Introducing Down Home Diaries, a blog dedicated to celebrating the simple joys of Black Southern culture. Join us as we share heartfelt stories that inspire warmth and connection while wrapping you in nostalgic moments. Find the beauty in every small-town experience with Down Home Diaries.
Melanin Violin: Shifting the Cultural Landscape of Orchestra
Black musicians are becoming the changing faces of string instrumentalists and Imani Henry is one of them. The violinist and director of orchestra for a school in Cypress, Texas is carving her own path to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in orchestra with her company, Melanin Violin. In this article, you’ll hear more about her business, learn about the band versus orchestra debate, and discover why representation matters in this space.
Even Through Hard Rocks of Adversity
Pauline Mansfield reminisces on a potted clover that survived a storm and is reminded of a friend who also suffered trauma, but is managing to survive even through hard rocks of adversity.
Health Inequities and the Importance of Self-Care
Where you’re born, live, work, and play can determine how long you live. In this article, you’ll learn more about the health inequities surrounding the southern black community and how you can tackle them by practicing self-care.
Cypress-Based Private School Geared Towards Elite Student-Athletes Set To Open Fall 2021
PSAT-XEA is coming out the gate Fall 2021 with basketball, baseball, volleyball and football with a heavy emphasis on development of early, intermediate, and elite student-athletes by former professional NBA, MLB, PGA, and international pro athletes.
Black-Owned Charity Is Hosting A Texas Warrior Golf Tournament: "Tiger Up" For Lupus Warriors Seeking A Higher Education
The Gibson Lupus ARC and No Sisters Left Behind have partnered to raise scholarship funds for entrepreneurial spirited students who want to learn how to work for themselves even if it's out of a hospital bed with their Texas Warrior Golf Tournament “Tiger Up.”
A Salute To My Father
The residents in Wake, Virginia, were either domestics, farmers, or fishermen. But my father had much bigger dreams! Dreams of any kind outside of the norm in Wake were audacious! Learn about Emanuel Mansfield, the man who was known as “The Songbird” and had dreams of becoming a concert tenor. Despite life’s challenges, he accomplished his dreams and so much more.
What Really Makes Dollars and Sense: The Financial Factor of Nicovanna Shannon, CEO of Shannon, Shannon & Associates, Inc.
As CEO and co-owner of Shannon, Shannon & Associates, Inc., a family-owned and operated financial planning firm in Montgomery, Alabama, Nicovanna Shannon gives back to others using the power of numbers because, at an early age, her mother instilled the importance of community-building.
Juneteenth
On June 19, 1865, news finally reached Galveston, Texas, announcing that the war had ended, and all enslaved people were now free. From that day forward, June 19th became known as Freedom Day for African Americans, the day to celebrate the emancipation of the enslaved. Why, then, have African Americans celebrated someone else’s Freedom Day and not our own?
Fried Chicken ‘n Biscuits and Business: Interview with Montgomery, AL Bojangles Franchisee Aki Henderson
Aki Henderson, an Asheville, North Carolina native, comes from a long line of entrepreneurs and holds the title as the one and only franchisee of Bojangles in the Montgomery area, including Prattville, Wetumpka, and Selma.