#NNPA BlackPress

‘The Ring I Thought Was Too Big … I’m Like, ‘He Loves Me This Much?’’

BY JE’DON HOLLOWAY-TALLEY Special to the Birmingham Times “You Had Me at Hello’’ highlights married couples and the love that binds them. If you would like to be considered for a future “Hello’’ column, or know someone, please send nominations to Barnett Wright bwright@birminghamtimes.com. Include the couple’s name, contact number(s) and what makes their love […]
The post ‘The Ring I Thought Was Too Big … I’m Like, ‘He Loves Me This Much?’’ first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

5 months ago

December 5, 2023

admin

BY JE’DON HOLLOWAY-TALLEY

Special to the Birmingham Times

“You Had Me at Hello’’ highlights married couples and the love that binds them. If you would like to be considered for a future “Hello’’ column, or know someone, please send nominations to Barnett Wright bwright@birminghamtimes.com. Include the couple’s name, contact number(s) and what makes their love story unique.

LESLIE AND TANISHA KING

Live: East Thomas

Married: April 2, 2022

Met: February 2018, at Tanisha’s job at a credit union inside Princeton Hospital. Leslie was coming to cash his check and Tanisha was the bank teller.

“He had never actually come into the branch before [because] he always went to the ATM, but this particular day he came inside and I asked him why [he looked] so mean,” Tanisha recalled.

“I told her I wasn’t aware I was looking mean, I just came in here to my little change [cash his check], and she gave me a sermon saying ‘if you have anything in the bank that’s a blessing because some people come in here and don’t have any money to withdraw’… I was thrown off because I wasn’t used to dating professional women, and I couldn’t be sure she was flirting with me,” Leslie laughed. “Needless to say, I never went to the ATM anymore.”

“When he first asked me for my number, I gave him my business card and what really caught my heart was that he called and left three or four messages on my work voicemail,” Tanisha said.

Leslie continued to visit the branch to do his transactions and soon began bringing lunch and the two would sit in the hospital cafeteria and eat. “I was up there buying lunch every day for the next three or four months spending my workman’s comp check,” he laughed. “Everybody [all his friends] knew I was going to have lunch with bae at 12 o’clock…,” Leslie said.

Despite daily lunches, Tanisha wanted to take it slow. “I had been married twice, and at that time I wasn’t looking for anything, I was recovering from my second divorce and making sure I was providing for me and the girls [her daughters, Victory, then 17, and Serenity then 15] … [over the three-four months] we really built a friendship… I wasn’t sure if he was too good to be true. I [questioned] whether I was really healed. I had to go into prayer because I didn’t want to make another move and it wasn’t God’s move,” Tanisha said. “Eventually we started texting…”

Leslie was also a divorcee, and after a total of eight months, countless lunch dates, and text conversations … they went on their first date.

First date: October 2018, Tanisha had gotten tickets from her job to a rock concert held at UAB. “That was different for me,” Leslie said. “[White people] party different than us,” he laughed.

“Watching him embrace a different atmosphere and different music was nice. I introduced him to my coworkers as the guy I was dating… [but we were not in a committed relationship] …,” Tanisha said.

The turn: October 2020, after a gradual courtship, Tanisha and Leslie became an official couple. “I wore her down,” Leslie said. “She got more comfortable after she realized I wasn’t going nowhere.”

“He found out things that I was doing and making his presence known in our lives and incorporated himself into things I was actively doing at that moment.,” Tanisha said. “He knew I really loved the Lord, I don’t go out, and at this time I was still raising the girls and doing their activities…. I started taking some ministry classes and started praise dancing and he showed up and brought me roses. He knew I spent a lot of time at church, and he joined my church… Our connection was strong,” Tanisha said.

“I was persistent and consistent,” Leslie said.

The proposal: Christmas 2020, at Tanisha’s sister-in-law’s home in East Lake.

“I had already talked to the pastor, her brothers, her sister-in-law, and I asked her daughters [for their blessing],” Leslie said.

“…we were sitting in the den having dinner and she was getting up to go do something and I got down on one knee, and when she looked around and saw me she burst into tears and I popped the question. All the phones came out and Tanisha stood there for a couple of minutes staring at me and I thought she was about to embarrass me,” he laughed. “…and then she said ‘yes.’”

