She’s Gotta Have It

In November Netflix premiered a series based on Spike Lee’s original film She’s Gotta Have It. I’m a huge fan of Spike Lee’s work. Malcolm X, Do the Right Thing, School Daze, and He Got Game are a handful of my personal favorites. I watched his film She’s Gotta Have It for the first time awhile back this year, and I thought it was interesting. The basis of the film is about a young woman named, Nola Darling, who can’t figure out what kind of guy she wants to date, so she dates three (very different guys – a goofball, a put-together guy and a narcissist) all at once, and also has a brief fling with a woman, while figuring out what it is she’s looking for. Fast forward to now and the series on Netflix? Bold. And…

Brilliant.

Creative.

Smart.

Funny.

Informative.

Thought Provoking.

When I heard a series was coming out – I honestly wasn’t interested. But before I knew it, I finished the series in two days. I can’t deny that what Spike Lee has done with this new version of Nola Darling is unbelievable. Nola Darling is smart, beautiful, complicated, sexually liberated, and indecisive and an incredibly gifted artist. The Nola from the original film even made a cameo in one of the episodes, which was cool too. The series is very well-written, the music set to the different episodes is on point, and the diverse and well-written characters and dialogue, in addition to the setting in New York City, all come together to tell real and powerful stories about a young woman in search of love, success and self-expression and discovery. It’s amazing.

The Day I Became A Kidney Donor

About a year ago, I had a dream my dad wanted to talk to our family about something serious. I wasn’t sure what he wanted to discuss, but I knew it was something I needed to prepare myself for. Around the time after I had this dream, I remember stopping by my parents place and sensing something was going on that they weren’t telling me. I tried to dismiss what I’d been feeling, but I couldn’t shake it. Something serious was happening. As I returned to my home after visiting them one day, I was in my kitchen washing dishes when a heaviness hit my heart like nothing I’d ever felt before. Something’s wrong with dad. That’s what that dream was about. God, what’s going on? As I continued washing dishes, I started crying and praying. Then in mid-spring, my dad held an unexpected family meeting that would change all our lives forever. He hesitated at first, and as his voice started cracking and he started crying, he said, “Well, I wanted to talk to ya’ll to tell you that I have kidney disea...

I’m Glad I’m Not Married

When I was about five years old, I was sitting in the backseat of my dad’s car when me, him, my older cousin (my aunt’s son), and my aunt (my dad’s sister) caught my aunt’s fiancé with another woman. My dad had been driving my aunt out to run some errands since she didn’t have a driver’s license or a car. When she spotted her man with another woman, she told my dad to pull the car over, got out of the car, and immediately addressed him. She wanted the keys back to her apartment and was done with him. The other woman she caught her fiancé with slapped him when she realized what was happening, and that was that. When my aunt returned to the car, she was clearly and understandably upset, and the ride back to her place was quiet. Although I was too young to fully grasp what was happening at the time, I knew it wasn’t good. And now, at 34 years old, I can’t imagine how much pain she was in. Her wedding had been planned and paid for – and she never made it down the aisle. My aunt was a beaut...

Twenty Pieces Of Advice & Wisdom For The Twenty-Something Women Of The World

Years ago, a friend of mine asked me for advice regarding a life change she was considering. She explained her situation and shared, “I wanted to talk to you because you give really good advice.” I was flattered and surprised by her statement. Mostly because while I’ve been approached by family, friends, colleagues, different students I teach, and sometimes even strangers who have asked me for advice regarding whatever it was they happened to bring my way, some haven’t always listened and then proceeded to make regretful decisions that could have been avoided if they had listened to what I shared in the first place. And lately, a group that’s heavily been on my heart and mind are women in their twenties. I’m only 33 but I remember what it was like for my friends and me moving through our twenties. It wasn’t the easiest decade to navigate, and it certainly had its ups and downs, but armed with the experiences, advice, and wisdom I have now, there are definitely things I believe we ...

Making Waves