Story
For three decades as a television journalist, I have crafted and shared thousands of stories. Although I brought my perspective to each story, it was within the confines of journalism's dictates of objectivity and always at the direction of someone else. Now my passion, in this, my "third act" in life, is to take my experience, melded with the relationships and collaborations I have developed over the decades to do those stories I believe cry out for telling.
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I am especially interested in stories that impact women and health disparities that result from racial and economic inequality.
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Latest News and Opinion Pieces (for earlier articles go to media section)
Philly Narratives
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We are just days into the New Year and already the focus is on 2026 and the semiquincentennial. Next year marks the 250th year of America’s founding. Philadelphia is at the epicenter-the location of the first White House, Independence Hall, The Liberty Bell and of course the Declaration of Independence. The men who wrote and signed this document, set forth its principles of liberty and freedom as the bedrock of our democracy. And yet the founding fathers, one third of whom owned slaves, made no mention of enslaved men and women. It was generally understood that the words “all men are created equal” did not include Blacks- denying them the very liberties and rights the new nation celebrated.
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In his iconic speech on the Fourth of July 1952 the abolitionist Frederick Douglass wrote “What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July but a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim.”
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W.E.B. Dubois, known for his study and the seminal book “The Philadelphia Negro” and his book The Souls of Black Folk wrote about “double consciousness, a dual role Blacks feel of being part of society and yet excluded from it.
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These tensions are a through line in American history Over the next year and into 2026 I will be sharing the narratives of Black Philadelphians-stories about their connection to this city- their family histories and the many varied perspectives on their take on the past and their hopes for and stakes in the future.
Photo courtesy of Martin Regusters, Leaping Lion
Map of diaspora – Africa, US and Latin America
Diaspora Dialogues
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Senior Fellow and Director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies Mvemba Phezo Dizolele has been quoted as saying the biggest challenge facing Africa is not a lack of economic development, growth, or technology, rather the biggest challenge facing Africa are the narratives around Africa…that it is still seen as the dark continent plagued by famine, conflict and corruption. It is part of what Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie discusses The Danger of A Single Story, how misunderstanding and lack of awareness leads to assumptions and prejudices towards groups of people.
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Changing the narrative is key. I want to use this space and my experiences to talk about Africa. To share stories, information and ideas and also to collaborate on projects that capture my interest.
For example, the volunteer work I am doing with the Brain Wellness Initiative (BWI). https://www.brainwellnessafrica.org.
The work of Drs. Amadi Ihunwo and Uchenna Amadi Ihunwo at BWI is focused on multigenerational teaching and learning around neuroscience and brain wellness in Africa.
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Check back for more on their work and how you can get involved.
Credit Mark and Yvette Chenault Casamance Region, Senegal
But it is not all about work! There is so much joy and excitement happening on the continent and I am privileged to have a front row seat thanks to the adventures of my family and WhatsApp.
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My youngest brother Mark and my sister-in-law Yvette are doing what many of us in moments of disenchantment with the US can only dream of, they have retired to Senegal!
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Mark and Yvette met almost 30 years ago while both were serving as members of the Peace Corps.They fell in love, returned to the states, married, went on to have great careers in education and government service, raised two amazing children Gabrielle a reporter at The Tennessean (BA Hampton U and MA University of Southern California ) and Dakari (Morehouse and first year law student SIU School of Law). Many of their family vacations over the years were to Senegal or other countries in Africa but they decided to retire to a beautiful resort town not far from where they both did their service in the Peace Corps!
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The stories and pictures they share present a multilayered, joyful beautiful side of life in Senegal. It speaks directly to what Chimimanda talked about on the dangers of a single story. I’ve learned that the best skill a storyteller can possess is the ability to listen. So I will be listening and sharing what I am hearing in the upcoming months here and on social media.