Since I returned to working full-time, mornings are best to connect one-on-one with the girls. As they shower, dress, and prepare for school, Nia and Layla fill me in about new assignments, upcoming field trips and the fun things that happen during the week. So when the terrifying stories of school shootings were reported—–one happening… Continue reading “This could have been avoidable……There were SO MANY signs.”
Category: DMN Briefing Columns
Weekly published columns that appear in Friday’s paper version of Briefing and online @dallasnews.com/local voices, make sure you check for the new ones on Saturdays to add your .02 :)
‘Don’t Ever Bring No Nappy-Headed Black Girl To My House!’: The Corrosive Effects of Colorism
Picture it: Verizon Theatre, February 2015. The air was crisp and the roads were icy, but the weather was all but forgotten when I witnessed one of my favorite performers, Diana Ross, live on stage. It wasn’t my first time at the venue or even my first time seeing a superstar, but the concert did… Continue reading ‘Don’t Ever Bring No Nappy-Headed Black Girl To My House!’: The Corrosive Effects of Colorism
“Now You’re In ‘The Sunken Place”…..
Raise your hand if, like me, you saw the 2017 film Get Out. Posited as a horror film and illustrating the psychological effects of cultural marginalization and genocide with a modern twist, Get Out was one of the year’s blockbuster hits and made a one-man cultural phenomenon out of its writer and director, comedian Jordan… Continue reading “Now You’re In ‘The Sunken Place”…..
“I Simply Remember My Favorite Things….”
Earlier this month, Nia sung in a Christmas program at Lakeview Centennial High School with her middle school choir, contributing to a blissful hour filled of traditional hymns, holiday poems and one of the all-time classics, “My Favorite Things.” When Nia first brought the lyrics home to practice, I couldn’t resist sharing the rendition that… Continue reading “I Simply Remember My Favorite Things….”
“If the allegations are true….that ain’t cool.”
Ever since last October’s allegations of sexual harassment sent the career of Hollywood titan Harvey Weinstein into a nosedive, politicians and celebrities alike have witnessed their behaviors—-past and present—- held to higher levels of scorn and scrutiny. Images and ‘receipts’ make it harder for “good ol’ boys” and “business as usual,” because in the social… Continue reading “If the allegations are true….that ain’t cool.”