Author Archives: Valerie Fraling

By Valerie Fraling, Special to the AFRO “Art has to be a kind of confession. I don’t mean a true confession in the sense of that dreary magazine. The effort it seems to me, is: if you can examine and face your life, you can discover the terms with which you are connected to other […]

By Valerie Fraling, Special to the AFRO “I hope you never lose your sense of wonder. You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger. May you never take one single breath for granted. God forbid love ever leave you empty handed. I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the […]

“Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down, or resisting the impulse […]

“Try to remember the kind of September when life was slow and oh so mellow. Try to remember the kind of September when grass was green and grain so yellow. Try to remember the kind of September when you were a young and a callow fellow. Try to remember and if you remember then follow–follow, […]

By Valerie Fraling, Special to the AFRO “Music does a lot of things for a lot of people. It’s transporting, for sure. It can take you right back, years back, to the very moment certain things happened in your life. It’s uplifting, it’s encouraging, it’s strengthening.” Aretha Franklin The first time I met Aretha Franklin […]