​Donald Trump has launched a full-on crusade against Harvard—and it’s giving major ex-boyfriend who never got over the breakup energy. So what did Harvard do to earn a spot on Trump’s enemies list?

Hmmmm. The answer may lie not in Harvard’s hallowed halls, but in where young Barron Trump has spent his freshman year. Wait for it… NYU.

That’s right. Not Harvard. Not Yale. Not even Dartmouth (which technically counts). The 6’7” Trump heir is navigating college life somewhere between Greenwich Village and a $19 chopped salad, instead of an Ivy League quad.

Now that doesn’t quite match the MAGA narrative of Trump F-34, the one who endlessly name-drops his own Ivy League education. Donald has often reminded us that he attended the very prestigious Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. What he tends to leave out is that he transferred to Penn in his junior year—right after his father dropped a seven-figure “donation.” Call it strategic generosity, or buying your kid an Ivy League education.  Dare I say, “privilege.”

But hey, let’s not split hairs. Trump did graduate from UPenn. Even if it’s rumored his sister did his coursework. Oops—there I go again.

Still, irony and hypocrisy abounds when you consider Trump’s past obsession with Barack Obama’s academic record. Remember when he spent years demanding to see Obama’s college transcripts, questioning whether he was “smart enough” to get into Columbia and Harvard Law? Of course, Obama not only got in—he graduated with honors and was President of the Harvard Law Review.

Meanwhile, there’s no public record of Donald Trump ever participating in, well… anything at UPenn. No clubs, no awards, no test scores, no GPA. Just his constant boasting.

Michelle Obama? She continued her family’s Ivy League tradition, graduating magna cum laude from Princeton, then Harvard Law. Her brother, a star athlete, graduated from Princeton too. And Malia Obama? Yep—Harvard alum.

So what gives with Barron?

Why didn’t Trump’s youngest follow the gilded Ivy path, like his siblings (Tiffany and Don Jr. graduated from UPenn, while Ivanka and Eric went to Georgetown)? Why NYU, a respected school but not exactly in the Ivy League zip code? Not even close.

Could this be the real source of Trump’s Ivy League angst? Could it be that Barron—despite the family name, wealth, and access—simply didn’t get in? That no check was big enough, no legacy strong enough, no admission office impressed enough?

It might explain why Trump is now raging against DEI, accusing Ivy League schools of “wokeness,” and trying to dismantle the very institutions he once bragged about. Is this less a culture war and more of a personal vendetta?

In the end, this may not be about Harvard. It may be about rejection—and the one thing Donald Trump has never been able to buy: a seat at the smart kids’ table.

So, Donald… here’s the deal: Those of us who earned our way into Ivy League classrooms—old Ivies, new Ivies, public Ivies—we just might be smarter than your kid. And let’s be honest… we’re smarter than you, too.

There. I said it

Coming soon are my two books: Co-authored with Ditu Kasuyi is The Excellence Blueprint: A Strategic Guide for Afrian American Leaders to Rise, Thrive and Lead with Legacy. It drops this summer.

And, later this year, my book inspired by my family drops, Under the Banyan Tree: A Family’s Legacy of Resistance, Freedom, and Perseverance.

Permission to share but not cut and paste.

Trump F-34 Is a Health Hazard—And I Have the Anxiety Attack to Prove It.  Last night I fell asleep with the TV on. At some point, the news crept into my subconscious, looping stories about Trump’s tariffs against our (former?) allies in the EU, his escalating war against Harvard, and Putin’s bombs raining down on Ukrainian cities.

The remote control was downstairs—too far, too late (who gets up and turns off the TV without the remote?).  So there I was, trapped in bed, listening. As my internal alarm urged me to wake up, the physical symptoms hit. Racing heart. Shallow breath. Splitting headache. A full-blown anxiety attack.

Trump F-34 is bad for my health. Actually, he is a public health crisis.

This morning I couldn’t stop thinking about the 7,000 international students at Harvard—some of the brightest young minds on the planet—suspended in limbo. What message are we sending to these future world leaders about who we are? About what kind of nation we want to be?

And then there’s the billions in halted federal research grants. What happens to innovation? To the discoveries and breakthroughs that could cure diseases, tackle climate change, and keep us globally competitive?

