milesaway44105

Models Monday: Wishes

This is the season for wishing, so I’d like to offer a few of mine. I wish that history meant more to young people, growing up saturated with instant facts and data, to see history as being more than social media timelines. Technological “advancement” has elevated the significance of media and diminished the value ofContinue reading “Models Monday: Wishes”

Models Monday: Fox Asks an Important Question

Flossie & the Fox is a children’s story that I love and probably value even more because it came as a recommendation from my dear friend Carmen. I’ve written about Flossie on this blog several times because of the admiral traits that allow Flossie to complete the task her grandmother assigned her. I find itContinue reading “Models Monday: Fox Asks an Important Question”

Models Monday: The Dozens and A Pound

I know a black woman who describes herself as having come from the ghetto but eschews an identification with what it means to be ghetto. To be ghetto, for her, means having little respect for decorum and failing to have an appreciation for reading and literacy. Interestingly, she also assumes that “being ghetto” means beingContinue reading “Models Monday: The Dozens and A Pound”

Models Monday: Given the Hour

Given the hour, and my commitment to always posting on Monday, I wanted to make a post–even if it has to be quite brief. Thus, my recommendation for living in opposition to mainstream assumptions regarding what it means to live a good life is that you READ over the Thanksgiving break. Here are some ofContinue reading “Models Monday: Given the Hour”

Models Monday: Why We Can’t Wait?

On April 12, 1963, eight, white clergymen published the second of two letters penned in 1963 responding to the changing political climate regarding race and desegregation in Alabama. The April letter, printed in local newspapers challenged the timeliness of civil rights demonstrations: […] we are now confronted by a series of demonstrations by some ofContinue reading “Models Monday: Why We Can’t Wait?”

Models Monday: This is not Love…Richie Cognito is Racist

The coverage of the violence Miami Dolphins guard Richie Incognito directed towards his teammate, offensive tackle, Jonathan Martin has been problematic in the way that it questions Martin’s masculinity. Martin left the team due to the emotional stress of having received voicemails, such as this one, from Incognito: “Hey, wassup, you half n—– piece ofContinue reading “Models Monday: This is not Love…Richie Cognito is Racist”

Models Monday: The Seduction of Reading

When my friend Carmen first told me about Walter Dean Myers’s book The Blues of Flats Brown, I knew that I had to get it for my son. The story is about these two dogs, Flats and Caleb, who are the unfortunate wards of a junkyard proprietor named A.J. Grubbs. Flats and Caleb flee theContinue reading “Models Monday: The Seduction of Reading”

Models Monday: Repeat Step 1(In Advance of the New Season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta)

I think I might have seen an advertisement on television promoting the new season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. In advance of the new season’s launch in early November, I thought to re-post my thoughts on the show because they’re sure to be relevant because nothing on the show ever seems to change. NatashaContinue reading “Models Monday: Repeat Step 1(In Advance of the New Season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta)”

Models Monday: Duck and Goose: Knowing When to Stop

Usually, I end the evening with my son reading first, Duck and Goose followed by Duck, Duck, Goose both by Tad Hills. In the first book, Duck and Goose discover a ball that they mistake for an egg. In responding to what they take to be the egg’s needs, they develop an appreciation for oneContinue reading “Models Monday: Duck and Goose: Knowing When to Stop”

Models Monday: Freedom, Dignity, and Integrity

I finally had a chance to sit down and watch Free Angela and All Political Prisoners. I found it absorbing. Shola Lynch’s beautifully organized, thoughtful film offers an intriguing portrait of Angela Davis that sharply contrasts with the iconic Davis that all Americans presumably know. Knowledge based on her halo-like afro and her leather jacketContinue reading “Models Monday: Freedom, Dignity, and Integrity”