Hi. My name’s Tierra. How Black Girls Are was my idea, and I write most of our Home + Family posts.

I grew up in Southeast DC and PG County, Maryland, in the 1980s and ‘90s. I attended college in rural Maryland (holy culture shock, Batman), and spent five years in New Orleans for grad school and a teaching program. But other than that, I’ve lived my whole life in the DC area. I’m in the middle of a major career change (education to medicine), so where we live next is up in the air: I will happily move for any medical school that accepts me.

So what makes me qualified to write blog posts about family and home life? It’s not like there’s some kind of certificate or degree you can work on that says, “I am an expert!” Not for this field, at least. Unless you’re Supernanny.

But here’s what I’ve got:

• Four kids. That’s right. Four. Two girls. Two boys. One is white. Two have Down syndrome and heart defects. One is a cancer survivor. One is dead. They’ve joined our family via vaginal birth, C section and adoption. All of them are 3 or under. On this blog, I’m going to refer to them by their ages instead of their names, to protect their privacy.
• A good marriage. How do I know I’m in a good marriage? Because I used to be in a bad one.  Yup. Your girl’s a divorcee. Twice married. No shame in my game, or in a divorce that’s merciful for both parties. Having this perspective, where I can compare and contrast both my marriages, has been a master class in relationship dynamics.
• Over a decade of experience as an educator. I’ve spent seven years teaching secondary social studies (mostly government and U.S. history), two years as a high school special education coordinator, two years managing logistics for an Advanced Placement and college readiness program, two years as a museum educator, and one year teaching an after school science program. I also spent three of those years as an elected member of the State Board of Education, which gave me a front row seat for the carnival sideshow that education policy has become.
• A strong inclination toward problem solving. I hate not knowing how to do something. I love that a-ha! moment when I find the answer. And because I’ve spent my adult life teaching, I love sharing those answers with anyone who will listen. Which is how I came up with the idea for this blog.

Things I’m passionate about?

Man. Where to begin? 

Equity: specifically in regards to race, education, health care and disability. Electoral politics, cooking and eating good food, teaching the world about how beautiful Down syndrome is, African American history, genealogy, sharing my experience as the mom of a dead kid, making and growing things with my hands, and giving kids the autonomy to make and learn from mistakes. I’m an avid fan of standup comedy. And also my husband. I love TF out of that man. He’s one of the best people I’ve ever met.

So that’s what I’ve got and that’s what I’m into. This blog is for you, dear reader: what do you want me to write more about?

Tierra

A malcontent with a heart of gold, Tierra is a first-year medical student, former high school teacher and history PhD candidate, plus mom to four of Bebe’s baddest kids. She curses a lot. Tierra is a DC native but lives in southwest Michigan and will happily exchange writing (hers) for cash (yours).