EACH ONE OF THESE LADIES ARE VERY SPECIAL TO ME, each have worn the title “FRIEND”

Left to right they are, Ulanda, but I call her Lil Shon! She’s my rider, but she won’t let me be wrong. She corrects me whenever needed! She has the hugest heart and won’t hurt a fly! I’ve often asked her, “Lil Shon, why you so nice to people when they’re mean to you?”… and she simply says, “A playa gotta keep her LOVE game tight!”. SHE’S A TRUE BLUE and I trust her with my life.

Next is me, Kiki…. I’m my BEST FRIEND and sometimes my worst enemy! I keep all my secrets, yet, I’ll tell everything about me to a perfect stranger if I think it will help them in any way. I make sure Kiki treats people the way she wants to be treated and when no one else has my back, and I can’t talk to any of the women you see here, I talk to KIKI and she always sees me through.

Next is Quesha, but I call her KWEEEE SHU! lol I don’t know why I have to whine when I call her name but I do. Quesha and I have been friends since Kindergarten. We were in the same class. We went to school together k-12.. We’ve done a whole lot of dirt together lol, We’ve had a few not so good moments in our friendship, but TRUE FRIENDS never fall completely out. She’s the mother of my friends! Quesha will help you whoop ya man if you need to lol! She’ll also help you whoop anybody else… lol…well, used to! We’ve matured since that time. Quesha will open her home to anyone in need. She can be reached by her friends any time of day or night. She’s always only a phone call away! She can be counted on for almost anything if she feels you’re a friend! I know she’ll always have my back and she knows that I’ll have hers when and if she needs me.

Next is Dr. Topeka Small. I’ve known her for 12 years now. I call her PEKA! Boy has she helped me grow! I appreciate her countless counseling sessions.. she’s my therapist friend and confidant. I can tell her anything and she won’t judge me. Although very educated and professional in real life, Peka is a friend whose house you can go over and have a shot of Patron, while being funky for 2 days because you couldn’t bring yourself to showering because you were too hurt from your man cheating on you. She’ll lay all the bells and whistles aside (all the proper grammar and context) and she’ll say, “GAL COME ON IN HEAH AND SAT DOWN AND tell me all about it wit ya stankin ass!” Lol! She’s the only person to me, that says my name with such class and dignity… I wish you could hear her say…NIKIKI!

Next is the Diva! I’ve known of this young lady for years, but I’m very much older than she so, I didn’t get an opportunity to get to know her when I was younger. Our paths crossed a few times at beauty shops over the years, but the real connection came in 2013.. From our initial conversation, she dubbed me, “BIG SIS”! I didn’t know at the time how special she would become and how big of a part of my life she’d occupy… but, she is indeed my sister!.. I appreciate her kindness, her genius and selfless spirit! She gave me a piece of advice a few years ago and it saved my life!…and she knows what that is! She’s proven herself to be the type of friend that will bend over backwards for you…or drive you for 7 hours str8 with no sleep, because she loves you! She’s a true gem and a rare find! I’m happy to call her sister and if you don’t think she’s my sister…. TRY ME! you’ll get your feelings hurt!

Last bust certainly not least… Tina Carter, I call her Tina Taylor…. Tina is the second person in my whole life to wear the title BEST FRIEND. The first was before I went to school. We started hanging together in Junior High. We were inseparable. There was another person in our trio… she’s not pictured, but is still in my heart. We were the 3 Musketeers! Lol! We dressed alike, ate lunch together, and did all the things Junior High kids do. We even became cheerleaders together. Our friendship was the first of all the others! It set the tone! I remember us laughing a lot! We had some bouts too, but I remember Tina being fun. I wanted to be like her! She probably doesn’t know this, but I truly did. She had sisters and I envied that. She and our 3rd friend wore glasses and I didn’t…until the day we found a pair in the gym. My crazy ass was happy! I wore someone else’s glasses just to be like and look like she and our other girlfriend. I’m so glad that she came out to the event! We reconnected and it was a pleasure to find out that she’s still Tina Taylor, the cool chick I hung with in Junior High.

