In the Mix with Aaliyah Miller

If you're a person of color, it's likely at some point in your life you've been told, " to go back to your country. " This racist trope typically is said to make the individual of color feel like they're not American and that he/she doesn't belong in the United States. In my experience and in stories I've heard or read, this sentence typically comes out as a personal attack steeped in bigotry, ignorance, a sense of superiority (I didn't say white superiority because I've heard individuals from other ethnic groups use it against newer immigrant groups) and jealousy of what you've accomplished. On Sunday morning Trump decided to use the trope against four congresswomen of color, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortex (AOC), Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib, commonly referred to as "the Squad." Am I surprised by his actions? No. In large part he's used racist tropes to elevate himself to the White House. What ...

About six months after my parents divorced my father moved out of the state. First he headed to Georgia and than to Arkansas. I didn't see him again until his mother passed away. That was around 1999. Five years with no physical contact. No child support. No alimony for my mom.  It was a strange time for me. I grew as "daddy's little girl," but then the man I called dad was no longer there to support my sister or I. There was a lot I didn't understand about my parents relationship and the varying events that eventually led to the demise of their marriage. I didn't have the full picture and it took a lot of years to get it. At the time it wouldn't have mattered because I had to adjust to my new normal - mom filling the role of mom and dad. It was a difficult transition for everyone. We all resented my father for many years. From high school until my late 30s I didn't celebrate have a reason to celebrate Father's Day. The man I was fond of as a ...

What families look like today has changed. Even the definition of family has evolved. That's a good thing. It's no longer the nuclear family model with a mom and dad. It may be two moms, two dads, grandparents or extended family members serving as legal guardians. Those who you call family may have no blood relation at all. It may be close friends, a social worker, a teacher or another caring person in your life. What hasn't change is there's no perfect family. We have disagreements. We have fights. We face uncertainty. We struggle. The day in the life of any family can feel like a roller coaster ride. But families also have to power to unite, provide love, support and foster a sense of belonging. We build lifelong bonds with those we call family. Did you know there are approximately 400,000 children in foster care in the U.S? How these young people define family is complicated. They're forced to navigate a child welfare system that's struggling with th...

Summer is my favorite season. I have a couple of reasons for that. First, I'm a summer baby. I love warm weather. The hotter the better. Secondly, summer meant no school. I was free to play and be me, but I had to stay out of trouble. In reflection, I can look back at my elementary school years and say summer was a period of time in my life when I was carefree, making friends, and also learning some basic life skills that still serve me today. As I got older, how I spent my summers changed. I was still having fun but I was introduced to more structure in the form of summer camp. I went to day camps, but after I saw the original Parent Trap , I kept asking my mom to send me away to a sleep away camp. Due to family finances sleep away camp didn't become a reality. Lucky for me when I was jonesing for sleep away camp I could just watch the Parent Trap. At 13 I got my first job as a summer camp counselor with The Waterbury Girls Club (now, Girls Inc. of Southwes...

“It's been my experience, Langford, that the past always has a way of returning. Those who don't learn, or can't remember it, are doomed to repeat it. ” ― Steve Berry With today being the final day of Black History Month (BHM), Mr. Berry's words remain relevant and important to heed. In 1970 Kent University first recognized BHM, but it wasn't until six years later when president Gerald Ford officially acknowledged the month as part of the United States Bicentennial. While I personally see the importance of BHM there are moments when I feel our country's national observance is like a washing machine cycle. We wash, rinse, and repeat until the next year. While it's on every calendar, has social media hashtags, and you'll hear your local news anchor remind you February is BHM, this type of recognition is PR light. Black history is American history; however, our culture doesn't treat it as if it is. It's why I made a point of posting a BHM fac...