Life – Drama + Controversy

Queen Sugar Recap, S5 E7: June 1, 2020

Season Five of Queen Sugar has been a heavy one thus far. The focus has been on the torrential year 2020 with its steady downpour of tragedy. It’s like there was an interruption in the regularly scheduled program in order to reimagine the horrible year through the lives of the fictional residents of St. Josephine, Louisiana. The show is hard to watch at times. Having to relive the panic of the deadly Coronavirus pandemic and to walk through horrific instances of social injustice all over again tends to dredge up feelings we’ve all tried to bury in order to move on. Nonetheless, the storytelling is phenomenal and the acting is amazing.

To start, newlyweds Ralph Angel and Darla are resuming life after their honeymoon, which was dampened by the surge in racial injustice outrage that began to pop of in the Spring of 2020. A bright spot was discovering that their little boy, Blue, is exceptionally gifted. Although it was previously revealed that Blue is not Ralph Angel’s biological son, Ralph Angel loves him as his own with all his heart and soul.

Drama and controversy are taking a toll on Charley as she awakens in the morning with a cramped neck after a night of tossing and turning. Throughout the night, her subconscious mind drew forth the negative experiences of the drama that she has treaded through over the past few years with the Landry’s/Boudreaux’s and the issues she’s had trying to stand up for the people of St. Josephine.

Aunt Violet, better known as Vi, the generous and caring soul, is set on checking in on everyone to ensure they are navigating 2020 with grace while weeds of negativity are taking root right in her own house. Her husband, Hollywood, is struggling to keep his peace after losing his mother to Coronavirus and witnessing the horrendous deaths of black people on the news. Hollywood tells Vi that sometimes she deserves to be on the receiving end of love and she sternly reminds him that “loving folks ain’t some sort of tit-for-tat parlor game”. Violet subtly addresses Hollywood’s indulgence in libations after witnessing him throwing back a beer for breakfast, again.

Nova has organized a social justice march for the children of St. Josephine and while preparing t-shirts with her friend Rid, she addresses the insidious polarization that gnawed away at unity during the Trump administration’s reign. This scene was a bit hard to watch. Speaking on the continuous fight for social equality that intensified concurrently with the spread of a deadly virus that claimed the lives of so many mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons dredged up a lot of negative emotion and sent us spiraling backward into a time we’re all still struggling to recover from.

Micah is determined to do his part in the fight for social equality and plans to use is social media influence to make an impact regarding the killing of George Floyd. Charley couldn’t help but to be proud of her son, whose resolve and passion matches hers when it comes to standing up for what’s right.

Nova and Charley converse about Nova’s quest to continue to hold the powers that be accountable when it comes to the handling of black people in a report for her website, Tru Papers, even during a pandemic. Charley’s stress continues to plague her body as evidenced in her distressed leg rub throughout the telephone conversation with her sister. On top of that, she’s concerned about Micah as he branches out into the world to leave his indelible mark at such a young age. Nova is quick to remind her of the young activists who blazed the path for young people like Micah such as Ella Baker and John Lewis.

Little boy Blue is fully enthralled in the social justice movement, creating protest signs in preparation for Nova’s march. Darla and Ralph Angel are forced to explain to Blue the tragedy of George Floyd’s murder. Darla ends up in tears after dealing the heaviness of having to explain social injustice to a 10-year-old and feeling the responsibility of creating a safe space for her son who will grow up to be a black man.

Calvin’s daughter, Courtney, who has been staying in the house with Nova and her boyfriend, Calvin, for the past few weeks, is preparing to return home. The trio will be taking a road-trip to take Courtney back to her apartment in Texas. Nova gifts Courtney, who is fond of Nova’s work, with a copy of a rare publication. Soon after, Nova receives a distressing phone call regarding the permit for her children’s social justice march.

Ralph Angel relays the news of Nova’s canceled march to Blue and Darla after receiving a phone call from Nova. Blue struggles to understand why permission is required to march/protest and his parents explain. Ralph Angel decides that their family will take their signs and protest anyway while Darla is quiet with her concern.

