When Hope Meets Reality: A Heart's Reflection

My soul weeps, but my spirit remains unbroken.

As a writer, I transform my deepest sorrows and most profound fears into art – essays, plays, and scripts that speak truth to power. The election results pierce my heart, not just for Vice President Kamala Harris's defeat, but for what it reveals about our nation's persistent shadows. Her brilliance as a leader – sharp-minded, internationally seasoned, and judicially experienced – should have illuminated a path forward for America. Instead, we find ourselves grappling with familiar darkness.

Yet in this moment of grief, I hear her words echo: treat each other with kindness and respect, always. This is our call to action as Black people – to grow stronger together, to recognize that our unity is not just powerful, but essential. We cannot and must not seek validation from systems that diminish our worth. Our value is inherent, immutable, and self-sustained.

Vice President Harris stood as more than a candidate; she was a beacon of possibility. Her campaign crystallized both our highest hopes and our deepest challenges. I had prayed for a coalition of white women and Latinos to join forces with us, to bridge the gap created by those who opposed her. That bridge remained unbuilt, but its blueprint remains in our hearts.

America's transformation demands an unflinching examination of how anti-Black sentiment permeates our society – from white communities to Latino neighborhoods, from recent immigrants to established citizens. This truth cuts deep, but acknowledging it is the first step toward healing.

The reality of racism in America reveals itself in quiet conversations and casual cruelties: the Chinese immigrant taught to fear Black people, the Latino voices in Northern California wielding slurs like weapons, the decade-long friendship shattered over a simple acknowledgment of white supremacy's existence. These are not just anecdotes; they are symptoms of a deeper malady.

Los Angeles, my home, stands as a mirror to our national divide – a city of stark contrasts between abundance and scarcity. My personal journey reflects these divisions: childhood friendships across racial lines giving way to adult relationships bounded by invisible but unmistakable barriers.

Yet amidst this landscape of challenge, hope persists. I see it in the tireless work of Black Women and organizations like Win With Black Women and Black Women in Entertainment 4 Kamala. I see it in the statistics that tell us not of failure, but of progress still to be made:

• White women who stood with us: 47%

• White men who chose progress: 39%

• Latino men who joined our cause: 44%

• Latino women who said yes to change: 61%

• Black men who showed up: 77%

• And all others who believed: 50%

To every soul who supported this vision of a more perfect union – my heart overflows with gratitude. Your votes were not just marks on a ballot; they were declarations of faith in a better America.

The path forward demands courage – courage to confront racism through dialogue, courage to bridge divides through understanding, courage to keep moving forward even when the road seems impossibly steep.

We must continue forward. Not because the path is easy, but because the destination is worth every difficult step. Because in our forward motion lies our redemption. Because in our unity lies our strength. Because in our persistence lies our victory.

The tears we shed today water the seeds of tomorrow's triumph.

I Knowala Kamala

I knowala Kamala, not from meeting her at some slick party with the who's who in Hollywood. Not because of attending the same law school with her, like my DST line sister did.

No, I knowala Kamala from a deeper place than that. I knowala Kamala's Bay Area soul. Why she opens her hands so wide, why her smile lingers like the evening fog rolling over the East Bay hills - deep, lasting, real.

I know how her smile was formed under clear blue skies stretched out over the Golden Gate and Bay Area bridges, like God's own canvas painted fresh each morning.

I know how happy Black people were about FREEDOM in the 70s! We'd survived Martin Luther King's assassination and a few more: Medgar Evers and Stokely Carmichael and more. Our parents had survived, and now they were movers and shakers in the Bay Area - the most beautiful, scenic part of the world, where dreams took flight on Pacific winds!

I know that Willie Brown was there, a dapper brother who knew ALL things in politics, smooth as silk and sharp as a tack. I know the 1975 music he was grooving to in Jack London Square as he slapped five on the Black and white sides or bumped a fist. From the Black Byrd's "Places and Spaces" to the People's Choice "Do It Any Kind of Way You Want to," Black people were creating, shining, and breaking down barriers. Like when Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby teamed up with Curtis Mayfield and The Staple Singers to create the soundtrack for their new movie "Let's Do It Again." The music was funky and uplifting - it was the soundtrack of liberation!

In 1975, Kamala was 11 years old while I was 15 when my mom, wearing an Afro like a crown, arrived in the Bay Area, leaning to the side in her Cadillac like royalty. She came armed with a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Michigan and a Rockefeller Fellowship to study under Dr. Ruth Love, who then was the first Black Female Superintendent of Oakland Unified School District and who later became the first Black Female Superintendent of Chicago Public Schools - breaking barriers, setting precedents, making history.

