I can remember falling off of my bicycle as a kid and my older cousins, uncles, and my dad would say, "Get up! Be a man!" As a kid I would tell them, whomever it was at the time of incident, "But I'm a boy, not a man." They would look at me with anger in their eyes and again say, "Well go'on and be a cry baby then!" Mind you, I recall one time where I wasn't crying at all. … [Read more...]
What Growing Up in The Hood Taught Me About Love
I grew up in walking distance of the infamous Cabrini Green Housing project in Chicago. My housing complex resembled The Carters from the movie New Jack City and those who would visit or come to pick me up would often joke about the neighborhood. I wasn't ashamed then and I'm still not now. I learned so much growing up in that area. And I developed an understanding about life, … [Read more...]