Angie Aker
Angie Aker is a mother, daughter, sister, cousin, friend and entrepreneur. She attended Concordia University, WI for Business Management and Communications. Angie relinquished her hard-won rung on the corporate ladder to follow her passion of counseling others to be their best, healthiest selves and to indulge in her compulsion to write about truths as she finds them. Originally hailing from Kenosha, WI, Angie now resides in upstate New York with her children Axel and Gigi.
Back to Basics
It’s time again for another healthy serving of Basic Human Goodness, and that’s just what we’re bringing you in Issue 14 this month! “What exactly is this Basic Human Goodness?” you say? Let me break it down for you. Basic Human Goodness is the innate ability to give and receive compassion. The good news is [...]
Black History Month; Thoughts About Where We’ve Been & Where We’re Going
Black History Month. Officially pegged as Black History Week in 1926 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson to get Americans to spend some time acknowledging the history of our country’s shortcomings with racial equality, it took another 50 years to be expanded into Negro History Month (later changed to Black History Month). Something about the title [...]
Giving Thanks
It’s typical to be thankful in November. It’s a tradition that dates back to the days that embody the essence of Basic Human Goodness- the days when Native Americans were able to Think Past Fear to not only allow Europeans to cohabit the land they loved, but to share its secrets and bounties with them. [...]
SpeakUP & SpeakOUT
It was supposed to be a small thing. Still, I was nervous. I’d never spoken in public before about my experience with domestic violence. I’d written about it very publicly, and had personal conversations with many women about it, but never a public declaration owning my precious and hard-won experience. But it was Open Mic [...]
Out of Africa
You’re black. Look down at your skin. Look back up at the words again. You- yes, you. You’re black. (If you have a high amount of melanin near the surface of your skin, you may find this easier to believe than some other readers.) Allow me to explain. The scientific community has reached near consensus [...]
Thinking Past Fear
Five months into my relationship with the love of my life, it happened. The first argument- and it was over Scrabble. Silly and laughable that this is what we’d find such a difference on, the tizzy of fear I tail-spun into temporarily seems ridiculous- unless you know what any argument of any magnitude would have [...]
One Nation: A Life After Hate
Our spirits were warmed by the air and solidarity as we walked through the streets of Washington D.C. on our way to witness the voices of fairness and equality carry on the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. It was October 2, 2010 and the day we [...]
Dear Woman:
Dear Woman, You don’t know me and I have no business writing you this. You may have fifty people around you who are helping you with this situation and need nothing from me. On the other hand you may have no one you feel you can candidly speak with and need just one person to [...]
America, Refined (continued)
June 21, 2011
Mom’s friend’s friend did call back and could help us with the gas- we just left his place up in the woods of Kentucky. He provided us a hot dinner last night. Afterward, my mom was talking to him in a hushed voice just out of earshot. The only part I could make out was the guy saying he wasn’t so sure about something and my Mom’s voice rose a little and said, “Nobody’s sure! But this is the window. Another opportunity like this won’t come along.”
Seven, Thanks to You!
Another month has been spent, living, learning, laughing, lollygagging and here we are. Issue 7 has materialized and I’m amazed, as usual, at just what a group of passionate individuals can put together when they decide to join forces. From last month to this month, that has been the lesson. That when you have a [...]
Sammy Rangel “FOURBEARS: Myths of Forgiveness”
FourBears: The Myth of Forgiveness: isn't a simple memoir; it is a graphically illustrated guide from tortured child, to remorseless beast, to healing and change. This book is about helping others find their way out of their history and into the here and now. Proof that what once held you down can now hold you up. After the book reflects on a horrific upbringing it looks to offer key and ground breaking insights of the inner workings of the mind of a victim and later a perpetrator of hate and violence. Service providers working in treatment centers and institutional settings would greatly benefit from this work. Anyone facing issues with forgiveness and change might find a process toward healing and recovery.
Recommended Reading
Frank Meeink—Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead
TJ Leyden—Skinhead Confessions
Arno Michaels—My Life After HateMusic
Wizard Fingaz & Soul Sathe embarked on a collaborative project known as Tribal Sorcery · deep conscious hip-hop