Because I knowala Kamala, I understand why FREEDOM was her campaign's theme song. I know that the sunshine of the Bay Area permanently chiseled the smile on her lips. That her hip stride – that's not too much -- in bell bottoms pants was practiced on the runways of San Francisco's fashion district. I know why she opens her chest so wide, flings her arms 180 degrees as she says "I want to be the president of ALL of America." She says it because she means it deep down in her heart. That's what we were taught in the Bay Area - that we were to love our neighbors: white, Black, Asian, Jewish, Indian, and Latino, all of them. I fondly remember our neighbor Light Foot, an Indian who still wore his traditional dress, adding his own beautiful thread to our tapestry. Everything, everywhere SHOUTED L-O-V-E!

The sweetest voice in the world, Minnie Riperton, whispered to us L-O-V-E. How fitting that her daughter Maya is now tickling our sides with her smart skits as I Knowala Kamala!

We loved America for transcending the cruelty of Jim Crow and segregation. We were to love thy neighbor because we were creating a new chapter in America's history entitled FREEDOM! A chapter written in the ink of hope, bound in the leather of perseverance, and illuminated by the light of love.

Now, all I’m left with are tears and sorrow. America missed a beautiful African American and Asian American Butterfly ! They missed the magic of her metamorphosis, the grace of her ascension, the power of her dual heritage spreading wide like those arms that wanted to embrace all of America. In missing her, they missed a piece of themselves, a glimpse of what America could be when it dares to let all its butterflies fly free.

Everybody Is Podcasting

There has always been something inside me, an unmistakable pull, urging me to share, to speak, to lift others up. It feels like this calling was crafted just for me, unique to my journey. I’ve felt this pull in some of the most unlikely places. Years ago, when I felt called to run from shelter to shelter in Los Angeles, I didn’t have the luxury of Instagram or Facebook to measure my worth, to see what others were doing or how they were doing it. There were no glossy photos or influencers showing their version of success. There was only the raw, unfiltered reality of women—mostly mothers—struggling with homelessness, and I knew my mission was to SHOUT. To Shine, Hope, Overcome, Use Your Power, and Take Charge.

At a SHOUT seminar, a woman living at the New Way Transitional Shelter raised her hand and said, “This presentation feels like a play.” I listened. I could have been thrown off by her comment, but I wasn’t. It wasn’t about me. It was about her. And it wasn’t about comparing my work or my mission to anyone else's, because there was no social media to compare myself to. No hashtags, no filters, no curated moments. It was just me, my faith, and the work that was right in front of me.

I didn't need validation from the outside world, because I knew deep down that my calling was true. I didn’t need to dress up and take a picture to show how “inspiring” I was. I prayed, alone, in the quiet spaces where the noise of the world couldn’t reach me. And then I moved. I took action.

And now, once again, I find myself on my knees, praying for guidance. I am praying because, once again, I feel called to step into a new space. But this time, I feel the weight of the world’s noise pressing in. Everybody is podcasting. It’s true. The space I’m entering is filled with voices—some powerful, some loud, some soft, some reaching for meaning in a sea of digital content. Everybody is doing everything.

I know the flood of information can be overwhelming. I know that there is a temptation to jump in, to add my voice to the mix, just because everyone else is. But this time, I feel a quiet, still voice within me telling me to pause. To pray. To listen. To only speak when I am led, when I feel the words are beautiful enough to share, when they carry the weight of meaning. That’s the space I want to inhabit—the space of quiet confidence, not frantic hustle.

And so, I write. I sit at my laptop, the soothing rhythm of my fingers on the keys, and I allow myself to be led by the spirit. This, too, is sacred work. The words flow, one after another, and when they feel just right, when they are wrapped in truth, beauty, and purpose, I’ll share them on the Creative Space Podcast. It won’t be to keep up with trends. It won’t be for likes or followers. It will be because I believe in the power of storytelling, in the power of sharing the things that matter—when they matter.

I will also revisit Loving America While It’s Out of Bounds: A Book of Essays For My Sons, and see which words from those pages are meant to be read aloud. I’ll share them with you when I feel they are ready, when the time is right.

It’s an honor to be able to share with you in this way. I don’t take it lightly. In a time when America is divided, when so much feels uncertain, I pray that my words bring light, peace, and a sense of purpose. I don’t have all the answers, but I know that through prayer and patience, I am guided. I trust that when I’m meant to share, I’ll do so with intention, love, and care.

Thank you for listening. Thank you for being here, in this moment, with me. God bless you in this difficult time in America.

With love,
MeMe

Sip & Share for The Georgia Mae Project

The Georgia Mae Project

is dedicated to Increasing Awareness of challenges faced by

Black Women,

Indigenous Women, and Women of Color

with breast cancer treatment and other health diagnosis.

www.thedrgeorgiamaeproject.com

Join us for an intimate, artsy affair on Sat, September 28th, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the San Fernando Valley at a private residence.

You’ll be inspired by two dynamic speakers:

Dr. Dawn Lewis,

Christ Follower, Author, Transformational Speaker,

DNP, FNP-MSN,

and Brainspotting Therapist

(BONUSL she’s a husband whisper; read her book Call Me Wife on Amazon, :)

&

Soror, Carlin Hafiz

CEO, Pink Haus Organization,

a Breast Cancer Awareness 501 (c) 3, non-profit

Please take the time to read their bios.

