You may have heard of Charlie’s Angels but those skinny white chicks ain’t got nothing on my big sisters, the amazing daughters of Ida Mae Turner Lakins, whom I affectionately refer to (at least in my head) as Ida’s Angels. Thirty years ago she gave them the extraordinary task to not only go out in…
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B.Y.O.G.: Bring Your Own Greatness
One of the challenges of being the youngest of nine siblings is that I have ALWAYS looked up to other people to have the answers. Before I even THINK about trusting myself to have the key or the best solution, I just know that someone older, richer, wiser, whiter, bigger, or seemingly more talented than…
Lean On Me, Sister
I had the pleasure of catching up with one of my best friends on Easter Sunday right before I began my current job. We hadn’t seen each other in some time so it was great to hear about how she was balancing things with her career, her marriage, and being a Mommy to two beautiful…
One Bad Alto and God’s Grace
One of my favorite singers in the world is a woman from one of my home churches in Baltimore named Sheila Thomas. Sis. Sheila wasn’t one of those emotional singers who wailed and sweated or reared back when she hit a good note or even closed her eyes if the song got real good to…
Getting Over New York
Anyone within a 10-mile radius of me in the last decade has probably heard me wax quite poetic about my desire to become the next Susan Taylor in the editorial world. (If you don’t know about the AWESOMENESS that is Susan Taylor, the former, fantabulous editor-in-chief of Essence, I need you to stop reading this…
The Complicated Song of America
Like most people, I find it very difficult to wrap my mind around senseless acts of violence like the bombing at the Boston Marathon yesterday. While I offer my deepest prayers and condolences, sometimes it just doesn’t feel like enough. That’s when I just have to dig in a little deeper and trust that even…
Confidence is a MotherF*&%$@
(For all my sanctified friends, please get to the end of the post before you start praying for me. Well, pray for me anyway, but just pretend I didn’t start a blog post with an abbreviated curse word for the next 10 minutes. ) One of my favorite moments of my 30s thus far was…
Choose Your Own Adventure
In a few days, I will be taking on my fourth career opportunity, and I cannot explain how super, wicked excited I am. I even started lining up my outfits for the first week. (I’m totally in my new kid on the first day of school mode!). While most of the feedback I have gotten…
Running Down a Dream with Tom Petty
In a normal world, good Apostolic-raised girls like me and Tom Petty don’t mix. But that all changed for me in the Summer of 2002. I was a freshly minted, Morgan State University graduate, and I was cutting my editing teeth at a six-month internship in at the National Education Association. I was enjoying the…
Sanctuary 3B at 1703
As a lifelong church girl, most of spiritual experiences have taken place within the confines of a traditional sanctuary. As I became older and began to see God in different ways, I learned that I could create a space for God to dwell whenever and with whomever I choose. I discovered the power and the…
7 Adventurous Things Every Black Person Should Do
Last week I decided to treat myself to a trip to a local mecca of pleasure in the DC Metro area called Spa World. This little slice of heaven features seven different poultice room, several dry and wet saunas, various body and spa treatments, and the piece de resistance—wide-open bathing pools that all patrons must…
Before Livvy and Fitz, My Thursday Nights Belonged to Cosby
I know everybody is sad that “Scandal” won’t be on for another three weeks. (Damn you, Shonda Rhimes, for leaving us strung out on these streets like crack fiends!) But way before Olivia and Fitz were heating up our Thursday nights, there was another groundbreaking, black television show that reshaped how we saw ourselves and…
The Ink Well 