Purpose

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September 1, 2023

“If a human being dreams a great dream, dares to love somebody; if a human being dares to be Martin King, or Mahatma Gandhi, or Mother Theresa, or Malcolm X; if a human being dares to be bigger than the condition into which she or he was born-it means so can you.” –Maya Angelou

I do not remember when my purpose became such an important quest or the first time I asked myself “what was I born to do?”, but I also do not remember not wondering why I am here. I feel some pressure to become and to do something great. My last day as the CBC Executive Director, I wondered if that would be my greatest accomplishment. When I got the call that my CNN contract would not be renewed in 2021, I had the same thought. These are the thoughts we ponder when too much of our identities are tied up into jobs and titles. Perhaps when those identities are also too tied to parental approval (or somebody else). I don’t know about you all, but hearing my Dad say he is proud of me has always fueled my need for a dopamine rush.

So what is purpose if it is not our resumes, gifts, talents, and accomplishments? I believe it is in our essence. Who am I without any external influence? The answer to that question is a journey I am still on to answer—and I will say it is scary. To remove the very things I am known for, to separate myself from my contributions to the world, or what else I hope to accomplish leaves me just with who I am, at my core. Who I am as designed by the Most High is not tied to press releases, television clips, and viral posts on social media. In my truest form, my greatest dreams are tied to becoming the best version of myself—and not by YOUR standards, by mine and God.

August had two full moons, the latter taking place on my Mama and Papa Rye’s 54th Anniversary—August 30. The Super Blue Moon also coincided with Raksha Bandhan, a Hindu festival that celebrates the bond between siblings. What is purpose without interdependence, really? The direct translation of the name of the festival is the bond of protection, obligation or care. For the families we are born into and the families we chose, may we forever remember that our individual purposes cannot be so separate and so distinct from the loving bond we share with humanity. May we forever fulfill the dreams that make our collective conditions better than we found them…I think Queen Maya would affirm that!

While I have been in places I never had the audacity to dream of, there are still so many dreams I have yet to realize. As we reflect on the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, those are also dreams deferred in this country. Promising legislative changes in 1964, 1965, and 1968 as well as federal administrative based policies like affirmative action were born that seemed to demonstrate a better day was coming. Well, just like Reconstruction was met with Jim Crow. Civil Rights were met with Ronald Reagan and Clarence Thomas to name a few. The promise of hope and change came to a screeching halt with Donald Trump’s election who has most recently been met with multiple indictments on the state and federal level.

And as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip hop, it is important for me to note that the soundtrack of journeying to purpose has been laced with some of the greatest hip hop tracks of our time, so this month check out my Tidal playlist: “First Love: An Ode to Hip Hop”. Also in celebration of hip hop, I am elated to be a producer on ESPN Films and E60’s “The Crossover: 50 Years of Hip-Hop and Sports” directed by the incredible Julian Gooden—it airs September 12, 2023 at 7:30 pm ET on ESPN.