RSVP mkelly@thedrgeorgiamaeproject.com or  georgiamaeproject@yahoo.com; details provided upon RSVP

A Special Note from MeMe Kelly,

Founder of the Georgia Mae Project!

I’m silly enough to believe that if Black Women and Women of Color come together to share about their health journeys, we can find solutions to end the Breast Cancer Crisis!

It’s a crisis when Black women are about 40% more likely to die of breast cancer than white women.

It’s a crisis when Black women have a lower 5-year relative breast cancer survival rate compared to white women.

I lived with breast cancer for more than 34 years as I supported my Mommy, Soror Dr. Georgia Mae, as she thrived with breast cancer. After every doctor’s appointment or chemo treatment, we would talk, shop, sip, eat, and strategize about how she would thrive and kick cancer’s butt!

If you or someone you know is battling breast cancer, please under stand that 34 (or 34+34 )is our magical number. We want Black women to thrive with breast cancer and other ailments, forever, or for a very long time!

As your host, I’ll light candles to set the mood, turn on music with good vibes, lay out a spread of delicious bites, and receive you. I’ll also be reading from inspirational readings and poems. Feel free to bring literature or a verse that’s inspired you during a tough moment in life.

Or just come prepared to absorb the positive vibes.

See Ya soon.

MeMe Kelly

Creative Space A Blog & Podcast!

Welcome, Welcome, Welcome

To the Creative Space Blog!

It’s here and also as a podcast on YouTube and Spotify.

https://youtu.be/phD4UTRbrsQ?si=QJK6cdZPpxDXNv8V

https://open.spotify.com/show/1OSzsfZp1oTeZrWkdoyOTs?si=4005bbf98bd844bf

I create my own dog gone Creative Spaces:). I’m too old to ask permission to be the way God has ordained me to be. And I refuse to write for free for other publications. LOL! I would rather share it here, where I create the rules as I go. Things may be Capitalized, bolded, and italicized as I see fit to emphasize them.

Remember, it’s My Creative Space!

I’ll be LIVE on YouTube in the Creative Space - Podcast bi-weekly or when spirit leads me to share. For better or worse, you’ll be able to see me:). Lawdy, I ain’t no glamour gal.

It’s also on Spotify and where Podcast can be found! https://open.spotify.com/show/1OSzsfZp1oTeZrWkdoyOTs

P.S. For 50 episodes, it was the podcast SHOUT:

Shine Yo Light

Have Hope

Overcome

Use God’s Power &

Take Charge

I got it in, Bigmama! RIP. I love you and miss you so much.

Say Her Name!

Are You Winning With Black Women, (WWBW) the organization that unleashed the support for Vice President Kamala Harris with a Zoom Call with 44, 000 Black Women on the call? You should be! I was one of 44,000 on the call. Please donate to the organization and tell them that MeMe Kelly sent you!

I hope you’re ready to enjoy the best that Black Women have to give to America and the world. In this season, I believe we’re ready to share it with you. And so, this will be a continuous post where I Say Their Names: Black Women Who are Shining Their Light with their walk, their presence, and their lives. I will also say the names of ancestors whose lives were a North Star, guiding us with light and joy, to this point!

Here, I’ll make my own rules and capitalize and underline things that aren’t required, so be flexible and enjoy this creative space with me.

This list, of course, is not exhaustive, and your name may very well end up here. For now, it’s of those who have touched my heart over the last few weeks with their dedication to moving America forward!

VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS!

My Mama Soror Dr. Georgia Mae, RIP, Say Her Name, y’all.

Jotaka Eaddy, founder of WWBW, my Soror!

Evan Seymour, Founder of Black Women in Entertainment for Kamala, Marketing Extraordinaire, the CHIEF, my Soror!

Donna Brazille, and her Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics with Yolanda Caraway, Leah Daughtry, and Minyon Moore

Michelle Obama

Oprah

And then I drop down into Hollywood and say a few names there:

Janine Sherman Barrios, who hosted the first postcard writing party for Black Women in Entertainment for Kamala, She’s a Showrunner, Writer, Producer, who is gracious, kind, and talented. She doesn’t know this, but she had me with Claws! And now I’m caught up and hooked on The Big Cigar! She’s brilliant.

Yvette Lee Bowser, Showrunner, Producer, and Writer, who gave a touching, heartfelt talk in a recent WWBW Zoom. (Her show Un-Prisoned had me up for two nights binging it!)

Quan Lateef-Hill - a Sweet, Kind Producer, one of the organizers of the first postcard writing party for Black Women in Entertainment for Kamala. Hold up, she’s a multi-hyphenated Filmmaker, Writer, Director and Emmy nominated Producer developing and producing multi-platform content across: Television, Film, Digital, Podcast/Radio, and Live Event & Experiential Production. Okay, take a breath:)

Kamala Avila Salmon - Another Sweet, Kind Producer, one of the organizers of the first Debate Party for Black Women in Entertainment for Kamala in Los Angeles. A powerful Hollywood player with a kind, gentle spirit. She’s young, beautiful, gifted and Black:)!

