Start with the trick the data plays on us. This past summer the reports showed our jobless rate dropping from 7.07 percent to 5.73 percent. Sounds like sunshine, right? Look closer and the floor gives way. Over that same stretch, employment among us fell by 212,000. Our labor force shrank by 387,000. The count of us no longer even searching climbed by 454,000. That is not the kind of comeback anybody should celebrate. Economist Katica Roy called it statistical exclusion, which is a polite way of saying women disappeared from the unemployment tally not necessarily because they found work, but because they were no longer counted as part of the labor force.

Let me talk plain, Sistas.

Back in January the jobless rate for us sat at 6.3 percent, up from 5.4 percent a year earlier, running nearly double the 3.4 percent white women were carrying. By the close of 2025 it had touched 7.3 percent, the ugliest mark in roughly four years. The Institute for Women’s Policy Research put numbers behind a trend that ought to stop you cold. Across 2025, Black women suffered disproportionate losses in professional and service occupations and ended the year with 113,000 fewer employed women than when it began.

Now here is where it stings the educated among us most.

Everybody assumes a degree is a shield. It is not. The Economic Policy Institute found that the losses from 2024 into 2025 landed especially hard on Black women with bachelor’s degrees. Their employment-to-population ratio fell 3.5 percentage points while their labor force participation rate dropped 2.3 points. Read that twice. The very sisters who did everything the playbook demanded, the diploma, the certifications, the fifteen and twenty year resumes, were among those taking the hardest hit. IWPR’s Barriers, Not Bootstraps report also documented the obstacles confronting Black women searching for work, while other analysts have estimated that roughly 600,000 Black women were economically sidelined during the broader downturn.

The federal purge did a lot of the damage. Sisters made up about 12 percent of the federal workforce while accounting for roughly 7 percent of workers nationwide, so when hundreds of thousands of federal employees departed and the federal workforce shrank by roughly a quarter million positions, we absorbed a punishment heavier than our share. Whole departments that leaned on our labor, education chief among them, took some of the sharpest blades. And the pain may not be finished. More than one in five Black women in the labor force works in health care, a field vulnerable to Medicaid reductions that some estimates say could ultimately contribute to hundreds of thousands of lost jobs across health care and the broader economy.

Let me sit with what all of this actually does to a person.

A job is never only a paycheck. It is the mortgage, the tuition envelope, the retirement account we were finally building for the first time in our family line. When it disappears, the ripple hits the whole household, since so many of us are the anchor keeping everybody afloat. Long stretches of unemployment are climbing too, with people out of work more than half a year making up roughly a quarter of the unemployed by the summer of 2026. That kind of drought wears on the spirit. Long-term unemployment can deepen anxiety, stress and depression, and you cannot separate a broken labor market from the emotional toll carried by the people trying to survive it.

Which is exactly why so many are done waiting for the boardroom to grow a conscience.

While the office keeps stalling, we are building. Roughly 2.9 million businesses now belong to Black women, about 18 percent of women-owned firms nationwide, and their numbers rose roughly 13 percent in 2025. Still, let me keep it honest. Ownership is no cushion. Black women-owned businesses averaged only around 41,000 dollars in annual revenue, compared with roughly 179,000 dollars for women-owned firms overall. Among the smaller group of companies employing workers, Black women-owned firms averaged around 650,000 dollars in revenue, still the lowest among the demographic groups measured. The culprit is not brains or hustle. Access to capital, lending gaps and investor networks remain major barriers. Many founders are still juggling the dream beside another source of income. So this migration reads less like triumph and more like survival with a business license.

Who owns this mess?

Let me spread it fairly. Companies that hung belonging banners in 2020, then quietly shredded those vows once the political weather turned, carry real guilt. So do executives who treated diversity like a press release instead of a promise. Policy earns a large slice, since gutting whole agencies and rolling back fairness initiatives changed the employment landscape for workers who had long found opportunity in government. And a culture that still calls a self assured sister aggressive, then turns around and praises a loud man for the very same energy, keeps the whole machine humming. Black women have propped up these institutions for generations, often doing the inclusion labor free of charge, and this is the thanks.

What needs to happen?

Start with the federal side, because government work was one of the few ladders that ever paid us square. Stop the bleeding, reconsider positions eliminated without a clear public benefit, and rebuild the agencies that served communities while providing stable pathways into the middle class. Enforce the anti bias laws already sitting on the books instead of letting them collect dust. Protect access to Medicaid too, because deep cuts do not stop with patients. They can reach hospitals, clinics, caregivers and the workers whose paychecks depend on the health care system.

