Our Sweet, Sweet Babies...

So, what is it they say about history repeating itself? How many of our babies must we lose? 

Yesterday an Asian shopkeeper in SC was found not guilty of murdering a Black boy. The same thing happened in Los Angeles in 1991 with a Korean shopkeeper. Same scenario. Same verdict, Not Guilty...

In Columbia, SC, Cyrus Carmack-Belton, a 15-year-old Black boy, was chased down and murdered in cold blood by an Asian merchant who claimed he thought the baby was stealing a bottle of water. His murderer walks...

Latasha Harlins, a 14-year-old Black girl, was murdered in cold blood in 1991 by a female Korean shopkeeper in Los Angeles who claimed she thought the little girl was stealing an orange juice. The baby had the money for the orange juice in her hand when she was murdered. The courts allowed her murderer to walk too...

The Asian community, which was used as plaintiffs in a legal matter dismantling hard won civil rights gains of the Black community affording equal access for everyone, including Asians, to institutions of higher education, got a bill of protection written in their interest based on a narrative of  fear of Black violence against them... 👀 Where's the body count?

Anti-Black racism is rampant, violence against the Black community is on the rise, to include missing persons and a renewed fascination with lynchings, one of America's favorite pastimes, and yet another Black child is murdered in cold blood with blessings from the court. Instead of a bill of protection or public outrage, the Black community loses another of our hard won civil rights, voter representation. There is rarely a peep and the beat goes on...

It's exhausting y'all. Just exhausting...

Condolences to the families of our slain children;

Cyrus Carmack-Belton🙏🏿

Latasha Harlins 🙏🏿

Miss Higgi Says, violence against children is never acceptable. May ALL of our dear sweet babies, too many to count, rest in eternal peace. 🙏🏿

 

Click here for the article.

June Is Gemini Month

 

First of all I can't believe it's June. Already, half the year is gone. I know I keep asking the same question, but where does the time go? Father Time please slow down the clock just a little bit. Please...

It's June y'all and June is Gemini Month!

I had a conversation with a friend yesterday about how when we were young the zodiac was everything. We had stereotypes for each sign, Gemini's were smart, Scorpios were sex freaks, Leo's were conceited, Taurus was stubborn. All these things we believed. We were influenced about who we dated or who we were compatible with based on zodiac signs. LOL!!!

I don't think we knew much about astrology or the zodiac but we certainly projected our lives by it. Do you remember looking at the newspaper everyday to see what your horoscope was for the day? So, we were all having the same day just because we shared the same zodiac sign? Yeah, OK...

Some folks took it real serious and got their charts done, read the stars, followed the moon, and all that stuff. The rest of us I think it was just in fun. It faded over time. It was something to do. It was a conversation piece, an ice breaker, if you will. "What sign are you?", she asked, as she batted her big, flirtatious eyes and flashed a smiled at him. He smiled back, and they were dating! LOL!

Anyway, Happy Birthday to my fellow Gemini Twins. You are smart, you are friendly, you bore easily, and commitment? 👀, well that's a thing... (smile).

I will be 66 next week and I can't believe that either...

Happy Monday y'all!

Did You Know?

You know the orange braggard occupying what's left of the White House that he hasn't yet defaced or demolished, the guy who loves to talk about himself and how brilliant and superior he is in comparison to all "low IQ" others, people therefore inferior to him... Well, did you know that in 1968 he graduated from Wharton, one of the top business schools in the country? Yet, he doesn't talk about it and either do they... 👀

Tell me when has a school who produced an alumni of such prominence, stature, and leadership, not talked about it... When has that ever happened before? LOL!

Has anybody been on University of Pennsylvania campus lately? Is there even a picture of him in the bathroom, much less in the foyer, at the Wharton School of Business? That's what the other schools do.

If you visit Yale or Harvard, you're going to see portraits of presidents, supreme court justices, and other distinguished alumni hanging on the walls telling the story of that school. They are bragging! They are proud! So tell me, is there a picture of the orange guy anywhere at Penn, even on a crumpled flyer? LOL!

Not even the self-proclaimed braggadocious genius occupying the White House reminds us of his Ivy League brilliance.

Miss Higgi Says, Hmmmm, I wonder why... 🤔

So, What Are We Celebrating 250? 👀

 

Is anybody else struggling with this 250 celebration thing? Not only are the celebrities dropping out, they were never checking in, as are, I'm assuming, many of the rest of us. 

Celebrating the 4th of July has always been a struggle ideologically for many in the Black community, something to do with hypocrisy 👀...

I remember during the summer before my first year of law school, going through a program at a major law firm in Washington, DC. It was just before the holiday when a partner came in to address a group of mostly non-white students. He shared with us copies of the Declaration of Independence. With absolute glee and unmistakable pride, he explained that in his household, faithfully, every year on the 4th of July, they gather as a family to read that great document. Talk about not reading the room or knowing your audience. 🤦🏾 It was painful...

I'm sorry, I digress. That memory of July 4 is forever embedded in my recall...

I imagine that this year, 2026, many others in the nation are feeling conflicted about celebrating what should be a commemorative and historic event. Given the nation's current state of affairs, the notion of celebrating Independence and Freedom likely presents a hell of a struggle for many "good Americans" across the nation...

Tell me again, what are we celebrating? 

A celebration of what? For what? Of whom? 🤷🏾

We are in the midst of witnessing whatever was created in those 250 years, good, bad, ugly, and indifferent, being intentionally destroyed by an anti-American regime, posturing as government, hellbent on an obvious mission to destroy the country as we sit by doing mostly nothing to stop it, but are somehow expected to show up and join in celebration. Again, celebration of what? 

In the spirit of the great Frederick Douglas who posed the question, What to the Slave, which has expanded to include the rest of y'all, is the 4th of July? The holiday, especially in 2026, has no meaning...

Miss Higgi Says, Happy Juneteenth! Stay Home on The 4th of July and celebrate real heroes and martyrs, visit www.martyrsday.us to see how. 

Boycott 250!

A Necessary Inconvenience

I remember when flying was something to look forward to. You could get on the airplane, have a nice meal, eat, read, or fall asleep in a comfortable seat and get to your destination full of excitement and anticipation, free of hassle or inconvenience. Those days are gone. Flying has become a necessary inconvenience...