Cody Elaine Oliver, a Producer who hosted the First Debate Party for Black Women in Entertainment for Kamala, who produced Black Love on Own Network, which I loved. She’s young, beautiful, gifted and Black:)!

Victoria Gabriella Platt, the amazing actress and star of One Night in LA, my feature film, and all the Sisters who were in Hollywood Prayer and Support, my Diverse Curb Enthusiasm with a spiritual twist web-series, available at www.elevatedstories.me. Thank You, Sisters.

My Sorors of Delta Sigma Theta in Entertainment, all of you. But I want to to name a few:

Madame President Elsie Cooke-Holmes, the head of all of us.

Ashley Dunn, Entertainment reporter + producer + style expert

Kim Ennix-Sandu, Connie Ennix, and Dr. Kelly Ennix-King (is not a soror, yet), board members for the Georgia Mae Project.

Kim Whitley, actress and pod-caster

Danielle Dominique Nelson, one of the creators of Mind Your Business, Bounce Network, writer, and producer.

And all of the other amazing Deltas not named here yet. My Sorors, I love you.

Finally, to Leslie, my prayer partner on Tues and Thurs, whose MaMa’s name is Georgia Mae also and who is the mother of a doggy Blue also, just like me, I SHOUT: WON’T GOD DO IT! Where two or more are gathered, HE shows up. God is on the prayer line with us, y’all!

My Sisters, We are One & I Will Never Let You Go, so I’m ending with Frankie Beverly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4854yQ1sHc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oNrY_pC_MQ

"Before I Let You Go"

… You made me happy
This you can bet
You stood right beside me, yeah
And I won't forget

… And I really love you
You should know
I wanna make sure I'm right, girl
Before I let go

… Now we've had our good time
That's what they say
…

… You know I think the sun rises and shines on you
You know there's nothin', nothin', nothin' I would not do

… Whoa, no

… Before I let you go...
Ohhh.…..
I would never, never, never, never, never, never, never
Never let you go, before I go

…

WE ARE ONE
We are one no matter what we do
We are one love will see us through
We are one and that's the way it is
Sometimes I feel
That we try and make each other sad
The things we do
How we make each other feel so bad
We've got so much
We could all be having so much fun
We are one from the very start
We are one deep down in your heart
We are one
And that's the way it is
I Can't understand
…
And no matter how it's said or done
We are one no matter what we do
We are one love will see us through
We are one and that's the way it is

JOY & PAIN!

I’d done what I was suppose to do: Graduated from UCLA.

Afterwards, I’d had fun in Europe, and it was time to come back to the United States for the next chapter. What would it be? Honestly, I didn’t have a clue.

But, Frankie Beverly, let me know that Joy & Pain were one in the same and that if I could JUST BE COOL like he was in his own skin, floating across the stage, listening to the music, and feeling the vibe that everything would be alright.

I decided then that I should always dance under the stars!

“As you grow older, you learn to live with the Joys and Pains of Life,” Frankie Beverly would belt out. “Aww, Yeah,” he would sang, feeling the groove!

And some kind of way his sultry sound of soul, gave a generation of Black folks the tools to drop and roll with the punches ( like I did with the 5.1. Earthquake that happen this morning near me)! We would stay in the joy no matter what.

President Reagan was in office when the song came out, and Black folks were disillusioned and struggling. Affirmative Action was under attack. The War on Crime would begin soon, when crack cocaine would be unleashed in our communities. The song carried us through it all, from the beginning to the end of four decades: The Bush eras and the Trump era too.

We danced to the White House with Obama.

Now, it’s time to stay in joy for Kamala Harris and work our butts off to move America forward as the GREATEST country in the world.

Now, more than ever, we understand that Joy & Pain are flipped sides of the same coin in America!

So like I’ve done for all the posts here today, I end with Frankie Beverly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNuKMPeOdfM

Joy & Pain

Remember when you first found love how you felt so good
Kind that last forever more so you thought it would
Suddenly the things you see got you hurt so bad
How come the things that make us happy make us sad
Well it seems to me that
Joy and pain are like sunshine and rain
Joy and pain are like sunshine and rain
Love can be bitter love can be sweet
Sometimes devotion and sometimes deceit
The ones that you care for give you so much pain
Oh but it's alright there both one in the same
Don't it seem we go through life going up and down
Seems the things that turn you on turn you around
Always hurting eachother if it ain't one thing it's another
But when the world is down on you love's somewhere around
Well it seems to me that
Joy and pain are like sunshine and rain
Joy and pain are like sunshine and rain
Joy and pain are like sunshine and rain
Joy and pain are like sunshine and rain
Over and over you can be sure
There will be sorrow but you will endure
Where there's a flower there's the sun and the rain
Oh and it's wonderful there both one in the same
Joy and pain are like sunshine and rain
Joy and pain are like sunshine and rain
Joy and pain are like sunshine and rain
Joy and pain are like sunshine and rain

He would often end it with a moan and SHOUT as the audience took over.

