How I Came to Love My Black Name

The following is an edited excerpt from my memoir in progress, Mommy Wasn't There

Over the years, I've gone through a love hate relationship with my first name - Tamika. My graduating high school class of 1993, had at least five Tamikas. I didn't feel unique. 

My grandmother would say to me, "What kind of name is Tamika? I'm just going to call you tomato." This made me hate my name even more.

It wasn't until my mid-20s did I start to like my first name. A woman who owned a Japanese restaurant told me my name originated from Japan and usually ends with the letter O. So, Tamiko.

I forgot what she said the meaning of my name was but I do know it was a popular name in the early 1970s. Contributors of the website, BehindTheName.com, says the Japanese name Tamika means 'Child of the People.'

After further research, I found out the name Tamika was most popular in 1975, which is the same year I was born. Based off of information collected from Social Security card applications for births that occurred in the United States, a total of 2,159 baby girls were named Tamika.

Got it. The name was hot in 1975, and it started to creep into Black-American homes in the late 1960s. But why? Of course, I did some more digging and found the American singer, Tamiko Jones. 

Jones' name at birth was Barbara Tamiko Ferguson. 

Tamiko Jones was born in Kyle, West Virginia and was raised in Detroit, where she started her music career. She was part Japanese, part British, and has Cherokee ancestry in her blood.

Tamiko Jones genre of music included rhythm and blues, soul and jazz. Her first hit was "Touch Me Baby" and in 1975 reached No. 12 on the R&B charts in the U.S. 

(press the play button)

Her voice reminds me of Donna Summers and Diana Ross. Both women whose albums I used to dance to while cleaning the house on Saturday mornings.

Mommy never told me why or how she came up with my name, but these days I'm feeling much better about my name Tamika. Or maybe I'll just start calling myself Tamiko.

To get ahead start on the memoir in progress, Mommy Wasn't There, visit wattpad.com

From Rags to Folk Art

video by Timeline

To read more, go to: TimeLine.com

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black~ish: Stepin Fetchit is an Eye Opener About Blacks in Advertising

As a Black-American woman in the midst of testing her multimedia journalism skills in advertising, my eyes are always wide open. I've been analyzing every single commercial and ad in magazines, newspapers, transportation hubs, as well as the ones that appear on my favorite television shows, black-ish.

The Richard Youngster episode that aired March 29, 2017, on ABC, opened my eyes even more. While social media expressed their disappointment of Chris Brown's appearance on the show, I was applauding the writers. About what? Blacks working in advertising and the lack of Blacks working in the business. I'm talking about the absence of Black creatives, talent, focus groups, and Blacks in executive positions at global agencies.

There were several truths in the episode, but the one that caught me off guard was how Richard Youngster was compared to Stepin Fetchit. Which, by the way, I never heard of until Andre, Rainbow and Ruby broke it down.

Know the history of Stepin Fetchit. Both sides! Catch up on #blackish here: https://t.co/Od3k2nUIGi pic.twitter.com/qrhkFcWjeg

— black-ish (@black_ishABC) March 30, 2017

Unfortunately, most people missed the history lesson, and the in your face message of what it's like to be a minority working in advertising. Even industry advertising newsletters didn't get or send a memo. 

Lucky for me, I did get the memo because my eyes are opened...even wider.

Did you get the memo? Discuss in the comment box below or e-mail your views to TCsViews@gmail.com.

Young Voices: Let's Talk About Vinyl Digging

Welcome back to Better Said Than Written, the podcast supplement of Artz of Culturez where I make a personal connection with today's trending topics.

This is a special episode where my son has taken over the show. When I heard we were going to discuss vinyl records I just had to say yes. And so I handed him the mic.

We talked about how I got into vinyl digging, my top four vinyl records, and how my son has an ear for music and a love for Sade.

Take a listen...




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• Emerging Artist: Doug Seegers
• Diggin' in the Crates: A Tribe Called Quest
• Diggin in the Crates: It's Record Store Day

100 Years of Black Fashion

Finally, a look back at 100 Years of Black Fashion. It certainly took long enough.

The following video was produced by @BuzzFeedCocoaButter

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100 Years of White Fashion

BuzzFeed Taps into the History of Black Women's Hair

The following video was produced by @BuzzFeedCocoaButter

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A Legend in Black History: Eugene Jacques Bullard

Eugene Jacques Bullard is the first Black-American fighter pilot in history and a national hero.

As an expat living in France he joined the French Infantry at the start of World War I. France awarded Bullard the Croix de Guerre and Medaille Militaire after being seriously wounded.

In 1916, Bullard joined the French Air Service where he trained as a gunner and a pilot. 

When American pilots volunteered to help France and formed the Lafayette Escadrille, Bullard asked to join but by the time he became a qualified pilot the infamous volunteer group were no longer accepting new recruits. As an alternative, he joined the Lafayette Flying Corps. He served the French flying units and completed 20 combat missions.

When the United States joined World War I, Bullard was the only member of the French Flying Corps who was not invited to join the US Air Service. Why? The USAS only accepted White men.

After WWI Bullard became a jazz musician in Paris and owned a nightclub which he named L’Escadrille. When the Germans invaded and conquered during World War II, L'Escadrille and Bullard became hugely popular with German officers. However, the Germans didn't know that Bullard, who spoke fluent German, was working for the Free French as a spy. He then joined a French infantry unit, but was discharged after being severely wounded.

By the end of WW2, Bullard had become a national hero in France. In 1959, the French government named him a national Chevalier. After returning to the United States his accolades went unnoticed.

In 1960, the President of France, Charles DeGaulle, paid a state visit to the U.S. and one of the first things he wanted to do was to meet Bullard. That sent the White House staff scrambling because most of them, never heard of him. They finally located him in New York City, and DeGaulle traveled there to meet him personally. At the time, Eugene Bullard was working as an elevator operator.