There were no crazy fees, no long lines, no taking off your shoes and throwing away your water bottles and expensive toiletries that exceeded some nebulous 4 ounce quantity. None of that! We could get on the plane and just go! People used to actually go to the airport without a flight to just sit and watch the planes take off. Remember that? It was all rather simple...

And then 9/11 happened. The airlines had sympathy galore from the public and they took full advantage of it. They reduced staff, raised fares, and implemented fees for everything that you can imagine starting with ridiculous baggage fees that have since brought them billions upon billions of dollars. 

Bag fees began with just domestic flights because somehow you only needed a change of clothes if you were flying international. 👀 Initially, international flights did not have bag fees. Now all flights have fees, first bag, second bag even more, a third bag will cost you your children. 

Remember the standby flight? It was a convenience offered for free because it was a win-win for both parties, the airline and the customer. It is still a convenience for the airline but one for which the customer must pay. Need to change your flight? It's going to cost you - Dearly!

From there it went to seats for sale! Want leg room or a seat wide enough to not share with a neighbor you've never met or that comfortably fits even modest hips for your five hour flight? Its gonna' cost you... 

Wanna' sit in that emergency aisle and promise to help in the event of an unscheduled landing between runways? To be of that service, to help save fellow passenger lives, will cost you too. 

Love that window seat? I love the aisle. Wanna' choose your seat of preference at time of purchase to avoid the airline assigning you to the dreadful middle seat as punishment for not taking the bribe up front? Pay up!!! 

Remember when if you had a seat at the back of the plane once everybody was on board if there were vacancies in the front of the plane, notwithstanding first class of course, you could move to that empty seat for free? Not anymore. You want to move? That's gonna cost you too...

Hungry? So sad, to bad... Meals are no longer included. First they removed the hot meals and all steel cutlery from the flights and served instead some prefab sandwich that tasted prefab, now with plastic utensils only. Unless of course, you were in first class, then you still got a hot with your temporary airline cot. 

Eventually they started charging for that not so good sandwich. Ultimately, the sandwich was reduced to a snack of cookies or chips and a drink. The major airlines used to laugh at Southwest and other no frill airlines for exactly the service they now provide.

Note that all of this is happening in the face of ever escalating ticket fares. Fewer services, higher prices. Capitalism at its best!

Recently, Delta announced that it will no longer serve snacks. In the spirit of follow the leader, the other airlines will surely follow suit. 

Post 9-11, we got something called TSA checkpoints, which entail physical groping of our bodies, searches of our hair, stripping of shoes, belts, and all things metal. Our luggage is being exrayed or physically searched, as we are forced to walk through expensive body scan equipment that fails even its own tests. Don't want to go through all of that? You don't have to! Pay a modest price for prepaid TSA clearance, and voila!, you can avoid the inconvenience of having your dignity violated... 

I have said nothing about how many steps you're going to get in walking from the check in ticket counter to your gate of departure. At least one mile in many airports. Whose bright idea was it to include inclines in that mile? Thank God for bags with wheels. My heart bleeds, however, for the mostly frail people pushing all those soon to be very able big bodies in those handicap assist chairs. The immediate cures at curbside is nothing short of miraculous! 

So here we are now in the midst of another crisis, this one created by the trump administration resulting in ridiculously high oil prices. Once again, the airline is not going to miss an opportunity to gouge the public. Have you bought an airplane ticket recently? Sticker shock is an understatement. As we know, once the fees go up and services are further reduced, fares will never come down and services will never be restored.

Highway robbery has nothing on skyway robbery. 

Flying is not only a necessary inconvenience, it is now a very costly, tiring, and mostly unpleasant necessary inconvenience. Safe travels...

Miss Higgi Says, friendly are the skies no more...

Happy Decoration Day!

Here's the history of how Decoration Day, a commemoration created by formerly enslaved Africans, became Memorial Day, now a national holiday. 

The transition of Decoration Day into what we now know as Memorial Day is a profound piece of American history, deeply rooted in the aftermath of the Civil War. While several towns claim to be the birthplace of the holiday, historians have uncovered that the earliest, largest recorded precursor was organized by newly freed African Americans.  

sdarj.org

Here is a brief history of how Decoration Day originated and evolved:

1. The True Roots: Charleston, SC (May 1, 1865)

In the final months of the Civil War, the Confederate military turned the Washington Race Course and Jockey Club in Charleston into an outdoor prison camp. More than 250 Union soldiers died there from disease and exposure and were buried in a chaotic mass grave behind the grandstands.  

chicagocrusader.com

When the city fell and white residents fled, a group of about 28 formerly enslaved Black workmen went to the site, exhumed the bodies, and gave them proper, individual burials. They built a tall fence around the new cemetery and erected an archway at the entrance inscribed with the words: "Martyrs of the Race Course."  

chsasalh.com

On May 1, 1865, a crowd of nearly 10,000 people—mostly freed slaves, alongside Black Union regiments and white missionaries—gathered to dedicate the cemetery.  

science.nasa.gov

The Parade: The procession was led by 3,000 Black schoolchildren carrying armloads of fresh flowers and singing "John Brown’s Body."  www.zinnedproject.org

The Honor: They were followed by Black women with baskets of wreaths, Black men marching in cadence, and Union infantry units (including the famous 54th Massachusetts Colored Regiment).

The Meaning: The crowd decorated the graves with flowers, listened to scripture, and held picnics. As historian David Blight notes, this was the very first informal "Decoration Day"—an act by newly freed people to declare exactly what the war had been fought for.  

www.zinnedproject.org

2. The Official Declaration (May 1868)

As informal springtime "decoration days" continued to pop up in both Northern and Southern communities to honor the staggering 700,000 Civil War dead, a formal movement took shape.  

science.nasa.gov

In May 1868, Major General John A. Logan, the commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic (an organization of Northern Union veterans), issued General Order No. 11. This order officially designated May 30, 1868, as "Decoration Day"—a national day specifically set aside for "strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country." May 30th was chosen carefully because it was a time when flowers would be in full bloom across the entire nation.  

www.cem.va.gov

3. Keeping the Tradition Alive

Throughout the Reconstruction era and into the early 20th century, African Americans and Black veteran posts remained the primary caretakers and celebrants of Decoration Day in the South, keeping the memory of the Union sacrifice alive even as white Southern communities heavily policed or ignored it. Concurrently, Southern white communities practiced their own distinct "Confederate Memorial Days" on separate spring dates.  

