Burnalong's acquisition as 'growth investment'

Gratitude, choices and stories

I’m feeling immense gratitude after finding out my eldest daughter Blair, one of my colleagues during the pandemic, got into a super cool middle/high school here in Baltimore City. It’s been a long process that started … honestly, when she was born. As parents or as nurturers, we start thinking about the well-being of the people and opportunities around us as soon as we know they’re important to us. What started out as a need to strive for Black excellence, including how the kiddo going to school might land her the perfect design or engineering job after high school and college (preferably an HBCU), has become more of a manifesto to make sure she’s happy.

Aiming for the right school is more of a challenge for her to make her own choices and know she has them as a young woman. The right choices for her. She’s already at a beautiful school that goes through middle school, where she’s enriched and doing academically and socially well. Honestly, it’s been me who wishes I’d do better, make more time to stand in the grass at awards assemblies and cheer both her and her sister on at sports games. While I built a name for myself in Baltimore’s nonprofit and entrepreneurial ecosystem, it was the people around me whom I had to thank for showing up in my stead — especially my mother. She’s telling all of her friends that I’m a reporter now. They all ask on what channel. Ha! Why are jobs in tech and entrepreneurship so hard to describe to our families? Maybe we should ask ChatGPT?

My editor Sameer and I spoke earlier about how cool it would be, if unrealistic, to cover every story idea we have in the newsroom. We all miss out on a story or two with the world, our companies or our kids changing around us. We won’t hit every mark at home or work. That’s okay. The world and living in it ain’t been easy. Not as a Black woman, not as a human in the last couple of years So I hope we are all giving ourselves grace this and every year.

Oh, and does anyone else listen to Tank and the Bangas? In perfect theme with this newsletter note, I've been playing "Colors Change" on repeat all day. What're you listening to?