How Alvin Ailey Restored Me
I’ve been struggling. Struggling to stand against the weight of the anti-; the anti-this; and anti-that; and the anti-all things in America that I thought were stable, good, wonderful, beautiful, different. I am a firm believer in the importance of positive energy and I believe in hope. I am still hopeful, but I’m sad. I’m […]
“In some small way:” There is no MLK Day without Coretta Scott King
Coretta Scott King was a Blackwildgirl: A woman with incredible persistence, purpose, passion, determination, conviction, with a fierce and unwavering commitment to justice and love. Just over a year after Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination, Coretta Scott King wrote a book about his life and her life in June 1969. My book is signed by […]
Batiste’s Bastardization and Blackenization of Beethoven
Though bastardization is traditionally associated with someone or something negative, I’m using it in thetraditional Black way, like when we say, “you bad,” it means, “You are really good.” That’s kinda thebeauty of Black culture and Black language, and the power of corrupting traditional understandings andmeanings of words. I didn’t know if Blackenization was a […]
“I question America” Fannie Lou Hamer
“Actually, the world and America is upset and the only way to bring about a change is to upset it more.” – Fannie Lou Hamer Because historical context matters. I have admired Fannie Lou Hamer from the first time I learned about her, during a Black History class at the University of Iowa. I learned […]
Blackwildgirl’s 20 lessons learned about book publishing and marketing
Blackwildgirl’s 20 lessons learned about book publishing and marketing Is 2025 the year you write the book you have been dreaming about? Do you have a book that you have written that is about to get published in 2025? I hope these reflections about the lessons I learned about book publishing and marketing while publishing […]
2025: A BlackWildGoddess Year
I’m thinking about 2025. It is just around the corner. 2024 was a Blackwildgirl year, a year of launching Blackwildgirl, and thinking about the little girl I was and still am in many ways. Yet while I hold on and cherish my little Blackwildgirl, I want to step even more into my destiny as Blackwildgoddess. […]
Symbolism and Representation: OJ Simpson and UnitedHealthcare CEO
I have been thinking about response to the murder of the UnitedHealthcare CEO. The NY Times refers to the response as “a torrent of hate.” Perhaps more accurately, other references refer to the response as “backlash, anger, and frustration.” The shooting happened the same day I was having a conversation with my daughter about a […]
Why We Must Heed Mary McLeod Bethune’s Advice
I had the pleasure recently of reading “A Passionate Mind in Relentless Pursuit: The Vision of Mary McLeod Bethune” by Noliwe Rooks. I have literally loved Mary Mcleod Bethune since I was a child. I have a book printed in 1975 when I was 8 years old. I remember getting the book at the school […]
Translating Anger Into Action: Blackwildgirl Audre Lorde’s Inspiration
Reflections inspired by a true Blackwildgirl, Audre Lorde. “Girl, it is better to speak. For you are still here. Still alive. Still with words. Still with words. Still with words that want so urgently and insistently to be written, to be spoken, to have impact.” Menah Pratt (Blackwildgirl). This coming week, I am delivering the […]
Lessons Learned from a Blackwildgirl Year!
I had the privilege of having an American Council on Education Leadership Year Experience. It is called a fellowship, but I’m trying to move away from male-centered language, so I’m calling it a leadership year. The leadership year was an opportunity to step away from the beautiful, pristine, idyllic and predominantly White community of Blacksburg, […]