Charley sits in her kitchen to enjoy one of Aunt Vi’s famous pies while discussing Micah’s trip to Minneapolis. “When exactly did you allow him to go gallivanting out of state in the middle of a health crisis and a race crisis!?” was Vi’s response, as she sat in a chair across from Charley with a face mask on. Charley, learning to loosen the reigns and offer support to Micah’s burgeoning activist spirit, explains that Micah’s life is now his own. He is now officially an adult, after all. Even with her controlling nature, Charley admits that Micah has changed since college but she is adjusting and allowing him to continue to grow. Things get touchy for Violet when Charley asks about Hollywood. She explains the challenges her husband is facing since the death of his mother. However, there was a glimmer of good news pertaining to Mr. Prosper, who seems to have overcome the depressive state he suffered through at the beginning of the pandemic. Violent reminds Charley that family must be a priority during these difficult times.

Next, Courtney and Nova are in the car preparing for the road trip to Texas and while waiting on Calvin to finish a work call, they begin to discuss Nova’s cancelled children’s march. Courtney tells Nova that the cancelation might have been a good thing to protect the kids from being around negativity and Nova is visibly distraught but remains non-argumentative.

Keeping his word, Ralph Angel wrangles up his little family and they hold their own mini protest roadside near their home. Passersby honk horns and wave in support. The protest is disrupted by a sheriff pulling up to address a call he received about someone obstructing traffic. The officer walks over and looks at the BLM t-shirts the trio is donning, then proceeds to state that they were protesting on public property. Ralph Angel points out the line of demarcation between the property he owns and the public property. Mr. Officer asks for proof of ownership. The exchange between Ralph Angel and the officer gets heated when the officer asks for identification. To cool things down, Darla offers to go retrieve Ralph Angel’s I.D. from the house. As Darla is running to the truck, the offer makes a suggestive vocalization regarding Darla, which causes Ralph Angel to become even more agitated. Attention turns to Blue as the officer asks him how he is doing. Blue is afraid and grabs onto his father’s arm for security. Ralph Angel questions the officer’s motives, and the officer stated that he would rather be doing other things than attending to complaints about “BLM sign twirlers”. It’s obvious the officer had another word in mind during the brief pause he took before coming up with his decorative name for Blue and his family. Ralph Angel and the officer throw a few verbal jabs, and the overt racist attitude of the officer is intensified when he puts his hand on his gun. The gun grab was sobering for Ralph Angel as he thinks about Blue’s safety. Fortunately, the officer gets a call over his radio and has to leave, but not before sowing a negative seed in little Blue’s mind. As he was walking back to his police car, he turned to Blue and said, “Catch you later, little man.” Ralph Angel embraces his son and offers a tearful apology and then resumes protesting even more fervently than before. Blue is too shaken up to resume.

Nova and Courtney have another moment as Courtney struggles with her desire to be a positive force in the fight for racial equality. Nova reminds her that the fight will continue and requires constant agitation in order to create effective change. The two end their conversation with a fist bump, which felt like a symbol of unity.

Mr. Prosper and Hollywood are lounging at home watching an old game on TV since the pandemic placed a strain on sports entertainment. Hollywood is visibly, yet quietly, agitated. Violet enters with her beautiful spirit and asks the guys what they want for dinner. Prosper is gracious with his response while Hollywood is dismissive and sarcastic. Vi, probably weary from Hollywood’s current state of despondency, wears a slight look of aggravation as she turns to walk out of the room. Prosper notices her demeanor and asks her if she’s OK. Vi proceeds to tell them about the conversation she just had with Darla pertaining to Blue, who Vi feels needs to be better shielded from the current state of affairs instead of being allowed to soak in all the negative news stories and adult discussions taking place during that time of devastation. Hollywood catches an attitude and Prosper takes that as a cue to leave the room to allow the lovebirds to bicker in peace. Vi stares at Hollywood in aggravated anticipation of an explanation for his attitude and he proceeds with, “Vi, if this is where you expect me to make you feel better by telling you how big your heart is and how misunderstood you are, I can’t do it. Not today.” He further explains that he is just trying to numb his mind to the craziness of the world by watching TV and basically tells Vi that it would be best to mind their own business at this time. Violet, with her tenacious positivity, is disheartened by Hollywood’s negative and defeated attitude. She asks him about his new business venture, The Real Spot, and he gives a very negative response as an indication that he no longer plans to actively pursue his vision. He ends his statement with a misogynistic tone and Vi maintains her composure as she exits the room because she is obviously concerned with her husband’s mental state.

