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COMMENTARY: She Is Me — You Are Your First Love Story

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THE DALLAS WEEKLY — The article discusses how women often prioritize the needs of others, acting as a source of support and care while neglecting their own well-being. It highlights the tendency for women to extend compassion and commitment to others while withholding these same considerations from themselves. The piece emphasizes the importance of self-love as a necessary foundation for all other relationships.

By editorial

Source: Black Press USA Wire

There is something beautiful about women who love deeply.

We are the women who answer late night phone calls, sit in hospital rooms, pray for our friends’ children, celebrate others while quietly carrying our own burdens, and somehow find a way to pour from cups that have been empty for quite some time.

We love hard.

Sometimes too hard.

We become the safe place for everyone else while forgetting that we, too, need somewhere safe to land.

Emotional intelligence teaches us that loving others is a gift, but understanding ourselves is wisdom. It is having the ability to extend both our hearts and our heads to provide care, guidance, support, and compassion while also recognizing when we are neglecting ourselves in the process.

How many times have you encouraged a friend to rest while running yourself into exhaustion?

How many times have you reminded someone of their worth while questioning your own?

How many times have you shown patience, commitment, grace, and unconditional love to others but withheld those very same things from yourself?

She Is Me because every woman has been there.

We have all loved family members who did not fully understand us. We have stood beside friends through storms and remained loyal even when life became difficult. We have loved mates with every fiber of our being, often placing their needs before our own.

But somewhere along the way, many of us learned how to become everything for everybody and very little for ourselves.

The truth is this:

You deserve the same care that you freely give.

You deserve the same concern that you offer others.

You deserve the same commitment that you extend to everyone else.

And most importantly, you deserve your own constant love.

Loving yourself is not selfish. It is necessary.

It is setting healthy boundaries without guilt.

It is allowing yourself to rest.

It is forgiving yourself for mistakes.

It is choosing peace over performance.

It is looking in the mirror and saying, “I matter too.”

Because if we are honest, some of us have spent years making sure everyone else was okay while silently breaking ourselves apart.

A healthy love for self teaches people how to love us. It reminds us that our value is not based on what we do for others but simply on who we are.

Before you can fully love your family, your friends, or your mate, you must first know how to love yourself.

Not the polished version.

Not the strong version.

Not the version that always has it together.

But the woman who cries in private, who is still healing, who sometimes gets tired, who needs reassurance, who longs to be chosen, too.

Love her.

Care for her.

Speak kindly to her.

Protect her peace.

Be patient with her growth.

Commit to her healing.

And never abandon her.

Because the relationship you have with yourself sets the tone for every other relationship in your life.

Dear Me, continue being kind. Continue loving deeply. Continue being a safe place for those you hold dear.

But do not forget to become that safe place for yourself.

You cannot continually pour into others while denying yourself water.

She Is Me because she finally understands that loving herself does not take away from the love she gives others…..it multiplies it.

And perhaps one of the greatest acts of emotional intelligence is realizing this simple truth:

Love yourself first.

Then love others from the overflow.

We Will Be Well.

By: Sherilyn Smith

Follow me on Instagram @SheIsMeOrg

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The post She Is Me: You Are Your First Love Story appeared first on Dallas Weekly.

Based on reporting by The Dallas Weekly.

Originally published by Black Press USA Wire — https://dallasweekly.com/2026/07/she-is-me-you-are-your-first-love-story/

Flavor Flav: Why the People’s Timekeeper Should Get TIME Magazine’s Biggest Honor

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Flavor Flav

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

There comes a time when a nation needs reminding that joy is not the enemy of justice, that laughter and love can exist alongside the deepest wounds of history. In this fractured America, this cold, suspicious place where one man’s color still shapes another man’s fear, there walks a small man with a giant clock. Flavor Flav, the timekeeper of hip-hop, the eternal hype man of Public Enemy, is now the hype man of the world.

