I penned this piece for UPTOWN magazine in September 2012. I thought it would be appropriate to cross-publish it here in light of the season two premiere of “Iyanla, Fix My Life.” Iyanla Vanzant is who she says she is. I am a living testament to the power of doing my work in order to… Read More Iyanla Fixed My Life
Zora Neale Hurston saved my life. When I was first gifted Their Eyes Were Watching God at 16, Hurston’s masterful wording – full of passion and the beauty of southern dialect – touched me in the deep recesses of a heart that was moments from a rhythm-less beat. Sixty-two words on the first page of… Read More Black Girl Lit: The Beauty of Literature
A black man with an afro, undeniable credentials and hip-hop knowledge was being brought into the national spotlight. This was a moment worth celebrating. But I’m quickly realizing that most other black folks aren’t fans of Touré or his work.… Read More The Love-Hate Complexities of Touré
I traveled to Savannah, Georgia on October 1, 2011 with eight other Bennett College students. Under normal circumstances, it would have been exciting to journey to a locale I have never visited, but this was not an ordinary trip. We left before sunrise in a school-issued van full of luggage, iPods and emotions. After traveling… Read More Too Much Doubt
Despite all of the shortcomings, there is something special about Bennett. It doesn’t have the prestige of Hampton, the bourgeoisie of Howard or the glitz of Florida A&M; but black women are educated and celebrated here and there is no greater experience in the world.… Read More Celebrating “A Different World”
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