CEDTalks

"You’re just a f*ck n*gga who THINKS he’s a good guy..." -Actress Dominique Perry as "Tasha", on HBO's 'Insecure' Yikes.  I vividly remember the chills that traveled through my arms upon reading this quote. Do I consider myself a...what she said? No, but in reviewing my bad habits, people could easily make certain determinations. Oddly enough, I didn't even see it live, but Tasha's words painted a clear and colorful portrait of how far off we can be from how people actually perceive us. While that episode may have been missed, the reason for the success of the hit show Insecure and producer Issa Rae is quite obvious to me. Insecure (and its predecessor " The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl ") captures the hearts of African American Millenials with oddly realistic storylines and characters submerged in relatability. Issa, Molly, Lawrence, Tasha, and the others are just like most of us; each is seeking some form of a...

Quick story in regards about my brother Garvin Reid. I've known the esteemed photographer and career/style coach for over 10 years. During our college days, my friend G and I had a penchant for pursuing high quality sistas in tandems. We were like the Serena and Venus of couples dating (Garvin is Venus because he's skinny). While no true gentleman lavishes in details, revisionist history would show that this was arguably some of the most fun I had (before I met my queen of course) and it is directly attributed to the high risk, high reward approach of New York's other 5 foot assassin. Despite the great times and what I'd call a successful conversion rate, every so often we'd have a hiccup and it would always lead to me being highly pissed at my teammate. One example in particular that still befuddles me is the time we were wooing upperclassmen AKAs before we were Alphas and my particular interest wasn't having it. Shut me down like a reparations request...

  "You can do anything as long as you have the passion, the drive, the focus, and the support."                                                                                                                                          -  Sabrina Bryan   While the quote above is inspirational r...