It is good to get away from familiar surrounds from time to time. I’m not advocating that a decision to skip town a week before finals is the wisest choice, but a change is necessary to bring a distorted vision back into “reality.” I have been hiding out in Chicago with my brother and his family for the holiday, which consist of a five-year-old boy and three-year-old “princess.”

And to bring life back into perspective, it is best to surround yourself [...]

Is “black” at true state of “being”?

I had a conversation with a friend a few weeks back about why black people in America seem to be compounded with problems every generation. From slavery, to Jim Crow, to Civil Rights, to destructive images (aka: coonery in entertainment), to police brutality, to being one of the most unhealthy groups in America, when will this ish end?

According to Locke’s social contract theory, in the “heuristic examination” of the human condition, termed the “state [...]

I have been away for a good while. I guess the reason lies somewhere in between not knowing what to write and sheer laziness. Now that school is in full effect, I find myself selfishly taking advantage of every minute of free time to do anything that prevents my mind from going into overdrive (ie – sleeping, eating, playing online monopoly, listening to music). But by no means has there been a lack of topics or “life happenings” to write [...]

Every summer, when the temperature increases a few notches, the clothes become more scarce, the skin gets browner, the hair reverts back to the natural curl, a new season of possibility dawns. From summer vacations, to summer jobs – it is a time to meet new people, visit new places, try new things.

This summer I traveled to the motherland for the first time, specifically, Cape Town, South Africa. Of course, it was no accident that I chose to do [...]

Time to kick back and relax. I can’t explain why, but summer always makes me feel good. I love not having to stay up to do classwork, being able to roam the city without a jacket, not rushing to anywhere in particular on the weekends, and of course, I love summer luv (or at least the hope).

The Making of “Everything in Time” from DJ Center on Vimeo.

The dead horse has been kicked one more time. I was reading an article about “why can’t a successful black women find a man” and I think this article really hit the nail on the head. Here are five points from the article: (Click here for the full article.)

Below is the text of the article in part:

1. It Takes Two to Tango. This ”epidemic” is not about black women. If black women are single and looking for love, then guess [...]

One more Sunday in Fort Washington,
Hear the whole creation shouting, “Praise the Lord!”
See them flinging out their palms
While the congregation says, “Amen.”

One more Sunday in Fort Washington
Here, the whole of creation shouting, “Praise the Lord!”
See them fling out their hands
While the congregations say, “Amen.”

Young folks, robed and in the choir
They sing merrily about the Golden Rule
Old folks, sitting in the congregation
They sing worshiping the Holy One

One more Sunday in Fort Washington,
Don’t you dare miss this sight to see,
Heads covered by [...]

I worked for homeless services in NY for 2.5 years. During that time, I had the honor of meeting some of the brightest, and darkest, minds. I had various encounters with homeless men and women from all walks of life: an Afro-Cuban man with a degree in mechanical engineering;  a graduate from Fordam Law School who had a successful real estate law practice; a man who was a famous jazz musician; the mother of an extremely famous NFL player; a [...]