In the Mix with Aaliyah Miller

History has many lessons to teach us if we take the time to reflect and seek an understanding. The national observation of Women's History Month comes to a close after today. During March we pay tribute to women and acknowledge their influence in shaping the nation. Women continue to add to America's narrative and that is something we must remember and celebrate the other 11 months of the year.  With a focus on women's history I'm pleased to share an interview with Molly MacGregor, the executive director and co-founder of the National Women's History’s (NWHP) Project . The organization recognizes and celebrates the diverse and historic accomplishments of women by providing informational services and educational and promotional materials. The enduring goal of the NWHP is to “make history” accurate by continuing to recognize and celebrate women’s authentic contributions through its current and future projects.     Q: Why did you co-found the National W...

This past Sunday, the Hartford Courant published, " Are We Coming or Going? " It was the cover story of the opinion section. I finally read the piece today. I myself am a proud "Nutmegger," but I wanted to see how my fellow residents viewed the state of Connecticut. I wasn't that surprised by the commentary but it did reinforce how I thought people were feeling with their love and hate relationship of the state. In a nutshell here are where the people's gain and pain points with Connecticut. Pro-Connecticut residents pointed to benefits such as: A great landscape Arts and culture Good schools Entertainment options Critical Connecticut residents pointed out drawbacks such as: High taxes Lack of job creation Utility costs Bad public transportation Bad schools Who's right? As I went back over the comments, I saw myself agreeing with both perspectives. I identified with both points-of-views.  Connecticut has good schools, some ...

I look forward to having different experiences.  While some individuals may prefer a routine that doesn't deviate from their usual patterns and practices, I like to experience different things because it helps shape my world view. I'm at my best when I'm able to see life from multiple perspectives, which helps me to be more empathetic to others. These past two weekends I had the opportunity to hit the road and enjoy activities I wouldn't normally do. Two weeks ago I attended the Philadelphia Flower Show (PHS) with my mom and sister. This past weekend I attended 2015 PAXEast  (PAX) with my husband and his friends. I don't think you can get much more different than gardening and gaming, but some things I learned from checking out these two events is that they have more in common than the letter g.  Here are five take aways I thought were worth sharing. Commonalities Between PHS and PAX Both events displayed creativity and innovation in their respected fi...

Lee & Low Books’ infographics I'm a Hollywood outsider that didn't that didn't watch the 2015 Oscars broadcast. I don't think I've watched them for the past five years. I do my best not to watch most if not all award shows. Every once and awhile I slip up and get sucked back in. It's a relapse that comes from all my years of being a die hard T.V. viewer. Although I didn't watch I did follow a bit of the action on Twitter. It's my go to, to stay in the now when it comes to news, celebrity and politics. It was on fire with Oscar buzz from the night's nominees, award winners, and the dynamic speeches. Patricia Arquette got her props last night at the awards and on social media. Although I don't watch the Oscars, the media attention, influence, and significance it has in our lives doesn't escape me. Media matters. After all, I was following many conversations and news updates via Twitter for about an hour. It's why I feel lik...

After some serious thought and with the support of my hubby I've decided that it's worth my time and money to head to the Consuming/Culture: Women and Girls in Pixels and Print conference. Whoot, Whoot! While I was snowed in this weekend I took the time to register for the conference and book my flight. I reviewed the agenda and am looking forward to the opportunity to meet other women and learn about their research on topics focused on gender inequity and how the problem manifests itself in society. One of the conference highlights is that Angela McRobbie will be a keynote speaker. She is a thought leader that has written many papers addressing post-feminism and the impact and influence media has on women in society. I reviewed many of her published papers as part of my thesis research. It will be cool to hear from the woman that influenced my own research as well as many others when it comes to women and gender studies. This will be the first time I present at an ac...

Babita and Shurmilla joined me at stir-fry class. This week was pretty interesting and it wasn't because the Seattle Seahawks through away their chance to win Superbowl  XLIX  or that Brian Williams , NBC's nightly news anchor apologized for mucking up the truth in his reports of an event that he encountered while on assignment in Iraq. Both were interested media stories, but not what made my week particularly interesting. This week, I changed up things a bit and didn't follow my usual routine, which was nice. Monday's snow storm changed my work routine, instead of driving into the office, I worked from home. I really love having that option because the last place I want to be is out there on the roads snow. Considering we get our fair share of snow, one would think people would and should know how to handle themselves in inclement weather. Many don't, too many.  Chicken and vegetable chow mein I helped to prepare. When Karim and I both work from home ...

"Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self." -  Cyril Connolly The quote above really resonates with me because as a writer, I want an audience, but every writer knows first and foremost you should write for yourself. The story should be the one you want to tell.  Last May, I completed my thesis, "A Post-Feminist Look at HBO's Girls: A Critical Analysis of Characters, Career, Gender, and Sexuality" and it was published by ProQuest in August. I was really excited to have that accomplishment, but of course I couldn't stop there. I wanted the paper to get more exposure in the academic community. Gender bias is a topic of great interest to me and my paper provides an overview of how television has been and continues to be a tool that perpetuates gender role stereotypes for women and men in our society. I want to be a part of this narrative and keep conversations going because I believe this topi...