www.nps.gov

4. Evolution into Memorial Day

chicagocrusader.com

Over the decades, the name "Memorial Day" gradually became more common than "Decoration Day".  

www.cem.va.gov

Post-World War I: The scope of the holiday expanded. It was no longer just about the Civil War; it was broadened to honor all American soldiers who had died in any military conflict.  

www.cem.va.gov

The Uniform Monday Holiday Act (1968/1971): To create a convenient three-day weekend for federal employees, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act in 1968. When it officially took effect in 1971, it legally changed the name to Memorial Day and moved its observation from the traditional May 30th to the last Monday in May.  

science.nasa.gov

What started as a localized, deeply emotional tribute by newly freed citizens to honor the soldiers who died for their emancipation ultimately transformed into the national day of remembrance observed today.  

science.nasa.gov

Source: Gemini AI

Miss Higgi Says, Happy Decoration Day!

Celebrate Black History 365!!!

Counting My Blessings...

Twenty years ago today on May 19th 2006, I graduated law school. I was a few days shy of 46 years old and ready to take on a new world. It had been a tumultuous 3 years of my life and this was a very proud moment for me. I had at least one hundred guests in the audience that day. I can still see their happy faces screaming as I spoke from the podium. And we had a nice party afterwards also. 

During my first year of law school I had the pleasure of meeting Congressman and Freedom Fighter, John Lewis. While I graduated from Rutgers University in New Jersey, I did my first year of law school at University of District of Columbia (UDC). During that year, I had the honor of meeting some really fabulous civil rights folks among them was John Lewis and Dorothy Height.

Congressman John Lewis was there giving a speech and promoting his book. I was just mesmerized by him. I approached and said, I have to have lunch with you. And, as most polite people would, he said, fine, call my office. Of course when I called the office I expected them to blow me off. Not at all... Instead, they asked when did I want to come. I couldn't believe it! It was just that simple y'all. Never be afraid of "no", just ask for what you want no matter how outlandish it may seem. That's been my motto in life. Sometimes I forget. On a day like today I am reminded to ask for what I want.

Fast forward, just a few weeks later I'm on the hill having lunch and spending a good part of the afternoon with our renowned civil rights hero. We talked in his office, we walked through the tunnel to the Congressional dining hall where we had lunch. I met his staff and many of his colleagues. It is a day that I will never forget. He was the nicest and most gracious person, acknowledging everyone from fellow politicians to janitors. He greeted everyone along our way in his beloved community. He was the real deal... 

Fast forward again, three years later I am a part of the student government team looking at potential commencement speakers. I'm more than 20 years older than my fellow graduates. They'd never heard of Congressman John Lewis, sadly, not even the Black ones. Trust me, it was a hard sell but I got them to understand why we should have him as our commencement speaker. 

One of the assistant deans in the law school was married to a congressman at that time. So it was decided that we would allow him to invite Congressman Lewis to be our speaker. After several weeks of him dragging his feet and that not happening, I approached the dean and said do you want me to call. At this point, it's in the interest of time. The dean said sure. Once again, I simply asked and again, "Mr. Good Trouble" said yes. I was thrilled. 

It was agreed amongst us students, class president included, that I would introduce the congressman on commencement day. Of course I would. It was me who got him, who thought of him, it was my idea. Well, one of my colleagues, the class president, worked for that congressman who never made the call to get him. And while she and the others on the committee had agreed that I would do the intro, now all of a sudden she was to introduce Congressman Lewis at graduation. I was being asked to step aside. I could not believe this was happening. This was to be a joyous moment...

The dean actually wanted me, the Black student who thought to bring a noted Black Civil Rights leader to campus, to step aside so Becky from Montana (not her real name, I don't even remember her name), yes Montana, could have the honor. This was race, politics, and the all too familiar paper cut micro aggression of "good liberals", all wrapped up in one punch to the gut. 

Of course, however, I was not settling for this. I gathered several of my female peers of all races and nationalities and along with one of the few Black professors we had on campus at the time, as mediator, we confronted the dean. We were very clear that it was our graduation and we got to decide who we wanted to speak. I was proud they stood up for me.

After agreeing to be our commencement speaker, I had another ask of Congressman Lewis. I asked that my peers and I could come and spend a day on the Hill with him as I did two years before. Again y'all, he said yes. These were the same students that went before the dean with me. 

Over the years I had several opportunities to mix with the Congressman. He knew me by name and face as a result of that one random request during my first year of law school. I remember being at the Democratic National Convention, I didn't have a ticket to get in the main event for Obama's acceptance speech. The good Congressman directed me to his office to get a ticket. Ask for what you want...

A compromise was made for our graduation ceremony that I didn't quite appreciate until the Black female professor explained the power of having the last word. So, Ms. Montana got to briefly welcome to the Congressman before he spoke. I got to publicly pay tribute to him after he spoke, in a way that my colleagues and those in the audience would always know his name and all the good trouble he had started in the interest of the good of this nation. What would he say now? Shame on the US Supreme Court for turning the clock back to erase the work of valiant Civil Rights workers like the Congressman and so many others.

May 19th, 2006, was certainly a day of honor for me, one I will never forget for a lot of reasons. Incredibly, I was damn near 50 graduating law school which you couldn't have told me I was going to be doing at 45. My Mom died at 45... She would have been quite proud!

 

Moreover, I cannot believe that it's been 20 years. Where did the time go? What have I done between the dashes? This is certainly a time for reflection, a time to remind myself of my tenacity, and the positive impact and influence I have had on so many others over the years, knowinly and unknowingly. People often remind and thank me. I am humbly grateful... 

While I did not start out to tell the story I just shared, the moral of the story is to never be afraid of "no". Never underestimate what you can do, Yes, you can! Always, always, ask for what you want for s/he who does not ask, certainly will not receive. 

Congratulations to me 20 years later! 

~ Miss Higgi Says, thank you for taking this stroll down Nostalgia Lane with me. 

Enjoy your day! Do something or ask for something you think out of reach! Go for it! 

Happy Birthday Malcolm X! Celebrate him and Congressman John Lewis today! They both left us a blueprint.

 

She's My Favorite Girl!

