

The Effects of Rape and Sexual Trauma on its Victims
Mellie Grant, the scheming, conniving and willful First Lady at first glance, has a much richer history. A history that connects to many more of the American people than one would think and shapes her personality to make her one of the most #Scandalous and yet, dynamic characters in Scandal. It is the story of rape as a young woman. A story whose statistics transcend politics, race, socioeconomic status and gender. It is a story that is seldom told because the humiliation,sha

Daddy Issues: You Can’t Take Command
I need to find a way to win. I feel lost being a loser. Losing to my father. This feels too familiar. I gave Jake an earful as I say everything that I can possibly think of to believe that I don’t want him. The only words I believe as I work desperately to convince Jake to have no faith in me are that ‘I couldn’t make it work with Fitz, why would I think I could make it work with him.’ I don’t know why I ever believed so, or pretended like I believed so. I have such a reputat

Daddy Issues: Why Does He Hate Me
We love to watch Olivia Pope in action. She’s such a complex character. Her leadership, self-confidence, and acrimonious ability to quickly strategize to accomplish any goal are all traits that make her magnetic. This strong, independent, woman of color is a source of pride, not just for women of color, but for all women that love seeing her take charge. She is powerful, demanding, intelligent, articulate, beautiful, and compassionate. She is also a criminal, schemer, conspir


Out of the Shadows: Scandal's First Lady
While I was watching #Scandal throughout the first few seasons, it was in my opinion that Mellie Grant was arguably the most disliked character on the show. She is cold, a schemer, morally corrupt, and appeared to be unapologetically evil. A woman who was willing to do whatever it takes to keep her husband (President Fitzgerald Grant) at the top, no matter who was hurt in the path. What came with my “hatred” for her (who can “really “ hate a fictional character), was also res


A Scandal
A Scandal Darkness surrounded me as I locked the office door at Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency on Broadway. I jumped on my folding bike headed toward Dr. Marsh's office to finish some late night paperwork. I bent the corner at 21st and headed toward Lake Merritt. With no traffic in sight I pushed the pedals hard and felt my speed increase. As I rolled past the Pandora building, a black SUV with tinted windows pulled up beside me. I glanced toward it and saw my re