“I can’t speak for the rest of Africa, but I can say for sure that in Ghana, we treat our women very badly.” My father had nosed his way into a conversation I was having with a childhood friend who had come to visit me a few years ago. I am always happy to have […]
There are always sirens blaring in Roswell. Fire trucks, police cars, security teams – whatever. So when I heard the tornado sirens I took note, but barely paid attention. My mind was fixed on something else. One of the managers had offered me extra hours at work, and you know how “we” are when it […]
This morning I woke up with hopeful exuberance. Ghana turned 56 years old at midnight, and even though the country still has many of the same challenges that it possessed on the eve of independence (and some our ancestors couldn’t have possibly imagined) I opened my eyes and imagined what the country might be in […]
When Lunks Don’t Know Their Locker Room Limits We’re going into MOM Mode tonight people. Get your sensory faculties screwed in tight! But before we dive into the pit, I need you to do something. Imagine you’ve got a fist full of cold, wet lotion seeping down your knuckles. Now rub your hands together furiously. […]
Women’s issues have been all over the global news lately. With headlines ranging from the horror of domestic violence to the struggles so-called ‘left over women’ in China, one can’t help but look at herself and ponder her place in the world and what society assumes that place is. In my circle, the issue of […]
Working in retail is a lot like holding position in public office. You have to have thick skin, be ever ready to face derision and scorn, but somehow feign appreciation for the maltreatment meted out to you. Of course, a politician’s six-figure salary compared to my $8/hour as a part time retail associate makes this […]
Rambro When Jamie Foxx was doing the media rounds and promotions for Django Unchained a few months ago, Bill O’Reilly – whom I am a huge fan of – went absolutely berserk when Foxx explained the plot of film. “But don’t worry,” Foxx said in conclusion. “I get my revenge and kill all the White […]
There’s nothing like the thought of losing your life to get you back on track, is there? Last week I found myself in agonizing pain. I had tremors in the night and frequently broke out into sweats. My throat was dry. My entire body was wracked with pain. And I had the sniffles. I instantly […]
I know this may come as a shock, but traveling without my children has been rather enjoyable. Shocking, I know. There were three legs to my journey to Ghana. I left Atlanta for Chicago at o’dark thirty in the morning on the first and met up with Pastor Kiki for breakfast and a short tour […]
I bade farewell to 2012 without giving much thought to what had transpired over the previous year. For the first time in recent memory, my thoughts were overwhelmingly focused on the future. 2012 was a year of high expectations – mainly of high expectations that I had set for myself. I expected to lose 80 […]
My Aunt Jane– and God bless her sixty-something year old soul – gives the worst Christmas gifts. It’s remarkable that she has been able to keep up this feat for over a decade. I have never had the heart to tell her that the majority of her carefully (or perhaps not so much so) selected […]
As a woman who checked out of popular culture after the birth of my second child 7 years ago, I am asking this question sincerely. It was then that I decided that I didn’t want my kids watching anything on TV or hearing anything on the radio that would demean them as little girls and […]
Ravi Zacharias once told a story about that I found hard to believe. He said when he was a young boy, his mother gave him a sweet treat and sent him outside to play. As he was walking down the sandy roads of his neighborhood, an eagle swooped down, clawed the side of his face, […]
You’ll have to forgive me MOM Squad, but the next few posts will be dedicated to retelling certain events from the Thanksgiving holiday. I know: how very passé. However it is in my best interest and yours as a reader for me to do so. A certain someone – who is probably slumped over a […]
I can’t afford to give you any background on this one folks. We’re going straight into M.O.M. Mode! Just buckle up and know that this is all based on true events. ***Lights fading out**** Abiola and Samantha were quiet for the most part of the 9 hour trip from Raleigh, NC to Huntsville, Al. It […]
*Warning. You already know what it is. You’re thinking it. I’m just saying it* Lawd have mercy. Maybe Mitt was on to something after all. Maybe it was all the color and infectious reverie on every set that had us blind to something more sinister on America’s gayest (i.e. happy) street. Perhaps we judged Mr. […]
I walked into the tail end of a conversation at work yesterday that left me annoyed, disturbed, and saddened. You meet all kinds of people in a retail environment, largely because the only requirement to work in retail is the possession of a functioning steady pulse. I guess I shouldn’t have been shocked by the […]
You know, sometimes I truly feel trapped by my culture. In my head and in my spirit, I have defined myself as an individual: a degreed Ghanaian-American with a family and goals of joining the literary elite. However when I step outside of the doors of my house – or venture into the world of […]
I’ve become something of a cynic when it comes to politics. I do not rejoice in my newly formed pessimistic attitude, but have decided that I must fully embrace it if I hope to have any peace where politics is concerned. There’s an old adage that says that laymen and everyday citizens should never see […]
Black death. Black plague. Black Wednesday. Black market. Black Sabbath. Black listed. Black hole. Black Monday. Black souls. Black sheep. Black mark. Black balled. …and little white lies. Oh dear. Anything “Black” looks mighty bad doesn’t it? Fortunately I’m not a Black woman. I’m Ghanaian-American. What are you?
Area boys are loosely organized gangs of street children and teenagers, composed mostly of males, who roam the streets of urban West African cities They extort money from passers-by, sell illegal drugs, act as informal security guards, and perform other “odd jobs” in return for compensation. Well, it’s all over now. No more knife […]