Thank you, Frankie Beverly, for a lifetime of music.

A New Season!

As a writer, woman, and mom of three sons, I thirst for new seasons that pull me out of negativity and darkness of the past, regardless of the nature of what I’m being released from: Relationship Difficulties; Financial Woes; Lack of Faith; Sagging Self Esteem, or Spiritual Bankruptness. Change is EVERYTHING to me! And this summer, I’ve longed for change. I haven’t wanted to fall in line and do life the way others thought I should do it.

I’ve thirsted for the highest, what God wants for me, like a woman lost in the a desert.

Thank you, Vice President Kamala Harris, for setting this season in motion.

God Bless You and Your Campaign!

Love,

MeMe, a woman basking in the glory of this season

Be Anxious For Nothing…

I love it when God is absolutely clear about what I’m to do. Yesterday, during my prayer and bible time, a page fell out of my bible, and I knew, instantly, that I was suppose to share the scriptures on the page. The image for the post is a page from my bible. God probably wanted me to share the scriptures because He loves you. And I love you too.

Today is my last day of blogging to Essence,. I’ll be there tomorrow, ready to have fun — an incredible filmmakers’ circle has been created in Zoom and What’s App — and One Night in LA will screen on Sunday at 12:20 p.m., in Theater 2.

Thank you for reading these posts. I’m not sure what’s next. But I shall be anxious for nothing. You be well!

Philippians 4:6-8

6. Be Anxious for nothing,

but in every thing by prayer and supplication,

with thanksgiving,

let your requests be know to God;

7. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

will guard your hearts and minds

through Christ Jesus

8. Finally, brethen, what ever things are true,

whatever things are are noble,

whatever things are just,

whatever things are pure,

whatever things are lovely,

whatever things are of good report,

if there is any virtue and if there is anything,

praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Philippians 3: 12-15

12. Not that I have already attained,

or am already perfected,

but I press on,

that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus

has also laid hold of me.

13. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended;

but one thing I do,

forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,

14. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

15. Therefore let us as many as are mature,

have this mind;

and if in anything you think otherwise,

God will reveal even this to you.

A note from MeMe: Typing this felt like a warm shower, or an evening swim on a warm summer night. I could feel God’s cleansing water washing over me:)!

What Am I Going To Write?!

As much as I’d like to reveal a master piece here today, there’s a lot going on and I can’t. But I can write about what I’m going to write when the tic, toc on the clock slows to a crawl, tic, toc, stop! When the sun sets in a blood red, orange sky, and the breezes from Santa Monica beach reach me in the San Fernando Valley, and the day darkens at 4 p.m., then I’ll write! Haha.

Mostly it’ll be about L-O-V-E, loving a Black man, because I’m an expert at that. I’m especially good at loving the tall, fine ones, who are 6’3 and taller:). That’s who God designated for me, and I, happily, accepted the call. So, I’ll allow my heart to bleed on the page with l-o-v-e.

I’ve loved four tall Black men — my hubby and three sons — to the end of the earth and back, so I’m going to write about the journey. I’m going to podcast about it, and SHOUT about it. I know that male toxicity starts at age 2, LOL, and I prevented a heap of it from being unleashed in the world.

“Stay calm, Black man:),” I always whispered. I love you, which should be enough.

I’m going to write about Walter Lee, a fictional character in my head. Walter Lee drives a Cadillac, always wears shiny shoes. He and Obama would have been good friends if I’d created him back then. He’s a principal, an educated Black man, with swagger and finesse, a man who is always in a suit and crispy white shirt and he smells so good! Teachers fall to their knees when he calls them to the office. LMBO. Ole, Walter Lee, I’m gonna have fun with you. He’s my Cup of Tea so maybe it’ll be an open fiction story here.

I’m going to write about you and how perfect you are! Enough said. Next,

I’m going to write about these times we’re in like Nina Simone said that I should. And Harry Belafonte preached the same thing. Go to my Instagram @memekellywriteselevatedstories and @onenightinlamovie and a clip of Nina is there. It’s also on my facebook page at @onenightinlamovie and memekellywrites

I’ll put up Harry Belafonte next week!

And, finally, I’m going to write about loving Georgia and Otis, and all the other babies that I get to love when I teach elementary school. I’m addicted to teaching, like I’m addicted to writing. I used to play teacher when I was a little girl, and I was always the teacher and the kids always had to put their head down and take a nap:). When I first walked into a classroom for Los Angeles Unified, I, literally, kneeled down and kissed the floor. I had on blue pants with suspenders and white crispy shirt and loafers, and it was my 33rd birthday. Boy, was I looking smart. A classroom is sacred ground.

