About Me

Father, husband, son, brother, mentor, reader, aspiring writer, runner, cyclist, digital art enthusiast, and survivor of inner-city America

I created this website to share my musings and observations about American life using text, photos, and videos from my perspective as an African American father, husband, and son.

I hope this website contributes to a more nuanced view of the American experience, particularly as it relates to so-called black people in the United States. The cartoonishly monolithic depictions of African Americans by liberal and conservative American press outlets should be grossly offensive to everyone who values truth.

I was reared in inner city Baltimore at the the end of the civil rights era.  Through hard work and the generosity of others (who funded my college scholarships), I earned an advanced degree and my place among the petit bourgeoisie in America more than 30 years ago.  For that, I am proud and eternally grateful because my education and career afforded me opportunities to expose my children to people, places, and ideas that made them intelligent, empathetic, and better citizens of the world than I will ever be.

Although I am not wealthy, I live in one of the most affluent, predominantly African American communities in the United States.  Also, I regularly visit family members and mentor young males in Baltimore City, an urban community that has experienced persistent poverty and crime for generations; thus, I have my feet planted in two vastly different worlds – inner-city America and black suburbia.  While much of the good fortune I experienced early in life resulted from sacrifices my mother–a single parent–and doting grandparents made for me, I encountered charitable people of many different backgrounds throughout my journey who helped me access opportunities that I earned and deserved.

Thus, visitors to SoulfulSoliloquies.com should expect nuisance in my posts, not overly simplistic reflections about the complex issues of race and class in America.  I believe laughter is life’s great elixir; thus, there will be posts here with no other goal than entertainment. I hope you find Soulful Soliloquies thought-provoking and occasionally risible.

-Mike