Three years ago I read an article in the Washington Post by Joy Jones entitled “Marriage is for White People” and the article talked to adolescent children who claimed that marriage was for white people. It went on to state various statistics, i.e. since the 1960’s the marriage rate for African American’s has continued to drop. Statistics such as this and others of its ilk about Black women and the Black community prompted me to ask why is it that marriage is not preached, instilled, taught, or encouraged in our community. Having grown up in a two parent household, whose parents are still alive and together, I witnessed love, struggle, trials, and tribulations. I witnessed infidelity and counseling, and two people working together to create, grow, build, learn, and love---together. It is the reason why I believe in the sanctity of marriage. I believe in standing before God and repeating vows to merge your lives into one. I believe in the sacrament of the vows. What I don’t believe in, ...

This is more of a rant than anything and it’s based solely on my opinion. So I wish to apologize in advance for those this may offend…. But I absolutely, positively detest tattoos on women! AND when it comes to men I don’t think that sleeving up your arms, calves, kneck, back, or wherever is a good look either. When I see women with the carefully placed rose on their breast just close enough to the areola so that it shows but not really...or the way in which women strategically place a tattoo there and then sit the girls up high and tight (we all know what the girls are) as if it’s attractive or an attribute or adds to her “sexiness”. I don’t think that we (people) think about the changes that our bodies are going to go through as we age and how the tatts will look in 40 or 50 odd years. When you’re skinny and gain weight, so does the tatt…now it’s all big and ugly and distorted looking…like that rose its now a freaking tree trunk on the arm ‘cause the arm has “exploded” in size! The r...