Comments on: Brooklyn Girl In…Amsterdam [Episode #2]

By: Jenny

Jenny — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 22:24:26 +0000

Hi Hanifah, thanks for the Amsterdam episode. It really gave me an idea of the vibe you got here in Holland. I am going to finish writing the interview that you gave me this week. I had some other deadlines that I had to honour but I will make sure to send it to you before I give it to the magazine.
greetz from Jen

By: Esmion

Esmion — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 20:30:42 +0000

And what a wonderful weekend it was! Thanks for the great time, the lessons, the light and the laughter. I watched this with the biggest smile on my face.

Hanifah, you are a force! Power should look up to YOU!
‘U People’ has no choice but to become a bright brick on our road to change. Sisters…you know we need this!

Blessings and love,
Simone
(from Amsterdam)

By: Chioma

Chioma — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 22:29:37 +0000

You are bringing it all together with courage,grace, wisdom and eyes that are wonderfully open to new experiences. Keep doing what you are doing. I am inspired.

Chi

By: Miss Sun

Miss Sun — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 23:39:41 +0000

Super fantastic, Miss W!
Nice editing, and the “u people” of Amsterdam were totally engaging. Great job baby girl!

By: J

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 23:12:14 +0000

Hello!

Just want to say that I loved this episode, especially since I’m also a black lesbian from Curacao, living in the Netherlands. I could totally relate to everything Shay was saying and it was just nice seeing something this familiar on your podcast. And for the record, the line from Shay’s poetry wasn’t stupid.

Anyway Hanifah, thanks for sharing and keep up the good work.

By: Hmmm

Hmmm — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 18:04:15 +0000

Do get your sleep! We can’t have you passing out in the middle of the show by any means!:)

I definitely feel you on this “philosophy” (if i may loosely use the term). I see the freedom and growth in it. So, in what way do you connect with change, through the term itself (as it is an action word)? You know, I believe I connect with God through prayer so is that an active thing for you? I don’t think you know just how badly my heart yearns for understanding and when I think I’m on her trail, just how badly my heart fears! It’s…how do I say….an inhibitor.

By: souloperator

souloperator — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:54:04 +0000

My faith, without hopefully being redundant can be summed up in the immortal words of Octavia Butler (RIP) in her book ‘Parable of the Sower” ; when she wrote “God is change”.

I understand your wanting a sense of a Being greater than yourself but I offer an alternative view of maybe needing to feel that we are “apart” of this greater source as oppose to subjective (if your will) to it. I would NOT so much state ” I am God”, because I think linguistically, the intent just doesn’t fly in our culture. But I do appreciate a concept of not resting my fate, falls and triumphs on a being outside of myself. God, as most of us were raised to believe, needs us to believe in ‘him’ in order to find salvation whether on this earth or not. I don’t think any God, understood in that context, needs us for anything. We cannot offend, hurt or praise him/her any higher or more than he/she must infinitely be already. DOes that make sense?

So when I say “God is change” or “life is change” , I’m saying that ‘change’ is that constant, that rock that inspires, challenges, teaches and conforms to our actions and essentially sculpts the world around ‘us’. I stress ‘us’ because how life affects your world is completely different to how it affects mine.
This view on one hand says that you alone are responsible for your actions and reactions to change. And you life is altered or changes based on your decisions whether minute or grand. On the other hand it frees you from guilt, anguish, judgement of yourself. If you fall, then get back up and try a new way. Falling is not failure it is simply change.

I just had a long talk with Lati, the band leader about these prinicipals and life and love in general on our 3 hour train ride here to Dijon, France.
I would love to continue this discussion but if I don’t get some sleep before the show tonight I will pass out on stage.

Maybe hopefully we can provide a place on ILoveUPeople.com to talk about these things more. Because well ya know, its nice to talk nicely about faith.

Blessings, HW

Hanifah

By: Hmmm

Hmmm — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 01:45:25 +0000

Thanks Hanifah and Lisa! Hanifah, I have another question: Having deviated from your original faith (or belief system), did you have a sense of…um…maybe fear or uncertainty that the revolution you were gravitating toward was unwise? I ask this because, just as you, I too found myself embracing a broader understanding of life and purpose but I was pulled yet again into the faith of my childhood (Christianity). Yes, I do understand that often what we are used to has a certain level of comfort and that it also has psychological chains and what not but I feel as though maybe it is indeed the influence of a higher being. Such the thought is my primary dilemma. Perhaps we make things far too intricate and perhaps it is as simple as your words: “empower you to blossom into all that you are capable of being”. I do like that! If I’m not being too personal, what in fact are your views (in detail)? Maybe it would help me…

Again——THANKS

By: karen butler

karen butler — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 01:01:25 +0000

YEAHHHHH !!!!!!

By: Jonora

Jonora — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 23:07:14 +0000

Keep up the wonderful work with this and the U People podcasts!! Seeing places I’ve been (Amsterdam, Stockholm) through your eyes have made them feel fresh again. Shay and Simone seem very cool.
As an American expat in Belgium, U People has been a godsend. I no longer take for granted the avenues available for connecting lesbians of colors at home. As mentioned in this episode, it’s difficult to live on both axes here in W. Europe, especially when it comes to finding other black lesbians. I miss those connections, but continued to be inspired by the work I see you and others accomplishing.