Charley is on a business call revealing good news pertaining to her opponent’s plans to build in St. Josephine’s. A while ago, Micah was assisting her with going through old files to find something to help their cases against the Landry’s, Boudreaux’s, and Parker-Campbell’s and an old charter was found that stated public works projects could be halted for a couple of years during a federal state of emergency, which essentially puts her enemies out of business — for a while at least. During the call, her stress comes to a head as she begins to experience tension in her back, which turns into a full-blown anxiety attack so she rushes to end the conversation. She takes a seat on the couch and as she is struggling to catch her breath, she reaches for her phone to find someone to call. She remembers that everyone she’s close to is busy taking care of their own issues but reaches out to her brother, Ralph Angel, and his phone goes to voicemail.

Next, Ralph Angel and Hollywood are on a video call discussing the recent encounter with the police officer during the protest near Ralph Angel’s home. Ralph Angel loses his composure as he discusses Blue’s experience that day and his responsibility to protect him and his youth. Ralph Angel’s camera aims down to the ground and he gets emotional with indignation. Hollywood encourages him to “let it out” and Ralph Angel looks up at the sky and returns his gaze forward as he appears to process what it means to be a father to a black boy in this era.

Mr. Prosper and Hollywood throw back beers as they discuss the relationship challenges Hollywood is currently facing with Vi. Prosper reminds him that reconciliation is required because Hollywood’s own happiness is contingent upon Violet’s. Hollywood then begins to reflect on better days with his beautiful wife in flashbacks of their good times.

Nova returns home alone from the trip to Texas and also begins to reflect on better times with her boyfriend, Calvin. It seems his race and background as a police officer have begun to take a toll on their relationship during the tense times of racial injustice. She has flashbacks of their blossoming love and then remembers when she previously closed the door on their relationship stating, “I can’t be all of myself when I’m with you. I can’t.” Down the line, they eventually rekindled their old flame and were trying to discover if their connection was sustainable on all levels. In present time, Calvin left behind a jacket on a chair in the kitchen and Nova inhales his scent as she continues to reminisce on their ups and downs.

Ralph Angel is in Blue’s room watching him sleep and begins to flashback on the times he felt the need to protect Blue from the world’s cruelty. He remembers times he tried to fill his son up with hope despite the world’s darkness. He then notices a superhero toy in Blue’s room, which happened to be a white action figure. Out of frustration regarding current events, Ralph Angel throws the toy into a wastebasket.

In the final scene, Charley continues to struggle with her anxiety alone as she gasps for air on the couch. Realizing she needs to reach out for help, she retrieves her cell phone once again to find someone to call. Out of desperation, she calls a familiar source of comfort, her ex-husband, Davis West. After all they’ve gone through, there is obviously still a sliver of love remaining that made her think to call him. Desperate times obviously call for desperate measures. What will their interaction bring forth?

Even though this season is very hard to watch due to the dramatization of events that we’re all trying our hardest to move forward from, it is a reminder that we did indeed make it through that horrendous year and continue to move forward with hope and determination. The fight is still on, but now we’ve had time to put on our gloves.

Where Are They Now: Dominique Dawes

We’ve been celebrating Olympic gymnasts Simone Biles and Gabby Douglas since their gold medal wins back in the 2016 Summer Olympics. Their successes gave hope and inspiration to young girls around the world, especially the little girls with an extra dose of melanin who watched as brown-skinned women who look like them conquered their goals.

Leading the way for Simone and Gabby were amazingly talented black Olympic gymnast trailblazers like Dominique Dawes, who was the first black person, female or male, to win an Olympic gold medal. Dawes’ Olympic predecessors, Luci Collins – who was the first black female to make an Olympic team back in 1980, and Betty Okino – the first black woman to win an Olympic medal (bronze) in gymnastics, broke boundaries and provided a source of hope for aspiring gymnasts those who felt like Olympic success for black girls was too far-fetched in the sport of gymnastics.