“I was just in awe because all of my family that are close to my heart were there… I was wondering what was going on because we had never come together [as a whole family on Christmas night], and it was a major shock that he put [my family together] to surprise me. The ring, oh my gosh, I thought it was too big, I’m like ‘OMG, he loves me this much?’ I was elated, I said ‘yes,” said Tanisha.

The wedding: At their church Soul Harbor Deliverance Center in Ensley, in the pastor’s study, officiated by Pastor Billy Baker Sr. Their colors were black and cream.

“It was an intimate ceremony with just a few of our close friends and family,” Tanisha said.

Most memorable for the bride was “the wedding vows he wrote unto me. When he said that he would protect me, it was so beautiful to hear that he would be my protector for the rest of my life along with loving me,” Tanisha said.

Most memorable for the groom was “how beautiful Tanisha looked on our wedding day,” Leslie said. “I already knew she was beautiful, but to know that I would be able to partake in that beauty for the rest of my life was mind-blowing. She looked like the princess [Prince Akim was supposed to marry] in ‘Coming to America’ [the Eddie Murphy movie]” he joked.

They honeymooned at a Bed and Breakfast at Lake Guntersville, Ala.

“They made some homemade biscuits that put you in the mind of your mama,” Leslie said.

“The atmosphere was enchanting because they knew we had just gotten married…the suite was beautiful, the champagne, the roses, it was everything,” Tanisha.

Words of wisdom: “Communicate and listen. ‘Do you want to be happy, or do you want to be right?’ If you wanna be happy, stop trying to be right all the time. We don’t hold grudges. [We both say] what we have to say and move on. We disagree without being disagreeable. We come from two different walks of life and we’re going to look at things differently, but the qualities that Tanisha brings to the relationship outweigh any little flaws that she has,” Leslie said.

“We went through relationship group counseling with Impact Counseling [in Birmingham], we had homework and everything… we also got a chance to listen to the other couples in there and hear how they handle disagreements. Then we went to our pastor to have his input and got that spiritual counseling. We had gotten to know each other really well and we knew it was time to get married… Always love, always listen, always laugh,” Tanisha said.

Happily ever after: The Kings attend Soul Harbor Deliverance Center, in Ensley, where they both serve in multiple capacities. They are a blended family with four daughters, Akeria, 23, Victory, 23, Uneek, 22, and Serenity, 19.

Tanisha, 50, is a Detroit, Michigan native, by way of North Birmingham. She’s a John Herbert Phillips High School grad, and Faulkner University [Birmingham campus], where she earned a bachelor of science degree in human resource management. Tanisha works for the federal government as a customer service rep.

Leslie, 47, is a Mobile, Ala. native, an S.S. Murphy High School grad [Mobile, Ala.], and works as a butter processor at Ventura Foods, in Birmingham.

Birmingham Personal Injury Attorneys | Guster Law Firm, LLC

This article originally appeared in The Birmingham Times.

The post ‘The Ring I Thought Was Too Big … I’m Like, ‘He Loves Me This Much?’’ first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

admin

Posts by admin

Related Topics:#NNPA BlackPress ♃ Recent Stories ☄Birmingham Times Black Love community HMAH Local Love Stories Word On The Street

Up Next

Voters To Decide Today Between Travis Hendrix, Sylvia Swayne in Hotly Contested Jeffco Runoff Election

Don't Miss

Shaft Star Richard Roundtree Dead at 81

admin

Click to comment

#NNPA BlackPress

IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, activist Ramona Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Once upon a time, Black Americans were simply known as colored people, or Negroes. That is until Ramona Edelin came along. The activist, renowned for her pivotal roles in advancing civil rights, education reform, and community empowerment, died at her D.C. residence last month at the age of 78. Her death, finally confirmed this week by Barnaby Towns, a communications strategist who collaborated with Dr. Edelin, was attributed to cancer.

Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.

Edelin’s contributions to academia and activism were manifold. She was pivotal in popularizing the term “African American” alongside Rev. Jesse L. Jackson in the late 1980s.