And don’t get me started on Ukraine. The same man who gave Putin a wink and a nod now wants us to believe he’s shocked by war crimes? Civilians are dying. This isn’t a movie. It’s not a drill. And the drumbeat of WWIII sounds louder every day.

So here I am—wondering how many of us are silently suffering.
How many of us are losing sleep, peace of mind, and physical well-being because of Trump F-34? Because of the chaos? The cruelty? The constant crisis?

We need to name this: political trauma is real.
He may have only been in office three months, but our bodies already know it’s too much.

So what do we do? How do we protect our mental and physical health? Here are a few things that helped me this morning:

1. TURN OFF THE NOISE.
Literally. Unplug. Mute the chaos. Choose when and how you engage with news—not when it hijacks your subconscious at 3 AM.

2. BREATHE. MOVE. STRETCH.
Your body remembers peace, even when your mind forgets. Gentle movement and deep breathing are first-line defenses against panic and anxiety. I focused on breathing and did some stretching exercises.

3. SIP SOMETHING SOOTHING.
Warm, non-caffeinated tea with honey and milk is my “go to”. It’s simple, grounding, and nurturing. A soft moment in a hard world.

4. ENGAGE YOUR SENSES.
Aromatherapy, candlelight, or a soft playlist—whatever brings you back to your center. Use your senses to reset. I turned on my candle warmer my friend Janet gave me for Christmas.

5. CHOOSE PEACE.
Even if the world is on fire, you can carve out peace. Sit. Be still. Listen inward. Let that be your foundation.

But let’s be real: self-care is not a substitute for civic action.
I’m still angry. And the only way to truly heal is to fight complacency. I refuse to sit on my tail for four years. If we want peace, justice, and sanity, we’ve got to show up and demand it.

So here’s my final question: Am I alone? Or are you feeling it too?
Let’s talk about the Trump Impact. Not in abstract terms, but in lived experiences—in the toll it’s taking on our health, minds, and communities.  May is Mental Health Month and this man is causing a mental health pandemic.

Because he may not believe in science, but I guarantee science will one day study the trauma his leadership inflicted on a nation. 

Until then, protect your peace and raise your voice. 

Permission to share but not cut and paste.

Coming soon are my two books: Co-authored with Ditu Kasuyi is The Excellence Blueprint: A Strategic Guide for Afrian American Leaders to Rise, Thrive and Lead with Legacy. It drops this summer.

And, later this year, my book inspired by my family drops, Under the Banyan Tree: A Family’s Legacy of Resistance, Freedom, and Perseverance. 

​Where Are the Courageous Leaders?

Today, I listened to Kamala Harris’ speech at the Leading Women Defined Summit.  Don't, worry, this isn't a political post. It is about two sentences she said.  “Fear is courageous. And so is courage.”

That struck a chord.

Because fear is everywhere right now. People are afraid of backlash, afraid of disruption, afraid of saying the wrong thing or taking the wrong stand. But fear, as Harris reminds us, is not weakness. It’s human. And facing it? That’s where true leadership begins.

What we’re seeing today is a crisis of courage. And it’s not limited to any one party, sector, or institution. Across the board—in government, business, philanthropy, higher education, the nonprofit world—we are watching some leaders do nothing, say nothing, and hope that the storm passes.

That is not a plan. It is complicity dressed in caution. And that is not leadership.

So the question is: Where are the courageous leaders?

Some are still showing up. Here are a few, across sectors, who are speaking up, pushing forward, holding the line.

Public Sector:
 • Lisa Murkowski (Senator) has demonstrated that she is willing to be a lone voice for what matters to her including women’s health and funding to address the murdered and missing Indigenous people..
 • Gretchen Whitmer (Michigan Governor): Consistently speaks with moral clarity on extremism and equity.
 • Wes Moore (Maryland Governor): A veteran and business leader turned public servant who centers inclusion and courage in leadership.

Private Sector:
 • Darren Walker (Ford Foundation): One of the few in philanthropy who openly challenges capitalist structures while working within them.
 • Marc Benioff (Salesforce): Has spoken out for democracy and taken business stands on equity, even when it’s cost him.
 • Rosalind Brewer (formerly Walgreens CEO): Took bold stances on racial equity in corporate America and paid a price for that courage.

Social Sector:
 • Tarana Burke (MeToo Movement): Keeps lifting up the voices we want to ignore.
 • Ai-jen Poo (National Domestic Workers Alliance): Advocating for workers left out of the traditional systems of power.

