“A child cannot be taught by anyone that despises him.” – James Baldwin As a member of Generation X, I moved from Ohio to Texas with my family in the late 1970s. To hear my parents tell it, the decision was made to leave our hometown of Cleveland, a city facing a steady decline of… Continue reading Pressed Against Progress: Desegregating Solves Nothing, Sabotages Much
“Not Like Us,” But Still a Part of You
Whether you’re proudly wearing green in celebration of the Philadelphia Eagles or balling up your Kansas City Chiefs jersey in disgust, the consensus is clear: Sunday’s Super Bowl game was a memorable one. Philadelphia’s offense and defense were impenetrable, the Chiefs ran out of the magic juice to conjure up the historic ‘three-peat’ they were… Continue reading “Not Like Us,” But Still a Part of You
More Than a Woman: Put Some Respect On Coretta’s Legacy
Here’s what Jonathan Majors misunderstands about Coretta Scott King Truly great men don’t treat women as props https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2024/01/13/jonathan-majors-misunderstands-coretta-scott-king/ If ever a couple embodied the saying, “Beside every great man is a great woman,” it would be Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. In his brief 39 years, the Georgia native and Morehouse College… Continue reading More Than a Woman: Put Some Respect On Coretta’s Legacy
Mr. Perry, No Thanks: The Misguided Musings of A Delusional Black Man
If insensitive pronouncements and disingenuous statements could earn a “Peak Audacity Award,” this week’s winner would be Tyler Perry. The popular playwright, actor and filmmaker—best known for his outrageous pistol-packing matriarch alter ego, Madea—sparked instant outrage with his assertions during a recent podcast that successful single Black women could find mates more easily if they… Continue reading Mr. Perry, No Thanks: The Misguided Musings of A Delusional Black Man
Aww, They Mad? The “Ladies Won’t Settle” Lonely Men Blues
Last week, 53-year-old music producer and self-proclaimed serial relationship cheater Irv Gotti appeared on N.O.R.E’s “Drink Champs” podcast, lamenting being unable to find new love with women half his age. Late last week, Myron Gaines and Walter Weekes saw their anti -woman podcast, “Fresh and Fit,” suspended from the YouTube partner program and prevented from… Continue reading Aww, They Mad? The “Ladies Won’t Settle” Lonely Men Blues
Every Goodbye Ain’t Gone
In the spring of 2009, my life was in a state of flux. My assignments were dwindling after several years of contributing to the Arts & Entertainment section of The Dallas Morning News, and I was expecting our third child. I wanted to continue writing but didn’t know what my options were. Salvation came by… Continue reading Every Goodbye Ain’t Gone
Back Outside, Back On-Site: Microagressions & Working Well With Others
Well, it was beautiful while it lasted right? Slowly but surely, many of us are having to return to the office. Our work group is on-site now three days a week. Layla was a big help and accompanied me to the office on early Saturday morning, helping me to clean out my desk and bring… Continue reading Back Outside, Back On-Site: Microagressions & Working Well With Others
Relationships 101: What NOT To Do
In less than a month’s time, we’ll be experiencing a family first: a freshman and senior attending high school. Their classes have already been chosen, back to school shopping is underway and both of our girls are looking forward to the lessons they’ll learn and the friends they’ll make. However, thanks to a pair… Continue reading Relationships 101: What NOT To Do
The List: Sharing This Sistah’s Life Rules
“You are a ghost driving a meat-covered skeleton made from stardust riding a rock floating through space. Fear nothing.” —–Nev Schulman Let’s keep it real, shall we? As of today, knock on wood, I am a half a century old and some change. Although I don’t consider myself ancient per se, I have developed… Continue reading The List: Sharing This Sistah’s Life Rules
New Year’s Musings: Tipping Into 2023
Happy New Year! I am so glad to be on the other side of 2023 with you all. No matter how you greet it, witnessing the arrival is an accomplishment and a chance to begin anew. As we observe and immerse ourselves within this passage of time, one can’t help but to take inventory of… Continue reading New Year’s Musings: Tipping Into 2023
T’Challa Is Eternal, Wakanda Is Forever
“Only the most broken people can be great leaders.” K’uk’ulkan/Namor, ruler of Talokan (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) When the family and I went to see the long-anticipated film last week, I already knew that we would be forced to grapple with themes of love and loss. What I didn’t expect, however, was being… Continue reading T’Challa Is Eternal, Wakanda Is Forever
Nah, The Ladies Are Good: Single Life and Refusing to Settle For Less
“Girl, let me tell you something: you kinda’ gettin’ up there. You’re running out of time and need to stop being so picky.” I was a 30-something when I heard those word from a male relative, newly moved into my just-purchased home as a single mother. Beyond the sheer audacity of such a statement,… Continue reading Nah, The Ladies Are Good: Single Life and Refusing to Settle For Less
‘Brown Girls Brunch’ Hits Dallas
On July 24, a full audience of African-American women networked, connected with business owners and witnessed a panel of successful entrepreneurs during the Dallas stop of Brown Girls Brunch. Initially kicked off last December in Atlanta GA, Brown Girls Brunch—founded by Atlanta-based event manager Terracia Brown-Wilkinson— was created to offer opportunities for women… Continue reading ‘Brown Girls Brunch’ Hits Dallas
“Conscious,” “Gentle,” Whatever: PLEASE Just Be a Parent.