Jackson had announced the preference for “African American,” speaking for summit organizers that included Dr. Edelin. “Just as we were called Colored, but were not that, and then Negro, but not that, to be called Black is just as baseless,” he said, adding that “African American” “has cultural integrity” and “puts us in our proper historical context.”

Later, Edelin told Ebony magazine, “Calling ourselves African Americans is the first step in the cultural offensive,” while linking the name change to a “cultural renaissance” in which Black Americans reconnected with their history and heritage.

“Who are we if we don’t acknowledge our motherland?” she asked later. “When a child in a ghetto calls himself African American, immediately he’s international. You’ve taken him from the ghetto and put him on the globe.”

The HistoryMakers bio noted that Edelin’s academic pursuits led her to found and chair the Department of African American Studies at Northeastern University, where she established herself as a leading voice.

Transitioning from academia to advocacy, Edelin joined the National Urban Coalition in 1977, eventually ascending to president and CEO. During her tenure, she spearheaded initiatives such as the “Say Yes to a Youngster’s Future” program, which provided crucial support in math, science, and technology to youth and teachers of color in urban areas. Her biography noted that Edelin’s efforts extended nationwide through partnerships with organizations like the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education.

President Bill Clinton recognized Edelin’s expertise by appointing her to the Presidential Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 1998. She also co-founded and served as treasurer of the Black Leadership Forum, solidifying her standing as a respected leader in African American communities.

Beyond her professional achievements, Edelin dedicated herself to numerous boards and committees, including chairing the District of Columbia Educational Goals 2000 Panel and contributing to the Federal Advisory Committee for the Black Community Crusade for Children.

Throughout her life, Edelin received widespread recognition for her contributions. Ebony magazine honored her as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans, and she received prestigious awards such as the Southern Christian Leadership Award for Progressive Leadership and the IBM Community Executive Program Award.

The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Stacy M. Brown

Posts by Stacy M. Brown

#NNPA BlackPress

Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Tennessee State University (TSU), the state’s only public historically Black college and university (HBCU), faces a tumultuous future as Gov. Bill Lee dissolved its board, a move supported by racist conservatives and MAGA Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly, who follow the lead of the twice-impeached, four-times indicted, alleged sexual predator former President Donald Trump. Educators and others have denounced the move as an attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and a grave setback for higher education.

Critics argue that TSU’s purported financial mismanagement is a manufactured crisis rooted in decades of underinvestment by the state government. They’ve noted that it continues a trend by conservatives and the racist MAGA movement to eliminate opportunities for Blacks in education, corporate America, and the public sector.

Gevin Reynolds, a former speechwriter for Vice President Kamala Harris, emphasizes in an op-ed that TSU’s financial difficulties are not the result of university leadership because a recent audit found no evidence of fraud or malfeasance.

Reynolds noted that the disbanding of TSU’s board is not an isolated incident but part of a broader assault on DE&I initiatives nationwide. Ten states, including Tennessee, have enacted laws banning DE&I policies on college campuses, while governors appointing MAGA loyalists to university trustee positions further undermine efforts to promote inclusivity and equality.

Moreover, recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.

The actions echo historical efforts to suppress Black progress, reminiscent of the violent backlash against gains made during the Reconstruction era. President Joe Biden warned during an appearance in New York last month that Trump desires to bring the nation back to the 18th and 19th centuries – in other words, to see, among other things, African Americans back in the chains of slavery, women subservient to men without any say over their bodies, and all voting rights restricted to white men.

The parallels are stark, with white supremacist ideologies used to justify attacks on Black institutions and disenfranchise marginalized communities, Reynolds argued.

In response to these challenges, advocates stress the urgency of collective action to defend democracy and combat systemic racism. Understanding that attacks on institutions like TSU are symptomatic of broader threats to democratic norms, they call for increased civic engagement and voting at all levels of government.

The actions of people dedicated to upholding the principles of inclusivity, equity, and justice for all will determine the outcome of the ongoing fight for democracy, Reynolds noted. “We are in a war for our democracy, one whose outcome will be determined by every line on every ballot at every precinct,” he stated.

The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Stacy M. Brown

Posts by Stacy M. Brown

#NNPA BlackPress

Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy

May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

admin