“I done my best, that’s all”: Farewell Cicely Tyson, 1924 – 2021

“I am alive because of the blood of proud people who never scraped or begged or apologized for what they were. They lived asking only one thing of this world—-to be allowed to be.”    Those words were part of the dialogue spoken by Mrs. Browne, the mother of a naive and stubbornly independent daughter,… Continue reading “I done my best, that’s all”: Farewell Cicely Tyson, 1924 – 2021

‘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