The year was 1996 and the city was Atlanta. For a girl who was once considered by critics to be too bow-legged and “knobby” kneed to achieve major success as a gymnast, everyone was watching as the beautiful, petite, black woman leapt and tossed her way into Olympic history. For many young black girls, the ’96 Olympics was likely the first time there was even the slightest bit of interest in watching the gymnastic portion of the Olympic games. The excitement of having someone who looked like us on the US Olympic gymnastics team kept us glued to the TV to ensure we didn’t miss a second of Dominique’s melanin magic.

After securing the gold medal with the “Magnificent Seven,” which was the first American gymnastic team to take the Olympic gold medalist title, Awesome Dawesome (as she was so affectionately nicknamed) did more competing and winning, and later went on to graduate college. Dominique was tapped to appear in music videos for legendary music icon Prince and rapper Missy Elliot and also took a stab at Broadway. She made history yet again by becoming the first spokeswoman for the Girl Scout’s “Uniquely Me” campaign in the early 2000s and she also became the youngest President of the Women’s Sports Federation during her tenure in the mid 2000s. She was inducted into the 2009 class of the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame, being the first black woman inductee. Dominique has done activist work for autism, motivational speaking for the youth, and has contributed her fitness expertise to various causes.

She recently spoke out regarding the sexual abuse scandal involving USA Gymnastics national team doctor, Larry Nassar. Over 150 victims spoke of sexual abuse from Dr. Nassar while being treated for sports injuries. Though Dominique was not one of the abused, she made a statement via Facebook on January 20, 2018 expressing empathy and stated that the culture of the gymnastics industry “made it ripe” for predators to prey on young girls because their future success is partly “in the hands of the adults in power.”

Dominique and her husband, who wed in 2013, are raising four little girls – two of which were recently welcomed into the family in January 2018. Check them out on her Instagram page.

History made, goals achieved, beautiful family. Dominique has shown us that we can do it all.

Two Gospel Artists Whose Music Will Bless Your Life.

There are many, many gospel artists whose music soothes my soul on a daily basis – Kirk Franklin, Jekalyn Carr, Michelle Williams, Joshua’s Troop, Le’Andria Johnson, & Deitrick Haddon – just to name a few. However, a couple of artists have resonated with me on a deeper level lately. We go through phases in life during which we are drawn to different music and experiences, according to our mental & spiritual state. At this point in time, listening to Donald Lawrence speak positivity over my life and Marvin Sapp’s smooth vocals encouraging me to persevere & thrive is what my mind & spirit requires.

Donald Lawrence

Two Gospel Artists Whose Music Will Bless Your Life - Drama & Controversy — Donald Lawrence

When your life is REALLY in shambles, you might need to queue some Donald Lawrence to get things back in order (after calling on the good Lord of, course). His music is a ministry in itself – he speaks life back into the lifeless and provides double doses of hope to those suffering a hope deficiency by declaring the power of God and the nature of His promises to those who believe. Even if you’ve been a little down on faith, Donald will nurture your ‘mustard seed’ into full blown abundance.

The self-proclaimed “Song Psychotherapist” and provider of “Transformational Wisdom” got his start as musical director of a gospel group comprised of singers from three cities in North Carolina named the Tri-City Singers (the crew is reportedly back together & recording new music!). Donald Lawrence & the Tri-City Singers went on to record some heavenly music that has, assuredly, changed a few lives – or a few minds, at least. The Stellar Award-winning crew gave us songs like Go Get Your Life Back, You Are An Heir, God’s Favor, Seasons, & Usher Me to draw inspiration and keep focused on the positive. Donald later went solo and blessed us with songs like The Gift, Spiritual, There Is A King in You to remind us of the power within us that was endowed by God to allow each of us to live our best life.

Donald Lawrence is one of my top go-to gospel artists when I need an immediate boost of positive energy. Blasting his music in the morning before starting the day actually improves my mood and helps me to be more impervious to negativity throughout the day – even on MONDAYS.

