Author Archives: Cheryl_McCourtie

I went to bed around 2:30 a.m. the morning after the presidential election, November 9, 2016. Although a part of me had anticipated the election of a racist, misogynistic, xenophobic internet troll as president of the United States of America, anotherRead the Rest »

  Okay beloved community.  It is no secret that I love the Olympics. No IOC corruption, poor sportsmanship and NBC Olympic coverage that is really Americans do the Olympics can dampen my enthusiasm. On the weekdays of this mammoth meetRead the Rest »

I first became acquainted with the true impact of Muhammad Ali about 20 years ago when I reviewed a one-man play about his life for NAACP’S The Crisis magazine. As a woman raised in a patriarchal household in a countryRead the Rest »

The last two weeks leading up to Mother’s Day have been like fingernails on a blackboard for me. I have endured the barrage of cheerful images of little tots holding their mothers’ hands as they gaze lovingly at them, remorsefulRead the Rest »

I first met Maya Angelou as a college student at Tufts University in Medford, MA.  After her free-wheeling and often theatrical presentation to a room full of awestruck young peopole, I shyly approached her to talk to her about theRead the Rest »

Okay, affirming community.  It has been a looooong time.  Between crushing work schedules, mind-blowing senior care and life in general, I have neglected my musings and you. But I could not let this week pass before adding to the long listRead the Rest »

Professor Gerald Gill was a quiet, dignified and purposeful man—part teacher, part big brother, part father, protector and friend.  Although I never took his class, he was perhaps the individual who had the most impact on my Tufts career, the best teacherRead the Rest »

One of my favorite treats during the holiday season is Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s program Revelations, an exploration of the “places of deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul.”  Always a crowd pleaser, Revelations ends with the rousingRead the Rest »