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LataraSpeaksTruth

I started doing this in July 2025. Let’s get that straight right now. I did not wait for Black History Month then, and I am definitely not waiting for it now. I have been posting these stories for months because this matters to me every day, not just when the calendar tells people it is time to pretend they care. Some of y’all really act like Black history is only allowed to exist in February…like it is some little seasonal display that needs to be packed up the second March hits. That logic is ridiculous. History does not expire because the month changed. The people I write about still lived. The things they endured still happened. The contributions they made still matter. And the truth does not suddenly become inappropriate just because it is no longer Black History Month. I have been doing this for months already, and I did not give a damn that it was not Black History Month when I started. I do not give a damn that it is not Black History Month now either. Black history is every day for me. Not when it is trendy. Not when it is convenient. Not when people feel socially obligated to clap for 28 days and then go right back to silence. Every day. And to be very clear…I give zero fucks about anybody who feels differently. If that bothers you, scroll. If it irritates you, good. If you think these stories need to wait until next February, that sounds like your issue, not mine. I will continue posting what matters when I feel like posting it. Not by permission. Not by season. And definitely not by the comfort level of people who only want history in small, digestible pieces. Deal with it.

Vic

2 Corinthians 4:18 “Therefore, we do not become discouraged, utterly spiritless, exhausted, and wearied out through fear. Though our outer man is progressively, decaying and wasting away, yet our inner self is being progressively renewed day after day. For our light, momentary affliction is ever more and more abundantly, preparing and producing and achieving for us an everlasting weight of glory beyond all measure…”. Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth includes personal insights. It was a difficult season for him after hearing false teachers infiltrated the church, questioning Paul’s integrity and authority. His reaction was not born of Pride or Self-pity, but rather he acknowledged being troubled and oppressed, but not crushed, he suffered embarrassment, but wasn’t driven to despair. He was pursued, but not deserted to stand alone and even though he felt struck down to the ground he was not destroyed. By faith, he looked to the things that can’t be seen, the things that last forever. He understood that nothing he was going through could compare to the glory that was waiting for him. We slip on ‘Paul’s T-shirt’… the ‘been there done that’ T-shirt and, in the Strength of our Lord, we rise. Not looking back on where we’ve been, but paying attention, focusing on what’s before us. We acknowledge the physical affliction, but that’s not where our Hope is. Hebrews 11: “Now Faith is the assurance, the confirmation of things we hope for, being proof of things we do not see and the conviction of their reality, faith, perceiving as real fact, what is not revealed to the senses”. Like Paul, our spirit is resilient and strong, courageous, bold, and full of faith. Our faith is not without substance. It’s based on what we know to be true, a Hope not founded on ‘if’ but ‘when’. A Faith and Hope that’s built on the Rock. Rise up warrior, we take our place on the battlefield and draw our sword of the spirit, He has given us the victory.

LataraSpeaksTruth

In 1944, Harriet Ida Pickens and Frances Elizabeth Wills made history as the first Black women commissioned as officers in the United States Navy. Their achievement came through the WAVES program, which stood for Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service. The program had been created during World War II to allow women to serve in the Navy, but Black women were initially excluded. For years, the Navy resisted allowing them into the program. That changed in October 1944 when the Navy finally opened the WAVES program to Black women after pressure from civil rights advocates and the growing demand for personnel during the war. Harriet Pickens and Frances Wills were among the first selected for officer training. Both women attended the U.S. Naval Reserve Midshipmen’s School at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. In December 1944, they completed their training and were officially commissioned as officers in the United States Navy. Harriet Ida Pickens came from a family known for leadership and public service. She was the daughter of William Pickens, a prominent civil rights leader connected to the NAACP. Frances Wills was a trained social worker who later documented her experience in her memoir Navy Blue and Other Colors. Their commissioning did not immediately end discrimination inside the military. Opportunities for Black service members remained limited and segregation still existed across much of the armed forces. Even so, their presence in uniform marked an important turning point. Harriet Ida Pickens and Frances Wills showed that Black women could serve as leaders in roles the Navy had long denied them. Their achievement in 1944 remains an important milestone in the history of military service and expanding opportunity. #OurHistory #HarrietIdaPickens #FrancesWills #MilitaryHistory #WomensHistory #LataraSpeaksTruth

Sara Manrique

After 21 Years Together, a Loyal Cat Attends His Owner's Graduation One Last Time For more than two decades, Pumpkin wasn't just a pet-he was family. The small orange kitten who once curled up during homework sessions and childhood naps was still by his owner's side as he crossed the stage at graduation. Pumpkin had been there through every milestone: first words. first heartbreaks. new homes, new schools. As the years passed he grew slower and more tired. but that bond never weakened. On the morning of graduation, despite his age and fragile health, Pumpkin mustered the strength to join one more important day Wrapped in a soft blanket, he was carried across campus, taking in the celebration around him. It was a final journey shared between two companions who had grown up together-one last adventure after a ifetime of lovalty Their walk served as a reminder of the quiet ways pets shape our lives. The routines, the comfort durina difficult moments, and the unconditional love add up to something profound. After 21 years, Pumpkin's presence at graduation was more than symbolic--it was a testament to a bond that endured until the verv end Stories like this make us pause and think: our pets may not speak, but their devotion often says more than words ever could. #Pets #PetStories #graduation #HeartwarmingCatStorv #Cats #CatLovers #Animal

Rick And Morty

Grace is one of the most misunderstood forces in the spiritual life. People think grace means ignoring wrong, excusing harm, or pretending pain didn’t happen. But grace isn’t blindness. Grace sees clearly—sometimes more clearly than anyone else—and still chooses mercy. Grace is restraint when retaliation would be easy. Grace is patience when judgment would be applauded. Grace is remembering that every person you meet is fighting battles you cannot see. That’s where the Golden Rule becomes more than a moral slogan. It becomes a spiritual discipline. “Treat others the way you want to be treated.” Not when they deserve it. Not when they earn it. But when it costs you something. Anyone can mirror kindness when kindness is given first. Real grace appears when the exchange is uneven—when you choose dignity instead of humiliation, patience instead of reaction, understanding instead of assumption. Because the truth is uncomfortable: every person who has ever needed grace has also needed to give it. We all want understanding when we fail. We all want patience when we struggle. We all want forgiveness when we fall short. The Golden Rule simply asks a confronting question: If you hope the world will show you mercy on your worst day, are you willing to give that same mercy to someone else on theirs? Grace is not weakness. It is moral strength under control. It refuses the cycle of cruelty the world normalizes. It interrupts the instinct to repay harm with harm. And in doing so, it reminds us that the standard we apply to others is often the one that eventually returns to us. Grace is the quiet power that keeps the human spirit from becoming as harsh as the world around it. And the Golden Rule is the compass that keeps that power pointed in the right direction.