Marvin Sapp

Some people are absolutely anointed musically with the ability to deliver a message that resonates at the deepest levels and Marvin Sapp definitely falls into that category. During the darkest of times, queueing a Marvin Sapp song will trigger a glimmer of faith and hope, allowing you to find the strength to keep moving forward. He has been through the darkest of times – losing his wife, mother of his three children. His strife, heartache, desolation, and later triumph, allow him to deliver music in a manner that is authentic and honest.

Marvin sang with Fred Hammond in the gospel group Commissioned prior to starting his solo career. His most popular song, Never Would Have Made It, from his second solo album is still an inspirational staple all these years later, as well as Perfect Peace. Some personal favorites of mine are My Testimony, and Live – speaking of perseverance over trials and tribulations through faith. You Are God Alone reminds us that no matter how big our problems seem or the severity of the negativity surrounding us, God is the ultimate source of our wisdom & power – His will for our lives is above all else & no natural entity has the ability to alter God’s favor.

Marvin is not afraid to broaden his musical horizons. He recorded a song with Xscape veteran and RHOA cast member, Kandi Burruss, named Stay Prayed Up – and it’s amazing, although it stirred up a bit of controversy due to Kandi’s “worldly ways” – *severe eyeroll*. Reaching a wider audience with a positive word should never be considered a terrible thing. I, personally, had the song on repeat for a week, at least.

I’m not a perfect Christian, at all. I listen to all types of music. I don’t go to church like I should. My level of patience leaves much to be desired. I’m just a human who believes in God, trying to find inspiration to make it through the perilous times on this journey called life. Donald Lawrence & Marvin Sapp are two musical earth angels who have blessed my life with an inspirational soundtrack to brighten even my darkest of days.

WCW: Michelle Williams

Michelle Williams: Resilient. Compassionate. Transparent. While a guest host on ‘The Talk’ last year, Michelle was very open about her battle with depression & brought the taboo topic to the forefront on national television: “So many people are walking around acting like they’ve got it all together and they’re suffering.”

“I swear, it got so dark and heavy, because sometimes you feel like, I’m the provider, I take care of people, I’m not supposed to be feeling this way.”

Despite her battle with depression, Michelle has persevered through the negativity thrown her way over the years and continues to flourish and WIN! She has a new man, she’s ventured into entrepreneurship, and she continues to inspire others through motivational speaking. She will be a guest speaker this summer at Sarah Jakes Roberts’ conference, Woman Evolve.

Hello stranger sleeping on my couch.

In What Would You Do News:

A man in Mangawhai, New Zealand woke up early one fine Friday morning and was minding his business until he saw an unknown person asleep on his couch. I mean, the first thought was probably to call the cops while running around the house in a panic looking for sharp objects. However, Gordon Pryor apparently had an angel on his shoulder the morning of December 29th because he just let the guy snooze peacefully & free of charge. I guess Mr. Pryor didn’t want to step into 2018 with all the extra drama.

Mr. Sleepyhead was an engineering student at the University of Canterbury that had gotten disoriented after attending a music festival the night before and most likely said, “Bump it, this will do”, right before passing out on Mr. Pryor’s couch. The student hitched a ride on the wrong shuttle bus & decided to foot it home afterwards, but I guess he wasn’t feeling up to voyage and decided the closest house would do. He insists it wasn’t the libations that got him hemmed up – he was mostly just straight out tired.

After the long nap, Mr. Pryor offered his uninvited guest some toast and coffee – but told dude that he would have to help himself. I mean, that free night on the couch AND room service would be just too much.

Mr. Pryor later went all “Dad” on his intruder to explain the possible repercussions of his actions but the two men still took a selfie together to commemorate their crazy run in.

I wonder how that would’ve gone over in the ‘hood.

Via Yahoo!

Get Your Life Back.

Elevation We go through so many changes in this life. There are the good times, when we are in love with life and find fulfillment. During these times, great memories are created that will serve as lifelines in days to come. We go out and enjoy the world, take many pictures to commemorate our enjoyment, and make acquaintance with people who oftentimes become our Siamese twins. Life is grand, and you fall asleep each night with a sense of purpose and contentment.

