Out of Africa

As Black History Month comes to an end, it's only fitting that Oprah Winfrey and Forest Whitaker are the latest celebrities to put Africa on the map of the American consciousness.
When people see or hear about "the dark continent," it's usually in association with corruption, famine, or genocide. While those conditions do plague most -- if not all -- of its 53 countries, good news is also emerging from the region. The daytime talk show host opened a school for girls in South Africa, while the actor received an Academy Award -- the highest honor in the United States film industry -- for his performance as former Uganda dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland.
These two events may not seem to have much in common, but they embody the complexity that makes Black history so fascinating to learn. Its people continue to make positive contributions to society, whether it's in politics (Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became the first elected female president of Liberia in 2005) or science (Neil deGrasse Tyson is host of Nova ScienceNow as well as director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York).
In spite of these achievements, Blacks are too often depicted in the media as caricatured stereotypes -- usually heartless criminals and loud-mouthed tramps. Education is the best tool to combat ignorance, and Black History Month is a good starting point to accomplish this goal. After all, Black history isn't just a month-long event -- it's a never-ending journey.

Little Girl Lost

Is a haircut just a haircut? Not when it comes to Britney Spears.
The singer has turned eccentric behavior into an art form by shaving her head and getting some tattoos during Presidents' Day weekend. Given her ill-advised antics over the past few years, it would be too easy to say she's heading for a nervous breakdown. Instead, she needs to realize that before a new look can lead to a new outlook on life, she must look within to find happiness. (Full disclosure: I'm not a psychiatrist, and I've never met nor spoken with her.)
Most people dream of being famous, but they're not necessarily prepared to deal with the lack of privacy that serves as a trade-off. Like Spears, I've made my share of bad decisions, whether it comes to fashion trends or dating men. Fortunately, I've never had my mistakes put under a microscope for the world to see. (Thank God!) Life in a fishbowl is anything but glamorous, and one's ability to handle the pressure lies in having a solid emotional and mental well-being.
According to Forbes, Spears' estimated fortune is $100 million. Assuming she doesn't end up penniless, she can take care of herself, her two infant sons, and other loved ones -- ex-husband Kevin Federline notwithstanding -- for life. But she seems so overwhelmed by the thought of being a mother, divorcee, and has-been before the age of 25 until all the zeroes in her bank account can't buy the peace of mind she's struggling to find.
If Spears is going to get her act together, she can't do it for her fans, her handlers, or even her children. The motivation for such action has to come from within.

A House Is Not a Home

Like a guest who has overstayed his welcome, cold weather has swept into New York and doesn't want to leave.
From howling winds to piles of snow, Mother Nature hasn't been kind to the northeastern U.S. for the past few weeks. When I wake up in the morning, I'm more likely to silence the alarm clock and crawl back into bed -- even though I'm not sleepy. And while my apartment receives heat, it never seems to be enough to calm the shivers running through my body. But as much as I hate winter, at least I have comfortable clothes, nutritious food, and a roof over my head to help me get through the season. Sadly, not everyone can lay claim to such basic necessities.
Homelessness is a complex problem that has no easy solutions. Turning a blind eye to this crisis is all but impossible, with thousands of impoverished people across the city roaming the streets and subways trying to survive as best they can. The harsh climate only serves to highlight their predicament, for each day in such conditions really is a matter of life and death.
As much as I want to help homeless people improve their situation, I rarely give them money because I don’t know how it’s going to be spent. (I'm also wary about contributing to charity because the money tends to be spent on overhead. I prefer to donate tangible goods, like clothing or food, or volunteer when I have the time.) What I do know is this country has the intellectual and financial resources to address this dilemma.
Affordable housing is an oxymoron, the education system is in shambles, and minimum wage is a joke. To make matters worse, all of these societal ailments play a role in homelessness perpetuating its vicious cycle. If America is truly the land of opportunity, the powers that be need to get serious about tackling this issue. Because the less fortunate don't want a handout, nor do they want to be looked upon with pity -- they just want a chance to be somebody.

Live Like You're Dying

When I heard about the passing of former Playboy centerfold Anna Nicole Smith on February 8, I was tempted to brush it off as yet another story of a celebrity who died too soon. But the more I thought about it, the more I wondered about how I'm going to be remembered when I die.
Through the years, I found it bizarre that Smith was always linked with tragedy -- whether it was battling her former stepson over the estate of her second husband, oil baron J. Howard Marshall II; the sudden death of her 20-year-old son, Daniel, from her first marriage; or the paternity issues surrounding her 5-month-old-daughter, Dannielynn. Her life seemed like a tawdry soap opera that veered between unintentionally funny and hopelessly sad.
Peaks and valleys define one's life experience, and I'd like to think I've triumphed over adversity because of the strong will instilled in me by my parents. Since I come from a family that believes in brutal honesty -- a character trait that's gotten me in trouble more than I care to admit -- I turned to them to find out what information they would include in my obituary.
My mother revealed that she'd remember me as "a youngster who was tomboyish and would fight a boy as quickly as [she] would a girl" as well as a child who "sat on the side of the bed and read The New York Times with [her] dad." Speaking of my father, he said my biggest attributes were my oddball sense of humor and my efforts "to carry on the family tradition of achievement."
On that note, I want to be remembered as someone who made positive contributions to society. I want to be seen as a woman who survived on intellect and instinct despite possessing more flaws than an antagonist in a clichéd romance novel. But, most of all, I want to be appreciated as a good person.