Write The Vision

I love to sing-a about the moon-a and the June-a and the spring-a. I love to sing-a about the sky of blue-a and a tea for two-a…I love to sing!   I have been singing this song from a favorite Merrie Molodies cartoon for most of my life.   Today, I decided to make the little owl who sings the song my Facebook profile picture.   I wanted to know what the song’s actual words were so I did a quick internet search.   I learned that Cab Calloway and Al Jolson had made the song popular.   I thought, “It’s a Cab Calloway song!   No wonder I like it!”   The name Al Jolson sounded familiar but I didn’t remember why.   Another quick internet search informed me that he was a popular American singer, actor and comedian.   Then came the shock.   I chose to look at the images before reading through all the text of the Wikipedia entry for him.   What did I find?   A picture of him in blackface!   My heart sank.   My stomach went ...

I am transitioning. It’s taken me three months to be able to say that. "Transitioning" is a term used by Black women to indicate their decision to journey away from straightening their hair with chemical relaxers to a new experience of their hair in its natural state.  It's been three months since I last put a relaxer in my hair.   I am “going natural,” becoming acquainted with my hair’s natural curves and character.  I am redefining my understanding of who I am and what I understand to be beautiful.  I did not know I was making a life-altering decision when I chose to rent Chris Rock's documentary "Good Hair" from the Red Box.  I was very familiar with the phrase "good hair."  Growing up, I had one cousin who had it.  It felt smooth.  Its roots were thin.  It was straight.  It was “pretty.”  All of my female cousins, aunts, friends and I thought so.  It was unlike what we had growing on our own heads.  Our hair had...