Well…it was my hope that all of the people that I hold dear to my heart would have been there to support me on that night, but it didn’t happen that way and the ones that did come are the ones that should’ve and I’m very grateful for that!

NAMASTE’ TO ALL OF YOU BEAUTIFUL LADIES!

EYE CANDY FOR DAYS!

Would you look at these brothers!… They did their thing and I hope that every sister that these fellas touched felt special in some way.

I want to give a huge huge shout out to my Husband, Brandon Franklin-Bey (3rd from the left), if not for him, none of this would’ve been possible. Babe, Thank you for motivating me and being by my side assisting me in every way possible! Thank you for the beautiful edible arrangement that you sent to start that day off! It was truly special and much needed! Thank you for your calming touch and demeanor…it always seems to bring me back to peace.

Christopher Henry, my lil cuzin and my homie! (1st on the left)

Juan, my husband’s good friend, very respectful and always greets me with a smile and hug! (2nd on left)

Larry,( directly behind my husband), great guy! He was so willing to help in any way that he even worked for us on his off day!

Kevin Bates, class mate and business partner to my husband. He was the 1st man to tell me how great he thought the event would be and he was the first man to acknowledge that the event was eyeopening and helped him as well. (1st on the right)

Daniel Foster,( 2nd on right). Man, he humped for us! He got in there, took charge and handled things! I appreciate that, a man that knows how to take charge! Excellent leadership quality.

Last but not least, My good friend Michael Troup… We refer to each other as “West Memphis”, lol it keeps us grounded! He’s not only my long time friend from the hood, we grew up together on South 16th street, but he was also my first male nail client and was a long standing client of mine! When he heard about the event and what I was trying to do for the ladies, he called me immediately and asked if I needed his help.. and I did! He came through for me! I knew he’d be a perfect gentleman to you ladies. They all were… but, I’m sure West Memphis put the charm on for ya! I know he did because my granny called and raved about him escorting she and Dr. Barr to their cars! lol

JAEL THE GREAT!

Dr. Jael Roberson is a professor at Spelman University as well as, life coach, motivational speaker and actress. She did an amazing job speaking to and motivating us to be Great! I know she touched a few of the ladies lives on that night and I’m certain she lit a spark under some sister there to ignite her future! Sh’es a giving person, I know that because when I contacted her for the event and told her what the theme was and what I wanted to do for the women in my hometown, she didn’t hesitate to accept the invite and on top of that, SHE SAID SHE WOULDN’T CHARGE US! I only had to fly her there and accommodate her. She blessed us real real real good!…and I’m forever grateful for her. I’m certain that I’ll be able to assist her in some way in the near future with help and support!

Thank you soooo much Jael! I love You!

Greetings Everyone!

TALKING ABOUT STR8NOCHASR! I’m gonna need one after this!

So here goes! It’s been a long time coming lol! First, I would like to apologize to every sister that attended the All Nude dinner party. The apology is for not having the blog up and running on the date that was originally given. You know, life is super funny at times and you may think you have everything all planned out and then life shows up and tells you that you don’t run SHIT! Initially when i thought of this party, of course I envisioned it being spectacular! I wanted every woman in the building to be treated with love, respect and admiration. I wanted you guys to have a wonderful time, a good meal, and walk away feeling empowered and motivated. That was my ultimate goal! I feel that my wants were a SUCCESS! Of course, everyone doesn’t necessarily feel that way, but it’s ok!

Let me tell you about some of the details surrounding this event. This event was sponsored by myself, my husband, and our companies; Str8nochasr Llc. and Conscious Minds Ent. Llc. I put my heart into it! Although my ultimate goal of treating you ladies to a good night was a success, there were so many other things that didn’t go as planned and didn’t turn out successfully. Now you know I have to tell you about it because i gotta be real!