He’s not Roosevelt, nor Eisenhower, nor Clinton, Bush, or Obama. He’s not Churchill or Gandhi or Malcolm or Martin. But perhaps that’s the point. In a world oversaturated with icons and polished politicians, the truest reflection of our times might just be a man whose greatest weapon is joy. Public Enemy’s “The Hits Just Keep on Comin’” dropped recently, a rhythmic reminder that history, like that beat, never really stops. But Flavor Flav doesn’t just echo history; he bends it toward light. In 2025, while much of the world wrestles with hatred, division, and the ugly decay of empathy, Flav stands as a bridge linking people not by politics but by pulse, by laughter, by love.

He helped raise funds for Black families devastated by the Los Angeles fires, working with GoFundMeand the Black Music Action Coalition to bring relief to Pasadena and Altadena. He reminded a weary world that the struggle of one community belongs to us all. Then, he turned around and rescued Red Lobster, not for fame or fortune, but because it’s a place where Black folks have celebrated birthdays, graduations, and Sunday dinners for generations. “You gotta get to Red Lobster and give it a try,” he said, “because this signature meal is hype, boy!” It’s easy to laugh, but that’s precisely the miracle of Flavor Flav. He gives the world permission to smile again. He doesn’t greet you with a handshake. He embraces you. He doesn’t perform joy; he lives it.

When others hoard wealth, Flav gives himself. He became the official hype man for the U.S. women’s water polo team, then extended that love to the bobsleigh and skeleton teams ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics. There he was in Utah, stars-and-stripes helmet gleaming, hurling down the track at sixty-seven miles per hour, shouting, “I did it! This was so awesome!” Athletes who had nothing in common but the ice beneath them left that track with high-fives and hugs, all because of his spirit. He’s funded athletes, cheered for them, and even helped connect Taylor Swift fans and Olympians through kindness and curiosity. He calls himself “King Swiftie,” insisting that Taylor Swift “causes earthquakes” with her music. And who can deny it? If there’s a natural phenomenon to describe the magnitude of unity, perhaps it is an earthquake—shaking, breaking, reshaping the ground beneath us.

When most of America scrolls through hate, Flav’s Twitter timeline is an oasis of kindness. Trolls call him names, and his answer is simple: “I’m just a nice guy.” It’s that humility, that quiet insistence on decency, that makes him not just relevant but revolutionary. He’s served pretzels on a plane, lifted strangers in airports, reminded us to turn our clocks back, and proved that celebrity doesn’t have to mean separation. The world Flav inhabits isn’t divided by race or class or creed. It’s stitched together by rhythm and generosity. He’s the unlikely statesman of this broken union, uniting Black and white, young and old, the fans of Chuck D and the disciples of Taylor Swift.

So when TIME Magazine sits to decide who among us defines this year, and selects their Person of the Year, they would do well to remember that power doesn’t always wear a tie. Sometimes, it wears a clock. Sometimes, it walks with a bounce, speaks in exclamation points, and loves with no preconditions. Flavor Flav isn’t just the ultimate hype man. He’s the people’s timekeeper, a man reminding us that joy, in times like these, is an act of resistance. As one fan wrote, “Flavor Flav is a national treasure.” And maybe, just maybe, the treasure we’ve been waiting for has been keeping time all along.

Affirming Black Children Through Books: Stories That Help Them See Their Light

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Aundrea Tabbs-Smith

By Aundrea Tabbs-Smith, Emotional Well-being Literacy and Curriculum Coordinator, Friends Center for Children

I spent my earliest years as an educator searching for books that reflected my students’ experiences; I wanted to introduce them to books that reflected not just the colors of their skin, but also the textures of their lives. I wanted them to see themselves as I saw them: loved, powerful, and full of potential. Too often, those stories were missing from the shelves.

As the Emotional Well-being Literacy and Curriculum Coordinator at Friends Center for Children in New Haven, Conn., I lead programming for the organization’s new Books with Friends Trolley – a mobile library that provides professional development and age- and culturally-appropriate books to family- and center-based childcare providers across New Haven. I spend my days working with young children, teaching them to name their feelings, build confidence, and understand that every part of who they are deserves to be celebrated. Books are one of our best tools to do that work. When a child hears a story that reflects their truth, something shifts fundamentally. They feel seen. Their eyes light up, their shoulders relax, and their minds open to the possibilities that await them. Below are just a few of my favorite affirming books for Black children, which will help them build that sense of belonging and possibility from their earliest moments.

