Catherine Gigante-Brown

I left Cuba in 1949, when I was 11 years old. Back then, I didn't understand why my mother sent me away. I still don't.

I saw my present mother-in-law in a whole new light the first time she held my newborn son.

Alas, I am the lone female in a house full of men. Only two men, but they take up a lot of space.

You learn a lot about people when you live in their home. The Taylors seemed to lead a joyless, Spartan existence.

" Sure enough, the doorbell rang one early June day and there she was: curvy, seductive body, smooth black skin, bright blue eyes."

I’m boycotting you until you start recognizing breast cancer survivors like me by carrying mastectomy bras.

I asked a handful of women: why are people so scared of ladyparts?

"I was afraid this thing was going to do me in. But I took a deep breath and decided very early on that I would face cancer on my own terms."

Wrinkles or lifelines? Chunky or curvaceous? The choice is yours.

Instead of categorizing people as different colors, I proposed we might begin to think of each other as Earthtones—because our skin colors are based on hues from the earth. Just as the planet is made up of a myriad of shades, it’s still one cohesive entity. We can be thought of as one entity also.