Help Us Change The World.

College Brides Walk 2012

The 2nd Annual College Brides Walk hosted at Barry University yesterday was a huge success! Women dressed in wedding gowns, prom dresses & quincenera outfits accompanied with men in all black, walked 8 miles to raise awareness about domestic violence in all relationships. Josie Ashton a Dominican Native originated the walk back in 2001 after the brutal murder of Gladys Ricart. Ashton walked from Ricart's house in Ridgefeild, New Jersey to Miami, Florida to commemorate victims like Ricart & all other's whom have lost their lives to abuse.  College students across South Florida; Florida International University, Florida Atlantic University, Johnson & Wales, Lynn & St. Thomas, to name a few, all participated to vow for love and not abuse. Khalid El-Hamin, a Barry student attributed is own inspiration by presenting  "Tribute to The Lost." Letters were written by those who had lost a loved one and wanted to get a second chance to say good bye by releasing their balloons and their messages gently flying behind it. Sponsors such as Power 96 brought music & fun games, as Jamba Juice gave us bells and free sample sized fruit smoothies at our Lexus Delarship turning point.

A College Brides Walk Advocacy Center will be in the works within the year in order to help victims of High School & College students. 

Check out the website at www.collegebrideswalk.com

The facebook page College Brides Walk

or follow them on twitter @MiamiBridesWalk

_Wong.

The Brides Walk

Women dressed in wedding gowns and men in all black join hands to stand up and vow against domestic violence. My mother, Josie Ashton, who began this movement, originally walked in her wedding gown from New Jersey to Miami in 2000, after learning about the tragic matter of Gladys Ricart back in 1999. Ricart, a 41 year old Dominican women, was slain in front of her family on her wedding day by an abusive lover. The media immediately began to blame Gladys for her own victimization and with the conversation continuing in that direction a murder could potentially not be punished within proper justice. Mom, Josie Ashton walked in her wedding gown to raise awareness about domestic violence and open people's eyes to the harsh reality. 10 years later hundreds of men, women and children come together annually in different parts of the United States as well as other countries like Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico to commemorate the life of Gladys Ricart and all victims of domestic violence. Along with the growth a segment of The College Brides Walk began back in June 2011 to specifically gear resources and activism within college campuses and teenage to young adult victims.

Our next College Brides Walk event will take place on February 10,2011 at Barry University in 

North Miami, Florida

www.collegebrideswalk.com for more information

_Wong.

The TOMS Movement

In a recent article written by

 OKA contributor Thiat Makinwa, from the http://www.okayafrica.com/ website, the issues taken with TOMS were exposed. Though I myself am a TOMS supporter the point Makinwa was trying to make was very forward, to say the least, here's a clip from the article below;

"One of the areas directly affected by TOMS’ injection of free goods into a respective community is the local shoe industry. Contrary to what TOMS might have you believe, local shoe makers do in fact exist in many of these areas. However, instead of assisting the local industry by providing funding or other forms of sustainable business growth and development, TOMS bypasses these local businesses and strips these communities of their agency " (Makinwa, Thiat. The Trouble With Toms. Images taken from http://www.okayafrica.com/)

    Now, TOMS Bogo model, (Buy One Give One) is clearly something they have committed too and though Makinwa makes the point in other parts of the article that consumers are under the impression they are ending poverty, this isn't a mind set that TOMS is now responsible for. If the TOMS company makes it their mission to give a pair of shoes to those in need then their mission has transparently been accomplished. We can not blame them for the misconception that our consumers are under, besides the fact that it would be silly for us, the common people, to believe that buying a pair of shoes is going to end world poverty, because it isn't. I must say that when I did get my gift of pair of TOMS I knew the money spent on them was at least making more of a difference then most regular purchases made. However, if TOMS is doing exactly what they said they were, then can we really point fingers?

_Wong.

Give Back while you Kick Back.

_Wong.