Okay, that’s enough for day, GTG:)

P.S. Hold up, wait a minute, I’m back. I’m going to write about G-O-D. But for God, I would not be here, still in love with words. Thank you, God. I love you.

I AM SOMEBODY ~ JESSIE JACKSON

Essence is celebrating 30 years because they love us, and I’m celebrating 30 years of writing because I love us too, and I’ve loved myself with the written word!

I started writing because I wanted to survive in a world that felt harsher than I’d imagined as a child, that wasn’t a storybook of fairy tales. And when Los Angeles went up in smoke after the Rodney King trials, words started rumbling in me, and when I sat down at a computer, chapters flowed out of my heart. All I needed to do was sit still and they would come out.

And celebrating 30 years of letting them come out – as essays, blog posts, plays, and now films --- I realize that if I still sit down, there is more to come and this is where I’m supposed to be at this very moment: Tapping my fingers on a computer keyboard.

And that has always been 80% of the journey, finding where exactly I’m supposed to be, rooms that will accept me and are warm and comfortable. In the 70s, I found them at UCLA. Except for my grades at the end of each quarter, LOL, there was nothing that I wasn’t supposed to be there! 

I found a room at Second Baptist Church, one of the oldest Black churches in Los Angeles, with grandmother and her clan, introduced to me by friend Monique, who I’d like to end the journey with and I’m going to find.

When you walk into a room where you’re supposed to be, the walls glimmer, the curtains sway, the lights blink off and on, and birds sing.

I love walking into rooms where I’m supposed to be, which starts with a smile from me. I must smile at everyone I see which used to be easier before everyone became somebody. When we were just people in the struggle, making it just another day, it was easier to smile. I fault Jessie Jackson for pumping us up too much with that dang poem.

“I AM Somebody.”

As a little girl, I rode on a bus from Ann Arbor, Michigan to Chicago’s Push; it was in the 60s (don’t do the math), and that poem was recited the entire damn way and I knew we were in trouble.

I am…Somebody —

Jesse Jackson, Chicago, Illinois USA

I am Somebody!

I am Somebody!

I may be poor,

But I am Somebody.

I may be young,

But I am Somebody.

I may be on welfare,

But I am Somebody.

I may be small,

But I am Somebody.

I may have made mistakes,

But I am Somebody.

My clothes are different,

My face is different,

My hair is different,

But I am Somebody.

I am black,

Brown,or white.

I speak a different language

But I must be respected,

Protected,

Never rejected.

I am God’s child!

Thank you Jessie for starting us on our way. But he forgot a few things.

We shouldn’t become what is not just, fair, and loving

We shouldn’t become what our ancestors despised!

We shouldn’t be more concerned with images on Instagram than being real with ourselves and others.

And oh boy here we are!

Thanks, Jessie. I pray he’s doing well.

You Will Be Dead Soon Enough, So!

Try to learn to breathe deeply,

really to taste food when you eat,

and when you sleep, really to sleep,

Try as much as possible to be wholly alive with all your might,

and when you laugh, laugh like hell. And when you get angry,

get good and angry. Try to be alive.

You will be dead soon enough!

~Ernest Hemingway

P.S. My daughter-in-law Caroline, a therapist, had this quote on her Instagram, and I love it! Thanks, Caroline. I went to Cuba to watch Caroline’s dance before Cuban government officials with a theater and dance troupe from his school. I sat in Ernest Hemingway’s favorite bar, and I just stared.

What’s in Your Heart?

Something has come over me, and all I think about is L-O-V-E!

All I listen to is love songs: Love and Happiness.

I want 30 more amazing summers to be with my sweet grand babies, Georgia and Otis, and my sons, their wives, and my hubby, and I believe the road there is paved with L-O-V-E!

And I know the journey will not be an easy feat.

We all get irritable and mad at others at times. We are impatient.We get down on our selves, especially after spending a moment comparing ourselves to others on Instagram.

And it’s hard to love others when we’re not feeling our best and are impatient, irritable, anxious, or experiencing all at the same time. I joke that there are no Ps in my name, and there aren’t: Just watch when I’m in a long grocery store line with a clerk who is taking her sweet time, and you’ll find me darting between lines trying to find the fastest one.

But, these days, I’m being mindful. I’m slowing down. While on LA Freeways, I’m jamming great music rather than switching between lanes.

My husband is monitoring what I say to our boys, and I’m constantly reminding myself that only requested advice is GOOD advice! The rest is just meddling in folks’ lives, which is none of my business.

So, I’m keeping my head down. I’m creating. And I’m loving.

Once I attended a workshop in a Zoom and the facilitator of the workshop was one of the meanest women I’d ever encountered. And as I sat there, I wondered how she could be so mean. So while she was berating and critiquing my work, I left the Zoom, mentally and virtually, and begin to google her to see what her story was. I found that she had a horrific past of tragedy, and I begin to understand her more. When I returned to the Zoom, I put on my compassion hat and filled my heart with L-O-V-E, first for myself, to protect myself from her darts, and then for her. I didn’t cuss her:)!

