Prince – How Come You Don’t Call Me Tyrone Davis – If I Could Turn Back The Hands of Time Minnie Riperton – Back Down Memory Lane Mariah Carey – We Belong Together Pink – Who Knew (Live) I wouldn’t normally include Pink, however, she was under LaFace at the time and…she rocked. You endured…
Take All The Time You Need
What does that even mean? Take all the time you need. Take all the time I need? Take all the time? Take time that I need? Why do people say that is if Time is something they can give me. You’re benevolently allowing me time to take time. The time I need. Who the fuck…
I’ve Lost My Mother
I’ve lost my mother. I say that as if we were in the mall and I thought she was in one store but she is instead browsing another store. As if I can’t find her. I wish that were the case. I know exactly where she is. But still, I’ve lost my mother. But my…
Happy Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day is celebrated in some form in more than 40 countries across the world. It was created to honor mothers and motherhood. On Mother’s Day, the mother figure is given love, respect, and acknowledgement through celebration and gifts. In some traditions, wearing a pink or red carnation or flower represents a mother who is…
5 Black Christmas Songs From The Ladies
Here are five Black Christmas songs from women I’ve always enjoyed. These Black women bring soul and heart missing from mainstream Christmas songs. African-American Christmas songs are so important because they showcase our own unique spin on classics that we may not ordinarily enjoy. However you spend the holiday season, please be safe. Enjoy.
5 Black Christmas Songs From The Fellas
Family time is crucial this year more than ever. Being with family and friends, laughing and loving one another is vital to mental health and well-being. Here are some of the Christmas songs from Black men I’ve always enjoyed. African-American Christmas songs are so important because they showcase our own unique spin on classics that…
Giving Thanks
I have always thought of Thanksgiving as one of better socialized holidays. Not because of its white-washed history of the coming together of Native Americans and Colonizers to eat turkey. For African Americans, Thanksgiving is about getting together with friends and family. Thanksgiving is a time for family to talk, listen to music and dance,…
The Freedmen’s Bureau
The Freedmen’s Bureau was formally known as the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, and was established after the end of the Civil War. Initiated by President Abraham Lincoln, Congress established the Bureau on March 3, 1865 during the Reconstruction era. The purpose of the Freedmen’s Bureau was to assist the millions of newly…
Boogie Down Productions – My Philosophy
Some MC’s be talking and talkingTrying to show how black people are walkingBut I don’t walk this way to portrayOr reinforce stereotypes of todayLike all my brothers eat chicken and watermelonTalk broken english and drug sellingSee I’m telling, and teaching pure factsThe way some act in rap is kind of wackAnd it lacks creativity and…
Did They Buy The Terrorist Burger King?
Like they did Dylann Roof? Planning and carrying out a terrorist attack must be a stressful event. Forgetting to eat while planning to murder innocent victims must be addressed. Dylann Roof did extensive internet research including researching black churches. He conducted multiple trips to the Emanuel AME Church in the months before the massacre, planning…
Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
Speaking of the Oscars…let’s leave the slap heard (and seen) around the world alone for now. The Academy Awards aka The Movies Recognized By White People Award Show is no longer #OscarsSoWhite. Let’s take the time to recognize the youngest person ever nominated for the Best Actress Award. Quvenzhané Wallis at aged nine was nominated…
5 Black Health and Wellness Podcasts
Forget Joe Rogan. There is too little black representation in big podcast networks. I say this again because even while looking at the podcasts pages on streaming sites, those sites usually recommend top and/or similar podcasts that are hosted by white men and women. Listen to these black hosted podcasts speaking truth and realness in…
St. Elmo Brady, The “Other” Like No Other
Saint Elmo Brady (December 22, 1884 – December 25, 1966) was the first African-American person to receive a PhD in Chemistry in the United States. In an earlier post, we wrote about the first African-American woman to receive a PhD in Chemistry which you can read here. In 1916, St. Elmo Brady obtained a doctorate…
Removing the Mask
Since the start of the pandemic, I have enjoyed sheltering in place and working from home full-time. For the first time, I like many others experienced a true work-life balance. I loved not having a commute for work. I was ecstatic about not having to endure the mental and physical preparation of going into the…
We Celebrate Black History Month for 365 Days
Black History is American History. We celebrate our history every day of the year. From the time the first slave ship arrived on in this country, blacks have worked to build this country to what it is today. Black bodies funded the economy and our hands worked the land from cotton to vegetables. Our hands…
Dionne Warwick Is Solid Gold
Marie Dionne Warrick was born on December 12, 1940 and she is still on fire. Marie Warrick is better known as Dionne Warwick who is one of the most celebrated singers of the last 60 years. Her first solo single, “Don’t Make Me Over” was in 1962. She has since gone on to sell more…
5 Black Legal and Corporate Podcasts
Podcasting is no longer just for white men huddled in the basement ranting about the government. Podcasting has also become a way for black people to share their knowledge, thoughts, and experiences about everything from situationships to politics and everything in between. While NPR and others are great, there are times when I need to…
2022 Coronavirus Anthem
If you’re sick of ‘rona and you want to get away, put on Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now by McFadden & Whitehead and dance it out for five minutes. Repeat if necessary and it will be necessary. This classic Philly song masterpiece is filled with positivity and unity both which helps to get over the…
Marie Maynard Daly, Chemistry Pioneer
Marie Maynard Daly (April 16, 1921 – October 28, 2003) was the first African-American woman to receive a doctorate in Chemistry in the United States. She earned her Ph.D. at Columbia University in 1947. Marie Daly was an important contributor to the research and studies of cholesterol and the heart. Her studies also included researching…
Arthur Ashe, Tennis Legend and Champion
Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. (July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993) was a tennis legend and a champion of civil rights and equality. He won three Grand Slam titles, the US Open (1968), Australian Open (1970) and Wimbledon (1975). Arthur Ashe was the first African-American male to win the U.S. Open and Wimbledon singles titles….