Anybody who grew up in the '70s, any Black person who grew up in the seventies, our Mother's Day anthem was, The Intruders singing I'll Always Love My Mama. It was blaring from people's houses, car radios, and I dare say, some version of it, from churches. On Mother's Day especially, it was on the top of everybody's playlist. 

We loved our Mamas and this song demonstrated all the reasons why and gave us a beautiful vehicle to shout it to the world. 

I can remember the pride it gave to Black Mothers everywhere to hear this anthem to and about them and know that it resonated with what they meant to their children. Kudos to The Intruders!

Many a Black Mother sacrificed for the well-being of her children. She is the OG of Mama Bears. She has ALWAYS HAD to protect her cubs...

I will always love my Mama and she's been gone for almost 40 years. I have lived more than half of my life without her physical presence. Still, however, I feel her love...

There is no love like the love of your Mama. I hope that you love your Mama as much as I love my Mama and that if you are blessed that she is still here, you make sure that she knows how much you love her today and everyday. You only get one, you only get one, yeah... 🎶

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. You make a difference and nobody can replace you. Not nobody! Not ever! 

Miss Higgi Says, 🎤 I'll Always Love My Mama, She's My Favorite Girl... 🎶

Happy Mother's Day!

Click here to enjoy The Anthem

https://youtu.be/AGaEceD74RU?si=Dv8exZVzmIFWf0Rk

Leave Them Behind

Today I unfriended and blocked a woman on Facebook who I met a few years back at a Korean Day Spa in Philly. I didn't know her from Eve. She is not someone I knew then, she is obviously not someone I need to know now... 

This woman revealed herself a trump supporter, an anti-Black Black appearing woman who supports this administration. She is the most dangerous kind of "Black" person. I need know nothing more about her. I've got no use for her kind... 👀

Anybody who can support, excuse, try to justify, or make sense out of what happened last week is a lost cause. Don't waste your time trying to convince these people that what happened to Black Americans last week is the manifestation, the culmination, of what Black folks have known was happening to us all along. Don't give them the space or opportunity to try and make sense out of nonsense. Time for dialogue has passed...

Don't let people gaslight you into second guessing yourself on that which is very clear... 

We must stop actively participating in the dance of gaslighting. Let them find another dance partner as you shuffle away, far away, from them...

The sheets are off! klan supporters are free to reveal themselves. Do give them that space. You want to know who they are. 

Recently, I told this self proclaiming, "I'm not a racist" white woman I was working for that I would rather deal with rednecks than liberals because at least with the rednecks, everybody knows where they stand. Meanwhile, liberals are smiling in your face, stabbing you in your back, ALL while calling themselves your ally. Sometimes the knife wielding backstabber is Black presenting, a human specimen merely dipped in chocolate. What an absolute waste of good melanin... Either way, they've got to go! 

Giving racists the key to unlock and dismantle Black Americans right to legislative representation, ultimately our right to vote, a key component of hard won civil rights gains, was all we needed to hear. There is no other explanation than an all out war was loudly declared on Black people last week, make no mistake about it. The days of dog whistling are over. The muzzle has been removed from the rabid dog. He is barking out loud and ready to bite! 

Anybody who will try and convince you otherwise, see them, and be done with them. They don't mean you, or anybody who looks like you, any good. Even sane white people are looking at these negroids like what the f***? It's an illness that we don't understand. 

clarence thomas is their leader. If trump is the cult leader for the magas, uncle clarence is the cult leader for these confused chocolate dipped "Black" people. As my mama once told me about a boyfriend I adored, leave them where you find them. Be done with these folks. Wash your hands of them and simply walk away. I don't care if it's your daddy, he is a danger to the rest of us. Be done with them. 

In the words of Maya Angelou, when folks show you who they are, don't waste your time on dialogue or trying to fix them, believe them and let them be. 

Especially now, you're either with us or you're not. If you're not, in light of all that is happening, there is no wiggle room, no time or need for conversation or explanation. They are hopelessly sunken. Let them sink. You cannot reach them, so don't drown trying. Revoke their card and don't ever give it back to them. They are not to be trusted. 

The chocolate dipped are definitely the ones that our Sistah Harriet would have left behind. In the best interest of you, more importantly, in the best interest of our community at large, Miss Higgi Says, Leave them behind...

Survival Is In Our DNA

Recently I saw an interview of a corn farmer who has basically lost everything. Apparently China was the prime customer for his product. trump's tariffs have killed his business. 

The farmer confessed that he is a three time trump voter. He conveyed receiving a government hand out, I mean, government subsidy or relief package that recouped only 20% of his loss. magas don't take hand outs... 👀  

The farmer is 80% in the hole with no viable means of recovering his livelihood. Still, this white farmer, says he supports trump and does not regret his vote. What is that if it ain't a need to maintain power at any costs, even to himself? 

There is no overcoming such a mindset, so don't waste your energies. If this farmer is your dad or some other loved one, just throw your hands up. There is no penetrating such delusion. These people are guided by blind racism and fantastical ideologies of supremacy. Despite all that tells them otherwise, they have to believe they are the superior race. What else do they have?

They truly believe this is their country and they will stop at nothing to maintain control and power. Never will they surrender or lose their majority status. As he drains the US till lining his and his cronies' pockets with ill gotten loot, their loot, the farmer's loot, trump gives them hope. 

They long for yesteryear with visions of terrorized Black captives and barefoot, pregnant white women with lots and lots of babies, dancing in their heads. Both are fearful. Both are obedient. Certainly, they don't defy them. In this vision, they want their property back. ALL of their property.  She was his property first... 

They yearn a time gone by when all was right in the[ir] world. I guess they forget that not all of them were rich owners of others and/or land and that many were two steps removed from being property themselves.

Many whites then, and now, were poor. Shhh, don't tell them. 

They came here poor, some came by choice looking for a better life, some were discarded by their home country because they were poor, criminal, diseased, and/or derelict. 

But for the grace, not of God, of America's commitment to perfecting racism in her creation of the delusion of white supremacy, they should have been breaking their backs building America working in the fields instead of or alongside the Black folks with whom they shared economic conditions but who they were taught to loathe or feel superior to so not to see themselves. 

What is it that Lyndon B. Johnso said about convincing the lowest white man that he was superior to even the best colored man?🤦🏾

The photo below depicts what they truly see and hope for when they hear "make America great again"... The dog need whistle no more. trump gives them space and permission to bark out loud. They are free to release the venom in their spirit that is ingrained in their DNA...