Corporate America has homework too. Fix the first broken rung, publish promotion data by race and gender, and turn hollow mentorship into real sponsorship with money and consequences attached. Pay us what the role is worth, then defend our record the way the golf buddies get defended. Retention is cheaper than the talent hemorrhage they are pretending not to see.

For us, Sistas, the strategy shifts. Build the network you were shut out of, on purpose and without apology. Stack savings, clients and skills before you ever surrender a badge, because leaving ready beats leaving wrecked. Learn the money game, the grants and credit lines and pitch rooms, so the capital wall becomes a hurdle instead of a locked gate. And guard the sisterhood fiercely, because isolation is exactly how they win.

I am not preaching that anybody quit tomorrow. Some will stay and force change from the inside, and that is holy work. Others will walk, and that deserves respect, not a sermon about loyalty to places that showed them none.

What I will not do is call any of this quiet. Hundreds of thousands of Black women pushed to the economic sidelines is not a whisper. It is a verdict on a country that keeps announcing recovery while many of the women who built its households, staffed its agencies and earned every credential they were told to earn slip through a hole nobody wants to name. The only question left is whether anyone in charge reads the verdict before the best of us are gone for good, running our own shops and signing our own checks.

Staff Writer; Jada Williams

This sister writes about politics, money, family, and the issues that shape everyday life… Her work looks at how decisions made in government, changes in the economy, and challenges within our communities affect Black women and their families…

Feel free to email her at: JadaW@ThySistas.com.

I return to that scene often, because plenty of us recognize the room. We know the chair, the desk with its little nameplate, the calm and almost kind expression on a face preparing to tell us what we will never be.

Here is what makes it cut deep. The disbelief rarely shows up as cruelty. It comes dressed as realism, as concern, as someone claiming to save you from disappointment. A kid walks in believing she can reach the top shelf, and a grown person with a title and a stack of brochures gently lowers her hand. Be practical. Consider your options. Somewhere more your speed.

For Black girls especially, that lowering starts early and repeats often. We get read before we get known. A teacher decides who is gifted and who is merely loud. Somebody else sizes up who gets a shot at honors and who ought to settle for the safe track. Before a girl even knows what she is capable of, grown folks have quietly drawn a line just over her head, light enough to deny and firm enough to shape where she believes she belongs.

What that counselor missed, looking across a desk at a teenager from the South Side, was everything propping her up at home. Michelle had a family that treated her mind as a gift worth feeding. There was a brother who set a standard, and parents who refused to let either child believe the world was closed. So when a stranger with a clipboard offered a smaller life, the girl had somewhere to take that insult and set it down.

Not every one of our daughters has that. Some carry the doubt home and unpack it alone. Others swallow it whole. That is the quiet violence of low expectation, the way it can harden into prophecy when nobody stands nearby to argue back.

Off she went anyway. Princeton, then Harvard for the law degree, then a career that would eventually place her in rooms that counselor could never have pictured. The sweetest part is not the revenge of it, though there is a satisfying tang there. What lands even better is how ordinary her triumph reveals the original judgment to be. No miracle, just a capable woman who happened to have people around her who refused the smaller story. Give that same faith to a thousand more like her and watch what unfolds.

I also think about the ones who took another route entirely and did just fine. Some girl gets told she is aiming too high, and rather than fold she carries all that promise to Spelman or Howard or Hampton, schools founded to educate Black students who had been denied access to much of American higher education. On those campuses nobody has to be talked into seeing a brown face as capable. It is assumed. That certainty is the water they swim in. Black women have been walking off those yards for generations, degrees in hand, ready to run hospitals and courtrooms and schools and companies, all of them formed in a setting that started from yes rather than from suspicion.

That is the thing the naysayers keep missing. Ability was never the scarce resource. Belief was. The talent has always been abundant in our children. What runs short is the number of grown folks willing to look at a brown face and assume greatness instead of assigning limits.

I have watched it up close in my own circle. A niece told she tests poorly, when the truth was a testing system that never tried to reach her. One neighbor’s daughter got waved off from engineering because the man advising her could not picture it, though she did the math in her sleep. Each time, the pattern holds. The child is fine. What failed was the imagination of the adult in charge.

