Throughout history, several authoritarian and totalitarian governments solidified the power of their leaders by developing what is called a “cult of personality.” A cult of personality can be described as a collective positive perception of a political figure that’s built out of unwavering praise and propaganda in that figure’s favor. They are grounded in fanfare […]
May marks not only the beginning of warmer weather in the metropolitan area, but it also represents a time to heighten our awareness around crucial issues affecting the youth. National Teen Self-Esteem Month gives youth and adults time to think deeply about the importance of having self-esteem as a teen, and how to potentially heighten
National Teen Self-Esteem Month: Paving The Way To a Brighter Future Read More »
Being that the month of May is both Mental Health Awareness Month and the lesser-known National Teen Self-Esteem Month, there’s perhaps no better time to pay special attention to the mental health situations of ourselves, our loved ones, our friends and our youth. This May, as was the case with the last three, is an
Mental Health Awareness Month: What’s Wrong and What We Can Do Read More »
With May saluting health, women, and mothers around the world, I wanted to interview my mom, as it’s been a bit of a difficult month for our family. As an educator and the head of her household, she’s carried the heavy weight of maintaining her responsibilities and independence for much of her life. If her
What’s Happening Steven Eugene Washington, a Black man with autism, was only twenty-seven years old when a Los Angeles Police Department officer gunned him down in the streets of Koreatown. According to the resulting police report, the unarmed Washington was initially approached by two officers in a police vehicle in response to a loud noise
The “system” spoken of in the term “systemic oppression” is a devilishly intricate piece of machinery. In the American sense, it was forged from several centuries’ worth of enslaving, lynching, miseducating, litigating, suppressing, redistricting, policing, and a litany of further -ings that I haven’t the time nor the energy to list. It is the time-tested
America’s unappreciated hero is the Black woman. Often celebrated for being the first willing to protect, care, and give, the mental wellness of Black women is frequently corrupted by a false sense of autonomy – that everything maneuvered must be done so alone. Calling attention to how far we need to continue progressing doesn’t take
Analyzing Insecurities that Plague Black Girls Looking into the mirror is getting easier. Though I can’t say I don’t still nitpick, it used to be worse for me. From the time I became able to distinguish the difference between the childlike innocence of spotting what made me different from other kids, and the desire to
In my previous post entitled Retiring While Black, I shared how Black people fare in terms of retirement readiness. I revealed, although no surprise, that Black people face more obstacles than white people when it comes to retirement readiness and retiring without debt. In this post, I want to discuss how to retire not in
Ready, set, go! Well, after 43 years of being a public servant, I finally hit the button and submitted my notification to retire! Is there more I can contribute to the workplace? Yes. Am I really ready to retire? I believe so. Emotionally, yes. Financially? Hmmm. Since the onset of the pandemic, there has been