It's Monday morning y'all. Know that we shall survive. We always survive. Be inspired that survival is in our DNA...

~ Miss Higgi Says 

Source Unknown

Don't Steal My Flowers...

On most Sunday afternoons I host online live discussions, a podcast I suppose, on various subjects, mostly involving Black women, all involving subjects of interest or relevant to Black people. 

Ironically, or maybe not, last Sunday I hosted a conversation with Black women only about how we treat and respond to one another. It's a conversation that we tend not to have amongst/about ourselves. It was well received. A good discussion was had...

We don't talk enough about how we treat each other. There's a code that's unspoken, presumed known, and expected to be respected by others in our community. Sometimes that doesn't happen.

In the last week I have had two incidents where someone failed to give credit for work I've done. That's not cool y'all... 

One person derailed a group trip planned and coordinated by me. A friend of hers is now being credited for "coordinating" the trip. 👀 

Someone else on Facebook reposted my work which went viral absent acknowledgement that it was written by me... 👀 

It's rough out here in these creative streets. Protect your turf... 

I am addressing both issues. Below is the Facebook post I made in response to my written work reprinted absent author recognition.

Social media is a new animal, indeed. It's a phenomenon of its own, but it does not negate respect or protection of one's creative work. Often ownership of work is not indicated. But when it is, give the creator their props. Put some respect, some limits, on use of other people's property...

Here is my Facebook post:

Good Morning Folks,

I know that when we post intellectual property, our written or graphic creations, on social media platforms, we don't have a whole lot of control over what happens with it, who reads it, who reposts it, etc. I get that... 

So, I started adding my byline, Miss Higgi Says, to most of what I write. 

I respectfully ask, if in fact you share my creative work, please don't remove my signature byline, Miss Higgi Says, and do tag me, if you will... If I wrote something and didn't add any byline and you are so moved to share it, please indicate that I wrote it and not you, add the byline and tag me. This seems a small request, a professional courtesy...

I just realized that the piece I wrote the other day regarding the White House Correspondence Dinner was shared by 16 people from my Facebook page. I don't always make my posts shareable, my page is private. A friend asked me to make the piece shareable, which I didn't mind. I know when she shares my work she's going to indicate I wrote it. I would like to ASSume that friends, even most Facebook friends, will do the same. The emphasis on "most". I get that part too... I enjoy writing and appreciate any appreciation of my craft. 

A person in my Facebook friend group shared this particular piece and received over a thousand comments, most agreeing with or thanking her for what they presumably thought she wrote. It was shared 655 times from her page alone and likely by many others from there. In other words, my writing went viral. 

One problem...

My signature byline was removed from the post, simply replaced with a random tag of my name. No indication was given that I wrote it. That bothers me y'all...

Again, if you share something I wrote or created or anybody else wrote or created, boldly give that person credit for their work. That's all I'm saying. 

That's what's on my mind this morning... 

~ Miss Higgi Says,

Good Wednesday Morning & Do Unto Others...

It's Exhausting...

So we're supposed to believe that this random Black appearing guy strolled into a formal event hosted by this klan administration and nobody stopped him? 

Are we to believe that with all the people who hate him, all the wars he has provoked, all the lives he has ruined as he holds a seat of such high importance, that security around him is so lax that some random guy just strolls into a black tie affair he is hosting and shoots?

Are we to believe there was no security and that said random Black appearing man could just walk right into the hotel, much less the event, while packing?

Really? Is that what we are supposed to believe?

Anyone who lives in or who has ever lived in Washington, DC or been in the vicinity of anywhere any POTUS was scheduled to be, knows that the above is just not possible. Civilian lives are totally disrupted even when POTUS is just passing through.

But let us pretend, however, that this guy has some integrity and would never stage stunts, incidents, or "news" to distract the public or depict himself as a victim, denying him fodder to feed the warped minds of his hangry' base - Hungry and angry, hungry for regular feedings of hate to fuel their anger.

Let us pretend that the occupant is really presidential and that, on the heels of him ending the investigation of a previous "threat to his life", we should treat the drama at the White House Correspondence Dinner like a real occurrence or some serious newsworthy event,  never calling it by it's name, a high tech sham. 

It's exhausting y'all. Just exhausting... 

If the intent is to keep us distracted, confused, anxious, depressed, angry, fearful - take your pick - it's working. 

Shame on the media, elected officials, judicial figures, to include Supreme Court justices, and all others who prop this guy up as though he's presidential but must be obeyed, feared, and unchallenged like a king. 

Shame on them for their dereliction of duty to protect the nation from harm, especially from within. 

Shame on them for behaving as though there's anything normal about him, his presence in Washington, or his representation of America on the world stage. 

We know, as according to the press, at first, it was profitable for them to ignore his lies and buffoonery. For the sake of money and ratings, they chose to not question or challenge his vile behavior and comments, to pretend he was a real candidate. But at this point, it is anti-American, ethically and professionally irresponsible, and downright dangerous. Their lack of journalistic integrity puts us all at risk. I no longer respect the American "press" at all anymore. Social media pundits have more credibility.

He is so damn exhausting as we know is the game plan. Exhaust Americans by keeping us in a perpetual state of anxiety, depression, confusion, uncertainty, fear, anger, whatever it takes to distract us from what he's doing or not doing, like releasing the epstein files, inundating us with unenforceable executive orders, killing innocent fishermen and school girls, kidnapping presidents, erecting monuments to himself, tearing down the east wing and existing history, creating wars unnecessarily, robbing the coffers of the American public, putting our lives and the lives of our troops at risk.  So on, and so on, and so on...

WHEN, WHERE, HOW, but more importantly, WILL it end or this to become the new norm? Are you OK with that? 

maga, this is what you voted for? This is how we make America "great"? A great what? A great laughing stock? Mission accomplished.... 

Americans cannot REALLY be this stupid, this gullible, or so easily manipulated. Can they? I just refuse to believe they are the majority. At this time, it must be the dumb ones controlling the mic and occupying the larger stage.

Iran, a more reliable media source than American journalists and mainstream news networks, will have a field day with this. Already, before dawn of the new day, they have released a highly anticipated Lego mega hit about last night's fiasco at the dinner.

His only response has been to make an appeal for the ballroom. He's exhausting...

