Life Stories
Recalling disasters that have effected me, both near (the Easton Fire) and far (watching on the news far away)…I feel another disaster is coming upon us.
Like watching a beloved family member slowly pass away, even with the encouragement of Sister Bernice, I understand the news as a death knell to the country of my birth. Too dramatic?
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Justin’s parents don’t want to ask but they know insurance won’t cover everything.
Justin’s mom cries frequently throughout the evening.
She’s devastated.
10pm Justin packs the car with my stuff.
11pm I arrive at my moms.
Park the car, sit there, I sob,
First time I get to cry.
If these massive fires are not the wake-up call that Angelenos need to decide to live differently, then there will be more tragedy and devastation.
On one hand, do we keep adapting and attempting to manage climate driven disasters?
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Nothing lasts forever, don’t you remember?
So enjoy what you’ve got while you’ve got it.
Cuz it’s going to be over soon.
Sooner than any of you even realize.
But why?
Oh, Altadena (the “Dena,” to those in the know)—
You were my favorite place
on earth.
So, what is it about Paris that keeps me coming back time and again?
Why Paris and not another lovely European capital city? Well, like other Francophiles, and like those outlined so well in David McCullough’s epic book, The Greater Journey, Americans in Paris, the lure of this dazzling, creative, energetic and gorgeous city…
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One of the biggest takeaways from my first time serving was the relationships I formed with so many individuals from different walks of life. The first person I connected with was a gentleman named Don, he was incredibly charismatic and full of life.
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So as the influences have come down, my family has kept my grandmothers journals from her major travel experiences and a few of them have come my way. Having spent much time in the United Kingdom myself now, I know that as much as things change, some things do not.
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Currently based in San Diego, am I actually going to visit Paul’s Meat Market in Mamou for boudin balls or chicken leg quarters? Do I really need anything from Alario Brothers Marine Hardware in Golden Meadow? Do I need to know the weather in Morgan City? The answer is definitely no, but these signals from distant stations sonically transport me back to Louisiana.
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Mr. Douglass’ time in Ireland is variously referenced as an “odyssey,” “compelling,” “a place where he found his voice.”
On his final day there, in a letter he wrote to William Lloyd Garrison, Mr. Douglass spoke of his time in Ireland with these words,
“I can truly say, I have spent some of the happiest moments of my life since landing in this country. I seem to have undergone a transformation. I live a new life.”
I’m away from my San Diego home, visiting Louisiana right now, crashing in a friend’s New Orleans guest house. It’s the tail end of…
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I wanted to hear from everyday Black men talking about their lives and where they find joy in the midst of the unrest in this new millennium crusade to substantiate Black lives.
So, I invited small group to join a conversation at the KAOS Network Art Center in Leimert Park, CA.
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The first year of life is a sacred but precarious time. We all arrive from our mother’s womb vulnerable and reliant on others for…
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