I am a black woman. I’m free. I don’t have to be a symbol to anybody…~Lena Horne. On an usually restless night, I checked my Twitter feed and learned that Lena Horne passed away yesterday. She was 92 years old and has a legacy that made it acceptable to be black and beautiful in Hollywood, [...]

I still listen to Illmatic, a stunning musical achievement by Nas, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, and Large Professor, after first hearing it over 10 years ago.  Few people can say that they created one of the seminal works in their field at the age of 20. However, such an accomplishment can be both a blessing and [...]

Michael Jackson passed today. Upon reflecting on why his passing is so painful, I realized a few things: