It is Black History Month. Black. History. Month. With all of the craziness that is coming out of Washington, this fact has been overshadowed. The only acknowledgements from our new administration have been about the great things that Frederick Douglass is doing nowadays and the misspelling of W.E.B. duBois's name in a tweet from the Department of Education no less. But listen, it isn't the government's responsibility to instill in our children the history that is ours. The responsibility … Read More »
“Different” Baby Names: Parents’ Choice, Child’s Burden?
Last night’s episode of ABC’s Black-ish gave “mainstream” America a peak into a rarely seen or discussed conversation that takes place in Black households: The Name Game. Depending on how many generations are involved in this process, it can be simple or result in the expectant mother receiving a storm of phone calls and messages with… “Alisha! I KNOW you and Kevin ain’t gonna name that baby KEVILISHA!” But they will. Because it’s “cute.” Because Kevilisha was made out of love between Alisha and … Read More »
Dear Daughters: 10 Important Lessons in Self-Love
As parents, especially mothers, we have a checklist of attributes we want our daughters to have. Speaking properly. Dressing properly. Presenting themselves well. Getting a great education. The list goes on and on. When we see girls and women who don't have these attributes, we are quick to diagnose the absence of these attributes as a reason for their questionable decisions. On the other hand, there are many girls and women whose parents seemingly did "everything right" and when something … Read More »
Dear Daughter: “Black is Beautiful” Doesn’t Mean Everyone Else is Ugly.
This weekend, for my twentieth reunion from Spelman, I got a super-cute t-shirt from Procter and Gamble's My Black is Beautiful campaign in my swag bag. From the moment my twelve year-old saw the t-shirt she was in love with it. It is a simple black tee with white writing..."My Black is Beautiful." Simple and harmless enough, right? No. On the Monday after the reunion, my daughter asked me to wear the shirt to school. I threw a tantrum. It is mine. I hadn't even worn it yet. It still … Read More »
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