It was an act of returning to love, similar to the name of one of my favorite books. It’s by Marianne Williamson and was given to me right after I started writing. I was at a conference in Belgium with my Mom, who, at the time, was Director of Military Schools for the Department of Defense, Atlantic Region. We had traveled to Belgium from London, where we were living at the time. She was speaking at her conference with hundreds of educators who worked for her, and I sat in the audience because I didn’t have anything else to do. Suddenly, a principal, who was close to my Mom and whom I adored, tapped me on the shoulder. Perhaps, he could see that I was just passing the time and a bit bored. He whispered, “I have great book you should read.” And then he gave me his copy of Return to Love by Marianne Williamson. I exhaled, knowing that it was a divine gift, something I was suppose to read. I then left the conference and went upstairs to our room and did not emerge until I had finished the book. And when I came out of that hotel room, I was changed.

And that’s how I feel in this season of life. I’m emerging from 30 years of answering God’s call to write and create. Although the journey hasn’t been as rosy as I’d liked, there’s satisfaction deep in my soul, and I know that all I need to do now is to Return to Love!

How are you feeling in this season? And what is in your heart?

Love,

MeMe

P.S. You can always email me at memekellyinspires@gmail.com

OPTIMISM!

Optimism by Lady Harmony is my Cup of Tea today!

The world is filled with so many negative things: rising suicide rates among young people. My three sons have lost four friends to suicide in the last two years.

There’s growing homelessness in Los Angeles, although it’s gotten so much better under Queen Karen Bass’ reign!

The divide between the Haves and the Have Nots is growing wider and wider and no one seems to care.

There’s divisiveness in every corner of our lives, and on Los Angeles freeways, drivers aggressively cut you off and drive dangerously at high speeds.

When I walk in the mornings, no one says good mornings anymore, or peers into the stroller when I’m pushing my grand babies to sneak a glance at the baby.

We’re exposed to so much negativity these days that we must be intentional about replenishing our souls with positivity and sharing and receiving love. We must take care of ourselves.

So, today, I’m sharing an uplifting song.

Click above for Optimism or go to https://youtu.be/DyJf42TfJu4?si=35yLzpvlUqUeIRwY

Yesterday, I jogged — yes jogged:) — to it, and I’m about to jog to it again today. It makes me feel amazing, and I pray that it does the same for you.

Song writers are creative geniuses and Optimism’s lyrics are a poem. I actually had to listen to the song and write the lyrics down — you can thank me later. Haha. So, it’s cryptic and incomplete. But, I wanted you to see how beautiful they are:

The rain keeps falling and

 The sun keeps shining

 The grass keeps growing and

 The moon keeps rising

 The wind keeps blowing and

 The world keeps going around!

 Around, Around, Around

 The rain keeps falling and

 The sun keeps shining

 The grass keeps growing and

 The moon keeps rising

 The wind keeps blowing and

 The world keeps going around!

 Around, Around, Around

 Sitting down… on the bed to see what the day brings,

 You get pressure on mind

 Feeling so confined

 You can stress all day

 You can worry all night

 But I ain’t never seen worry ever change a thing

 Tell yourself I’m going to let it go

 My life is more than…just…

I’m not going to get caught up in the struggle.

 I’m keep shining

 I’m keep growing

 I’m keep rising

 I’m going to keep going

 Repeat!

 Keep the Faith!

You’d Better Think!

People aren’t thinking anymore!

They’re following others on Instagram, Facebook, and Tik-Tok

They follow celebrities, organizations, churches, anyone or anything that makes them feel better about themselves while eliminating the need for them to think.

I have six men in my life, my hubby, three sons, my grand baby son, and my brother. And often I have to depart from what they’re pushing me to do and think on my own! So, today, I reach back to a good old soul tune to remind us strong, independent minded women to think!

“THINK”

by Lyn Collins:

“If it’s not in the vision, don’t make no decision!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKix_06L5AY

Enjoy!

Essence and Black Women

Essence was designed to encourage Black women, to make us believe in our selves and to see our beauty when others did not. It was designed to help us think deeply about our essence, who God delivered us to the planet to be. And then within that framework, it inspired us to shine our light!

That’s what it did for me!

So, having my first indie feature film, One Night in LA, be an Official Selection of the 2024 Essence Film Festival is all the validation I need. I wrote it for Black women and for women of color. Honestly, I wrote it for ALL women, regardless of the color of our skin, because I, truly, believe women are the foundation of the world! The main character is bi-racial and her mother is white. The movie is about getting to the essence of who Crystal Thorn truly is, all parts of herself, white and Black( she identifies as Black woman), a mother to Black sons, and a wife to a Black man!

It’s a poem and a love letter to women! It makes us think about what’s really important in our busy lives. Because I produced it on a slim budget, it doesn’t have bells and whistles to distract you from the Essence of the message, which is a divine call to women to think deeply about our journeys and what positive offering our lives should be.

