Category: Uncategorized
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What if it all works out?
When my brother Tommy became a police officer, he was only nineteen. My father, born in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, is an Air Force veteran who rose through the ranks in the NYPD. He is a tough dude. With a strong family history of military and law enforcement, the decision for my brother to join the NYPD…
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Rest & Reclaim
A few months ago, a friend and I decided to plan a retreat – specially designed for busy women of color as a reminder to rest and reclaim themselves from the relentlessness of the daily grind. We named it Rest & Reclaim and opened it up to 15 women. It sold out within 2 days…
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Legacy
Last week, my family and I said goodbye to my grandfather just a week shy of his 100th birthday. I didn’t know him well – he lived hundreds of miles away when I was growing up, and my dad is one of ten so I am one of many, many (many) grandkids. But every action…
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Reflections on the CROWN Act
Like so many Black women, my hair journey has been a winding road. My hair has accessorized every phase of my growth from Jheri curls in Kindergarten (thanks again for that, Mom 🥴) to long box braids in college to processed, straight hair in my twenties. No choice, however, proved to be as significant and…
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Thank you, Judy
I walked into my first job interview holding a Sprite can. My hair was spray dyed blue, I wore shorts I cut with scissors, and I giggled before answering each question. Judy, my prospective boss, stared at me over the rim of her glasses sizing me up. The look she gave me was a mixture…
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What is Meant to Be, Will Be
When I was a baby lawyer, I had the honor of working with an intern who was attending law school at night. He was a father, a husband, and worked full time as a court officer. You only had to spend five minutes with him to know one day he was going to also be…
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Value the Quiet Ones
I remember getting feedback from a colleague once that I was too quiet in a meeting. I was new the team and the dynamics were even newer to me. I pride myself on listening first when I enter new setting because I’ve rushed to formulate opinions in the past and it frustrated my learning. This…
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28 years, 28 lessons
Four years ago today, I woke up with my face smushed inside my elbow on my mother’s light oak kitchen table in Queens wondering if the previous ten hours had been a dream. My head hurt and old tears stained my face. There was a knock at the door. I wiped the residues of my hour of sleep…
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An Open Letter to My Beautiful Brown Son for Mother's Day
Hey there folks! I am so pleased to share an open letter I wrote to my son is in the Huffington Post. It was such a beautiful Mother’s Day gift to see the letter in print! I poured my heart and soul into these words and fully intend to share it with all my boys when they…
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I am loved! Positive Affirmations For Our Children
Guess what?! My latest novel, I am loved! Positive Affirmations For Our Children is available today, January 10, 2017 for pre-order on Amazon Kindle! It features a collection of positive affirmations designed to be read aloud with your favorite tiny human. This book is personal for me. It is a collection of things I tell…