But where is everyone else?

Courage doesn’t only belong to those with microphones or media coverage. It belongs to superintendents, CEOs, pastors, board chairs, and budget directors. It belongs to culture-shapers in every boardroom and breakroom. It belongs to each of us. It belongs to me…and you.

And maybe that’s the deeper call of this moment—not just to look for courageous leadership, but to be it.

History will not ask whether we were perfect. It will ask whether we were principled. Whether we stood up or stayed seated. Whether we chose to lead when it mattered most.

So let me ask you: Where do you stand? And who are you standing for?

Because hiding is not an option. And silence is not leadership.

Visit my website: http://www.l2lleadershipinstitute.com

I hadn’t planned on posting today—I’m in the middle of an incredible conference, soaking up insights and inspiration. But then I stumbled across a jaw-droppingly ridiculous question on Facebook: “When have conservatives rioted, looted, burned buildings, or murdered people?”

Now, before I dive in, let me be clear: the post was framed in defense of gun ownership. So for the record, I’ve never lived in a household without a firearm. My father was in the Air Force, my ex-husband was a police officer, my mother always had her own gun, and I grew up on the range doing target practice. I am, unapologetically, a pro-gun liberal.

Now, let’s get back to that question.

To pose such a question is either a test of intellectual honesty or a willful erasure of history. Either way, it demands a serious and informed response. So allow me, with all the elitist credentials of my Ivy League education, to oblige. 😆 

Let’s start with the most recent and glaring example: January 6, 2021. On that day, a violent mob of self-identified conservatives stormed the U.S. Capitol in an unprecedented act of domestic terrorism. They did not come to protest—they came to overturn the outcome of a lawful election. They beat police officers with flagpoles, erected gallows, ransacked offices, and shouted for the lynching of elected officials. Seven people died as a result of the attack, including Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick, who suffered fatal strokes after being assaulted.

But this was not the first time violence was used in the name of conservative ideology. The idea that violence has only occurred on one side of the political spectrum is not just false—it’s dangerously ignorant. The historical record is overflowing with examples of white conservative mobs, militias, vigilantes, and state actors who rioted, looted, burned cities and homes, lynched and murdered thousands—often in broad daylight and with the blessing, or blind eye, of the government.

Here are just a few of the many irrefutable examples:
 • Fort Pillow Massacre (1864): Confederate soldiers slaughtered surrendering Black Union troops.
 • Sand Creek Massacre (1864): U.S. troops killed over 230 Cheyenne and Arapaho people, mostly women and children.
 • Memphis and New Orleans Massacres (1866): White mobs murdered Black Union veterans and civilians.
 • Colfax Massacre (1873): A white militia killed over 150 Black defenders of Reconstruction government.
 • Wilmington Coup (1898): White supremacists overthrew a duly elected multiracial city government, killing dozens of Black citizens.
 • Tulsa Race Massacre (1921): Greenwood—known as “Black Wall Street”—was obliterated by white mobs. As many as 300 Black residents were murdered, and 10,000 were left homeless.
 • Rosewood Massacre (1923): A Black community in Florida was destroyed by white mobs, with unknown numbers of dead.
 • Zoot Suit Riots (1943): U.S. servicemen attacked Mexican American youths in Los Angeles while police arrested the victims.
 • Ocoee Massacre (1920): A Black man attempted to vote. The result? Dozens of Black residents were slaughtered and their homes razed.

These are not isolated incidents. They are chapters in a centuries-long chronicle of racially and politically motivated violence—often carried out or condoned by conservatives defending white supremacy, property over people, and power over democracy.

Even in the 20th century, from Detroit (1967) to East St. Louis (1917), to Chicago (1919), violence erupted not because Black people rioted—but because they dared to live, vote, work, and exist with dignity in a country that codified their oppression.

So yes, conservatives have rioted. They’ve looted. They’ve burned entire towns. They’ve murdered children, elders, and freedom fighters. And they’ve often done it not in secret, but with cheers and Confederate flags waving in the wind.

So…to the person who asked the ridiculous question, let us be honest: history is not neutral. And neither is this question. But if you ask it, expect an answer grounded in truth—not sanitized, not polite, but necessary.

History remembers. And so do we.

Stay tuned for my book, Beneath the Bayan Tree: A Family’s Legacy of Resistance, Freedom, and Perseverance.