Homemade Love by bell hooks

Appropriate for ages birth through 3-years-old

The celebrated poet and feminist thinker bell hooks teamed up with illustrator Shane W. Evans to create a lyrical, love-soaked board book that reminds children that they are loved, cherished and supported, even when they make mistakes or feel afraid.

I love this book because it’s a gentle affirmation of unconditional love, perfect for bedtime or any moment a child needs reassurance. The text is simple yet lyrical, filled with affectionate nicknames and rhythmic phrasing that makes it perfect for reading aloud. This book is a tender anthem for secure attachment, which is something every young child needs to thrive.

Bedtime Bonnet by Nancy Redd

Appropriate for 2- through 6-years-old

This joyful tribute to family is the first picture book to shine a light on nighttime hair rituals for Black people, an experience familiar to many young girls who’ve misplaced their bonnet before bed. Bedtime Bonnet offers a tender glimpse into cherished hair care traditions and honors the deep bonds shared across generations in a loving, close-knit Black family.

This book showcases the importance of hair care in Black culture, making it both relatable and educational. It also reinforces the idea that these small acts are part of a shared experience. For any child with a nighttime hair routine, it’s a validating and joyful reflection of their lives.

I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes

Appropriate for 3- through 8-years-old

The bold and self-assured narrator in this story dreams big and embraces every part of who he is. He is imaginative, daring, intelligent, humorous, and loyal. He stumbles at times, but when the fear creeps in, he never stops showing the world his true self. This book is powerful because it centers a confident young Black boy who celebrates his identity, dreams, and resilience. It offers a counter-narrative to stereotypes, showing Black children as joyful, brilliant, and full of promise. And the prose is beautiful, rhythmic and bold; this reads like a spoken word poem.

Jayden’s Impossible Garden by Mélina Mangal

Appropriate for 4- through 9-years-old

Jayden finds beauty and life all around him in the city, from squirrels foraging to cardinals singing and dandelions blooming. But when his mom isn’t convinced that nature exists in such a busy place, Jayden is determined to change her mind. Jayden teams up with his friend Mr. Curtis to start a community garden. As the garden grows, so does a sense of connection among neighbors, and soon his mom begins to see the wonder of nature through Jayden’s eyes. This book gently challenges the idea that nature only exists in rural spaces. It shows how even in a bustling city, life flourishes. It inspires young readers to notice and care for the natural world around them, wherever they live.

Emotional well-being starts early and is built on the foundations of connection, reflection and love. When we read stories that affirm who children are, we teach them pride, compassion and belonging. These books aren’t just stories; they’re tools for building identity and healing. Some of my most powerful experiences working with young children have been reading to children who see themselves in a book for the first time, smiling as someone whispers, “That looks like me.”

Aundrea Tabbs-Smith is the emotional well-being literacy and curriculum coordinator at Friends Center for Children in New Haven. She’s also the author of Never Too Much and For the Quiet Black Girl: Trying to Find Her Voice in a Predominately White Space.

Head Start Gave the Author an Early Inspiration to Share Her Story

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Author photo of Head Start alumna Atiya Henley.

By National Head Start Association

It did not come as a surprise to Atiya Henley’s parents, alumni of Head Start, that she would become a published author before the age of 10. “Atiya has a BIG imagination,” said her mother, Amy Deanes. “This isn’t her first book, but it’s the first one that we published. She wrote this book because of no experience of her own, but because of her passion to help others.” Atyia is a former student of the Institute of Community Services (ICS Head Start) of Mississippi and the author of the “Mean Girls: A Bunch of Bullies,” a powerful story about the impact of hurtful teasing, taunting, and aggressive behavior. Her former teacher, Mrs. Dorothy Gaston, is proud of her learning process and progress. “During her year at Head Start, Atiya exemplified good social skills with her peers,” said Mrs. Gaston. “Early learning is a must when it comes to helping students gain social skills early in life. It helps them to interact with others and not be a bully to get what you want.”

