I am blessed with my mother's skin.People
often stop me to compliment me on how soft and smooth my skin looks.
When asked how I keep it that way, I can only smile and say "good
genes."
Having
recently celebrated a birthday, I am increasingly aware of the aging
process.
It takes its toll, ultimately, on all of us. I have a younger
brother, who died too early
– in his 50s, of complications from obesity.
Another friend died in her early 60s of
breast cancer and another in
his 60s of co... Continue reading ...
McClaurin with Shirlynn LaChapelle, MNBNA President 
MNBNA Website
This is an excerpt of a speech delivered at the first annual "Springing Towards Health Gala" of the Minnesota Black Nurses Association on March 9, 2013 at the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis North, Brooklyn Center.In 2000, I was part of an historic panel organized by the Congressional Black Caucus on Black Health. At the time, I was a Diplomacy Fellow at USAID just returning from a trip to South Africa. During that trip, one parti... Continue reading ...
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The three maxims in the title greet me each morning. They are kitchen magnets placed above my stove, meant to guide me on the attitude I should carry into my day and into life generally. I take them to mean: 1) do not overly complicate my life (with work, obligations, possessions, other people's problems, or needless drama); 2) find joy and fun in my daily routines; and 3) make time to be connected and deeply embrace the passions that arise from friendships, family, and special friends/partn... Continue reading ...
Karine Percheron-Daniels’ seemingly photo-shopped painting of First Lady Michelle Obama is embroiled in controversy (http://fineartamerica.com/featured/first-lady-karine-percheron-daniels.html
). With the exception of the face and the insertion of the American
flag, Percheron-Daniels’ portrait is an exact replica of Portrait d’une
négresse painted by Marie-Guilhelmine Benoist and exhibited in Paris in
1800 at the Salon. Read MoreOriginal Posting: 12 Sept 2012
Continue reading ...
On March 17, 2012, in Raleigh, N.C.,
at the 18th annual Radio One Women’s Empowerment Expo, several thousand
Black women sat enraptured with Tyra Bank’s “booty” talk. Although not
as well attended as the previous year, the Women’s Empowerment Expo
brings primarily Black women from the Triangle Area and across the
country together. The event is part social, part educational, part
marketing, part self-affirmation, and simply sisters hanging out to just
having a good time amo... Continue reading ...
Still from “Find your True Match with Beyoncé” by L’Oreal
Racial PassingCenturies
ago, before Black was defined as beautiful, those individuals whose
features (nose, hair, lips) and color suggested European ancestry hid
the origins
of their one Black parent and “passed.” These offspring
were generally the result
of a liaison between a white man and Black
woman, and on occasion, between a
Black man and a white woman. The
latter unions were often the motivation for
lynchings in an... Continue reading ...
Photo credit: trianglegoesred.org
Valentine’s
Day has come and gone, but now is not a time to forget about your
heart. That’s the main message of the Circle of Red, a member
organization committed to educating women in their community about the
dangers of heart disease. Two
days after V-day, on February 16, 2012, I was fortunate to attend a
chocolate and wine event sponsored by a Raleigh-based group, and led by
professional CPA Sheila Ahler, the current Circle of Red Chair (COR). ... Continue reading ...