This is why the tale of that counselor keeps living in our mouths, passed between us like a warning and a rallying cry at once. It is not really about one bad conversation in a Chicago office. What haunts us is the countless versions happening right now, in schools all over, where somebody with authority quietly decides that a gifted young sister should aim for less.

We repeat it so our daughters arrive prepared, so they grasp that a no from a person with a nameplate is only an opinion and not a verdict. Our girls need to hear, early and loud, that their sense of their own worth must rest on something sturdier than the say-so of strangers who barely bothered to see them.

There is grown medicine in all of this for the women too. Plenty of Black women are still carrying some old counselor’s voice, some teacher, some manager, some relative who told them to be reasonable about their dreams. That whisper does not always leave when we grow up. It trails us into promotions we talk ourselves out of and rooms we assume were built for someone else.

Michelle’s answer to her doubter was simply to become. No speech in that office, no clapback for the ages. The whole shape of her life stood as the rebuttal. Sistas have been answering that way for a very long time, letting the diploma and the corner office and the thriving, well-raised children do the talking that words rarely manage on their own.

So when I hear that someone once told a girl from the South Side she was not enough for the Ivy she craved, I do not only feel the old sting. I feel the deep familiarity of it, and beneath that, something close to pride. Because we know this in our bones. We have lived our own versions. And the best of us, the everyday sistas raising the next batch of dreamers, are busy right now making sure the pencil line above their daughters’ heads gets erased before those young ones ever learn to believe in it.

Staff Writer; Raven Jones

Raven writes about music, relationships, and the everyday ups and downs of Black women… She keeps it honest, encourages other sistas, and can be reached at RavenJ@ThySistas.com.

Keke Palmer said something recently that stuck with me. On the August 18 episode of Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast, she named a lesson picked up from Queen Latifah, and it had nothing to do with a big sit-down speech. A director once turned to the Queen and asked her to suggest an actress for a part. The answer was Keke, and that was the whole thing. No lecture, no inspirational quote fit for a coffee mug. Just a name, spoken in a place where real decisions were being made while the young talent herself sat nowhere in sight.

Sit with that for a second. The distance between those two acts is bigger than it looks.

Most mentoring dumps the entire gamble onto the person being mentored. You give her what you know, she runs off to use it, and if the door stays shut anyway, hey, you tried. Sponsorship flips that arrangement. When Latifah put Keke forward, she was staking her personal credibility on the result. Had that young actress shown up unprepared or acting a fool, it would have bounced right back on the person who vouched. Being willing to be wrong in public on somebody else’s account is a whole other level of faith, and hardly any of us get near it.

Here is what makes it land even harder. The two of them had worked together years earlier, going all the way back to Barbershop 2: Back in Business in 2004, then reuniting for Joyful Noise and Ice Age: Continental Drift in 2012. Latifah had watched her over a long stretch. Over all that time she clocked how the girl carried herself when the cameras cut off, whether the job got done right, whether there was drama or a professional at the table. That was not a favor handed to a stranger. Years of showing up had built something real, and it finally cashed out.

Palmer put it plain. Folks clock you when you least expect it, and the effort you sink in winds up doing your talking for you.

What stays with me is how little noise any of it made. There was no public spectacle around it. There was no press release about Sistas lifting each other. It happened inside the ordinary machinery of a working day, one professional telling a decision-maker, go with her. Those are the exact instances that move careers, and they almost never make the highlight reel.

Which brings me around to us. To you, reading this right now.

Have you ever put a sister’s name in a room she could not walk into herself? I do not mean encouraged her. Sending her a link to some job posting and wishing her luck does not count either. I mean spoke up for her where it mattered, when your reputation was riding on the result. There is a wide canyon between those two things, and if we are honest with ourselves, most of us live on the comfortable side of it.

Advice is the thing we give out freely, precisely because it asks nothing of us. We love handing the younger Sistas in our orbit a good talking-to about staying ready and keeping their reputations clean. All of that matters. Notice, though, how it keeps our skin out of the game. We get to feel like elders without ever risking a thing. Sponsorship demands more. It asks whether you will speak up for her to your boss, forward her portfolio to the client who trusts your taste, tell the hiring committee you would stake your standing on this woman.

I think about the gifted Black women I have watched claw their way up with talent to spare and nobody willing to speak for them. Passed over, not because they came up short, but because the folks already inside the door stayed silent. We love pointing at the gatekeepers. Fair enough. What we dodge is that a few of them wear our own faces, and keeping quiet is its own kind of decision.

