Confessions of a Single Parent (Actress)

Well 2024 is nearly coming to a close. In 8 more days it will be 2025. This year started off in a whirlwind. I was on the creative team and a part of the brilliance that was Raisin in the Sun at Bristol Riverside Theatre. Went to the Hermitage Artists Retreat one last time. I was elected to be a council member of Actors Equity Association blah blah blah… And then right before I was headed to reprise one of my favorite roles, I started to experience a pain like no other. And finding the right doctor or doctors to get the correct information and care was imperative, but it is never easy to advocate for yourself when you can barely walk or even worse, the pain just keeps getting worse.  Now just before this, I hosted an End of Play virtual event sponsored by the Dramatists Guild where over 40 playwrights/writers attended from all over. Ideas and words were shared and we gave kind words, encouragement, and suggestions. Followed by pain and the unknown. At the time, I was too fearful an...

Since the election, damn, before the election, I have been existing in the middle of the void. That space where you simply exist in silence. And that has been a space of contemplation and reflection, but more importantly I have been listening and observing. Social media has a variety of opinions and post-inquiry. But, often the truth is either missed or simply not said aloud. Racism and oppression, both symptoms of white supremacy are real and alive. And have been for a very very very long time. So now what? Well since we have been existing in America with the legacy of enslavement, class, sexism, and other overt and covert oppressions, there is a segment of the population (Black people) who have developed a very thick armor over the years. This means that the worst that is to come has been expected and preparations have been made to walk through whatever is thrown our way. So I am not pointing fingers, I am not giving free history lessons, and I am definitely not holding any one's...

T here is a wonderful celebration and acknowledgment occurring after the recent comments made by Tracee Ellis Ross (actor, producer, entrepreneur). I would like to share the quote: “The childless women have been mothering the world and elevating culture as aunties, godmothers, teachers…you do not need to push out a baby to help push humanity forward.” ---Tracee Ellis Ross There is a problem with this idea despite its intention to be uplifting and empowering. It assumes that ALL women regardless of hue are celebrated or even acknowledged for pushing out a baby. And that is not simply true. I remember no one ever asking me about settling down or having a family. I do remember my first year of teaching when a student said that she could not believe I had no children and what was I waiting for, I was 22. But mostly, Black women walk through life and the world assumes they are single. And the connection between marriage and children mainly came from the church but since I only went on Sunda...

There was another set of shootings near a school and where students were present. The growing gun violence in Philadelphia and across America has reached the level of an epidemic. From mass shootings to shooting into crowds of people or simply being gunned down, THIS is everyone’s new reality. When interviewed by the Philadelphia Inquirer, a parent admitted that they believed the shootings were only happening to bad people until their loved one was shot. Advocates across the city are holding vigils, speaking to the community, and trying to work with city officials for a solution. These strategies are employed across other American cities. Increasing policing is another favorite. But unfortunately for Pennsylvanians this will never be enough because our state has a gun problem. We are the gun hub of the northeast corridor. Not New York, us. I remember attending a press conference in 2018 and another in 2020 when two different state reps provided data to prove the point and yet here we a...

Recognize what you can control and RELEASE what you cannot...  Let me just say that,  when folks ask me,  "How are things?" Or "How have things been going?" I often respond with a smile and a nod assuring them that everything is okay. We all do that. Especially women. But the truth is many of us are not okay. Many of us are simply tired, exhausted, depressed, and feeling as if our spiritual energy is simply depleted. We can point to many external things, such as, and not limited to, systemic racism, stupidity, toxic environmental health, poor access to mental health resources, the news, the lack of will of politicians, the economy, the job market (for artists and others), anti-history and anti-trans bills, or all the above including things not even listed here. OR, simply living in the midst of everything can wear a spirit and body down.  So what to do? In order for us to thrive and not simply survive, we must find what matters most to us as individuals. We must rem...

Dear 2021, Thank you for being OVER!  Thank you for starting out with the power of me providing a space for other artists to shine their light! A community filled with beautiful Blackness - Thank you Gumbo Lab.  Thank you for showing me after the reading of Black Bitch Cape, what an amazing show it will be in 2022.  BUT... You also have been filled with people showing their true selves over and over. You gave us all some hope and then slapped us with new variants - Delta and Omicron. States passing bills literally stopping people from having actual conversations about race, sex, gender justice, and everything in between. Masks and vaccinations were politicized. Schools were unsafe. Reproductive rights were rolled back to the stone age. And the sheer exhaustion and hilarity of the fuckery continue. So here are some lessons for 2022.  Lesson One: Wear a mask. Period.  Lesson Two: Get vaccinated and boosted. Lesson Three: Before you gather with new people or with f...

 Dear College Professors (Full-time and Adjuncts), After year one of a global pandemic that is proving that we still have a way to go as we enter year two of COVID-19, there are some valuable lessons that all educators in higher education should take with them. Some of these lessons should have been learned before you entered the field, but I find that challenging times push many of us to either change for the better or stick to oppressive practices.  Lesson One: Developing a relationship with each of your students does not weaken you. It does not make you less than. It does not make you less brilliant. It makes you human, which allows you to see the humanity in your students and peers.  Lesson Two: People have lost loved ones, friends, and family. And are still losing people. Students have lost loved ones to COVID and to gun violence. Just because they are perceived to be adults, does not make the stress of all of it any less potent. This means a rigid syllabus just make...