Sibrina Speaks

Wow, 2010 is almost over! I must admit it was an interesting year for me professionally and personally, and I am looking forward to 2011. With sadness we began this year with the loss of the late great Teddy Pendergrass in January. Who can forget the songs "Close the Door?" and "Turn out the Lights?!!!" In May, we lost another entertainment icon, Lena Horne. I loved her in "Stormy Weather" and "The Wiz." She was a true legend. Finally, we say goodbye to Teena Marie who passed away the day after Christmas. She was so far ahead of her time, and was loved dearly in the African American community. And yes, I have been playing her songs constantly including, "You Make Love Like Springtime," "I Need Your Lovin" and of course, "Square Biz." We will miss all of them, but their legacy will live on. Personally, I had to deal with a milestone birthday this year. Yes, I turned 40-years-old. As a teenager, I really thought 3...

Back in 1992, I was an undergraduate chemistry major at Wayne State University (Detroit, MI), and I took a course entitled "Black Theatre: An Introduction." Honestly, I was trying to complete requirements for graduation, and I thought the course would be rather interesting. I couldn't have been more wrong! I recall how much I enjoyed watching "Carmen Jones" and the excitement in class when we recognized a very young Pearl Bailey, Diane Carroll, and Harry Belafonte. We were equally excited to watch "A Raisin in the Sun" with Ruby Dee and Sidney Poitier. But, what I remember most about the course were two poets, namely Amiri Baraka (The Dutchman + The Slave) and Ntozake Shange (For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf). This weekend, a group of friends from my book club got together and saw the movie "For Colored Girls." The movie was directed by Tyler Perry with top notch talent including, Kimberly Elise, Anik...

Recently, I had an interesting discussion with my freshman students about the impact of the birth control pill on society. I had the students work in groups of 3-4 and focus on various aspects of this topic and write a concise paragraph supporting their argument. One group discussed if they believed 'the pill' was largely responsible for the women's liberation movement and the increase in percentage of women in the workplace. Here are some general comments: "We believe 'the pill' did not create the women's liberation movement, but instead provided an avenue. It gave women an important issue to fight for. The pill did not increase the percentage of women in the workplace. This could be attributed to World War II. It may have freed women from the social norm of "baby makers" and allowed them to find work. However, we strongly believe that oral contraceptives were not the main cause. We do believe it led to the breakdown of the family. Before contr...

Well, the semester is back in full swing, and yes I am teaching again. I am actually teaching a freshman course with the overall theme, "Drugs: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" with 17 college freshman. Since this is a discussion-based course, every class period, I have two students come up with creative questions to discuss in class based on the reading. These young people are passionate and have really strong opinions. It is certainly quite entertaining to listen to these students express themselves. My primary goal for the discussion was to ask the question is it fair that the cost of HIV and AIDS drugs are so high that poor countries cannot afford them? I pointed out to the students that many people right here in the United States cannot afford the high cost of these drugs as well. I did a brief internet search on some of these drugs and was shocked at the cost. As a chemist, I do understand that a lot of hard work goes into the development of drugs and getting them to...

Earlier this week, I had a chance to visit with some wonderful friends and enjoy some really good food. Believe me, when I tell you the fried catfish was excellent. My good friend is a chemist like myself, but she is a fantastic cook. And I am truly jealous! As I drove back from the gathering, I started asking myself what happened to me? Why am I so challenged in the kitchen? Don't get me wrong, I am not awful when it comes to cooking, but my skills are questionable. I have followed some of my dear friends around their kitchens trying to pick up some cooking tips, and I recall being yelled at for not "tasting my food" as I was cooking. That was a fun day! (smile) People often remind me that I am a chemist, and that I should be able to cook. After all, when I am in the lab, I am following a "recipe" for my chemical reactions, so naturally I should be a good cook, right? All chemists are not good cooks! However, for the rest of 2010, I am making a commitment t...

Later this week, I will have the privilege to talk with 12 undergraduate chemistry majors about my career. What is nice about this opportunity is that I don't have to "sale" these students on science, because they have already chosen chemistry as a major. However, what I do wish to emphasize to this group of students is how my graduate education opened many doors for my career. One of my good friends pointed out to me previously that graduate school is not for everybody. She is absolutely correct about that. You have to want to be there and you have to figure out how to motivate yourself to stay. It is not easy, and there were many days that I wanted to give up, but through mentoring and support, I stayed and achieved my goal. I decided to pursue chemistry as a major over 20 years ago, and I do not regret it. Would I do things a little differently with my career since I am a little older and wiser? I honestly don't know, but one thing is for sure science and technol...

