Ho, ho, ho, Friends! The rainy season is here (unless you’re in South Africa, where it’s summer) and the season of ChrisKwaHannuFestivus is upon us! Formerly known as ChrismaKwanzaHannukah, ChrisKwaHannuFestivus is a celebration for those of us who do not discriminate against any of the holidays that traditionally take over the month of December. It […]
We are introduced to the power of music from our infancy, cautioned about it in our religious lives, rendered mesmerized by its power in our private moments. “Scientists” have long convinced expecting mothers that by exposing their babies to classical music from Back and Brahms, they will exponentially increase the intelligence of that child. Pastors […]
I know, I know! I promised in the Spring that I would not discuss Ghana politics, particularly since a sizable chunk of the MOM Squad is not Ghanaian. You guys have to give me a pass on this one. I beg you. This is an issue that has been burning on my heart for the […]
I gave birth to my eldest daughter 9 weeks premature. Her early delivery by C-section was the result of external factors plaguing me; mainly stress. Between the numerous healthcare professionals, well-wishers and hospital cleaners, I was also visited by a number of consultants: lactation, AM Care, etc. However one of these professionals was not on […]
Corn cobs Yams Super glue No, these are not the ingredients for an abstract art project. These are just a few of the visual props used in Nnenna Marcia’s hilarious, disturbing and erotically bent book of short stories titled “West Africa Hot”. (If you haven’t picked it up yet because you’ve never heard of it, […]
It always starts with a meme, doesn’t it? Memes are easily digestible. Men, who on average use 13,000 fewer words a day than women, find their brevity delightful… even instructive at times. Some think a meme tells the whole picture. (*whispers* It doesn’t.) Meme-based manhood is going to render a lot of dudes frustrated in […]
“Mommy. NOBODY likes me.” My sister stiffened at the declaration. Her son is five, and is the only minority in his Fairfax county kindergarten classroom. Standing at no more than 38” and weighing about the same in pounds, Aiden is one of the smaller children in his age group. He is a jumble of emotions […]
The entertainment industry is a lot like a gladiator melee: movement at light speed, shouting, blood, gore and backstabbing….and that’s just behind the scenes. The gloss we see on screen is the result of many sleepless nights, coercion and egos bruised and bent to until they fall in line with management’s personal vision. And then […]
We live in the digital age, and we consume much more news and information than our fore bearers just a generation ago did. Studies have revealed that we are assaulted with 174 newspapers worth of data, and that we receive five times more information than we did in 1986. If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed by […]
“I think Rae Dawn Chong is the only black woman to fly a plane in a crunch time situation.” “Who?” “Rae Dawn Chong. You know…with the curly hair?” “Is she Chinese? Her last name is ‘Chong’…” “Babe. Tommy Chong is her dad. Cheech and Chong?” Marshall grabs his iPhone and sets about Googling. He has […]
It was 11:34 am and time to leave the hospital. The nurses had been wonderful, the delivery without complication. It was time to take Baby home. But Tope couldn’t decide between the three coming home outfits she’d narrowed down from ten others she’d shopped for over the course of the past 9 months. Her husband, […]
Akumaa Mama Zimbi describes herself as a women’s rights leader, an actress and radio and TV show host. She is a prolific tweeter with over 11K followers who hang on to her every word…words that generally admonish (and shame) women for having sex outside of marriage. And I look forward to her tweets. Don’t get […]
On October 12th, most of America marked Columbus Day by shutting down all federal holidays and grieving parents with the closure of school. As a child, I loved Columbus Day. I was completely committed to the narrative that I had been sold by my elementary school teacher: That Christopher Columbus had sailed to America, discovered […]
Do you remember watching Mad Max when you were a kid (or young adult, if my dad is reading today) and thinking to yourself “Ah, ah. Is this Earth? Why are these people so cruel, selfish and reckless? More importantly, why are they dressed like this?” Everyone was attired as if scurvy had switched its […]
Something happened to me at work this wee that I thought would be best re-told in rhyme. *Sigh*. Here goes…. ***** I work part time at a retail store Because I love shoes and things covered in rhinestone It’s also so that I can […]
Yaa Asantewaa, Queen Mother of Ejisu and holder of 157 other titles. If you don’t know her name, you must live in a Hobbit hole devoid of books or access to the internet. She’s part of the Sovereign Women’s Pan African Council; up there with Queen Nzingha and Queen Nandi and Harriet Tubaman n’ dem. […]
Greetings, saints. I won’t be keeping you long today because I actually have to work on a book of short stories exclusively written for a certain sister of mine, so brevity will have to be the order of the day. Do you consider Black women to be funny? No, seriously…think about it. Can/are Black women […]
Note: The article that spawned this rejoinder originally appeared in the Independent, a British online publication. I was content to give the content a pass and chalk it up to White People Whiting. After all, the piece was written right on schedule. Every quarter, we Africans are subjected to a written work that describes us […]
It’s always a low point on my Sunday when a pastor or Bishop or Archbishop goes into a tirade about hemlines at some point in his message. This happens week after week at Any Church, globally. My own house of worship is not immune to this scourge. Nevertheless, as a “devoted” member of my congregation, […]
It’s Monday morning and two days before the official beginning of Fall. I won’t be keeping you for very long, MOM Squad. Like you, I have coffee to procure and a wardrobe that needs rotating. Before I begin, I want to send hugging and high five vibrations to Viola Davis for being the first Black […]
I consider myself a woman of average intelligence, so I am a bit perplexed that I spent the entire night pondering the question posed by this brother. These are the sentiments shared online that cause me no shortage of gratitude to no longer be counted among the dating population. The question posed is “what expectations […]