I secured the venue. I chose the entertainment, caterer, event planner, DJ, theme, colors, speakers and most importantly the photographer! Yes, the photographer was the most important person at the event! Why?… because in this day and age photos are so important and relevant to almost everything we do. We take photos every single day. Some people take over 200 photos a day trying to get the perfect selfie! Yes, it’s vain to some, but it’s the norm. It’s apart of our society now and with social media leading the way, how can you not have the perfect picture? So, I selected the perfect photographer. A photographer that my company has used on several occasions because I knew that no matter what this party’s turnout would be, he was good enough to make it look like the Grammys in photos. Nothing BUT the Best for us!

I personally purchased several women’s attire including my own, because I wanted everyone to have an opportunity to dress up for a change and strut their stuff! While in Hawaii, I purchased my attire. I later went shoe shopping with my sister when I came home for the event. I’m certain that most of you ladies did the same exact things that I did to ensure that you’d look your best. I got mine and my daughters nails done. I got their weaves done… and i hate weaves! Lol

My mother and grandmother eagerly waited with excitement and anticipation for the event. They looked for their perfect dresses! I couldn’t wait to get a picture with all 5 generations of my family. My grandmother, mother, me, my daughters, my aunt and sister. I would cherish the picture for a life time! Seven beautiful black women all different skin tones, all wearing shades of nude. The photo would be priceless and remain in each of our homes for lifetimes…

Now, to elaborate on this apology being given… This is how I envisioned the party would go. After the event was over, I’d planned to have everyone log onto the website for the first time in hopes of being able to see all of the wonderful pictures, videos and special moments that took place as well as read all of the old and new blog posts I’d written. The photographer that I hired had to leave early, even though he was paid for the full time. So, I didn’t get pics or video footage of the end of the event. The key note speaker’s address was not documented…BUT, I was understanding of his wanting to get to his next job. I know people need their coins and I was happy that everyone else appeared to be happy so, i didn’t sweat it. I smiled, thanked him, and paid him.

So, a few days go by and I was expecting to get a call or text from the photographer so that I could proof the photos and video for the event. Unbeknownst to me, 38 of the pictures had been released to Facebook! I thought, why would a PROFESSIONAL photographer take pictures of an event that I paid for, as well as paid him to shoot, post MY bought and paid for pictures on his Facebook page before even allowing the purchaser (Kiki) to view them? Upon hearing the news that they were on fb, I immediately drove to my cousin’s house to charge my phone so that I could see what’d been posted and so that I could contact him to remove the photos because that was not my plan. My plan was not for the photos to be on Facebook. I have a website for Str8nochasr and I wanted the photos to be used as a vehicle to draw viewers to the website. I was disappointed to say the least! After seeing and taking about 11 screenshots of personal photos of myself, close friends and family, I contacted the photographer and asked him very professionally and nicely if he could remove the photos because I didn’t want them on Facebook. I wasn’t ready for anyone from the event to see them yet. I explained to him my purpose for the photos….he said, “Sure no problem”.

Unbeknownst to me, this apparently made him livid! Livid is the only word I can use to describe what his emotion must’ve been due to the result of his actions shortly thereafter. Days later, I asked him if he could email the photos. He said that he couldn’t… that the file was too large. He stated that he wanted to mail them to me and asked for my address. I felt confident that he’d done this before. After all, he’s a photographer and surely he has mailed other client’s photos, so i had no reason to doubt that he would be able to take care of the task. I travel quite a bit so, I rested in the fact that when I returned to Georgia, that my photos would be waiting for me in the mail box. Weeks go by, I return to Georgia eagerly waiting to check my mail. I arrived at the mail center, took out all the mail….. There it was, the envelope! The envelope was as flat as the day it was when he purchased it!. There was nothing in the envelope! One corner of the envelope, clearly hadn’t been sealed. The envelope looked as if someone had purposely tried to make it look like it had come undone.

This is so hard for me to type! I’ve been putting it off day after day! I’ve suffered a barrage of emotions from pure rage to disgust, simple hurt and pain to grief and loss! It was just a party for a lot of folks, but it was far more for me as an individual as well as for Str8nochasr.com.

