Be Polite When Confronted by Anyone

By Cheryl Mattox Berry Whether you’re a white student driving through a black neighborhood or a black or Hispanic student walking around a white neighborhood, you’ll stick out and make folks wonder why you’re there. It’s assumed that the white kids are looking for drugs, and the minority kids are burglars. That’s the plain, ugly […]

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Black Hair: Not a Serious Matter

By Cheryl Mattox Berry Viola Davis ditched her wig for the Academy Awards and walked the red carpet sporting a short, copper, curly natural. Solange Knowles replaced her extensions with a big ‘fro. Rihanna has rocked extensions, cropped hair and flowing styles. Natural. Relaxed. Curly. Straight. ‘Fro. Weave. Braids. Locks. They’re all good. I would never […]

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Grieving Teens Need Support Network

By Cheryl Mattox Berry If you watched Oprah’s interview with Bobbi Kristina, you know that her world has been turned upside down by the sudden death of her mother. The loss of a parent is terrible at any age, but when you’re so young it can be devastating. Fans of Whitney Houston are wondering what […]

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Defy Stereotypes

By Cheryl Mattox Berry Suppose New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin had bought into the stereotype that Asians are good at math but not basketball. What if Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner believed that women are too hormonal to run a country? Neither Lin nor Fernandez de Kirchner let someone’s warped opinion keep […]

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Don’t Bare Your Soul on Internet

By Cheryl Mattox Berry Would you open the front door to your house and invite strangers into your bedroom and ask their opinion on your hair, makeup, clothes and weight? That’s exactly what some middle school girls are doing on YouTube. They’re making videos, which show not only their faces but also shots of their […]

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