In her book, Atyia imagines students being pushed around by others and not being treated with kindness. She drew on the social skills she developed with Mrs. Gaston to write about how to stop bullying. “When a child leaves home and gets on the bus ride to school, they should know that this is their second home and nothing bad will happen to them. Bullies are everywhere, but even a bully can be stopped,” said the young author. “I am also working on the second part to show how bullying doesn’t just stop because the bully gets caught, especially when the bully becomes more crafty.”

Bullying can have lasting impacts on everyone involved: the person being bullied, bystanders who witness the bullying, and the person who bullies others. In fact, bullying is considered an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE). ACEs are potentially traumatic events that can have negative, lasting effects on a person’s development, the way they interact with others, and how they perform in school. Research has shown that children reporting more ACEs may be more likely to exhibit bullying behavior. “We always ask our teachers and staff to listen attentively to what our children are saying. If we do not listen, we will miss the message,” said ICS Head Start Executive Director Eloise McClinton. “We are proud to know that one of our own had a vision during this time in her life to pen such a powerful story and to share her experience of bullying with her teacher.”

Parents, caregivers, teachers, and schools all play an important role in preventing and addressing bullying and its harmful effects. Wise beyond her years, Atyia is an example of how students can also help prevent bullying and trauma at school and contribute to a positive school culture for both fellow students and staff. Preventing bullying and building a positive culture is Atiya’s specialty. Not only is she helping kids to understand bullying, but she is also modeling how to treat others with kindness and respect.

Because of Head Start’s programmatic focus on social-emotional health, Head Start children are more prepared to participate in kindergarten classrooms. “Alum like Atiya makes me so elated to be a Head Start teacher,” said Mrs. Gaston. “I would not have it any other way.”

“We thank ICS Head Start for being a great part of her early childhood education,” added her mother. “Strong and powerful teachers are everywhere, but most certainly in Head Start, where children get the best formal education and the ability to grow into their childhood. Mrs. Gaskin to this day is still her favorite teacher.”

Milwaukee’s sister city Irpin, Ukraine is under siege, and can use some help

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Milwaukee’s sister city Irpin, Ukraine has been under siege for weeks by invading Russian forces and agencies have been enlisted to facilitate aid to those affected by this crisis. Your donations to agencies will support Ukrainians in need, with a focus on the most vulnerable, including children, said Alderman Khalif J. Rainey, chair of the city’s Sister Cities Committee.

“In times of humanitarian crisis like this, acts of compassion and generosity can make a huge difference. In recent years, we have been able to establish a closer relationship with our sister city of Irpin (a suburb of the capital city of Kyiv) and I feel a sense of duty to assist them at this time. As we watch from afar, I strongly encourage residents to help organizations in increasing their capacity to respond to the current crisis,” Alderman Rainey said.

As Russia steps up attacks in eastern Ukraine, violence has only worsened and has left many to wonder how best to help Ukrainian citizens whose lives and homes are being destroyed. According to Alderman Rainey, to make sure donations get into the right hands, below are some agencies engaged in relief and recovery efforts in Ukraine and the surroundings areas.

The United for Ukraine fund, where the money raised will provide refugees with food, shelter, medicine, and transportation, and critical child care supplies that infants need such as formula.

he WHO foundation has called on all people in helping them provide aid to Ukraine. The money will help Ukraine’s neighboring countries deal with the overflow of patients in their hospitals, as well as anyone who needs immediate medical assistance. WHO will also help to support the mental health of anyone who has been affected by the crisis

The Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund by Global Giving sprang into action once Russia declared war on Ukraine. According to their website, donations will help affected communities in Ukraine, focusing on the most vulnerable, including children, who need access to food, medical services, and psychosocial support. The fund will also support humanitarian assistance in impacted communities in Ukraine and surrounding regions where Ukrainian refugees have fled from.

Also, Milwaukee’s St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church, 1025 S. 11th St., is accepting donations to go toward humanitarian aid and medical supplies. Click here to make a donation.

To learn more about Milwaukee’s Sister City relationships, go to www.city.milwaukee.gov/sistercities.