Tension and Release: A History of Jazz and Sex

Jazz, at its very core, is sex. The one begs the other. Harmonic tension, rhythmic tension, and even melodic tension, followed by release matches the feel of the moment, passion and unrest bent up inside a person before the ultimate and sudden exhale. The New York American had this to say of jazz music in 1922, […]

Disney Celebrates Black History Month With “We Are Doc McStuffins”

If you ask a kid, any kid, to name a famous basketball player, you’re more than likely to see the kid light up with excitement, maybe dunk an imaginary b‑ball and run off names with a smirk like Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Jordan, even if they know the latter only by his sneakers. Ask the little […]

Female Sexual Dysfunction (Yes, It Exists)

My mother once told me that she never liked sex. She has always been the conservative kind: always wearing pantyhose under all dresses and skirts, just a touch of makeup when she went out— which she seldom did and was almost always back home and in bed by 10:30. In fact, she surprised me the one […]

FOR GENTLEMEN ONLY: How to Make a Sophisticated Drink for a Special Lady

A man’s choice in drink is a sign of maturity. Just as a man’s ability to discern a woman’s desires comes with experience, his behavior is adjusted accordingly. The at-home dinner date provides an opportunity for him to show just how far he’s come in his journey from a boy to a man. The man as […]

Love, Politics and an HIV Test

I sauntered in a black halter and purple peek toe stilettos, my summatime (sic) shoes. I walked over to the bar, ordered a complimentary specialty cocktail, aptly named “Love,” and sipped for just a few moments before I was joined by a gentleman dressed in red. A red tie that is, one of two colors […]

Why African-American Books Should Be Required Reading for All Americans

Black history is not just for Black people. Just as the world is not painted in “50 Shades of Grey,” and America is a melting pot of flavors, those aspiring to be well-cultured put on their technicolor glasses, stepoutside their comfort box, and expose themselves to something they may not already know.…Read more at Ebony.com

REVELATIONS: Finding Opportunity in Life’s Journey

We waited, the man and I, outside the courtroom for paperwork to be drawn up, and a court date set. Me, sitting on a bench, sipping cold coffee. Him, pacing the floor in front of me, talking on his phone to…someone…about what had just transpired. In that moment, I remembered how every area of my […]

[CONFESSIONS] Making Peace With My Mother (and Myself)

First, I thought I had malaria—the infectious disease born from parasitic mosquitoes that infiltrates blood cells resulting in death—but later learned the only parasite was a bundle growing inside me that pro-life activists called a blessing from God, but my mother deemed shameful. The excitement of spending 4 months studying abroad my senior year of college […]

Confessions: Lost Him Found Myself

It was in the nights I spent letting my tears trickle onto my lavender pillows, that I often wondered why Apple never created an app for heartbreak. iHurt seemed like a fitting name. The idea could hardly be novel in this time when anyone with internet access could upload, download, or Google all of life’s answers if they […]

Birth Control For Men: Could it Work?

With the introduction of the birth control pill in the early 1960s, women were finally able enjoy the freedom to have sex without the fear of an unwanted pregnancy. But men may not be so inclined to take such a medication. Psychotherapist and relationship expert, Mary Pender Greene says, “Men in general are very committed to the idea […]