Monday – A Sip of Flava
A Reflection of My Daddy
The older I get, the more I understand just how influential my daddy was in his day.
I always knew it… but now I see it.
My daddy wasn’t just a minister.
He was a builder of people and community.
He was an educator of sociology at Seattle Central Community College.
Director of Night School.
Minority Affairs Director.
Founder of student unions—Black, Asian, and Gay—supporting all students who needed a place to belong.
He worked with Model Cities.
He was one of the founders of the Crisis Clinic.
Served on the Red Cross Board.
Worked alongside the NAACP, the Urban League, and even the Black Panthers.
He showed up for people.
And in my own way… so do I.
I have always been drawn to follow in his footsteps.
Not the same path… but the same purpose.
Touch of Sunshine—my flower business for 20 years.
Flava Coffee House (2003–2008).
Lady Flava News (2007–present).
I did it my way… as an entrepreneur for the people.
My daddy made an impact on people’s lives.
So did my godmother, Elizabeth Thomas of Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic.
I was surrounded by people who did the work.
People who cared.
People who influenced lives in real ways.
I was blessed in who I was exposed to.
They shaped how I think.
How I see people.
How I show up.
And now, I realize something with a little hesitation…
We are living in a different time.
I don’t feel like people are influenced by their elders the way we once were.
Now it’s social media… technology… fast connections without depth.
And I find myself shifting.
I’m not as concerned with connecting with the masses anymore.
I want to connect with the people I make sense to.
I have always been a good listener.
And a storyteller.
These days… my blogs are my voice.
With my disability and mobility limitations, I’m not out in the world like I used to be…
but I am working on my body to change that.
Still… stories matter.
Not just mine.
Yours too.
What excites me now is this:
My blogs are part of my legacy.
Something I will leave behind when I’m gone.
And I’m grateful for that opportunity.
As an artist cheerleader from 2003–2023, I was known around the world in the independent artist community… and in 2009, in the global online radio community.
Now?
My stories are being read globally.
And I’m so grateful.
This is my lane now.
This is my voice.
And just like my daddy…
I’m still showing up for people.
Just in my own way.
— A Sip of Flava with Lady Flava 🌻
Lady Flava News 