Celebrating Our Differences
Bradley University, class of 1971, represented the most significant number of black women enrolling at one time. Unless you came with a friend and requested her as a roommate, the university decided each black girl should have a white roommate. On the cusp of womanhood and away from…
Acculturation is the cultural modification of people by adapting to another culture. Growing up in Rockford, Illinois during the 50s, ’60s, and ’70s, black people were expected to change to housing, education, and employment settings designed for whites only. In the September 1949 issue of Life magazine, postwar Rockford was described…
As a young child, I was made aware of my heritage. My maternal grandmother is Mexican from the southwestern border of Arizona, and my maternal grandfather is Italian, a man from Pennsylvania, whose parents came from the tip of the boot of the country of Italy. Family rumors…
People I loved Bangkok! The busyness of the streets awakened my senses – delectable food smells on every corner, the vibrancy of the colors, fashion, and ornate temples, but I cannot feel the pleasure of any trip unless the warmth of the people touches me. They did. In…
It was Pitru Paksha or the fortnight when Hindus remember their Pitra or ancestors. In the lunar calendar the two weeks are sandwiched between the Ganesh festival and Navratri Goddess festival corresponding to the Krishna Paksh or waning fortnight of the Bhadrapada (September) moon. It is believed that…
I got to eat from Sarin’s table almost daily while visiting Bangkok. Each day there was culinary delight, emanating from the way she prepared dishes to the display and taste, nothing but love.-Victorine Sea Bass with Curried rice and shoots veggies What I learned: Soak whole fish in…
I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore, choose life, that you and your offspring may live. – Deuteronomy 30:15 (NIV) Health is more than the absence of disease. – (Author Unknown) The…
One look at the art work of Lisa Cain, and you can feel the heartbeat of a region only a Southerner would understand. Her mixed media paintings are Cain’s personal reflection of days gone by, yet they conjure up hope for the simplicity of family and community. Depicting…
I met Reverend Doctor Robert Yarbrough, (Rev. Bobby),via Contributor, Susan Peters on Facebook. His posts were poignant, humorous, hard-hitting, with a spiritual undertone. I soon discovered that Rev. Bobby was a home-boy, from Chicago, and when I finally met him face-to-face, I walked into a warm hug, which…
Sunrise This morning, the Atlantic Ocean sunrise keeps showing off as though it knows I’m invested enough to want to write about it. I have been in this city for a whole 4 years and the word “sunrise” hasn’t quite made it into any of my writings. That…