It’s a critical time in history, and we need deep thinkers like no other time. The country has slid backwards and women’s right, the rights of the LGBTQ community, the rights of creatives to think independently and share freely are all threatened. The democracy is in peril!

We must all think! Think about what we can do to help America to turn itself around. Throw your energy and effort in the fight for democracy. I’m fighting with my pen and stories for my bi-racial grand babies. I don’t want them to have less freedoms than I did.

What will you fight for, what will you fight with — your words, an act of service, your fierce love of others — and when will you jump in the ring and box for Democracy.

One of my favorite authors is James Baldwin. One Night in LA has a James Baldwin flare because I originally wrote it as a play, honoring many of his sentiments and ideas. Not many people know this, but the beginning of it was my final in an African American Literature class while I was working on my MFA at the University of California as a Distinguished Dean’s Fellow ( I just have to throw that in:). I’m proud of returning to graduate school to get an MFA after raising my sons and dropping them off at college. I loved my Professor, a lesbian African American Literature scholar, and that’s why my main character is an African-American Literature Professor, a DEEP thinker. It was a play.

Thank you Essence for seeing the value in One Night in LA and thank you for seeing me as a writer.

I love Essence! And James Baldwin. And You reading this post!

What Did James Baldwin Think About Hollywood?

James Baldwin is one of my favorite authors. The beginning of One Night in LA was actually a play and my final writing assignment in an African American Literature class I took while working on my MFA as a Distinguished Dean’s Fellow at the University of California ( I can hear James Brown sing, “La di da:”). ONILA was my way of honoring him and his book, No Name in the Street, in which the Washington Post article below says that “Baldwin recounts the Harlem that shaped his early consciousness and the later murders of his friends Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, along with his stay in Europe and in Hollywood and his return to the American South to confront a violent America.”

The article also discusses the Netflix Documentary I Am Not Your Negro, which I loved, and what James Baldwin thought of Hollywood. Samuel Jackson, my Chattanooga Home Boy, narrates I Am Not Your Negro, which was everything for me. My Mom taught Samuel in Junior High school.

I often wonder what James Baldwin would think of the “Negroes” in Hollywood in 2024:)! Hmm. this would make a great play, but do I dare write it from my outside/in position:). Nooooooo, although it’s clear “What’s Going On” from where I sit! And sit:)!

Click Here for the Washington Post article and make sure you watch I Am Not Your Negro on Netflix.

XO,

MeMe

YOU!

You are my Cup of Tea today.

Thank you so much for reading the “Cup of Tea with Me” blog.

You are my Cup of Tea because you’re perfect just as you are and according to the bible, you’re made in the image and likeness of God. Genesis 1:27

Take a look at your beautiful self in the nearest mirror and give yourself a hug.

I won’t be here on Sundays. I’ll be SHOUTN about our God, who knows how perfect you are!

Peace.

YOU MUST DEFINE YOURSELF

DURING A SPEECH AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY, AUDREY LORDE SAID,

“If I didn't define myself, I would be crunched into other people's fantasies for me and eaten alive,"

Today, my “Cup of Tea” is that I agree with her, although it’s not easy to do in today’s world.

But, don’t give up. Get quiet and still and listen. Then, DO U! Be Your Own Man. BYOM, I wrote in One Night in LA:)! By and by, you’ll know what that means, and, hopefully, it’ll include being kind to others and loving others as much as you can.

This blog doesn’t give me the freedom to post pictures like I want, but hopefully the picture of Audrey Lorde pops up. She’s pretty.

The Power of Love/ Color Blind World

I had a powerful prayer session this morning that left me feeling truly blessed. I'm not sure where to start, but I've decided to share my thoughts on the importance of love in our lives. I've been listening to "Say You Love Me" by Jamison Ross for weeks, and it has been a source of comfort for me during this time. Soul music and my bible keep me inspired!

The ultimate love scripture for me has been 1 Corinthians 13, which has kept me loving the same man for 46 years. This summer, we'll celebrate 41 years of marriage. Both of us are flawed, just like anyone else, but this scripture has always reminded me of the true essence of love. Whenever I felt I had an advantage over my husband due to his perceived shortcomings, God would bring me back to 1 Corinthians 13.

This scripture has taught me that love is patient and kind, it does not envy or boast, it is not proud, and it always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres. Love never fails, and it is the greatest of all virtues. We must remember to check ourselves and our actions before judging others. In addition to my thoughts on love and marriage, I'll also write about my love for Black people on my way to the Essence Festival. Despite facing hardships, we continue to create and spread light, love, music, dance, art, intellect, and culture. Essence loves us, and I love us too! But, ultimately, my prayer is for a color-blind world, where my grandchildren won't be judged for their race and where my sons won't be judged for falling in love with women of a different race.

I hope you enjoyed this Cup of Tea with Me.