Providing Nuanced Exposures to Static Worldviews
I attended the Jazmine Sullivan concert at Tabernacle in Atlanta on Tuesday night. It was a great experience; Jazmine was vocally amazing and her band kept me on my toes with excitement. During the concert, Jazmine thanked everyone for the continued support during her extended hiatus in between her newly released album and her first … Continue reading Everybody Plays the Fool
Let me start this post by saying that I am one of those individuals who laughs harder at Will Ferrell movies than I probably should. I'm aware that some of you might judge me for that but I promise it has a point today. In his 2006 movie, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, … Continue reading Ricky Bobby and My Unconventional Reflections on Holy Week
There have been times when I've willingly chosen bondage over freedom. Sometimes I was too blinded to see situations for what they were but sometimes I stayed stuck because there was a level of comfort that I had found in these confounded places. I grew attached to my pain, addicted to my present, and unmotivated … Continue reading Options, Part I
I was driving home from work Sunday morning, completely exhausted from a very active and emotionally draining shift. Usually when I'm on my way home from work, if I have the radio on it usually serves as white noise as I try to process my thoughts so that I can sleep decently when I get … Continue reading Anchored
The way that each of my grandmothers affirmed me early in life has always been kept in front of me. My paternal grandmother's affirmation is the inspiration for the name of this blog. As for my maternal grandmother, Helen Wright King, she was the first to affirm in me a love for learning. I am … Continue reading III.III.XXI
"What happened to the nice Ashley?" Maybe this would be a good time to explain that this comment had nothing to do with a personality change or a shift in my demeanor or behavior. This was a question posed to me because of how I changed my hair. I exchanged my weaved up long bob … Continue reading #MaconFiles: “The Nice Ashley”
She thought he talked too much. He was unbothered. When my parents met at Greater Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church 31 years ago, they were two totally different people. He was a school teacher and an active church member with affections elsewhere. She was a new convert and trying to find her way through multiple … Continue reading Saluting PEARLs: 30th Anniversary Edition
I was in the final hour of my 14 hour shift Sunday morning when I was called to a case that would unknowingly shift some things for me internally. Generally speaking, I do not approach my job as something that will change me but by the time I left the hospital to go home, I … Continue reading #MaconFiles: Challenging Yet Supporting
January 2015 "I really like you." The words resonated with me. A flash of a smile emerged and then the sobering thoughts began to cloud my head. I had heard these words before and expected that I should have no problems being at this place again. Getting to know someone, getting those butterflies in my … Continue reading Scar Tissue
I love me a good love story. Fortunately, me and my homegirls are in a stage in life where I can get some good material. In July 2014, I wrote a blog entitled Reminders from a Pizza Box. In that post, I shared how a dear friend of mine was sharing with Le Girls in … Continue reading Love is in the Details: A WING and a Prayer