A lot of us haul around a scarcity thing, quiet as it stays, the fear that only one seat exists and her getting it means mine is gone. The Queen works from the opposite place. Someone that settled can vouch for another woman, coach her, hand over part of the spotlight, and never once feel robbed. The pair are lined up to work together again on The Voice: Celebrity in spring 2027, with Palmer hosting and Queen Latifah serving as one of the coaches.

You cannot fake that. It only turns up in someone who quit believing the lie about the single chair.

None of this requires fame or a fat Hollywood Rolodex. The principle scales all the way down to your job, your church, your block, your group chat. Maybe a friend runs a little catering hustle from her kitchen, and all it takes is you naming her when the office asks who cooked. The cousin launching a boutique needs you tagging her online, not just telling her in private how proud you are. Another up for a promotion needs you in that meeting insisting the credit is earned, especially during the seconds when nobody else will say it.

I have had to check myself on this. There were stretches where I offered plenty of encouragement and precious little sponsorship, where I called a woman gifted and then went mute the instant my footing was on the line. That is not the elder I hope to become. How Latifah moved with Keke, quiet about it, not fishing for a bit of credit, taught me plenty. Most of the labor that actually holds a community together happens where no eyes reach.

So let me leave you with this, and I want a real answer, not a skim past it. Whose name did you actually say out loud this year, out where it counted? And whose are you still sitting on, promising yourself you will speak up next time?

Black women have always survived on that kind of behind-the-scenes lifting, generations of it, most never written down anywhere. Somebody spoke for you somewhere once. You may never learn who, or exactly when. That debt cannot be paid backward. It gets carried forward, to the next one coming, into rooms she has not yet learned exist.

Staff Writer: Brenda Poole

BP writes about entertainment, relationships, faith, and life in general… She enjoys speaking on things Black women can relate to and hopefully giving a sista something useful along the way…

Feel free to email her at BrendaP@ThySistas.com.

The church has been influential in the foundation of education for our people, and they have helped to put thousands of our people through college. Denominations like the A.M.E are rooted not only in the Word, but in activism, and education. Because of our history of intelligence having a strong place in church…anti-intellectualism in the church is damaging. The minds that need to be in the church back away, because they are scolded and judged for studying the word and applying it to the world around them. They respect tradition but that does not rank higher than righteousness.

In congregations with Elders that look down on the intelligence in those younger that ask questions they tend to remind of the men and women of God in the Bible that were not scholars. They focus on the leaders in the bible that were “everyday people” and hype up the importance of their humility and their being led by the Spirit which is what made them successful in ministry. No one can argue against being led by the Spirit, but everyone used by God was not uneducated.

Some of the greatest names in the book were not only intellectuals but formally educated. Moses, Soloman, and the Apostle Paul are just a few of the lives God would use to lead and teach his people. Why then are we judging and scolding intellectuals in the church. This is dangerous, and it seems to be sweeping congregations silencing men and women of God who dare to speak up regarding the word, and things going on in the world. When one doesn’t just bow to tradition and title here is a fight coming that should not be. What is unfortunate is one can also have the same fight in family where the elders of the family are clergy. Younger people find themselves in battles at church and amongst family simply because they are critical thinkers around their belief system and speak up about it.

This is not the origins of our church according to our history in this country. Anti-intellectualism in the church can divide congregations, and even harm members spiritually. We should all be working together to edify each other in Christ. Just as Peter had a place in the church, so did Paul. If we continue down this path, we are asking for our thinkers to walk away from any calling God may have on their life in terms of ministry because they may feel they value their peace. The hypocrisy is just too loud in this area. The inferior and insecure behavior that causes this must be addressed especially when it comes from those in leadership. God qualifies the called, and that includes the intellectual. Being a critical thinker and studying deeply does not mean you are not led by the Spirit. That is something that must be stated and understood because nothing feels worse than having your salvation questioned because you are an intellectual in the church.

Lastly, we must be mindful not to do to each other what has been and is still done to our people in this country. Black people have had to fight for their minds to be respected and are still fighting. We have created, invented, and built a nation that calls us intellectually inferior. Our credentials are always questioned as though our ethnicity is an invisible asterisk. We have managed to rise despite, but there are still challenges created to slow us down. Knowing this, how can we sit back and do this to each other in the most sacred space we have? How is it that we can disregard the minds God have given our congregation and communities because they often call us to account? These minds are calling us to dig deeper in our understanding of God, faith, and each other. Just as every regular mind is not devoted, every intellectual mind is not disrespectful and without Spiritual guidance. We must remember there is a place for all in the House of God as he gifts us as he sees fit, and those gifts should be valued.

