TheLettiLady

Everyone has heard the question. Who put crack in our neighborhoods? For decades, Black communities have debated government involvement, intelligence agencies, political neglect, and economic abandonment. Some questions have documented answers. Others remain heavily debated. But here’s something that doesn’t get enough attention. Whether someone put drugs in the streets or simply allowed the…

There is a difference between entertainment and conditioning. I think somewhere along the way we forgot that. People tell me I’m just “old fashioned.” I’m twenty four years old. I’m not nostalgic because I miss the past. I’m nostalgic because I miss peace. I miss when people had to knock on your door. I miss when libraries were full. I miss when Friday nights meant renting DVDs instead of…

There is something comforting about new. New feels clean. It feels untouched. It feels like a fresh start where nothing has gone wrong yet. When something is new, we don’t have proof that it will hurt us, so our minds fill in the blank with hope. We tell ourselves this time will be different. This person will be different. This version of us will be different. And because of that, we start to…

There comes a point where you have to stop explaining your life through what happened to you. Yes, trauma is real. Yes, people were raised without access, without guidance, without support. That is true. But there is a line, and once you cross it, everything you do is a choice. You cannot keep blaming your parents forever. You cannot keep blaming your community forever. At some point, it is…

There is a tradition older than social media, older than television, older than most of modern society. Every generation looks at the one coming after it and says the same thing. They’re lazy.They’re soft.They don’t work hard like we did. It happens every single time. And somehow every generation believes their criticism is the first one that’s actually true. Older generations look at…

Everyone says dating is hard now. They blame dating apps.They blame social media.They blame modern culture. But if we’re being brutally honest, dating isn’t nearly as complicated as people make it out to be. The real problem is much simpler. People don’t want to be honest. Not with other people.And definitely not with themselves. So instead of clarity, we get confusion. Instead of…

Here’s an uncomfortable truth. Some people put more thought into not having kids than others put into actually having them. And that should concern everyone. Because having a child is one of the most life altering decisions a human being can make. It determines the trajectory of your life.It shapes another human being’s future.It creates decades of responsibility. And yet for many people,…

People love the phrase “it takes a village.” They say it when parenting gets hard.They say it when they need help.They say it when they feel overwhelmed. But here’s the truth nobody wants to admit. Everyone wants a village.Nobody wants to be a villager. Everyone wants support, but very few people want responsibility. People want someone to watch the kids when they’re exhausted.Someone to…

There used to be a deal. It was never perfect, but at least it made sense. Go to school.Get the degree.Start somewhere small.Work your way up. You might struggle at first, but there was a path. Entry level jobs existed for a reason. They were the doorway. They were where you learned the ropes, made mistakes, watched people who were better than you, and slowly figured out how the professional…

For a long time the script was simple. A woman could be brilliant, ambitious, driven, and full of potential but eventually she was expected to fold all of that up neatly and tuck it behind a man’s dreams. His career mattered more. His goals came first. His timeline defined the household. Her success was welcome as long as it didn’t compete. Historically, women’s ambitions were expected to take a…

Let’s get real. People love to throw around the line the older you get the wiser you become like it’s some universal truth. I hate that. That’s a lie. Age doesn’t make you wise. Experience doesn’t automatically make you grow. You can go through life, face every obstacle, witness every kind of pain, and come out the other side the exact same person if you don’t actively take control of your life,…

Let’s be real for a second. When people cannot live up to a standard, they rarely say that out loud. They do not say, I am not trying hard enough. They do not say, I am avoiding the work. They do not say, I am uncomfortable with the level of effort this requires. Instead, they say the standard is unrealistic. That is easier. That feels better. That lets them off the hook. It is far more…

Age does not mean maturity.Time does not mean growth. Getting older is automatic.Growing up is not. We’re taught to defer to age, to assume that years equal wisdom. But anyone who has lived long enough knows that isn’t always true. Some people age without ever changing. They collect years the way others collect dust. Nothing moves. Nothing shifts. The same patterns repeat. The same mistakes…

The countdown begins. On November 28th, one day after Thanksgiving, I’m releasing the full Prologue of Safe Haven exclusively to readers who sign up. This is your chance to step inside the story before anyone else — before the secrets unravel, before the vows break, and before the truth destroys everything. If you’ve read the blurb, you already know:This wedding doesn’t end the way it’s…

I’m so excited to share that my interview, “An Inspired Chat with Kaitlan C. Warrior of RDU Highlight,” is now live on Voyage Raleigh! In this feature, I get to share my journey — the challenges, the wins, and the experiences that have shaped my path here in the Raleigh‑Durham area. It was such an honor to talk about the people and community that inspire me every day, and to reflect on what…