Rickey Smiley Morning Show

Though I’m only in my twenties, I’ve survived circumstances that would devastate most. At the tender age of nine, I was diagnosed with a rare heart condition. Less than two years later, I became the recipient of a heart and kidney transplant–all before my twelfth birthday. You would think that this medical saga would end […]

There are days I’d like to take off being a Black woman. It’s those days when I want to forget that I sometimes wake up and check my phone just to see what I need to be mad about that day. There are days when the steady flow of information about Black women – unattractive, […]

Growing up my parents always taught us to be respectful of others, and treat people like you want to be treated. Fast forward to 2016, the country saw an ugly contentious presidential race with Donald Trump insulting immigrants, bullying and disrespecting women. How do you explain this to your children? CNN correspondent Van Jones gives […]

Rickey Smiley Morning Show

I am tired, angry, and discouraged with the number of deaths by gun violence over the last 2-3 years. As a mother with two sons,…

It’s now become a hateful pattern: Six black churches burned in two weeks. Black churches in the South are being intentionally torched and federal authorities…

Rickey Smiley Morning Show

Before my son was born, I subscribed wholeheartedly to the idea of whooping my kids when I had them. I grew up with Southern parents…

“This whole week, I’ve been reflecting on this idea of grace. The grace of the families who lost loved ones.  The grace that Reverend Pinckney…

The Senate confirmation process for Loretta Lynch to become the first Black female U.S. Attorney General was never going to be a cake walk, but…

As Selma opens this weekend in theaters nationwide, a controversy has erupted babout its historical accuracy, and whether then-President Lyndon B. Johnson’s actions were righteous…

The landscape has changed. A vandalized shell of a building is now a new coffee shop, a nice jazz club or a high-end clothing boutique.…

I am deeply suspicious of African-Americans who wish to separate from something they can never separate themselves from – being Black. I don’t care if…

Manhood in the Black community is at a crossroads. Some would say it always has been. And as we become more and more removed from…