For Dreamers, Thinkers and Achievers
By Cheryl Mattox Berry The public service announcements appear on television and flash across the movie screen in big, bold letters that jump out at you. The message is clear: Teens, don’t text and drive. You may kill yourself and/or others while sending trivial messages. In one commercial, a young man suffering from a brain […]
Continue ReadingBy Cheryl Mattox Berry Dear Sixth Graders, Welcome to middle school. It’s exciting being in this new place, but it can be confusing, chaotic and challenging. No. 1, it’s noisier. No. 2, everyone moves at a faster pace. You probably feel as if you’re in the midst of a herd of cattle being swept along. […]
Continue ReadingBy Cheryl Mattox Berry Dear Freshmen, Welcome to high school. You’ve finally arrived after eight long years, longer for those who started in pre-K. High school is a big, noisy place full of girls who seem to know where they’re going in life. Not to worry, you’ll develop that level of confidence, too. If you’re […]
Continue ReadingBy Cheryl Mattox Berry Reality TV characters Evelyn Lozada and Chad Johnson unwittingly taught fans what happens for real when one person hits/head-butts another person. One gets hurt (Lozada); the other goes to jail (Johnson.) You would never know that watching reality TV shows. There are seldom any consequences for unprovoked punches, jabs and slaps. […]
Continue ReadingBy Cheryl Mattox Berry If Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney had a do-over, I’m sure she wouldn’t be frowning during the medal ceremony. Maroney, who won a silver medal in the individual women’s vault competition, stood on the podium with arms folded and mouth twisted into a pout. Maroney, 16, claims she was disgusted by her […]
Continue ReadingBy Cheryl Mattox Berry Olympic gold medal gymnast Gabrielle Douglas deserves a platinum medal for the way she dismissed folks who made negative comments about her hair. What started as a few posts by black women on Twitter and Facebook about how her hair needed to be better groomed grew into a firestorm. Douglas promptly […]
Continue ReadingBy Cheryl Mattox Berry For the past week, we’ve watched in awe as athletes have won gold, silver and bronze medals at the summer Olympics in London. We’ve cheered their victories and despaired over their defeats. We’ve seen the best athletes in the world at the top of their game. It’s no accident or luck […]
Continue ReadingBy Cheryl Mattox Berry The lack of interpersonal skills among teens, who prefer social media over a real conversation, has complicated the dating scene. Don’t assume that the young man who texts, calls and hangs out with you is your boyfriend. He might be checking you out to see if he wants to be with […]
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