Tulsa
I have always loved Tom Hanks. He just seems like such a good guy, onscreen and off. I loved his triumph against the ego in “Cast Away.” Loved his adorable, bumbling widowed dad in “Sleepless in Seattle” (Rita Wilson’s tearful comic bit was...
Mixed Race in America
It’s here! After more than six months of writing and reporting, my long-awaited series of articles about multiracial identity in America was published this week! Take a journey with me… Discover Tacoma, Washington…a little-known...
When You Need a Break
I don’t do it often, and I’m far from being an expert, but gardening is in my blood. My father was a gardener for most of his working life, before he retired. Now, his full-time calling is working with those working the twelve steps...
Black Television in the 90’s
The 1990’s are sometimes referred to as a “Golden Age” of black television. We’re all abuzz, as we should be, about current sensations like “Black-ish” and “Empire,” but that doesn’t mean we...
Bridging the divide
A few years ago, as new demographic reports were flush with a growing wave of multiracial youth, I revisited the topic of my roots. My African-American mother and grandmother raised me at a time when identifiable biracial children were still just...
Revolution #ImNotAlone
Thank you all for following The Girl in the Yellow Poncho, a blog about my forthcoming family memoir. Your support is appreciated! In case you weren’t aware, the blog is also connected to a larger campaign called #ImNotAlone for multiracial...
My Multiracial Miami
She doesn’t know it yet, but my daughter Olivia lives in a world that is deeply and intensely global and multiracial. Miami. Once, while passing through Little Havana, I stopped at a drive-through Subway and was in the process of ordering a...
Big Hair
Last month New York’s Commission on Human Rights declared that it’s no longer okay to discriminate on the basis of hairstyle. Meaning, employers and other authorities can no longer force people to get rid of their dreadlocks...
Venice Beach
Mom dressed me up and took me to a Venice Beach motel to see my father for the first time. Or at least, it was the first time that I could remember. I was four or five and over the moon with excitement. My father was an alcoholic and drug...
Happy Birthday Grandmommy
March 5, 1921 – October 26, 2018 It’s a very special day for us as we launch #ImNotAlone. Happy birthday to my beloved grandmother who is here with us every step of the way. @ImNotAlone2019 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me...
The Girl in the Yellow Poncho
A few years ago I decided to revisit the topic of my roots and childhood in this Washington Post essay. One thing led to another and soon I had a memoir on my hands…one that took surprising twists and turns that even I never would have expected...