Staff Writer; Christian Starr

May connect with this sister over at Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/christian.pierre.9809 and also Twitter; http://twitter.com/MrzZeta.

As a writer and advent reader, I’ve spent years learning about how our stories move through generations, and I’ve learned that storytelling has always been one of our greatest tools for survival and joy. Long before we had libraries or classrooms, we had porches, living rooms, and laps. We had elders who could turn a simple moment into a lesson. We had tales that carried our history, our humor, our warnings, and our dreams. And even now, with tablets and apps and AI reading assistants everywhere, nothing replaces the feeling of a book in a child’s hands.

Physical books slow the world down just enough for a child to breathe. They give the mind room to wander, to imagine, to question. When a child flips a page, they’re not just moving through a story—they’re practicing patience, curiosity, and focus. And for Black children especially, books become mirrors and windows. Mirrors that show them they matter. Windows that show them what’s possible.

In our community, storytelling has always been more than entertainment. It’s how we’ve kept our culture alive. It’s how we’ve passed down traditions, values, and identity. When a Black child reads a book about characters who look like them, speak like them, or come from families like theirs, something powerful happens. They see themselves as heroes. As thinkers. As creators. They learn that their voice belongs in the world.

And when those stories are shared out loud—when a parent reads to a child, or a grandparent tells a tale from their own childhood—that’s when the magic deepens. That’s when storytelling becomes a bridge between generations. I’ve seen children sit at the feet of elders, listening with their whole bodies, absorbing not just the words but the rhythm, the emotion, the love behind them. Those moments strengthen family bonds in ways no screen ever could.

In 2026, our children are growing up in a world that moves fast and doesn’t always make space for them to simply be children. They’re exposed to news, images, and pressures that can weigh on their spirits before they even understand what they’re feeling. Books offer a kind of refuge. A place where they can explore big emotions safely. A place where they can practice problem‑solving through characters who face challenges and find their way through.

I’ve watched children learn empathy from stories. I’ve watched them learn courage. I’ve watched them learn how to ask questions, how to imagine new worlds, how to dream beyond what they see. And I’ve watched families grow closer when they make reading a shared ritual—bedtime stories, Saturday morning library trips, or even just ten quiet minutes together on the couch.

There’s also something deeply cultural about holding onto physical books. They become heirlooms. A book signed by a parent. A book passed down from an older sibling. A book with worn edges because it was loved so much. These objects carry memory. They remind our children that they come from a lineage of storytellers, thinkers, and dreamers.

And yes, technology has its place. Digital tools can support learning, open access, and spark interest. But they should never replace the intimacy of reading a book together or the grounding presence of a story told face‑to‑face. Our children need both, but they especially need the kind of storytelling that roots them in who they are.

In a time when the world often tries to define Black children before they can define themselves, storytelling becomes a form of protection. A way of saying, “Here is who you are. Here is where you come from. Here is what you can become.” And physical books become the vessels that carry those truths.

So yes, in 2026, our children still need books they can hold. They need stories that honor their culture, spark their imagination, challenge their minds, and strengthen their spirits. They need the sound of our voices reading to them. They need the warmth of our presence beside them. They need the stories that remind them they are part of something bigger—something beautiful, something powerful, something deeply Black.

And as a community, we need to keep telling those stories. We need to keep passing them down. Because when we strengthen the imagination of our children, we strengthen the future of our people.

Staff Writer; Christian Starr

May connect with this sister over at Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/christian.pierre.9809 and also Twitter; http://twitter.com/MrzZeta.

The mentor knows your spiritual goals, life goals, and career goals. Sometimes this person assists as mentor to all those areas, and of course it could be individuals for each area. She is who we go to for direction, and for knowledge of how to move ourselves from one point in our journey to the next. She knows our strengths and weaknesses and helps us grow in strength and diminish weaknesses. There is confidence that must be kept because often times you are an open book to your mentor. It is imperative that this Sistah does not envy you, is not jealous of you, does not see you as a threat, and does not diminish you. And in like fashion you should not have a mentor you are envious of, jealous of, or see as a threat. Trust is important because at some point this person will know you enough to do as much harm as she does good towards you.

