family
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5 Things It’s Nearly Impossible to Do While Working From Home With Little Kids Around
The Washington, D.C., area is under a high-wind warning. There are winds gusting at up to 60 miles per hour. In the alley behind my house, trash cans are littered about, making it entirely impassable. A neighbor’s trash can hit my SECOND-floor window while bouncing into my neighbor’s yard. Let that marinate for a minute.…
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Why I Hate Referring to Anybody in My Family as ‘Step’ Anything
For roughly the past six months, I’ve had the opportunity to talk and write about my family in a way that is more substantive than I have in all my years of writing; most discussions were spurred from the article about how politics had created a rift between my (white) mother and me. In nearly…
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Christmas Ain’t Christmas Without My Grandma
The last time I saw my grandmother alive was at my uncle Bobby’s funeral. She looked tired. Grandma breathlessly said, “Hello,” almost unable to get out of her chair. We did our usual routine. I told her how much I missed her. How I wished I had more time to stay but had to hit…
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Mind Your Plate, Not My Stomach: Surviving the Holidays With Judgmental Loved Ones
Some of us are looking forward to burying our faces in Christmas dinner with friends and family in a brief 10 days. Hopefully, your dinner will be blessed with someone who has gifted culinary hands when it comes to baked macaroni and cheese—and I’m not talking about the disrespectful and disgusting remakes making the rounds…
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This Christmas: Less Stuff, More Love
This year, I’m less about stuff under the tree and more about substance in my life. Everyone is asking me what I want, and I keep drawing a blank. The thrill of materialism just ain’t what it used to be. Somehow it’s all Gucci for me this year—without the Gucci. What I want lies more…
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The 10 Best Games for Black Families to Play During the Holidays
According to Andy Williams and everybody who has covered his famous song, it’s currently the most wonderful time of the year. For many of us, that means lots of gatherings of friends and family as we make our way to Christmas and New Year’s Eve. And what’s a great way to spend time with your…
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It’s Dressing. Save a Life; Cut It Out With the Stuffing Shit
It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is literally in just a few days. It seems like only yesterday that summer was lighting a literal fire under so many folks’ asses. But here we are. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday: You get good food and fellowship with family and friends. And speaking of good food, it’s…
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Howard University: This Is Family
What can you say about Howard University that you cannot say about other HBCUs? There are the facts—facts that make the mecca historically unique. I mean, who else can say they have the same alma mater as Thurgood Marshall and Diddy? Only Howard alum can say that. Who else can say they attend a school…
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Oh, North Carolina A&T, How I Love Thee
Oh Ayantee, how I love thee. I love you because you loved me when I arrived not remembering that both my grandparents attended Ayantee when it was A&T College, not University, and that I was standing on the backs and prayers of my ancestors and that my mother worked there as well. Not remembering who…