This is not an exhaustive list and surely, there can be many more added, however, here are twenty of the most essential books by Black women writers that every Black woman should own, according to me….and I ain’t no junk, ya dig?  

1. Their Eyes Were Watching God —… Read full post »

REAL Red Tails

By now, you’re fully aware that, Red Tails, George Lucas’ cinematic account of the Tuskegee Airmen opened in theaters across the country this weekend.  Sitting in my cushiony seat at the Malco Paradiso theater on Saturday night, I thought about all of the hype befor/… Read full post »

So, I went to dinner with three friends this past Friday night. We were sitting at a hibachi table with a brotha and his daughter and son.  Before they left, we found out that it was the young girl’s birthday and that she was turning fifteen.  In the midst of dinnertime… Read full post »

I’ll admit it. Sometimes, I have trouble being myself all of the time, not because I don’t know me. On the contrary, I’ve been studying myself for as long as I can remember so I’m quite comfortable with all of my imperfections and facets.  For a brief moment in my life… Read full post »

Cultural Translation: The first time I heard this term, it was being used by a political science professor to describe the late Isaac Hayes.  At the opening ceremony for Kwanzaa 2006, the artist formerly known as Black Moses was standing alongside the former Superintendent of Memphis City Sc… Read full post »

August 17, 1887–The spirit formerly known as Marcus Mosiah Garvey was born in Jamaica.  Early in his life, he emigrated to the United States and became one of the greatest black leaders in history.  Through his organization, the Universal Negro Improvement Association, Garvey instilled… Read full post »

Here’s a post that I just wrote for the blog, Love Jones Lifestyle. I’m a co-contributor over there….

Whether we admit it or not, all of us have veils to cover our faces and fortresses around our hearts. Anything that will reveal the depth of our emotions is generally shield… Read full post »

This is for all of the non-writers out there. Writer friends, feel free to share this with your non-writing friends so they can ‘get’ us, finally.

For many of my writer friends, I speak for them. We hold Skype video chats and bi-monthly conference calls discussing people like you w… Read full post »

This is dedicated to the courageous women who dare to be over 35…..and single. The ones who boldly arise every day to stare down traditional values and dare them to stress us any longer. This is an anointed lot of the Black single woman population who are fed up with the… Read full post »

Gangsta Walkin’. Buckin’. Jookin’. Choppin’.

If you’re unfamiliar with any of those terms, don’t worry, I’m going to try to explain it to you. But really, it’s hard to break down. You just have to see it for yourself. Before I… Read full post »

Happy Father’s Day to all of the Dads, soon-to-be Dads and would-be Dads out there.  I just got off the phone with my Ol’ Dude and as usual, he was just as nonchalant and unexcited about the whole thing.  As I jubilantly said ‘Happy Father’s Day’ and ‘Happ… Read full post »

On May 27, 2011, I learned that we lost Gil. Unfortunately, there’s quite a few people, Black folks in particular, who are unfamiliar with Gil Scott Heron so this piece of major news went by with a shrug of nonchalant shoulders with them.  I won’t spend a lot of time rehashing his… Read full post »

Yeah….by now, most of us reasonable people should be fully ignoring right-wingers, however, it’s difficult to do when they keep finding ways to make complete asses out of themselves by raising hell about nothing. Ok, we get it.  You don’t like the President and everything about him… Read full post »

This city where I live, work, and create gets a bad rap a lot.  Unfortunately, it’s too easy to get on the pity wagon and mope about what all makes Memphis a hard place to live sometimes.  But the more I work in purpose, the more I realize that I’m personally… Read full post »

Southern Eccentrik is undergoing some more changes.  Yes,  I know. For some reason, I can’t seem to get this blog where I need it because the scope of it keeps changing.   I am still very much interested in building this blog into something substantial; however, the content will be changing… Read full post »

Many may dismiss Chuck D as that old guy whose just ranting and raving over nothing. They’ll say that he’s just ‘hating’ on the dime a dozen ringtone rappers because they are making a mint spouting absolute foolishness….and that he’s just mad because he didn’t think of it first  Read full post »

Lerone Bennett, Jr. was born in Clarksdale, MS shortly before the Great Depression.  He is regarded as a forthright Black scholar and historian, having penned several works regarding Black history and culture for about three decades or so.  Well noted for his position as Executive E… Read full post »

I’ve collected myself long enough to write something in honor of the late Abbey Lincoln.  While I’m aware that Abbey was elderly, it still saddens me when someone of such caliber leaves this earth without a designated torch bearer.  Upon her ascension though, we can gather her ac… Read full post »

While wasting time on Facebook, which is something that I find myself doing more often than not, I came across this insightful and inspiring TED.com video.  If you haven’t spent time on TED.com, do yourself a favor and do so.  You will be a better person for it, trust me.  I… Read full post »

Somebody ain’t getting their learnin’….

Today’s music industry is evidence of that.  As 2010′s Black Music Month rolls along, I deem it imperative to drop off a list of reads on the subject of Black music.  After all, I believe one of the hardest things to do i… Read full post »

You know, it seems to me that Hollywood is 20 years behind when it comes to Black films. Last night, while hanging out with my movie buddy, we opted to see The Prince of Persia over Queen Latifah and Common’s Just Wright. I don’t have any plans to watch the… Read full post »

For those of you who may not know, that’s Amiri Baraka to the left–the founder of the Black Arts Movement, which was the cultural arm to the Black Power Movement of the ’60s.  This man has earned his spot in American culture as a bonafide protest artist–as a… Read full post »

In the first installment of the Cloud of Witnesses series, I wanted to, in many instances, introduce some of us to Black women that may have been cast aside on the historical trail.  If they garner any mention, it’s not sufficient as most of these women accomplished feats in the face… Read full post »