I Went to the White House, Saw the President and Pope Strutted
I got back from a fast and fierce trip to Washington DC on Thursday evening and I’m still tryna settle in (and I just got back from an 18-hour trip to Charlotte). As I posted on Monday, I was in DC for the White House Youth Summit, and for the holiday tour.
The White House Office of Youth Engagement invited 150 youth leaders from around the country to talk about the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) and other issues. I didn’t know who else would be in the room, besides Franchesca (Chescaleigh), Nikki (Nikki and the City) and Eunique (Because of Them We Can) but it was so exciting to be a part of it.
When we all got past security and got into the room where the Summit was in the Eisenhower Building, the energy was high and we started taking pictures because WE’RE ON WHITE HOUSE PROPERTY! EEEEEE!!! And YAYYYYYYYYY!!!
It was important for me to be in that room personally and professionally, with the work I do with The Red Pump Project.
The issue of healthcare is deep because insurance is MAD EXPENSIVE, yo, especially if you’re self-employed. I’ve been working for myself for three and a half years and the road to financial independence is long and treacherous, like Myra from Martin’s toenails. It’s an uphill battle I’m still on and because of it, I haven’t been able to afford insurance. So anytime I’ve gotten sick, I’ve either had to put some tussin on it, or just deal. We’re not e’em gonna talk about the time I needed to get all my wisdom teeth taken out in 2011 and I had to pay $3,000 out of pocket for it. I JUST finished paying that off this year. GOOD GAWD.
My eyes are open. SHARRAP! Also real: squinty eyes struggle.
With The Red Pump Project, we raise awareness about the impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girls. Part of what we do focuses on empowering people and reducing the stigma associated with the epidemic. Thousands of people who are infected with HIV are uninsured because companies don’t want to be liable for it as a “pre-existing condition.” Long story short, this healthcare struggle is MEGA REAL.
Needless to say, I’ve been a proponent of Obamacare because a G needs to be covered without having to eat mayo sammiches every day. And that’s why on October 1, I was one of the ones on Healthcare.gov tryna see What That Insurance Do and when the site failed terribly, I hadn’t tried since. WOMP!
At the Summit, senior White House officials briefed us on the Affordable Care Act to clarify the point for us and to let us know that the website is up and running. And then, we got the surprise of our week when Valerie Jarrett introduced President Obama! When he walked in, people went nuts. We all fangirled!
This was my first time ever being in the same room as POTUS! My fave line from his talk? “I know people call this Obamacare. And that’s ok cuz I do care.” Come on, Baptist Barack! He acknowledged the epic failure of the site launch, but promised that it was fixed now.
Well, he’s right because I just signed up for Insurance today on Healthcare.gov! EEEEEEEEEEEE!!! *does the “I got insurance” scoot* Chile, because it’s scary to feel like you don’t have a safety net. So I really encourage y’all to sign up now if you’re uninsured. You have until December 31, 2013 if you want to be covered starting January 1. And if you don’t sign up, you will be penalized for it. PLEASE GO GET INSURANCE, YALL!!! Your income will determine how much you have to pay so it’s finally within reach.
Anywho, the Summit was day long, we did other stuff (that I’m too lazy to recap right now). But it was such a great space to be in. And I met some dope folks.
I even got to do an Olivia Pope strut down the hallway of the Eisenhower Building.
IT’S HANDLED!
I’m going on vacation tomorrow so this is a quick post. I just wanted to update y’all and tell you how it all went. I also went to the White House Holiday Tour. Pics are on my Instagram account, so go check there!
Off to pack! Oh and one more pic:
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21 Comments
I am going to need a better pic of that red bag. Thanks
Exactly! Details pls.
POPE WALK!! HANDLED!
I love love love that picture!!! Girl you betta strut!!!
This is awesome! I love your outfit from top to bottom! Especially the shoes and the coat! 🙂 Also congrats on the health insurance! It’s nice to whip that card out at the docs office when they talkin’ about a co-pay!!
Yes ma’am! Get yo strut ON!!! Love it!
Congrats on the White House trip! Keep doing your thing. Enjoy your much needed vacation even if it means I miss my daily dosage of your foolery.
yes to those shoes! congrats.
Congrats on your achievements!
That had to be an amazing experience. Congratulations to you and wish you much success!!!
Luvvie you are just too cool. They probably would have had to throw me out the room after I would have accidentally let out a high pitch squeal after seeing the POTUS. Congrats to you…enjoy your vacation. I know you need your rest, but I really would like your take on the storm that is Mama Joyce on RHOA. :-/ I mean she had her Geriatric Goon Squad with her and everything.
Congrats on the trip…I love strutting around EEOB. Oh and I spy Luvvie on another site.
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/12/it-doesnt-matter-if-most-millennials-are-skeptical-of-obamacare/282080/
Next time you get in the the WH I’m’a have to gift you with one o dem Ann Demeulemeester Jackets. Slay the whole place with FIERCE.
Hey! I have been following your website fairly religiously for years now and I was excited to see you were coming to DC. I’ve lived here for about 3.5 years and I enjoy it. I’ve been to the White House a couple times now, but I’m still waiting for my chance to bump into the Pres. Needless to say I’m a lil #jelly. I actually work around the corner from the White House and still think about how fortunate I am. Nevertheless, congratulations on being invited to attend the summit. I hope you enjoyed your time here and keep up the great and hard work!
it’s handled! Girl u r too cool
Strut Luvvie, strut!!!!
Congratulations, Luvvie. And thanks so much for sharing your experience with us. You totally ROCK in red. Keep doing your thang, and delivering the goods. So happy and proud of you.
Congratulations!!!!
Next time you see POTUS, pls make sure to tell him that ‘selfies’ at a state funeral will cause the world to go bananas!!!! LOL
I am listening to you on WVON-AM. You should know the following:
How many Africans were taken to the United States during the entire history of the slave trade?
The most comprehensive analysis of shipping records over the course of the slave trade is the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database, edited by professors David Eltis and David Richardson. (While the editors are careful to say that all of their figures are estimates, I believe that they are the best estimates that we have, the proverbial “gold standard” in the field of the study of the slave trade.) Between 1525 and 1866, in the entire history of the slave trade to the New World, according to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database, 12.5 million Africans were shipped to the New World. 10.7 million survived the dreaded Middle Passage, disembarking in North America, the Caribbean and South America.
And how many of these 10.7 million Africans were shipped directly to North America? Only about 388,000. That’s right: a tiny percentage.
In fact, the overwhelming percentage of the African slaves were shipped directly to the Caribbean and South America; Brazil received 4.86 million Africans alone! Some scholars estimate that another 60,000 to 70,000 Africans ended up in the United States after touching down in the Caribbean first, so that would bring the total to approximately 450,000 Africans who arrived in the United States over the course of the slave trade.
Incredibly, most of the 42 million members of the African-American community descend from this tiny group of less than half a million Africans.
What’s up it’s me, I am also visiting this web site daily, this site is really good and
the visitors are truly sharing good thoughts.
I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who would have been channeling OCP going down that hallway…Luuvie, you’re my spirit-animal!