However, the only thing constant in life is change, which means that unexpected events or circumstances threaten to create a new normal for us at some point in our life. Things happen – people leave, bad decisions are made – and so is the nature of being human. These circumstances may cause us to feel stupid, hopeless, and in some cases, we become severely depressed. We could have short stints of bad karma where our resiliency is stellar, and we are able to bounce out of the depressive funk with quickness. Staying mentally strong is the key to surviving difficult times. When we’ve been in a tough situation for too long and negativity begins to infiltrate our mind and spirit, we start to lose our mental strength and become vulnerable to diminished self-confidence. It is at this point where we could start allowing opinions of others to determine our value. This is a slippery road down to abysmal depression – a place of darkness where we can’t seem to find any sense of joy in the world anymore. If feels like everything was stolen from us – love, happiness, fulfillment. We start to feel like the whole world is against us and could lose our will to live. Those good memories we have stored within our minds are the only miniscule sources of peace we can scrounge up — and then we realize that remembering the good times won’t magically bring them back.

When dealing with the darkest moments of depression, you come to a ‘do or die’ moment. Either you will continue to wallow in self-pity and let despair eat you alive until you have alienated yourself from everyone you love, and allow the darkness to take you out. Or you can pull yourself out of the black hole and take action to regain your vitality.

Here are a few ways to take action to get your life back:

Find something that inspires you.

Start reading books that kindle your imagination or find self-help books that inspire you to do something creative/constructive. I recommend reading “The Alchemist”, by Paulo Coelho. It will spark your imagination and inspire you at the same time.
Listening to inspirational music in the morning or throughout your day could start to retrain your mind to think positive thoughts. Tuning in to an inspirational radio station during your morning commute, or even creating a personalized playlist of songs that inspire you and listening to the music throughout the day or right before you fall asleep could fill your subconscious mind with healthy content to process and eventually manifest better situations in your life.

Start an exercise regime.

We often hear about the benefits of exercise for losing weight and fighting ailments such as diabetes and heart disease, but working out could assist in fighting depression as well. Exercise increases serotonin – a bodily chemical that is known to affect your mood. Studies have shown that aerobic exercises are good for boosting serotonin levels. Go for a brisk walk, a jog in the park, or even head to the gym and sweat it out on the stationary bike and you might start to feel better. However, you will need to be consistent and fight through the urge to sit and sulk on the couch in order to start making progress. Not only will you boost your serotonin levels, you could start to see some desirable physical results or make a great friend while you’re at it. Getting a physical exam at your doctor’s office would be advisable prior to starting your exercise routine. Your doctor might even give you a few tips on changing your diet or suggest some natural supplements to maximize your overall health.

Start a hobby.

Sign up for that cooking class you’ve always wanted to take. Pick up those art utensils and get back to creating masterpieces. Start writing your best-selling novel or start a blog. Tap into your inner creative mastermind and start doing something that brings you joy and takes your mind off your sorrows. You never know, you could end of being a source of inspiration for others. It’s possible that you may even open a door of opportunity for self-employment doing something you actually enjoy.

The most important thing we can do to get our life back is to change our negative thinking patters. Each of the aforementioned suggestions will hopefully nudge you forward on your journey of revival. Also, taking the time to listen to our inner voice can allow us to tap in to the divine wisdom we all inherently possess. This often requires moments of isolation and deep thought – meditation and prayer. Whether or not you believe in a higher power, being pensive and tuning in to your thoughts could reveal ideas that lead you to act on creative projects, or even a career change. We all possess everything we need to succeed, but life becomes hectic and we are too bogged down by society’s expectations to really tune in to our inner wisdom, or intuition. We must take time away from the world, even if just for a few minutes each day, to ponder our purpose for existence. When we know why we’re here – when we are truly awakened – we can move with intent and purpose to leave our mark in the world. And your contribution to humanity makes a difference, even in the grand scheme of things. When you live with intent, you take your life back – with force! By doing so, you most likely inspire others to do so, as well.