Monroe Dispatch - No Struggle, No Progress

Purpose over potential? What does it even mean? Purpose over potential, am I clean? Purpose over potential don't you understand? We live for our purpose, not our potential. Purpose over potential I...

In life, we all have choices to make. We can choose to be angry, sad, or happy, etc. What I often wonder is what drives most of our choices when we have emotions tangled into one. For example, I have...

It’s no easy challenge, and it's an ongoing battle for people of color every day. True enough, we’ve blamed others for our own misfortunes, but the true villain lies within us as a community, especial...

Choosing how to respond and react when you have been treated unfairly is very critical to your overall happiness, peace, and success. Even as a young adult, I can vividly remember times when individua...

Every year the month of October sends me through so many emotions. My grandfather's, the late Rev. John Allen III, birthday is at the end of this month. It is specifically on October 31st. My...

It seems like I have waited to become a senior in high school forever. Even though I skipped kindergarten, it seems like it took this year forever to come. Now that it is here, I have so many mixed...

On July 22, 2023, Franklin Parish hosted its first-ever Open Mike Youth Summit. The event was organized and hosted by site coordinator Mr. Jamie Johnson, who happens to be my uncle. Mr. Johnson works...

Sisterhood is more than something that you get with a group of girls or a specific person but a relationship to last you for the rest of your life. I've been impacted and influenced by amazing girls...

When we stand alone, it's not something we want to do. Standing alone means leaving behind things and people that we love or care for dearly. What we don't see are the intentions of those people or...

This past week, I had my Junior class ring ceremony to be officially inducted as a Senior of Franklin Parish High School. As one the gifts I received, I got flowers from my dad and I forgot to leave t...

What does the word mean to you? I can tell you exactly what it means to me. It means patience, love, hope, and loyalty. I come from an average size family, and we are all unique in our own different...

Where do I begin, as a young “gifted” black girl growing up in the South, things can be rough. I hesitate to say the word gifted simply because I am not big on labels. I used to put my head down whe...

This year 2023, I believe that the whole purpose is for new seasons and breakthroughs in life. As the 2023 year begins, I feel like we will all prosper and go through changes that we wouldn’t i...

It seems like just yesterday we were eating Thanksgiving food and now with a blink of the eye, Christmas approaching. Now that the year is ending, I felt like it was relevant to write about the...

A strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept. For some, it takes a while to find your passion and that’s perfectly okay. Personally, I’ve been struggling lately to...

We all look forward to the future but are not prepared for the future. Last weekend, I had the opportunity to attend Grambling State University for their high school day and it made me realize that...

This week, I’ve felt the need to do different things in my life, so I hope you all enjoy this short poem I’ve written. Hearing is the act of perceiving sounds yet why do we not listen? A few of us wil...

In life, it is often very easy to lose our purpose or forget why our path is different from others. We’re all unique and we were all created differently but from the beginning of time, we’ve all alw...

Everyone gets tired, it’s natural and very human. However, it becomes an issue when we allow that to consume us and when we don’t rest. When I say rest, I don’t mean taking a nap for a few hours and t...

Every day, something always upsets us Whether it is something small or large, it affects our feelings and may even impact how we react the rest of the day or how we do a certain thing in our lives, le...

As you all may know, this year is coming to an end and we're at the 6 month or the halfway mark of 2022. My question to you all is, what have you done that appeals to you? What have you done that has...

Recently, it’s come to my attention and realization that life isn’t promised. Yes, we sometimes hear it, but I never truly let it sink in. Looking around, I’ve noticed how much my life has chang...

We all go through things. Some are worse than others, but every time we go through something we have two options: One, we can sit and dwell on it and let it ruin our plans in life or two, we can let...

Growing up, I was always an outgoing and friendly child and I loved speaking in public and to others. Now, I barely enjoy talking to people, I prefer to be alone, and I don't hang out with my friends...