Cheryl Hall-Russell's Blog
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Nov.04.2012
Like so many Americans on the eve of this very important election, I have been engaging in political reflection. As we are bombarded by sound bites, incredibly polarized opinions, racial turmoil and socio-economic bias, my head has shaken back and forth so violently I fear whiplash....
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Aug.19.2011
I sat in the small, too warm auditorium of the Okolona Mississippi Elementary school totally enraptured. As a writer, I was experiencing a true Nirvana! In front of me was a group of internationally recognized journalist and authors and the room was sizzling. As enjoyable as this occasion was for...
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May.25.2011
Well it's over. This past February I accepted an invitation from the Dean of Liberal Arts to deliver a post-commencement speech to its 500 graduates, their families, advisors, mentors, faculty and anyone else who entered the ballroom at the convention center. I delivered the address last Sunday...
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Mar.01.2011
There he stood in the middle of the parking lot bordering Crate and Barrel and the Cheesecake Factory. Motorist zipped by him engaging in full on parking warfare. A small black man in his 30s, he was dressed neatly in a long t-shirt, short jacket and baggy pants. His smooth brown face was etched...
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Feb.23.2011
There are no rose colored glasses to put on when looking back at the slave trade in the U.S. It was as ugly and as awful as it has been portrayed to be. For most of us, as we think about slavery we envision the huge plantations replete with dozens of slave quarters, overseers, and unrelenting...
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Dec.13.2010
So every year it happens, I feel winter coming and go into complete denial about it. I see the leaves falling, admiring their amazing hues and swirling patterns. I compliment the cooler weather that allows me to ride my bike further and sit on my deck, relaxing in the evening air. I hang on to...
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Dec.03.2010
I bought a brand new car last April and love it. It's a nice small SUV which is big enough to haul my long-legged son but small enough not to burn a ridiculous amount of gas. One hot Saturday in June, my daughter and I thought it would be a good idea to stop at the neighborhood Dairy Queen for a...
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Nov.24.2010
Okay, so I want to express my thanks this year without the standard clichés. None of the,' Thanks for my job, thanks for my family, thanks for my health, thanks for my home.' I want to avoid the regular Thanksgiving list. It's not that I am not deeply and eternally grateful for all of these...
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Nov.22.2010
People often hear me refer to my grandmother who is rapidly approaching her 105th birthday. As I look at our lives, I’m starting to believe I’m only half the woman my grandmother is. I work a pretty demanding job and I serve on a couple of boards and at my children’s schools. There simply are...
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Nov.08.2010
I am at that point in my career where I am being asked to speak to new college graduates or graduate students about leadership and career choices. As the CEO of a nonprofit, and with a couple of graduate degrees under my belt, I am suddenly the wise 'old sage’ who shares her experiences with...
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Oct.29.2010
The envelope sealed, we put my grandmother’s absentee ballot in the mail and sent it to Chickasaw County, MS, her home for 103 years. Rapidly closing in on 105, her life has been nothing short of awe inspiring. She joined us in Indiana almost 2 years ago after we came to the painful...
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Oct.26.2010
I was just beginning to catch a glimpse of the sun as the early morning flight began its ascent over Indianapolis. It was 5:15 a.m. and I was flying to Memphis, and then on a two-hour drive to NE Mississippi to visit with family. Let me make this clear, I am not a morning person. Numbly making...
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Oct.23.2010
I am the proud mother of a 17 year-old black boy. Like all teenage boys he is a mixed bag. We can have amazingly deep conversations and two hours later he is pouting like a toddler. When interested in a topic he is laser focused. When forced to do something, he can dig his heels in and mentally...
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Oct.22.2010
My colleagues and friends are all calling, Twitting, Facebooking, emailing and or blogging about Virginia (Ginni) Thomas's phone call to Anita Hill requesting an apology for the wrong done to her husband, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. From the tone of the conversations, they are pissed. ...
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About Cheryl
I was born and raised in Indianapolis, the youngest of four and the daughter of working class parents. We read all the time. Our family eschewed the typical board games to engage in the art of full frontal, take no prisoners debate. Our house was filled...
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