A Reminder To Be Alert & Safe

 

                     Source: Creative Safety Supply

Good Morning Folks!,

At 1:30 this morning I received a missed a call from a friend. I was unusually sound asleep and didn't get to answer. We had spoken earlier in the evening. She was busy at work when I called her and said she would call me later. I told her I was tired and might not be awake. So, I didn't think anything of missing her call or that she had called so late. People who know me, know that usually I am up at all hours. And people do call me at all hours.

When she called me back this morning at 7:30, I knew something was wrong. She is not an early bird. She does not get off work until midnight and usually gets home between 12:30 and 1:00. Often, we speak at a late hour. 

I will start this story by sharing that it is a beautiful thing to start the day with something to be grateful for. I am grateful that my friend is safe and was not harmed.

She said she noticed when she got out of the car that there were "men" in the parking lot adjacent to her building's lot. She was alert to their presence but didn't pay it much attention. She heard them more than she saw them and said honestly, she could not identify them if she had to. Her antenna went up at their presence because it was unusual to see anyone at that hour.

When she reached the elevator, ironically one of her neighbors who also lived on the fourth floor was there. They rode up together. His apartment was closer to the elevator than hers. As she walked to her apartment and was entering the door she heard footsteps coming up the stairs leading to her apartment area, which is unusual. It's 1:00 in the morning. 

As soon as she closed her door and fortunately locked it behind her, some people first tried the knob and when it didn't work, they started pounding and kicking on her door as though she was going to let them in. She called the cops. Of course they were long gone before the police arrived. 

Her neighbor has a ring camera. Hopefully,  it caught a view of them that can be shared with the police department.

My friend says she is always on alert because she was robbed many years ago. She said once that happens to you, you pay close attention to your surroundings. She has lived in that same condominium for more than 20 years. Naturally, we become comfortable in surroundings with which we are familiar. While that makes sense, it also makes us easy targets for creeps looking for non-suspecting victims. 

My friend recently lost a loved one so she lives alone. She has to come home tonight, tomorrow night, and many nights after. So what do we do to keep ourselves safe? 

First of all, we all pay taxes. It's 1:00 in the morning in a sleepy mid-size city. Not much is going on for the cops to do. So, call and ask them to patrol your neighborhood when you come home. Make your tax dollars work for you. 

Alert your neighbors so that they know that something has happened in the neighborhood and that they too, should be on alert, and maybe they will even keep an eye out for you.

Create a buddy system with friends and neighbors. Many of us live alone. Make sure that somebody knows that you're safe and okay on a regular basis, not only in the event of a crisis.

Certainly lock your door as soon as you close it. Gone are the days where you can leave a key under the mat or walk in and leave your door unlocked. People are just crazy. We have to take precautions even when we're in surroundings that are familiar to us. Again, that's what makes us easy prey.

Do you have mace, pepper spray, or something that can be used in defense of yourself in case of an emergency? Find out if it's legal and don't wait to be in a situation before you try it out. Make sure you know how to use it before you need to use it.

Beyond my eavesdropping phone, I don't WILLINGLY have any of those intrusive electronic devices in my house like a Ring camera, Siri, or whoever that woman is that you guys like to talk to about the weather, turning off your lights, playing good music, etc., etc...  She is not in my house. LOL! 

But a ring camera is helpful in situations like this. My neighbor across the hall has one. I feel like I'm on Candid Camera every time I walk out of my apartment. I guess however, if something happens to me, I would appreciate if the crime is caught on her or his intrusive camera. I've never seen my neighbor. Six months in, I have no idea who lives across the hall from me. 🤷🏾 

I remember in my twenties when I first lived alone after my Mother passed away, my ring camera, if you will, who I previously resented for being a nosy neighbor, was Reverend Harvey. I came to really love and appreciate that Reverend Harvey was nosy. Nothing happened at my house that he didn't see and report, and I didn't mind. LOL! Rest his soul. He became very special to me...

My point is to be cautious of your surroundings. Take nothing for granted. I think we find comfort in a false sense of security where we live and in places we frequent. Naturally, our guard is down, which makes us more of a target to predators with criminal intent. 

So, stay alert, don't take your surroundings for granted, be a pleasant neighbor, lock your doors to your home and when in your car. 

Proceed with caution and keen awareness in this troubled and unpredictable world in which we live. 

👉🏾 I am grateful this morning and that my friend is safe and was not harmed. 

👉🏾 I am grateful for the reminder to stay alert.

👉🏾 I am grateful that I can remind you to take care of you, to stay alert and be aware of your surroundings. 

Miss Higgi Says, Good Morning and Have a Terrific Tuesday on Purpose!

Consequences

I went to a beauty supply store the other day. It was closing but it was pretty empty and I could tell the owner was just ready to go home. She was an Asian woman. As I was checking out, I asked her how was business. She said, "it's terrible since donald trump". She complained that because of the price of gas and food, people weren't so concerned about hair products. I looked at her and understood what she was saying. It took everything in me, however, not to ask her who she voted for. 

I don't know what people were thinking. Black folks tried to tell them, especially Black Women. For all 3 elections, we never waivered in our objection to donald trump. As a result, we are under active and aggressive attack. Folks didn't listen. Oh well, so here we are. Who doesn't remember what our parents told us about the outcome of having a "hard head"...

All over social media, maga voters, including very influential supporters, are having voter remorse. They are claiming not to have anticipated that current circumstances were inevitable with a trump presidency or that he is not the same person they voted for. 👀 He is EXACTLY who they voted for. For reasons unknown, they CHOSE not to consider him fully, nor what his rhetoric would mean for them, even when their own community had been maligned. Make it make sense. 

trump has lied about many things but never about who he is. Be it by word or by deed, he has always revealed himself, long before descending on that escalator being openly vile. Folks CHOSE not to see or hear his evil.

If ever in recent times, there is cause for God to bless America, it would be now. But I understand if He doesn't. Karma is real and every devil has his day. Sadly, we will all pay, affiliation with the cult of maga or not. Its just the way things go...

Inflation is but the tip of the iceberg of problems America is facing today. Thankfully, there is a thawing, an awakening in America, if you will. This, too, shall pass but not before or without the consequence of dire casualties...

~ Miss Higgi Says

An Awakening...

There has been an unexpected, but certainly necessary, awakening following the tragedy of October 7. Long overdue, but is it too late? 

