Growing up, I had a maternal grandma, a paternal grandma, and a pretend grandma. “Grandma Eva” is what we called her. Although she was technically related through marriage (her husband was my great-grandma’s cousin), she was simply “Grandma” to me. None of my other grandparents lived in Kansas City like us, but Eva did—just down […]
Read MoreI live in a house that was built in the late 1920s. It’s a super cute, charming spot in a historic downtown neighborhood of a suburb I’ve called “home” my entire life. Many people who come over make comments about the house’s character and charm. “I love your front porch!” many will say. Others drool […]
Read MoreI’ll never forget the day I watched a racist bank customer refuse to let a woman of color help him. I was standing at the teller counter when an older, white gentleman walked in. He had a file folder tucked under his arm and indicated he needed an account specialist – someone who worked at […]
Read More“I think you’re racist….” I was taken aback at the stranger’s message in Facebook Marketplace. A potential buyer made an assumption about me based on my profile photo. Truly, someone else had requested the free items I listed in the Marketplace first. My response back to him, “I’m sorry, the items are unavailable” had nothing […]
Read More“White girls on the bus told me my bad skin was black and another mixed girl said her skin was lighter and her hair was better, and that mine looked like a cat’s fur ball or poop.” That’s the top story from my daughter’s day at school. She drug her feet and nearly missed the […]
Read MoreToday I went to a black church. No, I didn’t have an agenda. It wasn’t for work. There wasn’t a rally to attend or any special invitation (other than the one from my friend Rene who’d been praying for the African American community and felt told to go). I went to listen and pray alongside […]
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