Today my family drove across the historic Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, Alabama. Today we buried my older brother, my father’s namesake. So much weight, so many thoughts about blood. Blood carries life. It tells its story. It carries history. It guards. Blood recognizes the unfamiliar, the thing that threatens its being and instinctively protects….
Rest in peace Fred Jr.
On conquering the “I don’t want to” blues
My dad has given me more than a few aphorisms to guide me through life. He really is the wisest man I know. Something he’s repeatedly told me that I’ve been trying to earnestly put into action again is to not wallow in that “ugh” feeling of not wanting to do something. He told me…
Because it’s black history month…
A few years ago, artist Renda Writer wrote ‘Black Lives Matter’ approximately two thousand times on the back wall of the N’Namdi Center for Contemporary Art in Detroit. Because it’s Black history month and that undeniably includes the BLM movement, I’m writing it two thousand more times. You know, louder…. for the people in the back….
Every Woman: Renee
A friend of a friend, that’s how I met Renee Pitter some years ago. My initial impression of her was that she was a no nonsense type of woman with perfect eyebrows. We saw each other on occasion throughout the years at birthday celebrations, or if our mutual friend (who moved out of town) came…
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. day and have a lovely week…
Happy Monday and happy Martin Luther King Jr. day! Today we reflect on his powerful, eloquent gift. His historic, monumental service. His undying legacy. In reflection, here’s his very brilliant (and perpetually relevant) 1967 ‘The Other America’ speech at Stanford: “Now there are several things that one could talk about before such a large, concerned,…
How hard did aging hit you?
I don’t think I have ever done a social media challenge. I’ve never done one of those viral games, name tests, personality quizzes, “what would you look like as a cartoon,” “what would you look like with a different hair color,” “load 9 pics of yourself and tag 10 other women to do the same”…