Shortly after Bullard met with the President DeGaulle, he passed away.

Very few Americans knew of Eugene Bullard. This is just one more legend whose story should be in the Black history books. 

Do you have a story to share about a legend in Black history person who paved the way for Black Americans? E-mail your submission to TCsViews@gmail.com or leave your views in the comment box below.

Be sure to follow Artz of Culturez on Facebook to keep track of stories and little-known facts that may not be covered here on the blog.

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* #BHM2015 Robert Smalls

* The Lighter Side to BHM

Katherine Johnson: The Woman who Evolved at NASA

Black History Month continues to be educational and motivational. It's amazing what I found throughout social media feeds. I recently came across another accolade of Black American history. This time it revolves around a mathematician and her work with NASA.

(Katherine Coleman Goble Johnson)

* The following was spotted on Facebook and edited for clarity

A White man may have been the first to walk on the moon but, Katherine Johnson, a Black mathematician, got him there. 

A math genius, Johnson entered West Virginia State University, a Historically Black College, at the age 15. While there, professors at the campus competed to have the Johnson in their classes. 

Henrietta Lacks: The Most Influential Person in Medicine

Thanks to social media, Black History Month has become more engaging and has uncovered stories that you probably never learned in grade school. Just last week one of my connections shared the following story about Henrietta Lacks on their timeline.  

*The following appeared on Facebook and edited for clarity

Lacks was a Black tobacco farmer from southern Virginia who was diagnosed with cervical cancer. She died in 1951 at the age of  31. 

#BHM2016: Buzz Feed History Lesson on Black Inventors

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you didn't have potato chips to go with your favorite dip, or what PB&J sandwiches be like without the peanut butter? And you've got to admit that having an ice cream scoop makes serving the sweet cool treat a whole lot easier? Well, Buzz Feed took part in Black History Month to remind the masses about "things" that wouldn't be part of our daily lives if it weren't for Black inventors.

Take a look:

Is there a Black inventor that Buzz Feed missed? Leave your comments below or e-mail them to tcsviews@gmail.com.

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Misty Copeland Breaks Barriers One Pirouette at a Time

Misty Copeland appeared on my radar in September 2014 after I heard her story on National Public Radio. Morning Edition host, Steve Inskeep, had a captivating conversation with the ballerina about her book Firebird and what it’s like to be a Black ballerina.

Related Story: Misty Copeland on Broadening 'Beauty' And Being Black In Ballet

On June 30, 2015, Copeland popped up again on my radar. Turns out that the 32 year-old dancer broke barriers and made history. Copeland was named principal dancer at the American Ballet Theater Company. She is the first Black-American female to hold this position.

As Copeland was pursuing her passion naysayers told her that her body was too bulky for ballet. She was told at the age of 13 that she was too old to continue her goals as a dancer. It makes me wonder what Copeland’s cynics are saying now. I bet they are wondering how this bulky, Black-American woman was promoted to principal dancer in her 30s.

It just goes to show that perseverance will get you exactly where you want to be in life. What are you waiting for?

Take a listen to Copeland’s one-to-one with Steve Inskeep, which initially aired on Sept. 9, 2014.

Black American Storyteller

Black History Profile: Charlayne Hunter-Gault

Charlayne Hunter-Gault

As I mentioned several times on Arts of Cultures, America is currently stuck in a cycle of racial tension. In the past, traditional media wasn’t covering Black History Month as much as I expected. 

I wonder what Charlayne Hunter-Gault has to say about BHM coverage today. For those of you who don't know who Hunter-Gault is, she started her journalism career in 1959. She fought a legal battle for minorities’ right to enroll in the University of Georgia, eventually becoming the first Black to graduate from there.

Hunter-Gault has been involved in broadcast media since 1967 and has worked for a number of media outlets including PBS, NPR and CNN. She won two Emmys and a Peabody award for her work on Apartheid’s People, a series on South African life during apartheid. 

Hunter-Gault written four books: In My Place, a memoir of the civil rights movement based on her experiences as the first black woman to attend the University of Georgia; New News Out of Africa: Uncovering the African Renaissance; To the Mountaintop: My Journey Through the Civil Rights Movement; and, her latest, Corrective Rape, about violence against gay women in South Africa.

Its journalists like Hunter-Gault who I don’t hear enough about. Its journalist like Hunter-Gault who I don’t see or hear enough of as I shuffle through news radio/television stations. Its journalists and storytellers like Hunter-Gault who should be telling the stories of Black America. 

So where are the emerging Black American storytellers?
Why don’t we hear more about them?
Leave your comments below or e-mail me your findings at TCsViews@gmail.com.

— @TCsViews

The Lighter Side to Black History Month

Several years back, while researching topics for Black History Month, I came across something that gave me a chuckle. Some may find it offensive, and for those of you who do, just suck it up.

The online magazine, TheRoot.com, had an interesting read on its site. Erin Evans gave us a solid list of, "The Blackest White Folks We Know."

What?! I can't believe they wrote this, but It’s actually quite insightful and hilarious. The article gives props to Non-Black Americans who "claims blackness.” 

Here are some of my favorites from the site:

#BHM2015 Robert Smalls

Black History Profile: Robert Smalls

When I used to live in Beaufort, S.C., as a United States Marine Corps. wife, I didn't realize that the little town had so much history.

The name Robert Smalls was everywhere. Robert Smalls Parkway, Robert Smalls Middle School. The last name, Smalls, filled the pages of the White Pages. It wasn't until I took an African American Studies course at the Beaufort campus of the University of South Carolina where I learned about the rich African American culture that thrived throughout the Lowcountry.