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4 weeks ago | 
amsterdamnews.com | Tracy E. Hopkins
At the time of our early morning Zoom call, Obie and Lilly award-winning director, actor and musician Whitney White is on the go and in demand.
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Jan 16, 2025 | 
amsterdamnews.com | Tracy E. Hopkins
On a sunny autumn afternoon, I went walking in Memphis, down the famed yet more abbreviated than expected strip of bars and music venues on Beale Street. It was my first trip to the southern city steeped in Black history, music, and culture. Memphis is where the blues, soul, and rock and roll were born. It’s also where Martin Luther King Jr. died.
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Jul 24, 2024 | 
amsterdamnews.com | Tracy E. Hopkins
Photo courtesy of The Watermark Hotel If you’re looking for a quality yet budget-friendly getaway with your girls that’s not too far from the tri-state area, consider visiting the Northern Virginia region, about 30 minutes from the nation’s capital.
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Jun 12, 2024 | 
amsterdamnews.com | Tracy E. Hopkins
Baltimore’s Washington Monument at night (Photo courtesy of Hotel Revival Baltimore) You don’t have to travel far this summer in order to have a fun—and frugal—time. Here are a few free cultural events happening in the DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia area, plus cool hotel picks for each city.
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May 1, 2024 | 
sistersletter.com | Tracy E. Hopkins
What's your favorite summertime activity? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Are you looking for some frugal fun this summertime? Well, allow us to be your city guide. Mark your calendar and save the dates for some of the best free and fun things to do this summer – from Juneteenth and Pride celebrations, to food, music and arts festivals – taking place in your city, a city near you or a city worth traveling to. All events are free and open to the public.
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Apr 24, 2024 | 
sistersletter.com | Tracy E. Hopkins
What is your favorite show or movie featuring Regina King? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Regina King has a quietly powerful presence, something that permeates her portrayals of strong-willed yet vulnerable characters who are marginalized because of their race and gender. We can't forget her award-winning turn as Sharon Rivers, a mother trying to exonerate her pregnant teen daughter’s boyfriend in If Beale Street Could Talk .
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Apr 3, 2024 | 
sistersletter.com | Tracy E. Hopkins
When the weather forecast calls for rain, our first impulse is usually not to go singing and dancing in the downpour. Instead, we might opt to stay inside and under the covers at the first sign of a drizzle, while silently chanting the nursery rhyme, “Rain, rain go away. Come again another day.”But what if we shifted our perspective and positively reframed our relationship with rain, sis?
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Mar 4, 2024 | 
amsterdamnews.com | Tracy E. Hopkins
According to an international travel study, African American travelers are more likely to visit destinations that promote diversity and inclusion in their marketing and that are deemed welcoming and safe. “America’s history of slavery followed by repressive Jim Crow laws, segregation, institutional racism, and continuing police brutality has made Black [American] travelers cautious,” said Ursula Petula Barzey, research committee chair of Black Travel Alliance, in a press release.
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Feb 14, 2024 | 
sistersletter.com | Tracy E. Hopkins
Is a lavish trip to Dubai on your travel bucket list? After all, it is the sophisticated setting of Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Dubai,” which features Kenyan fashion model Chanel Ayan and Jamaican-born, Miami-raised expat entrepreneur Lesa Milan – seemingly living their best lives in the United Arab Emirates’ cosmopolitan city. But instead of a dream vacation destination, Dubai turned out to be a real-life nightmare for one African-American woman.
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Feb 6, 2024 | 
amsterdamnews.com | Tracy E. Hopkins
Seven Stars beach at sunrise Credit: Photo courtesy of Seven Stars Resort & Spa “The sun looks good on you,” a Facebook friend commented under a glowing photo of me taken at Grace Bay Beach in the Turks and Caicos. It’s not surprising that the beautiful backdrop of white sand and turquoise-blue waters was a highlight of my post-holiday season Caribbean getaway.
