Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers Basketball I’ve been waiting for the smoke to clear or perhaps more accurately the purple and gold commercialism haze of all things Kobe Bryant to subside before I shared my thoughts regarding the basketball legends passing. Given America’s capitalistic fascination with the death of Kobe Bryant and our moth to a ... [Continue Reading]
I Have A Dream. What’s Yours?
I Have A Dream. What's Yours? Today the Nation celebrates the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I’m going to skip extolling his historical importance; there are other people more adept at doing that. I also have no intention of providing an overview of the way he continues to contribute to the fabric of America. Again, I’ll leave that to the ... [Continue Reading]
Up Daddy, Daddy Up!
Up Daddy, Daddy Up! “Up Daddy, Daddy up!” It seems only a short while ago when I heard that expression daily. When Naeem was a toddler, and an obstruction to his vision existed, he would exclaim emphatically, “Up Daddy, Daddy up!” “Up Daddy, Daddy up” meant that he wanted me to pick him up. “Up Daddy, Daddy up” was my little prince’s ... [Continue Reading]
An Extraordinary Imagination Made Him Run Before He Walked
A month or so before Naeem’s first birthday, I was feeling a bit like a lousy parent. My son hadn’t learned to walk. Sure, like most toddlers Naeem could take a few steps on his own, but he couldn’t take many. Each attempt to walk began with him standing up confidently and taking a few short steps, but before you could blink your eyes, he would ... [Continue Reading]
Help With A Kid To Get To Yale?
Yale University Season's Greetings and Happy Holidays! I hope you had a great 2018 and you are preparing to have an extraordinary 2019. Speaking of ending 2018 and planning for 2019, during the Holiday break I received an email titled “Help With A Kid to Get to Yale?” When I first saw the title of the email, I assumed it was a request for ... [Continue Reading]
My Father’s Footlocker
My father passed on Sunday, May 13th. For the last twenty-five years or so, my father and I were mostly estranged. Including family gatherings like funerals and weddings, the number of times that I saw or spoke to my father could probably be counted on one hand. For as long as I can remember the feelings I felt about my father were best summed ... [Continue Reading]
Give Me My Flowers
“Give Me My Flowers”, a song performed by the late Reverend James Cleveland, has crossed my mind quite a bit lately. If you’ve never heard “Give Me My Flowers”, click here to listen. “Give Me My Flowers” “Give Me My Flowers” is an encouraging reminder for all of us to stop taking life and the existence of those whom we profess to care about and ... [Continue Reading]
Another School Shooting, Rinse and Repeat
When I think of the most recent school shooting, I find myself also thinking about a time long ago when I had hair. Yep, there was a time when I was not follicly challenged. Back in the good old days, the days when I had flowing locks, I remember buying shampoo and conditioner to wash and condition my high-top fade. It’s been nearly twenty ... [Continue Reading]
Keep Your Eyes on the Prize
The other afternoon while I was talking to a friend whose child is suffering injustice at his high school, I remembered a magazine query I responded to a short while ago. The inquiry asked, “What do you say to a child when the child doesn’t like their teacher?” In my friend’s son’s case, I suggested to him that he follow the same course of action I ... [Continue Reading]
Beware of the Fake News About Good Parents
What if I told you much of what you hear about parenting is not true? Fake News! What if I told you the color of one’s skin, race, creed or national origin has no predictive value on their potential to be a good parent? Fake News! What if I told you that neither gender, class, or socioeconomic status guarantee that one is more or less likely to ... [Continue Reading]
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