I immediately called my husband because to me he knows how to handle everything; he’s my hero!…and I knew he’d know just what to do as well as how to calm me down. We talked about it… I called the photographer, no answer! I called again the following day, no answer! Then, I texted him in detail explaining the disappearance of the media. I never got ugly with him, just stated that I didn’t receive it. I asked what type of media device it was, he stated that it was a jump drive. There were no indications of anything bulky or with substance being inside that envelope! None! I offered to pay him for another jump drive and asked that he resend the media.

YALL READY FOR THIS??!!!

I received no response! Days later I get a phone call from him. When I saw his name popup on my caller id, I was elated! I answered the phone all happy go lucky and I said, “Hey! did you get my text?”, he responded, “Oh yeah, I’m 80% sure that I deleted your pictures!”. I said,” 80% sure, are you kidding me?….Why would you do that?”, he didn’t respond. Now, I’m beginning to get emotional! I feel tears welling inside my eyes. At the time, I was inside of a restaurant, so I removed myself in case the conversation went left. This…this…this…MAN told me that he “just” did it. I said to him, “Didn’t you just send us footage from an event that you did for us in 2014?, so it’s not customary for you to delete your hard copy of pictures and events, why this one?”, he then begins to tell me how he’s mailed things to other clients in the past and that they received theirs. So, I calmly said, “What does that have to do with me?”, he continues to speak in regards to some wedding photos he took. I then interrupt his dialogue and say louder,” I don’t care about someone else’s wedding, and I don’t want to hear about anything but the photos for Str8nochasr!”, he then interrupts me and tells me, “YOU’RE GETTING EMOTIONAL!”, and I said, ” Of course I AM!”. I then calmed myself down and simply addressed him by his name and stated that I no longer wanted to continue the conversation with him, I’d contact him via text to see if there’s a 20% chance that he still has the photos.

Weeks go by… I sent out one last text professionally regarding the events surrounding the photos and stated that I would be contacting my lawyer.

How did something so beautiful and thoughtful become something horrible and disgusting because of one person? Why and how could any human being, especially a black brother, look at each of those photos and faces of all the beautiful women in the room (women ranging from ages 16 to 79 ) and be so vindictive, so mean, so cruel! SO thoughtless, just to hurt KIKI!

It’s my belief that when I initially contacted the photographer and asked him to remove the photos from his Facebook page, that he became infuriated. Somehow, I think this man lives vicariously though other people’s businesses via the photos he shoots. I believe this is true because of a statement that he made to me. He said, ” I POST ALL OF MY EVENTS ON MY FACEBOOK PAGE!” . At that moment, I knew that he felt that the photos were his to do what he pleases with. He thinks that the events he shoots are his events, but they aren’t! The only thing that belongs to him, is his camera. The photos were purchased before he shot them and they belonged to Nikiki Franklin-Bey, and Str8nochasr.com

It’s my belief that he never had media to send to me, and that he purposely suggested mailing them so that he could concoct a scheme to make the media appear to be lost in the mail…But, he didn’t know that Kiki is not the average bear, she’s very smart and she’s a slick detective that pays close attention to detail. I’m not a person that just takes any or everything at face value. I have an analytical mind and you just can’t pull average BULLSHIT over on me…Even if you think you have and thought you got away with it… TRUST ME, you didn’t…and I KNOW!

I didn’t think men could be this type of lil girl petty!…or in their feelings!. I know that power is in the tongue as well as thought. I know that I HAVE THE ABILITY TO BLESS AND CURSE with my own mouth. So, what do yall think my thoughts and words for this…this…this…MAN will be!!!????

I’m sorry, the first post you read on the blog couldn’t be butterflies and lilies…instead it was bullshit and lies!…But hey that’s why it’s STR8NOCHASR and now you know what happened.

I HAVE ONE REQUEST FOR YOU ALL, IF YOU HAVE ANY PICTURES OF THE EVENT THAT ARE OF A DECENT QUALITY, PLEASE EMAIL THEM TO me at niki_frank@str8nochasr.com

Straight No Chasr

Category Archives: Events

naked and unafraid cont…