The lights finally went dark at Quicken Loans Arena (The Q) in Cleveland, Ohio and the audience started screaming. Jill Scott came to the stage wearing retro Gazelle glasses, a black top and pants with a belt buckle that simply reads "Jill." Her backup singers were three brothers known as "The Pipes" that were dressed in all black and wearing retro shell toe Adidas shoes and Gazelle glasses. The band started playing "Gimme" and Jill started singing. Jilly from Philly sang many of my favorites including "Cross My Mind" and ended her set with "Golden." Let me tell you--Jill puts on a show! Now, Maxwell kept us waiting for about an hour. My friends and I were not too happy about that. But, all was completely forgiven when he hit the stage. Dressed in a vintage gray suit that the late Sam Cooke would certainly wear, he started singing "Sumthin, Sumthin." (He performed the slower version too.) Yes, all was forgiven. He finally s...

Recently, I gave a brief talk at my Alma Mater, Wayne State University(WSU). I was the featured speaker for the Honors Convocation in the Department of Chemistry. I was truly honored to be given an opportunity to discuss my career in the chemical sciences, but more importantly how my WSU education made an impact on my career path. My take home message for the students is that I just wanted them to realize that a degree in chemistry can open so many doors. Sadly, too many young people don't realize that a career in science can be very rewarding. I have given presentations like this in the past, but I was more nervous because my grandmother and mother were in the audience. This was the first time I had ever given a presentation while they were in attendance. Well, the talk went very well, and many students and faculty told me they enjoyed the talk and they found it inspiring. One student wanted to take a picture with me! Anyway, after chatting with a few students, I went over to...

Let me begin by saying that I honestly feel like I have been in church ALL day today. My day began by attending church on Sunday morning with a really good sermon from my Pastor. His message today really focused on how we often try to live up to the expectations of others. Sadly, many of us do this, so it was a good message for me to hear. After church, my good friend an I had a quick lunch and saw the stage play "Church Girl," which had some familiar faces including Robin Givens, Karen Clark-Sheard, and Demetria McKinney best known for her role as Janine Payne on Tyler Perry's House of Payne. McKinney stars as "Emily Franklin" a young woman that grows up in church, but begins to stray by engaging in some rather "questionable" behavior. (I will not give away the story here.) After many hurtful experiences, she eventually returns to her church and family. Although the plot was rather predictable, this musical stage play was quite entertaining. What s...

Recently, my mother came to visit me and I took her to DSW to buy her some comfortable shoes to wear to work. I decided to have some self control and not purchase a pair of new shoes for myself. However, there were a pair of beautiful high heels that I just had to try on for size. But, I resisted and did not buy the shoes. While purchasing the shoes for my mother, I noticed an advertisement for a new DSW sales associate, which includes a nice discount on shoe purchases. I asked for an employment application, while my mother chuckled encouraging me to apply. I think being a sales associate at DSW would be my dream job! Anyway, the next morning, I cooked my mother breakfast and helped her pack up her car to head back home. Needless to say, I could not stop thinking about the shoes I tried on, so I drove back to DSW to buy them. I parked my car and walked straight to the shoe rack and noticed the shoes were no longer there. My heart started pounding and I walked up and down the aisles, bu...

Yes, I know it has been a little while since my last posting, but I do have an excuse---I have been a little busy teaching three classes this semester! (smile) Trust me, in the world of academia, there is just never enough time in a day. Life in academia can be fun and rewarding, but it takes up a lot of time. Recently, I was lecturing on the topic of Chemical Equilibrium, an important concept that helps us understand chemical reactions. While discussing an example problem, we had to solve a quadratic equation. Immediately, the students started complaining, and to my surprise one student said, "Oh, God." Now, I have been teaching since the mid-1990s, and I have never had a student call on the Lord in class. I chuckled at their response, and told the class that now is a good time to review some algebra. However, the responses from the students really have me concerned about why there is such a "fear" of mathematics. I am no math wiz. I remember being in the second gr...

On the drive home this evening, I was listening to the Michael Baisden Radio Show, and his special guest was Mr. Dick Gregory. Many folks called to talk about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King. One caller in particular believed that what we need now is another Dr. King. However, Dick Gregory believes that we don't need another Dr. King because there is "only one per customer." Now, I do agree with Mr. Gregory that don't need another Dr. King, but I started asking myself 'what do we really need?' Things are certainly better and we have made progress regarding race relations in this country. However, the problems facing the African American community are enormous. From teen violence to the HIV and AIDS epidemic, we are facing serious challenges. But, what is our strategy moving forward? We have elected the first African American President and some African Americans are leading fortune 500 companies. Moreover, some African Americans hold key positions in indus...