Blogs

Despite the surreal and the tragic this year, there were many things that gave me hope, made me feel good, and inspired me to give a shout-out to the fabulous souls that made life a little sweeter for me. Here are just a few of the highlights of 2017 for me: I discovered Audible! As a result, I “read” so many wonderful books! I’m giving high fives to my three favorites: Trevor No...

Last night, women came together as a community and made something great happen: We scored an upset victory in Alabama for a candidate who stands for equality, decency and respect for women and for all people. And black women led the way—98% voted for Jones. But Alabama is just the latest thing that’s got me worshipping and rooting for women recently. We are brilliant, we are powerful,...

The holiday season is officially kicking into high gear: Cue up the articles and shows about how to survive our family gatherings. After all, progressive Paul and conservative Carla who haven’t spoken since the presidential election last year will be there; Uncle Joe will surely have some racist and homophobic jokes to share; Lilly, fresh from her college feminism course, will be at the ...

My dad is 92 years old. He grew up in Farmville, Virginia, and served in two wars, in two different branches of the armed services: In the Air Force at the tail end of World War II and in the army during the Korean War. Dad has dementia now, and stays at a lovely senior home with a memory unit. I do a lot of traveling during the week, but I visit him almost every Sunday with my mom, his...

Book news! I’m thrilled to be included in the book The Guide for White Women Who Teach Black Boys, by Eddie Moore, Jr., Ali Michael, and Marguerite W. Penick-Parks, just published by Corwin. What follows is an excerpt adapted from the chapter where I share my experiences as the mother of a black son—now an amazing black man—during his school years. Let Me Tell How School Started for M...