serge Ibaka's documentary "Sons of Congo"

This documentary on Serge Ibaka sounds like a must see! 

'Sons of Congo' focuses on Serge's remarkable trajectory from the Congo to the NBA, and beautifully captures what it's like for him to return home. Filmed over nine days last July, the documentary gives an inside look into Ibaka's personal life and upbringing. 

One of the biggest stories in the film is that the NBA player has a 9-year-old daughter, named Ranie, who he was only told about by his father when she was 5 years old. Whaaaaaat?!? 

"He told me finally, 'Serge this is the moment I'm going to tell you the truth, you're mature now, you've got your own life, I want you to be the man to take responsibility,' so he started to tell me the story," Ibaka said. "And I was like, 'Oh, are you joking, or are you serious?' No, he says it's true. I wanted to think it was a joke, trust me, I wanted to think he was joking or giving me a hard time. But he was serious. It was hard, hard to know that. But I'm happy now, I'm a happy man to know I've got a daughter and she's like my best friend." 

Talk about keeping a secret, how did Serge's Dad manage to keep such a huge piece of news so quiet? People talk! Who was taking care of this child for the first five years?

According to www.Mashable.com - "In one scene, we see him wrestle with how to address a gathering of people asking for money at his door in Brazzaville. It's a tense situation full of aggression and poignancy at the same time.."

For those of us living in the diaspora isn't this all too familiar?! Folks back home always assume we are loaded since we are coming from the land of "milk & honey", within days/minutes/seconds of arriving we are constantly being asked for money. Sigh!

Serge's girlfriend Keri Hilson was on hand for the premiere in Oklahoma City a few days ago! She captioned the image above: "Last night at the premiere of #SonOfTheCongo, a documentary on Serge's journey from the Congolese streets to the NBA. It's such an incredible and inspiring story!"

You can watch 'Son of the Congo' right now on Grantland.com or catch it on ESPN on April 17.

5 Quick Facts About the First Biracial Miss Japan- Ariyana Miyamoto

1) Ariyana Miyamoto made history this month as the first biracial Miss Universe Japan. The stunning beauty was born to a Japanese mother and African American father, making her “haafu”—the country’s term for half Japanese.

2) But in spite of her impressive accomplishments and pride in her nationality, Miyamoto has been receiving criticism around the web for not being Japanese enough. She told Japanese press that “while I don’t look ‘Japanese’ on the outside, on the inside, there are many Japanese things about me

3) Described in local media as a "saishoku kenbi," a woman blessed with both intelligence and beauty, she holds a 5th degree mastery of Japanese calligraphy.

4) The 20-year-old is a Japan native—the city of Nagasaki to be specific—and speaks Japanese fluently

5)  Ariyana lists her hobbies as cooking and “touring,” and she's a bit of a thrill seeker too - having obtained her motorcycle license recently. In an interview she revealed that the most influential person in her life is American pop-star Mariah Carey.

“She went through a lot of difficulties before becoming a popular singing sensation… She faced some racial hurdles, similar to myself, but she overcame them and became a top star, so she’s been a big influence on me.”

It's been a while since Miss Japan has had a Miss Universe winner - almost 8 years to be exact. Good luck to Ariyana, she will compete in the Miss Universe pageant in January of next year. I have a feeling she will do just fine!

Look of the Day: Elle Magazine

I love this month's cover of Elle Magazine South Africa! It's so fresh and so clean, my eyes were immediately drawn to it.

The magazine stated that their inspiration for this month was "someone who would project lightness, happiness and fun, and we found it in model Milan Dixon". How gorgeous is the American beauty? Splendid choice! Can't wait to read more!

First Lady of Style: FLOTUS Michelle Obama reaches new fashion heights in Cambodia and Japan

Michelle Obama in Japan

First Lady Michelle Obama might seriously be in the BEST DRESSED First Lady on the planet. How chic is her stunning Kenzo dress? According to InStyle Magazine "Aside from making a bold statement, its message runs much deeper—it symbolically bridges the U.S. and Japan. Kenzo is a French fashion house that was founded by Japanese designer Kenzo Takada, but its creations today are designed by the American dream team Humberto Leon and Carol Lim. How poetic, right?"



Mrs Obama headed to Japan and Cambodia to announce a joint effort by  the United States and Japan to create a new partnership to educate girls worldwide. Both countries will invest in programs that will help girls around the world get an education. How awesome! 

She arrived in Tokyo a few nights ago and got right into the swing of things. She met with a few officials and announced the effort at a reception attended by many dignataries 

First Lady Michelle Obama greets the Emperor and Empress of Japan at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan on March 19, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

First Lady Michelle Obama and Michelle Phan tape a “Let Girls Learn Video” in the studio at the American Embassy in Tokyo, Japan on March 19, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

First Lady Michelle Obama is joined by Ambassador Caroline Kennedy and Akie Abe, the First Lady of Japan, during a “Let GIrls Learn” announcement held at the Iikura Guest House in Tokyo, Japan on March 19, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

First Lady Michelle Obama listens during a “Let GIrls Learn” announcement held at the Iikura Guest House in Tokyo, Japan on March 19, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

The First Lady then visited Kyoto on Friday and she wrote on the White House site that she felt "so lucky to have experienced the beauty and history of two of the tens of thousands of Shinto and Buddhist shrines throughout Japan". Peep the pics below:

First Lady Michelle Obama talks with Taiko drummers during a tour of Fushimi Inari Shinto Shrine in Kyoto, Japan on March 20, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

First Lady Michelle Obama, Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, Jack Schlossberg and Eigen Onishi, senior monk, watch local Noah dancers perform at Kiyomizu-Dera Buddhist Temple in Kyoto, Japan on March 20, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

First Lady Michelle Obama, Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, Jack Schlossberg and Eigen Onishi, senior monk, participate in the ritual of cleaning hands and drinking from Otowa Waterfall at Kiyomizu-Dera Buddhist Temple in Kyoto, Japan on March 20, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

First Lady Michelle Obama joins Taiko drummers in performing a song during a tour of Fushimi Inari Shinto Shrine in Kyoto, Japan on March 20, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

First Lady Michelle Obama, along with Ambassador Caroline Kennedy and Jack Schlossberg participate in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, while visiting Kiyomizu-Dera Buddhist Temple in Kyoto, Japan on March 20, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

The crowd waves as First Lady Michelle Obama departs the Fushimi Inari Shinto Shrine in Kyoto, Japan on March 20, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

After leaving Osaka she hopped on a flight and arrived in Cambodia on Friday night .

 

By visiting Cambodia on Friday she became the first wife of a sitting US president to visit the country. 

Mrs. Obama & the First Lady of Cambodia getting a warm welcome at a high school in Siem Reap. 

On Saturday Michelle Obama will deliver a speech to Peace Corps volunteers, meet school students and also visit the renowned Ankgor Wat temple complex.

This is the last leg of the trip for the First Lady and I think we can all agree that she nailed it - from her fashion choices to her educational efforts for young women she continues to inspire us all.  Love her!

Source: White House website/ Twitter/Instagram