It happened earlier this Spring: my mother was visiting and we had all just wrapped watching the Aretha Franklin biopic, Respect. As I was clearing out the dishes and getting her a refill, she asked Nia and Layla if they had something to do in their rooms as she wanted to discuss some family… Continue reading “Conscious,” “Gentle,” Whatever: PLEASE Just Be a Parent.
‘Greatest Country’ WHERE?
When Layla walked through the front door on Tuesday, I folded her into a hug. “I’m glad you’re safe,” I told her, kissing her cheek. “Did you know what happened earlier today in Uvalde?” Confused, shook her head no. I pulled her into the bedroom and directed her attention to the horror unfolding in real… Continue reading ‘Greatest Country’ WHERE?
Our Baby Girl, Our Future: Looking Forward, Lurching Back
This Saturday, Calvin and I will officially become the parents of two teenagers, as our youngest daughter Layla, will be turning 13. As many parents do, we appreciate her progress so far and fondly remember the months and moments that shaped her entering our lives. When I was still expecting Layla, it felt more like… Continue reading Our Baby Girl, Our Future: Looking Forward, Lurching Back
Mary J. Blige’s “Good Morning Gorgeous,” Preview/Review Link
According to an idiom popularized by rapper and ‘business, man’ Jay-Z, “Men lie and women lie, but numbers don’t.” So even by this simple metric, Mary J Blige has “the numbers” that count: over 70 million in album sales, fifteen albums, nine Grammy Awards, a pair of Academy Award nominations and….oh yes, that single crown… Continue reading Mary J. Blige’s “Good Morning Gorgeous,” Preview/Review Link
Critical Truths, Racist Lies
On Independence Day in 2020, a clamoring throng toppled a statue of Christopher Columbus Baltimore neighborhood of Little Italy. When the cheering protesters dragged it down and sunk it beneath the depths of Inner Harbor, the statue became the latest symbol of societal change and a harbinger of a larger reckoning about the hypocrisy and… Continue reading Critical Truths, Racist Lies
“….For me, ‘Sankofa’ means to remember who you came from, what you came from, & where you came through.”
“I’ve been slow-walking this whole thing: stewing it, getting it into people’s systems and letting them absorb the aesthetic of it. So anytime the music is able to get out of me, I consider that a success. The press, PR, whatever that other stuff is, that’s a different thing…….But once it gets out, and… Continue reading “….For me, ‘Sankofa’ means to remember who you came from, what you came from, & where you came through.”
