A Love Like This…Forever
To say I'm overwhelmed with emotion is an understatement right now. This week has filled me to capacity with love, Black love. There was the joy of seeing the growth of my new Imani Geniuses (students) who are following the BHM 2018 lesson plans. The incredible creativity and grit my…
Throwback Thursday: Guns & Children…Again
[caption id="attachment_2364" align="alignright" width="960"] Living carefree is a luxury no longer afforded to even children.[/caption] Guns and Children Throwback Thursday: December 15, 2012 Yesterday, I played with my one-year-old daughter after picking her up early from school, as I usually do. As we laughed, I thought about those parents in…
Motivation Monday: One Bite At A Time
Everyday, I make a list of my tasks for the day. I used to keep the lists in one journal, but now I just jot them down on the closest piece of paper nearby because recording them in one place started to feel like another task itself. This morning's…
Children Are People Too
Earlier in the week, while teaching my daughter a history lesson and simultaneously mentally reviewing the day’s unfinished task list, my patience and tolerance began to grow thin. In the midst of my explanations of the connections between the influence of the Roman Empire and why Christians celebrated Christmas in…
Black Girl Responds to “Straight Black Men Are the White People of Black People”
The two most insulting gibes you, as a Black person, can hurl at another are to talk about "yo mama" or call them White, especially if what you're saying is right. They are guaranteed fighting words in any corner of Black America. The receiver will vehemently lambast the offender to edify…
Being Black: The Death Sentence in America
[caption id="attachment_2314" align="aligncenter" width="533"] Charleena Lyles[/caption] Since October, the police have come to my house no less than ten times. That's alarming because being Black in America can be a crime with a death sentence. They were called anonymously by someone upset that I homeschool my children. (That's an entirely…
Love &/or Marriage: Becoming One and Other “B” Words Part I
Year 1: Becoming One As we sat shoulder to shoulder, I squeezed my groom's thigh until it broke skin while listening to the toast of my father at our wedding reception. There we were adorned in all of our ceremonial regalia, blissfully in love, and overflowing with gratitude for the near-completion…
The Myth of “Happily Ever After”
"Happily ever after" is a myth. I mean what happened to Cinderella after that Prince found her shoe and took her to the castle. We ain’t heard from her since. Why? 'Cause in fairytales the story ends after the Prince and Princess find each other. Marriage is not a fairytale.…
I Married the Wrong Person…the First Time
Did that get your attention? Last year, I read this New York Times opinion article entitled, "Why You Will Marry the Wrong Person." Typically, I pass by these op-eds because as a person who loves being married, I detest the gloom and doom rhetoric often spewed about marriage. But, for some…
Adele, Beyoncé & I Don’t Always Love Motherhood and That’s OK
Motherhood was a surprising topic on the stage at the 59th Grammys last night. While many members of the Beyhive are ready to sting because they feel Queen B was robbed during last night's awards by Adele, most were assuaged by Adele's heartfelt acceptance speeches for "Song of the Year" and "Album…