Far too often when we find a sistah that can actually mentor us and can understand who we are there is an excitement and an ease that comes over us. We feel that we are not alone as we push forward towards our goal. There is a camaraderie amongst sistahs, and we not only trust our mentor, but we will stand with them and defend them fiercely. This is a beautiful relationship amongst Black women and has gotten many of us through degree programs, through loss & trauma, and helped us situate self in our spiritual walk.

It is important that we choose our mentor wisely. For as influential and positive as this relationship can be…it can be equally, if not more, destructive. If you find yourself in a situation whereby you mentor sistah is experiencing trauma it is natural to want to stand by her side and be there for her. However, if she begins to lash out causing you to bare the brunt of her anger and hurt you might need to step back. If you find that in the pain and abuse she is enduring envy seeps in, it is important to notice this and re-evaluate the nature of the relationship. You would know something is off if she once kept you mindful of your goals, and now she advises in a way that will stagnate you or set you back. You may experience micro-aggression as things are said to you that make you feel inferior while she appears to be empowered. There can also be gaslighting and more belittling under the guise of corrective criticism and wisdom. In worse cases, especially where academia and spiritual matter are involved, you may be led to view yourself as less and even subservient to the mentor. These are just a few warning signs that you need to remove yourself.

No mentor relationship is perfect as we are all human. However, you must choose this person wisely knowing that they will not harm you when they face their worst. You must want to see each other win. It’s easy to say, but too many Sistahs are in dangerous competition with each other for various reasons. Regardless of the reason, it harms the women involved, the women that witness, and the next generation coming. Be mindful of how all parts of your sistah circle is assembled and be sure you are not the toxic in the circle either.  We must mentor and walk with each other in love and support. When one of us rises all of us rise.

Staff Writer; Christian Starr

May connect with this sister over at Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/christian.pierre.9809 and also Twitter; http://twitter.com/MrzZeta.

When we turn on the news and see our children dying in the streets, and being unlawfully handled by law enforcement we are ready to cry out…but our kids are not prepared for the reality of the world we life in. The bottom line is we must teach our children. It is a labor of love, it is repetitive, on many days you will be exhausted, and it will require you to get YOU together because yes they hear you…but more importantly your kids are watching you.

Let me clear, this is not about abusing children, and that has to be stated as that is far too often where the conversation goes when the issue of structure is brought up. Some of us are so caught up in not wanting to be the previous generation we refuse to acknowledge that in some areas they did get it right…and in some areas we are failing. The inverse is also correct. Wanting children to learn to be independent thinkers, and make wise choices is important. However, that may have to start with you making selections and teaching them how to choose in a safe environment. I can’t allow my four year old to decide what he’s eating for dinner. I can give him options to choose from. He still needs parental oversight as if its left up to him he might try to eat pizza every day, and would be deficient in terms of nutrition. I will not allow him to decide to wear shorts and a t-shirt in 40 degree weather. This might sound like no brainers…but for some reason it is not. Children are taught respect for authority at home [or not] before dealing with the public. There is no way they should treat the parent as though that parent is their servant that they don’t have to heed. We don’t begin teaching these lessons at six an seven…it starts from day one.

Our children are more resilient than we realize. They are not made of glass. They can go to school and be efficient, then come home and have chores that they are consistently responsible for. We are then training a child that can one day take care of themselves while maintaining a job. Everything we do now is building blocks to help them become respectful efficient human beings. Teaching them what they need to know doesn’t mean life will be fair with them…it means they are not on the wrong side of the situation. Life has consequences, so should your home. These are all things that need to be taught. If you find that you need help please reach out to your family, community, church, and various professionals. Yet remember, you know your child, and sometimes you will have to go with your gut.

Children are a 24/7 responsibility. They will learn as you are hands on with them, when you care about their day, when you discipline in love, and when you show up for them. We are teaching them when they watch us make responsible decisions, take a care for our health, say no, get up and go to work, when they see us communicate effectively, and when they realize we don’t ask them to do anything we ourselves don’t walk out before them. They experience us apologizing to them if we get it wrong because we are not perfect. They will be able to recall us telling them about the reality of the world they live in…they might hate to hear us repeat ourselves, but the wisdom will come back to them when they face life challenges. If we want out children to have a better chance at life and living successfully we must roll our sleeves up and parent, and support each other in the effort to parent our children individually and as a community.

Staff Writer; Christian Starr

May connect with this sister over at Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/christian.pierre.9809 and also Twitter; http://twitter.com/MrzZeta.

