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

Behind the Canvas: Carol Frazer Haynesworth

(Available on Amazon)

There comes a time when life comes to a stand still. High school and college graduates are the main ones who gets stuck in the middle of the crossroad as they try to figure out what road to take and wonder, 'What's next?' As some try to map out a plan, panic sets in. While others decide to remain stagnate and trap themselves in their comfort zone. 

However, I'm a true believer that everyone has a purpose in life and it's up to every individual to figure out their destiny. 

If you're one of those students, or even someone who is stuck in a rut in any aspect of your life, Carol Frazer Haynesworth's book, Coauthor of your Great Destiny - What makes ordinary people become extraordinary, may just be the guide that can help you get unstuck. 

Press the play button to see and hear more.

Money Method: Financial Entrapment

The Money Maven sheds light on how to stop the cycle of financial abuse

It amazes me how many people are subjected to financial entrapment and don't even realize it. You've seen domestic financial abuse play out on the big screen. Remember Sleeping with the Enemy, and Enough, and all of those Lifetime flicks that shows the victim stuck and nowhere to go because they don't have control over any of their finances, or even worse, they have no finances at all because of their domineering partner?

"Financial abuse is a form of mistreatment in which an abuser forcibly controls a victim's finances."

The Money Maven, Patrice Washington, is back with some key advice on how to avoid and how to get out of financial abuse if you or somebody you know are on financial lockdown. 

The Money Maven wants people to understand that financial abuse is not only limited to romantic relationships, it can also creep into the picture very subtlety with close friends and family members. It can happen when they lead you to believe that without your constant and consistent help and support, they’ll suffer from some unimaginable fate.

Guest Post: 4 Tips to Launch & Preserve Your Personal Brand

(Created by TC's Views via Canva.com)

Depending on what career path you’ve taken, you’ve probably blended into the culture of personal branding. Artists, bloggers, business owners, entrepreneurs, journalist, musicians and writers are just a short list of people who focuses on their individual trademark in the digital world.

OK, so you may think that having a personal brand may be a bit narcissistic. You may be right but you should reconsider especially if you’re trying to increase your chances of making a career move or launching that great idea you’ve been dreaming about. 

In this guest article, Marsha Friedman, who is the author of Celebritize Yourself, shares four things you can do to get your personal brand up and running.  

Trending Reads: Instinct by T.D. Jakes

If you've ever felt like you are stuck in a rut when trying to figure out your purpose in life, Bishop T.D. Jakes' Instinct: The Power to Unleash Your Inborn Drive, is sure to lift you out of the quicksand of despondency. 

Jakes speaks directly from his own personal experiences and he pairs his advice with several metaphors from a safari he went on while visiting South Africa. He opens with a superb example of the human instinct. “Our instincts are the treasure map for our soul’s satisfaction. Following our instincts can make the crucial distinction between what we are good at – our vocational or skill set – and what we are good for – the fulfillment of our purposeful potential.” 

Fifty Shades of Mixed Emotions

The sexually charged movie, Fifty Shades of Grey, hit the big screen on Valentines Day weekend. It pulled in $81.7 million at the box office for its opening weekend. forbes.com reports that Fifty Shades trails behind The Passion of the Christ, The Hangover part 2, American Sniper and The Matrix Reloaded for R-rated movie debuts. (See Fifty Shades of Grey’ Whips Record $81.7M Weekend.) 

The numbers shows that people were definitely waiting for the movie to come to their city. Not in the sleepy suburban Township of Montclair, N.J. This is where I chose to see the movie. When my friend Shirley and I entered the theater, there was no line, and the seats weren’t even halfway full for the 4 o’clock show. 

The movie ran for about two hours and five minutes, but it didn’t feel like it. “WHAT! That’s it?” This is what I yelled when the credits started to roll. “What the …?” I didn’t realize that two hours went by so fast. From the moment the movie started and played the first song, “I Put a Spell on You,” the Annie Lennox version from the Grammys, I just knew the movie was going to be good and the soundtrack was going to be even better.

The Hunt for Black History

How much African American history do you know? We all know the stories, events, and people who have contributed to African American history. 

• Slavery
• Martin Luther King Jr.
• Civil Rights Movement
• Malcolm X
• Jim Crow Laws
• Harriet Tubman
• Right to Vote
• Rosa Parks 
• Sit-Ins
• Michael Jackson
• Freedom Riders
• Oprah Winfrey 
• First Black President of the United States of America
• Barack Hussein Obama

…and the list goes on.

Trending Reads: Recommended Good Reads

On Sept. 25, 2014, I wrote a book review on Steve Harvey’s newest book, Act Like a Success, Think Like a Success, which still pops up in my “What’s Trending” feed on Twitter. However, there are a couple of classic books I would love to see get a hashtag and boosted on the trend-o-sphere.

As a journalist, I have the gene that makes me want to read everything I get my hands on. Well, not exactly everything. I am not a fan of romance novels or crime thrillers. Instead, I am drawn to authors whose real life stories stick with me days, months and years after the story has ended.

Better Said Than Written: How To Be Black

How To Be Black
by
Baratunde Thurston

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

In this episode you'll get a brief rundown on what's trending in my social media feed and I finally share my views on the book How To Be Black. Yes, there's a book on that! Click play and take a listen.



What you've missed on Better Said Than Written:


- Episode 1 - Things I Tell My Black Son

- Episode 2 - Domestic Violence - What Are You Doing?

Trending Reads: Act Like a Success, Think Like a Success

Depending who is in your social media circle you may come across a highly recommended book or two. Steve Harvey’s latest book, Act Like a Success, Think Like a Success, started trending before it was available in bookstores or in the e-book book arena thanks to his appearance Lifeclass on OWN days before its release. 

After Steve appeared on OWN I had to wait two days before my copy was available on my iPad Nook reader. It was 3am when my iPad chimed to let me know that the book was ready to read on my device.

Art Tip Tuesday: Summer Reading

Summer is in full swing and it’s the perfect time to catch up on some reading.

Is there a technique you wanted to brush up on or experiment with on your next painting, sculpture or sketch project? Well, I suggest taking a stroll through your local bookstore, if there are any more around in your immediate area, and head to the ‘Art Technique’ section. You’d be surprised how many art books, magazines, and courses you can flip through.