Freedom Was Never Handed Over Easily Sometimes I look at the history of Black voting in America and ask a difficult question: what if freedom was never intended to come without resistance? Slavery officially ended, but the struggle over Black citizenship certainly did not. Every major step forward seemed to produce another argument about how
The Fight for the Black Vote Has Never Really Ended Read More »
More Than a Beautiful Voice When people talk about Marvin Gaye, they usually start with the voice. They remember the smoothness, the tenderness, and the way he could make a love song sound like it was meant for one person alone. They remember “Let’s Get It On,” “Sexual Healing,” “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,”
Marvin Gaye: The Man Who Made Music Tell the Truth Read More »
When Rejection Starts Feeling Personal I have heard from people who became convinced they were being blacklisted because the same pattern kept happening over and over. They applied for jobs they were clearly qualified to perform, sometimes inside the same company and sometimes throughout the same industry. Their résumé looked strong, their experience matched the
Are You Really Blacklisted at Work? Read More »
When Life Stops Looking Familiar There have been times in my life when everything that once felt settled suddenly started moving around. Relationships changed, friendships became distant, familiar routines stopped satisfying me, and things I once depended upon no longer felt like they belonged. When that happens, the first thought can be that something has
When Things Fall Apart, Something New May Be Asking to Emerge Read More »
The Question That Would Not Leave Me Alone I keep coming back to this question because something about it will not leave me alone. When I think about the 1970s and 1980s, America seemed obsessed with serial killers. Names like Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and others became part of the national imagination.
Where Did the Serial Killers Go? Read More »
The Need to Be Understood One of the hardest lessons I have had to learn is that everybody is not going to understand my heart. I can explain my intentions carefully, choose my words wisely, and still have somebody walk away believing something about me that simply is not true. That can be frustrating because
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When Manifesting Turns Into Obsessing One reason people feel like nothing is moving may have less to do with manifestation and more to do with what happens after they take action. You submit the application, post the video, send the proposal, say the prayer, launch the product, and then start checking every five minutes. At
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When Everybody Starts Coming to You There comes a point at work when you may look around and realize everybody seems to be coming to you. Your supervisor comes to you when something needs fixing because they trust you to handle it. Coworkers ask for your help, and before long, other departments begin depending on
When You Become the Go-To Person Without the Title or the Pay Read More »
Remember When Streaming Was Supposed to Save Us Money I remember when streaming was supposed to be the answer to expensive cable. The pitch sounded simple because you could cut the cord, keep your internet, and pay only for the entertainment you actually wanted. At first, that felt like freedom. You did not need a
Streaming Has Turned Into Cable With Wi-Fi Read More »
The Lesson Behind Elite Teams I have always been interested in what separates a high-performing team from a truly elite one. At first glance, the answer seems obvious because we assume the best team is made up of the most talented individuals. That sounds logical, but experience has taught me that talent alone can become
Performance Matters, but Trust Holds the Team Together Read More »