Targeted Bodies, Troubled Souls: How to Self-Care While Black
In the last few months, more than any other time, many of us have learned the value of self-care. For some, it’s a long pier, a collapsible chair and a lake to fish in. For others, it’s solitude and a bubble bath. Others look forward to bingeing Bridgerton and brewing a pot of tea. But no… Continue reading Targeted Bodies, Troubled Souls: How to Self-Care While Black
Reducing Homelessness, Increasing Hope: The Gideon Group of N. Texas
Inches of snow, wind chills below zero, burst pipes, and a poorly-maintained power grid unprepared to handle the demand for heat: Valentine’s Day 2021 and the days that followed will be memorable for all the wrong reasons this year, thanks to millions subjected to loss of power and unable to remain warm,… Continue reading Reducing Homelessness, Increasing Hope: The Gideon Group of N. Texas
Tina Taught Me: The Documentary, The Woman, The Music, The Legacy
At the edge of the stage and in the gleam of a spotlight, stood a wild-haired, honey-hued, long-legged siren. With one hand perched on her hip and another wrapped around a mic, she issued a command to the throng below: “Alright ladies, your turn now: “What’s love got to do, got to do with… Continue reading Tina Taught Me: The Documentary, The Woman, The Music, The Legacy
“You Hate To See It,” Women’s History Month Edition
Spring has officially arrived and we are halfway through Women’s History Month. Observed every March, it’s a time set aside to examine, explore and celebrate the importance of, and accomplishments by, women.of all backgrounds, ages and cultures. After witnessing historic achievements this year, such as the swearing in of our first-ever female Vice-President, Kamala… Continue reading “You Hate To See It,” Women’s History Month Edition
“I done my best, that’s all”: Farewell Cicely Tyson, 1924 – 2021
“I am alive because of the blood of proud people who never scraped or begged or apologized for what they were. They lived asking only one thing of this world—-to be allowed to be.” Those words were part of the dialogue spoken by Mrs. Browne, the mother of a naive and stubbornly independent daughter,… Continue reading “I done my best, that’s all”: Farewell Cicely Tyson, 1924 – 2021
Elections, Quarantine and No Chill, Oh My……
Halloween was just upon us, and despite the pandemic, some found a way to stalk the streets, donning safety masks and costumes, in search of fiendish peers and free candy. But for others, images of Annabelle, Chucky and Pennywise are nothing compared to the specter of increasing COVID-19 cases, truncated holiday celebrations and tense relationships… Continue reading Elections, Quarantine and No Chill, Oh My……
Body Language 101: Dr. Jack Brown on Society, Corona and What Trump’s Leadership Lacks
No matter what you do or where you are, the Corona Virus, or specifically, COVID-19, is an inescapable reality. Across the country, the numbers of the afflicted and the dying are growing, ‘shelter in place’ is only now becoming a more uniform policy from state to state and over the horizon, past the flattened curves… Continue reading Body Language 101: Dr. Jack Brown on Society, Corona and What Trump’s Leadership Lacks
Shields Or Targets? Black Women Can’t Be Both.
“If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see.” James Baldwin “The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman.” Malcolm X In 2005, Calvin… Continue reading Shields Or Targets? Black Women Can’t Be Both.
“The Struggles Along The Way….Shape You For Your Purpose”: Chadwick A. Boseman, 1976-2020
“I don’t care if they like me. I didn’t come here to make friends. I don’t even care if they respect me, I know who I am. I got enough respect for myself. But I do not want them to beat me.” Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson, 42 (2013). Thanks to the artificially-glamorized… Continue reading “The Struggles Along The Way….Shape You For Your Purpose”: Chadwick A. Boseman, 1976-2020
Initiating and Embracing Antiracism: 4 ways
“I’se still climbin’, and life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” Langston Hughes “I am not tragically colored……I do not weep at the world.” Zora Neale Huston “To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.” James Baldwin The… Continue reading Initiating and Embracing Antiracism: 4 ways
Soultracks Music Review: Brandy, B7
If you were to ask an industry newbie what they aspired to achieve as an entertainer, the list probably includes a lot of what’s already a reality for Brandy Norwood. Her irresistible and eponymous 1994 debut, Brandy, went multi-platinum and introduced pop and R&B audiences to a Mississippi native with a sweet face and sultry voice in… Continue reading Soultracks Music Review: Brandy, B7
The Sistahs Are NOT Your “Superwomen”
It’s one of the most pivotal scenes in the classic 1985 film, The Color Purple: set in 1930s rural Georgia, Ms. Sofia (Oprah Winfrey) is in town running errands with her family, when she’s approached out of nowhere by Ms. Millie, a white woman who happens to be a mayor’s wife. “Would you like to… Continue reading The Sistahs Are NOT Your “Superwomen”