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Why Aren’t More African Americans Opening Up About Their Mental Health?
Aliya’s turn: A few days ago, I told my mom that I had been “feeling a bit down.” She gave me some words of support and I felt better. But it took me weeks to share that with my mom. And when I did, I played it down so that she wouldn’t know that it…
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Should I Force My Daughter to Participate In Extracurricular Activities, Even if She Wants to Quit?
Aliya’s turn: Several years ago I interviewed Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, percussionist and founder of hip-hop band the Roots. I assumed he’d always loved music and I asked him when he knew he wanted to be a professional musician. His answer surprised me. Although he picked up drumming at an early age, he told me that…
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Should 18-Year-Olds Be Allowed to Use Curse Words in a Conversation With a Parent?
Aliya’s turn: My daughter Lauren, who will be 19 next month, is a first-year college student. She’s incredibly mature for her age and always has been. From the time she was a very young child, I noticed that she saw the world differently from most kids in her peer group. She was incredibly self-possessed and…
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Is My Mom Passing on Straight-Hair Ideals to My Daughter?
Aliya’s turn: Recently, my mom and I wrote about spanking and the choices she made regarding punishments when I was younger. It led to a broader discussion on how we can grow up and bring parenting into the modern era while respecting our parents and the choices they made. Dealing with hair care for a…
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Come on, Ma. Can’t You Stop Wearing That Mink?
Aliya’s turn: I wish I could get my mom to stop supporting the fur and diamond trades. She knows the horrors that go into both industries but still refuses to stop buying fur coats and diamond jewelry. Now, I remember the first time my mom bought a fur coat. I remember how luxurious the coat…
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Do You Have the Right to Post Things About Your Parents Online Without Their Knowledge?
Aliya’s turn: “What are you saying about me on social media?” In my childhood bedroom, my mom sat, her arms tight across her chest. She’d asked me to come over to discuss a parenting column I’d been writing for The Root. I hadn’t told her about it ahead of time and she was angry. Particularly…
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Do You Think Spanking Is an Acceptable Part of Our Culture, or Is It a Form of Child Abuse?
Aliya’s turn: Like many with mothers in my mom’s generation, my older brother, younger sister and I were spanked more than once. The offenses were usually one or more of the big three: lying, cheating and stealing. My parents just did not stand for any of it, and there would be corporal punishment, by hand…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