There is a comfort that can be found in getting into a rhythm, and I’m not talking about a progressive rhythm but more so a mundane routine. That routine becomes an ingrained habit that becomes like a stone grinding away at us. We can see things going left in our lives, and we’ll question everything but the routine that is causing the madness. It’s easier to leave comfort alone because change requires work. Moving after being still too long requires work, and it is often uncomfortable. If we take a moment to reflect, honestly, over the time standing still…we may find that it is time to move immediately.

The easiest way to see the need for movement is to look at the human body. The idea that you must use it or lose it has some truth to it. When we don’t move our bodies there is a stiffness that sets into our bones. We’re prone to unhealthy weight gain, joint aches and pains, and we’re more prone to injury. If we are too sedentary it can affect our mental and emotional health. Depression and so much more can set in as the body goes from sitting to laying consistently with no real movement. The body required stretching and exercise of some sort. This is the reason some feel taking a walk helps to clear the mind and lift one’s mood. The necessity and importance of movement when looking at the body is pretty much an open and shut case. Even if we struggle to make it happen…it’s understood there are pretty in your face consequences of sitting still. However, it is not as easily recognizable in other areas of our life. It is also easier to negate, and or avoid in those other areas.

I was perusing Instagram one day and came across a video of Deion Sanders helping his daughter work on her time in the mile. What caught my attention was him instructing her to find her pace, and also not to stop. He, paraphrasing, basically told her that standing still is one way the enemy can catch you. Though it was encouragement for a run…it got me to thinking about stillness in the sense of being idle. Some are standing still spiritually, and one could argue that leads to standing still mentally. While we’re standing there it seems like all heck is breaking loose in life. There are things that need to be done, decisions that need to be made, new endeavors to partake in…but we aren’t moving at all.

Have you ever had that moment where you felt like you needed to pray and meditate, but instead you just sat there? Have you looked around you and saw things that needed to be done, and yes you thought about it, but sat there? Have you ever made a plan and mapped out everything that needed to be done, but instead of executing the plan you just replayed it in your mind? Are you in a relationship that isn’t healthy, and you have the power to walk away, but you haven’t moved? Did you know it was time to start looking for avenues to advance your career, or grow your business but you are standing there? This brainstorm can continue for many of us, because too many of us are standing still instead of moving forward.

I will never tell you going from a state of standing still to moving is easy. Once you are in motion and it becomes what you do yes it gets easier. However, the initial steps can be difficult, and there can be some fear involved. No one is telling you to go from still to sprinting. Take your time and start somewhere….one step at a time until you are walking and then finding your pace. Regain your life back by putting it in a positive forward motion. The steps you take now can be the difference between you living the life you deserve, and merely existing. The choice is yours.

Staff Writer; Christian Starr

May connect with this sister over at Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/christian.pierre.9809 and also Twitter; http://twitter.com/MrzZeta.

One day I was perusing on social media, and I came across a post about a six year old child being put in handcuffs by the police. I didn’t have to think twice about the race of the child…I already knew. The child was temporarily detained for being a kid. The child wasn’t doing anything a six year old wouldn’t do. It was upsetting and eye opening all at the same time. I am a mother two black boys, and all I could see was my children in that moment. There are absolutely too many distractions that we adults have that are not a necessity. One can’t speak to gently parenting if the focus is not on the child; one can’t speak to authoritative parenting if the focus is not on the child. Seriously, there might be too much outside conversation, and maybe we need to put the cellphone down because our kids need to be trained.

Training, reinforcement, and discipline take time and lots of effort. Some parents are throwing in the towel on 10yrs olds, but they didn’t begin really laying groundwork for that child until they were five or six. We can’t discuss consequences, chastisement, nor punishment when a child hasn’t been trained. It is unreasonable for us as adults to expect full comprehension, stellar academics, and behavior that results from consistency & discipline when there has been no training. I will continue to say, we cannot expect children to master and do what adults cannot. Basically, if you have to be trained to be competent at your job, what makes you think the child doesn’t have to be trained for life. The Bible literally instructs us to “train up a child”. Too many of us are pacifying and negotiating with children; I’m not talking about teenagers…I mean negotiating with a four year old that is still leaning all of their bodily functions. Children must be trained on how to behave, take care of self, respect self and others, respect authority, and how to eat healthy foods…just to name a few things. All of these things require something of the parents and their village.

