As many of you know, I traveled to Kenya last summer and spent time at Kibera Girls Soccer Academy. I am returning there in a few days. The school is an incredible place. I told a version of their story on the TEDxSLC stage. It is an honor to share it with you here:
Thirsting, questing for true equality and peace
Menstruation Matters
One of the distinct highlights of preparing to speak at TEDxSLC was meeting and collaborating with Dr. Sayantani DasGupta. She is the kind of woman I aspire to be. After hearing each other’s talks in a practice session, we had several energized conversations about menstruation. It is so encouraging to meet people who think talking […]
3 Black Dresses
“Dan, it’s fashion show time.” “What for this time?” “Our work gala. Black tie optional. Men will be in tuxedos or suits and ties. They want us all to dress up.” “Okay, let’s see it.” I proceeded to try on three different black dresses of differing lengths and differing necklines, looking in the mirror each […]
White
Melanin is triggered by the enzyme tyrosinase, which creates the shade of skin, eyes, and hair. My mother’s grandmother traveled from Ireland to the United States to start a new life. My grandmother was born in Chicago with pale skin that freckled easily. Her mother hated the freckles, and told my grandmother that they were […]
Taxi Cab
The seatbelt wouldn’t buckle. I tried a few times just to make sure it was the seatbelt’s issue, not mine. It seems tempting fate not to wear a seatbelt, especially in a taxi in Kenya. But I let it go. We weren’t going far. Ryan and I were planning to meet a KGSA partner for […]
God Made a Farmer
Please watch and pass on this beautiful video done by my Dan and his team at LWR. It is good and true. Amen.
My Tempered Voice
When my sister and I were little, my parents would drop us off at my grandparent’s house every Thursday while they went and played in a mixed doubles tennis league. Our favorite thing to do on Thursdays was dress up in my grandma’s clothes and costume jewelry, put on old Polish records and dance around […]
Dying Love
Kazuko is dying. Pancreatic cancer will kill her in the next month. Twenty-nine years ago, she fell in love with a man named Katzuya. He fell in love too. He brought her to America, where he became a promoter of Japanese art. They never married. In the early 1900s, a group of black Lutherans from […]
Hamilton Heights
Every morning at a little past eight, you can see a man feeding pigeons in Montefiore Park. He balances his Anthora coffee cup on the crossbar of the wrought-iron fence and hooks the curved wooden handle of his umbrella on his forearm. The stubble on his face has more gray than the hair on his […]
Situated Stars
There are times in New York when I feel alone, anonymous, and it is the most exhilarating and liberating feeling in the world. I feel strong and powerful, alive and full of possibility. I feed off the energy of strangers on the street, recreating myself moment by moment. But every now and again, I feel […]