In the past, all who called out or objected to Israel in any way, no matter how irrelevant or miniscule, was immediately demonized, destroyed, dismissed, discredited, deemed anti-semitic and cast aside. 

The threat of public castigation, however, is steadily losing impact. People everywhere openly condemn Israel without reservation. They are coming to believe their "lying eyes", not the words of mainstream media, nor purchased politicians.

Thankfully, many in the Jewish community are also waking up and speaking up, realizing they, too, have been manipulated, lied to, used, and bamboozled. Finally, the jig is coming to a close for netanhitler and his hateful regime, and they know it. 

They now operate in a state of urgency fully understanding that they must expedite their mission to annihilate their neighbors in the middle east and take their land whilst a compromised, woefully ignorant, unintelligent, incompetent, immoral, corrupt, and fully complicit POTUS is in place. 

Israel recognizes this may be their final chance to complete said mission. So, full steam ahead, despite doing universal damage to Israel's credibility and respect as a nation, despite open condemnation of their tactics, not to mention the risk of potential harm and mayhem they bring to Jewish communities everywhere. 

Sadly, in the process of ruining their reputation globally, they have made life less safe for all Jews, to include those who don't support their inhumane behaviors. Americans will find ourselves similarly judged in association with our current administration. 

American voters and taxpayers are openly rejecting continued funding and preferred treatment of Israel. The pressure is on for American politicians to follow suit. Denouncing support of Israel will be a litmus test for those seeking office in pending elections. 

AOC recently announced that she will vote to oppose continued funding of the Israeli war machine. She is not the first, she will not be the last. There has been an unintended, but long overdue awakening in America and beyond, something to be grateful for this Easter morning. 

May the awakening spread to other matters of human suffering, indignity, and gross exploitation, especially of our children. Next stop, the Congo and release of the epstein files. Save and Protect Children EVERYWHERE! 🙏🏿 

~ Miss Higgi Says, Amen & Happy Resurrection Day!

Not So Fast, Brotha' Jamal!

 

Ya' know, I'm really glad Brotha' Jamal got on board with the Target boycott but I never quite understood what made him think that it was his idea or that he was spokesman for the Black community on this matter.

The beauty of the Target boycott, that we as a community need to embrace, is that it was a grassroot effort launched by independent activists, reportedly in Minnesota. It spread like wildfire on social media. 

There was no church, no Pastor, no civil rights organization, none of that, in charge of the movement to boycott Target. At best, they were the Johnny Come Latelys, which is fine, but somehow Pastor Jamal, and maybe some others, took ownership of it. That was never the case. 

Earlier this week, Pastor Jamal Bryant announced that the protest against Target was over. The Johnnies' may speak for what is being described as the "Target Fast", that might be over. But no matter what the good pastor and others may say, the Target boycott ain't over. This was not a fast where shopping at Target was to be resumed. Target seems done in the Black community. I am not alone in my intention to never shop at Target ever again. Certainly Target isn't the only retailer or big business that doesn't value it's Black consumer. But Target is the one that got made the example. 

Target execs remain unapologetic and steadfast in their support of the trump agenda, having done nothing different when given opportunities to course correct. While under fire for abandoning DEI and Black vendors, they thought it appropriate to allow ICE to use their locations to stage their violent attacks on marginalized communities. Actions speak louder than words. We see you...

Speaking of words, has Target spoken on this deal reached with Brotha' Jamal or is he the sole mouthpiece and presumed "leader" on the details of this matter for the Black community? It is the people who have the last word...

Sorry Brotha' Jamal, we're not going back to Target. You can meet us at Costco...

~ Miss Higgi Says 

On This Day, Bloody Sunday

Today marks the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday Selma 1965, one of many stains on America's history that she would like to erase.

 

I remember in school hearing about the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Of course, however, it wasn't portrayed as the total atrocity that it was.

In 1986 I drove across country for the first time, I've done it several more times since then. I was barely 26 and it was my first time going further south than Washington DC, which is a whole other story within itself. After I got over the shock of having to pump my own gas, cuz' Jersey Girls STILL don't pump (smile)! Seriously, self-service is technically against the law in NJ and we love it! Back to the story...

The deeper I drove into the south, the more nervous I became. Emphasis of overt racism in the south was used as a scapegoat to deflect from equally potent anti-Black racism in the north. The impact was the same...

I remember my visceral reaction of disbelief when during my drive I start seeing street signs indicating 50 miles between Selma and Montgomery. Instantly, I had visions of my people being kicked, stomped, spat upon, beaten with billy clubs, bitten by dogs, violently hosed, trampled, etc. It had never occurred to me that they were willing to risk 50 miles of pure hell for the right to vote. My anxiety of being in the south skyrocketed. I found myself somewhere between angry, sad, and quite frankly, a little scared.

I was driving alone with no shortage of stories in my head and a concerned Black  Mother back in Jersey anxiously awaiting my daily call to let her know my whereabouts and that I was safe in a hotel before dark. Only then, could she go to bed...

Since then I've taken several southern treks exploring my history. I travel solo and I've taken groups on tours, twice to Alabama where we make a point of crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge, stopping midspan to honor our ancestors. I'm actually hosting that trip again in November. If you're interested, let me know.

As we say farewell this week to Reverend Jesse Jackson and Dr. Bernard Lafayette, two civil rights heroes from this era, let us be reminded of our resilience as a people and be proud of our history. Let us also be reminded that our elders and ancestors literally went through hell for the rights we tend to take for granted, specifically the right to vote. Did you vote last week? There are primaries happening this week, March 10th, are you registered and ready to vote? Take someone to the polls with you.

Take a moment today to refresh or familiarize yourself on Bloody Sunday. Here are a few key points as shared by the Smithsonian (NMAAHC):

👉🏾 On March 7, 1965, approximately 600 marchers, led by activists including John Lewis and Hosea Williams, aimed to march from Selma to Montgomery to demand voting rights.

👉🏾 The march was violently confronted by law enforcement at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, resulting in brutal attacks on the peaceful demonstrators.

👉🏾 Following the violence, President Lyndon B. Johnson addressed the nation, leading to increased support for civil rights legislation.

👉🏾 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was subsequently passed, prohibiting racial discrimination in voting and marking a significant victory for the civil rights movement.

✊🏾 We did that! Oh, yes we did...

