Sophia Lafontant: A Change Agent

By Miss Rikki

Sophia Lafontant is a young woman fighting for change.  Through Oxfam America she is able to trot the globe putting forth efforts to eradicate poverty and combat injustice.   One might say she always had a world view – her parents are from Haiti and she grew up in Boston, Massachusetts then later in Louisiana.  She first heard about Oxfam America in college through a friend.  She applied to The CHANGE Initiative, got accepted, and began a weeklong training course in leadership and advocacy skills.  After that, she was a fair trade organizer on her college campus. 

Years later she still works for Oxfam International.  She went from a participant in the program to being a leader.  She is now the Senior Organizer Training Specialist.  Her most rewarding moment came when she organized the 10 year anniversary of the CHANGE Initiative program, where 100 of the 550 alumni showed up to reconnect with one another. 

For anyone out there wondering why she has taken such an interest in the world and is not specifically working towards our problems here at home, Ms Lafontant refers to Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous quote: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”  She says, “What happens in the Congo with violence against women, what happens in Iraq, in Afghanistan, shapes our world view.  It reminds us that we aren’t all that different.  Our common humanity doesn’t go away.”

Her future plans involve a family and delving into the political sector.  Ms Lafontant wants be the Senior Advisor to the President of the United States!  I know…this SistaGirl has some serious goals!  Now politics is kind of a dirty game, so I asked her why she would want to get involved in that capacity.  “I’m most interested in policies,” she said.  “Poor people are not usually poor due to their own devices.  There are usually institutions in place to keep them there.  I want to bring my experiences to policy making.”  Ms. Lafontant says she has always had a passion for justice and strives to make sure that whatever capacity she works in she is helping to make the world a better and safer place. 

Her advice to Sistagirlz all over the world is to find a mentor.  Mentors give advice, open doors, and introduce you to people who can help you.  Anyone interested in Oxfam America can visit their website.

Healthy Eating Tips

By Miss Rikki

 SistaGirlz,  here are some small things that you can do to improve your eating habits.  The reason most diets don’t work is because they require a complete overhaul of what you normally eat and they involve depriving you of your favorite foods.  So, I came up with five things that will help you ease into a lifestyle of healthier eating.  Goodluck and GET FIT! 

1. Drink more water: I know you hear this time and time again, but it has some very important health benefits. We all know that it helps your skin and hair and is just good for your system in general. But it also can help you determine whether or not you are actually hungry. It has been said that the majority of the time people confuse hunger and thirst. I know, crazy huh?! I’ve tried it before and it is actually true. If you drink water throughout the day you will know when you’re actually hungry. It will most likely turn out that you eat a lot less during the day.

2. Stop drinking your calories: Soda is the worst offender. An average can of soda has from 120 to 160 calories. But, who drinks cans of soda anymore? Most people drink bottles, which has over 200 calories in them! I’m not saying stop drinking anything with calories altogether, but make better more conscious decisions about what you drink. For instance, some Vitamin water and other flavored water drinks have very few calories, and Crystal Light or Wyler’s Light-my personal recommendation- has like 5 calories per serving.

3. Healthy Snacking: This does not mean you can only snack on carrots and celery, however snacking on fruits and vegetables is a good idea. The main thing is to make sure you keep your snacks at 200 calories. This takes a little advanced planning because you have to figure out how much of whatever you decide to eat equals 200 calories. It is worth it though. If you’re anything like me you tend to snack a lot, so the healthier the snack the better.

4. Incorporate one fish meal per week into your diet: Fish can be expensive, but you just have to pay attention to what you buy and where you buy it. For my people who are not really seafood eaters, like myself, I suggest tilapia and cod. These are not “fishy” fish and tend to take on the flavors of whatever seasonings you use. Lemon pepper is often great on fish. Actually any citrus fruit – limes, oranges – is a great complement to fish. And I would be remiss if I did not say the fish should be BAKED not FRIED. SistaGirlz, I do not want you in the kitchen frying up catfish saying ”Girl, I’m tryin’ to eat healthier by adding fish to my diet!”

5. Substitute ground turkey for ground beef: Very easy to do, especially if you are a hamburger lover. A great turkey burger recipe includes: Lipton Onion Soup Mix, garlic powder, and pepper. Add about ½ the package of the onion soup mix, garlic powder and pepper to taste (about as much as you would add to ground beef). They taste really good with steak sauce, but you can dress them up any way you like.