Every year, our oldest daughter Nia prepares weeks in advance for the first day of school. The backpack jammed full of notebooks and school supplies waits by the door, her new outfit is assembled nearby and she’s eager to meet her new teacher, familiar classmates and the challenges of a higher grade. Aside from the… Continue reading Sugar, Spice & Navigating” Nice”: Raising Well-Balanced Girls
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 Call It A Comeback: The Worrisome Case & Conduct Of Anthony Weiner
When the news first broke that the seven-term U.S. Representative sent “explicit” messages and photos of himself to an adult female Twitter follower and other women “over the last three years,” the then 46-year-old newlywed and expectant father recanted earlier denials of his salacious misconduct and resigned the following month.
Action, Not Avoidance: Keeping Kids Away From Bullies And Bullying
Back in February, I expounded on discovering that my then first-grader, Nia, was being bullied by a transfer student I referred to as “Eric.” After discovering that his misbehavior was escalating instead of improving, I had a phone conference with Nia’s homeroom teacher and was advised that the issue would soon be resolved. However, despite… Continue reading Action, Not Avoidance: Keeping Kids Away From Bullies And Bullying
The Trayvon Letters, Pt. 2: Attack The Messenger, Blame The Victim
I knew that I was wading into instant drama when I wrote and submitted my post-‘verdict’ Trayvon Martin column. I had written of race issues before as a Briefing columnist, and as a Black woman who’s lived in the South for most of her life, I was certainly aware that the status quo of “white… Continue reading The Trayvon Letters, Pt. 2: Attack The Messenger, Blame The Victim
The Zimmerman Verdict: Unfettered Racism, Unequal Justice
Sunday’s weather was overcast and turbulent, the clouds obscuring any presence of brightness and creating an atmosphere weighted with tension and gloom. Normally, I enjoy summer storms. But this time, the tempest overhead was a fitting backdrop underscoring the sadness I felt as an American and a Black parent after jurors found George Zimmerman ‘not… Continue reading The Zimmerman Verdict: Unfettered Racism, Unequal Justice