Seeking advice and professional counsel of doing what’s best for your child is never a bad idea but remember as a parent you know that child best…or at least you should. Too many of us are tuned into our phone, the madness in the world and work, and we are missing the opportunity to know our children…hence why training them can become difficult. Furthermore, maybe we are not starting soon enough. I remember once sharing that I began training my children the day they were born. I didn’t day discipline from birth, but training…absolutely. My boys were the most angelic beings to me when they were born, and they still are, however when pregnant with them I was literally mentally preparing to pour into them. No, they didn’t run the house. I felt it was important for them to be born into order as best as possible. To this day my phone is set to “do not disturb” at a certain point in the evening, because that is their time. Training can be teaching them what to and how verbally, and through application.

We are all learning and navigating the journey of parenthood as best we can [no judgment] but being Black in this country means we do not have the same amount of time, and our kids don’t have the same amount of grace nor space to be kids and make mistakes. We must prepare them with a sense of urgency like their life depends on it…because it does. Our children’s ability to survive and thrive starts with our ability to pour in love, train them, and place them in an environment with a village that will reinforce said training. Together we can save our children and community…but it required that we train our children on par with how much we love them.

Staff Writer; Christian Starr

May connect with this sister over at Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/christian.pierre.9809 and also Twitter; http://twitter.com/MrzZeta.

Research and Analyze School Diversity

Diversity is a factor to consider when choosing a school. Look for institutions that value and actively promote diversity within their student body, faculty, and curriculum. Schools with a diverse environment will expose children to different perspectives, cultures, and backgrounds, fostering empathy and a broader worldview.

Evaluate the Curriculum

Examine the school’s curriculum to ensure it acknowledges and incorporates the contributions of Black people to history, science, literature, and the arts. Representation matters, and an inclusive curriculum helps foster a positive self-image and an appreciation for one’s heritage. Seek schools that embrace multiculturalism and celebrate the richness of Black culture.

Consider the Approach to Discipline

In recent years, there has been increasing awareness regarding racial disparities in disciplinary practices. Black students are disproportionately affected by harsh disciplinary measures, leading to negative academic and social outcomes. Prioritize schools that implement restorative justice practices, focusing on understanding and addressing the root causes of behavioral issues rather than punitive measures.

Engage with the School Community

Attend open houses, parent-teacher conferences, and community events to get a feel for the school’s environment and culture. Engage with other parents, teachers, and administrators to understand how they approach diversity, inclusivity, and academic support for Black students. Building a supportive network can help ensure your child thrives in their educational journey.

Assess Academic Support and Resources

A school’s commitment to supporting all students, including those from diverse backgrounds, is crucial. Inquire about tutoring programs, counseling services, and extracurricular activities that cater to the unique needs of Black students. Adequate resources and support systems can make a significant difference in their educational experience.

Address Racial Microaggressions

Black children often face racial microaggressions that can adversely impact their self-esteem and academic performance. Look for schools with a zero-tolerance policy for racial discrimination and a commitment to fostering an inclusive and respectful environment for all students.

Understand Standardized Testing Policies

Standardized testing can play a significant role in a student’s academic journey. However, these tests have historically been biased against marginalized communities, including Black students. Research the school’s approach to standardized testing and advocate for fairness and equitable assessment practices.

Embrace Inclusive Special Education Programs

For Black children with special educational needs, finding a school that offers inclusive special education programs is vital. Inclusive education aims to integrate students with disabilities into regular classrooms alongside their peers, creating an environment that fosters understanding, empathy, and cooperation. Look for schools that prioritize the individual needs of students with disabilities, providing appropriate accommodations and support to help them thrive academically and socially.

Embrace Afrocentric and Ethnic Studies Programs

Schools that offer Afrocentric and ethnic studies programs empower Black students to connect with their heritage, history, and identity. These programs can foster pride and self-awareness, helping students overcome challenges and excel academically.

Address Bullying and Harassment

Sadly, bullying and harassment based on race are still prevalent in many schools. Seek institutions with robust anti-bullying policies and a commitment to addressing racial prejudice and discrimination effectively.

Advocate for Equitable Funding and Resources

Many schools in predominantly Black communities suffer from underfunding and lack of resources, which hinders the quality of education provided. Engage with local policymakers and school boards to advocate for equitable funding and improved infrastructure.

Staff Writer; Mz. Whitsdom

This talented writer is also an accomplished author. One may purchase any of the following books; The Ausome Parent Journal: Your Journey as a Parent of Children with Autism, and Think About the Future!: Goal Setting Exploration Workbook for Students Paperback on Amazon.