~ Miss Higgi Says

Miss Higgi Said...

This was my response to the video of a white woman content creator from Texas pondering support or electability of Jasmine Crockett. It was posted on February 3, 2026.

I wrote:

I'm late to this party. It looks like this video was posted a month ago. But the argument continues. 

As we are living through the worst of incompetent white folks being put in the highest of positions, including president of the United States, still we question the ability, capability, electability, likeability, of a qualified and proven Black woman.

Meanwhile, we woke up yesterday to our children, yours and mine, being ordered to put their lives on the line in another senseless war that has nothing to do with us. Do we want change or not? When do we want it? I digress...

At some point we have to ask ourselves, do we believe that Jasmine is not going to win because she can't win or have we been so indoctrinated to believe that she can't win, that we've told ourselves, we can't vote for her? Not voting for her guarantees fulfillment of that prophecy.

I saw an older white woman on another video crying because she "wanted to vote for Jasmine but she wants to win" so she voted for James. What kind of sense does that make? WHO taught her to believe that?

Surely we will not see change if we don't vote for the change we want to see. If you want to maintain status quo, then keep listening to the very loud rhetoric tap dancing in your head, keep doing what you're doing and expecting something new, keep surrendering your control...

One thing that's for sure, of the two candidates the one the trump administration does not want to have to deal with is Jasmine Crockett. Upon command, your governor changed a whole voting district intending to remove and silence her. If she's not competent or electable, then why such extremes? Don't tell me, ask yourself...

Jasmine has proven that she is a force to be reckoned with and that she will not be silenced. James Talerico is not proven in that way. The Senate is a good ole' white boy system where he will fit right in. Since reconstruction there have only been 14 Black senators, 5 were Black Women. This is not by accident. #6 sure looks good on Attorney Crockett. She can handle it...

So again Texans if you want to see change, then be the change. Believe in yourself and stop believing the hype, stop promoting the untested rhetoric. Accept the challenge, roll up your sleeves, and vote for the candidate who's going to make a change not only for Texas but for the country. We're either genuinely concerned and committed to saving the soul of the country, or we're not. When we play passive politics, it says that we're not... 

White women, this is on you! You talk a good game and then you do something else. You claim you're oppressed and then you vote for your oppressor. Remember, you were his property first. He wants his property back. ALL of his property. 👀 We don't need you to say one thing publicly, vote another thing privately, and then show up after the fact tears streaking your face and pink hats on your head wondering why Black women aren't joining you... Do you really wonder? If you don’t like the song, change the lyrics! The song is yours to write. Write something different! Do something different. Start with believing in you! 

Black women voters have proven ourselves politically sound and astute. Our Sister Jasmine has proven herself to be a fearless fighter for all. So, what's the problem? Don't tell me, seriously engage in self-talk and ask yourself why you really have reservations about voting for the change you say you want to see...

#TeamJasmine for Texas, for the country!

Videos:

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1D15kXWxzW/

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVJZvjBEZno/?igsh=MTF0YWNzZXp2bHp4NQ==

Black Women Will Always Be Too Loud...

Given a choice between Talarico and Crockett, I think it's clear who trump would rather have to deal with in Texas and it ain't the Black Woman, too loud, too unafraid, and who he knows will not look away at his villainy.  

The red party is cold, calculating, and never do they sleep when it comes to maintaining power and control. They  are devious and will stop at nothing. As the Dems take pride in going high, the republicans have no shame in going low. There is no bottom...

CBS, like other media sources, has been commandeered by maga operatives. Taking control of America media is but one tool intended to limit or end free speech as we know it in America. 

The "controversy" where CBS refused to air an interview with James Talarico on The Steve Colbert show, has given the candidate for Texas state senate a huge bump in visibility in his race against Jasmine Crockett. The interview ultimately aired on YouTube. 

The contrived "controversy" resulted in igniting more views, undoubtedly fueled by anti-maga/anti-trump sentiment, than Talarico could have ever imagined or realized had the interview aired on the network. Talarico could not have paid for better publicity. Cold calculation is real.

Early voting has begun in Texas. How will the calculation compute at the polls? 🤷🏾 We'll see...

While we know that trump hates Black women, I surmise that his hate of Black women is driven by his fear of Black women. He fears Black woman strength and her ability to influence. 

Three times, and counting, the Black woman has been right. Since trump came down that escalator in 2016, the one group that has held fast and not been bullied, bamboozled, or threatened to waver in a decision to not support him, is Black women. 

There was no physical convening of Black women to make this near-unanimous political decision. Black women just instinctively knew...

In 2016, 96% of Black Women voters voted against him. In 2020, Black women stayed the course and overwhelmingly voted against trump again in the 90 percentile range. 2024 was no exception, 92% of Black women voters voted against donald trump. Try as he may, Black women cannot be swayed. 

Congresswoman Crockett is a Black woman... 

Ms. Crockett is so effective at showing up to represent her district with the fearlessness and tenacity expected of a Black woman, that the governor, encouraged by trump, decided on extreme measures to silence her. He redistricted Congresswoman Crockett's district such that her home was deliberately excluded from the district she serves, severely diluting her power. Call it fear... 

Not to be deterred, the Congresswoman decided to run for Senate. Oh, yes she did! 

If ever there was a good ole' boys club, it's the US Senate. Historically, since reconstruction when there were two, from 1870 to 1967 there has only been 14 Black senators. Denial of access to this exclusive club is not by accident. 

In that time, since 1972, there have only been five Black women in the senate. Trust me, they do not want to have to deal with Ms. Crockett in the halls of their exclusive club. Her already loud voice would be even louder in the Senate. The good ole' boys don't want that.

Again, those still fighting the civil war will stop at nothing to win and maintain control of a land founded and tilled by others, stolen to be forever governed by their rule. Silencing a Black woman is par for the course and, as quiet as it is not kept, appeals to many well beyond the halls of Congress and its vast network of "good" boys. 

So, if you live in Texas, or if you know folks who live in Texas, you know what you've got to do. In the spirit of civil rights victories behind us, Don't Let Nobody Turn You Round'. All souls to the polls!

Stand strong, determined to win in Texas, and in all other states. Show up on election day fully intending to be fearless and loud with your vote. Enter that booth and Vote like a Black woman! You can do it! Oh, yes you can...

Fix it y'all!

Go Jasmine!!!