For 10 episodes we have given you a glance into our lives. Your 20s are the time to discover your life path. That includes careers, friends, lovers, and just finding out who you really are. This is the time to live hard and have fun because you are only young once. There are extremely rough situations and times where you curl up and wish you were a teenager again because jump-starting your adult life is a hard road to travel. The path to friendship can burn you time and time again, making you jaded toward making new ones. Relationships are more complicated because in a society where morals seem out of the window, finding that one person exclusive to you feels impossible. Especially when there is always another prospect around the corner. And getting into the groove of a career is attacked head on with an energy and hunger to be the best. Even when you are in the “proving yourself” stage.

**Sidebar: Which means less pay, more hours, and little praise. Y‘all know what I‘m talking about.**

“Harlem Heights” is ahead of it’s time for reality television. The norm is dating for no direction, pure foolishness, complete with melees. But we have opened the door to a world where young Black people from different backgrounds and industries, live amongst each other in a legendary community, all with a common goal of working hard to achieve success with no handouts. So the nitpicking and all-out hate some of you have displayed should be curbed for the big picture. Yes, there has been drama, but that’s a part of being a “young” adult. You will never like everyone you meet. There will be petty spats amongst friends. Look at your life, and I bet it’s not much different, minus the cameras.

But the positive outweighs the negative when it comes to our accomplishments and goals. I feel extremely humbled and blessed to be able to turn on my DVR and relive our 1st Black President being elected, my bag launch that I worked tirelessly during the filming of the show to produce, and the small things like just spending time with my lifelong friends. We will never have this time again, but I will always have something to remind me. No negative words slung at me will make me regret putting myself in a vulnerable position by opening my life to the world. All I’ve ever wanted in life was to design. The talent has ALWAYS been there, but race and gender made it that much harder to get where I am. But I fought tooth and nail to succeed. So if me putting myself on the line inspired someone to not hold back and go for their dream, mission accomplished.

For the critics that feel this show is scripted and we are hired actors: 100% incorrect. We have REAL lives, REAL struggles, and REAL histories.
And finally to my “Harlem Heights” cast:

Bridget: We came up from birth with a strong family that always loved and stood behind us…even when we decided to change our career paths. You are a true example of what a friend is. Always putting yourself out there for others, helping them reach their goals. You are a step away from your law degree and I am soooo proud of you. I will be front and center at the graduation like you were at mine.

Brooke: My sister, no matter what “they” have to say, we are forever friends. You have been there by my side through triumph and tragedy, always the one I can count on. Your future is bright, and no one can stand in your way to reach the stars.

Christian: Cephas! (inside joke) My little brother…I am so happy you and Brooke found each other. Keep striving for your ultimate goal. You have accomplished so much at a young age, but you have so much more ahead of you.

Pierre: You are a genuine man that defeated great odds of failure and became a success. Your mother, grandmother and aunts have proven it doesn’t matter where you come from, but with a strong family and good guidance you can excel to be anything you want. In our society a lot of Black women had to be Mom and Dad. You are the hope of that generation.

Aden: Even though the world didn’t get a total glimpse into your “mogul” transformation, I am so proud of the success you’ve achieved. We’ve been friends since teenagers and I feel blessed to have you in my life. Danielle is a wonderful woman and I can’t wait for the wedding.
Kelly M: Despite our complications I am very proud of you. You went through a horrific, life-changing experience, but proved to everyone how strong you really are by picking up the pieces and jumping right back into life. I wish you much success in your new career.

Landon: Politics better watch out! You have the community behind you and good friends to see you through the hard times. I know your father is extremely proud of your transformation over the past year into a man. Continue to fight for the good of the community.

Kelli C: At a very young age you have an overwhelming expectation on your shoulders. But you have hit the ground running and will be a driving force for Black women in your industry.

Jason: You are rare and refreshing. Leaving the streets behind to make a better way for your daughter should be the blueprint for every young man who has been in your situation. Harlem’s troubled youth are in good hands once your empowerment movement takes over.

Ashlie: I respect your hustle of putting yourself out there, going into a challenging field like acting. As a young Black woman it’s easy to get caught up in the chaos of social life. But despite our issues in the past, I wish you the best going forward in the future.

Ally and Lamar: Y’all know I had to give it to you at the same time. lol. The two of you are a force, and extremely talented; Ally, with your dance career

For 10 episodes we have given you a gateway into our world. I hope that the change we have tried to bring to your home inspired the masses.
‘Til Next Time.

Ciao Ciao

-Briana

While Christian, Jason, Brooke, and I were getting our rock star on, Pierre was giving Bridget a heart to heart on the couch. She is always the go-to when you are struggling with issues. She gives it to you like it needs to be told. His life has been rapidly changing the past few months. But the move to the big city proved too taxing for his relationship, and it was coming to an end.

**Sidebar: Insert Bridget side eye here. Bwahahaha! I heart Pierre.**

And in the kitchen…. “KissGate” turned into a spotlight for the developing friendship between Brooke and Christian. All of us see the magnetic connection. But with Christian just getting out of a long relationship, Brooke is playing it careful to not fall into “rebound” status.

Landon finally gave his big announcement about throwing his hat into the ring for City Council. His speech definitely struck a chord, focusing on the gentrification taking place all over our neighborhood. Everywhere you look in Harlem there are construction sites and Starbuckses. Giving the area a face lift might attract the downtown dollar, but it doesn’t change the community for the better. It just alienates the natives that have struggled to keep it together.

With the tension and open bar the party provided, it didn’t take long for the drama to kick into high gear. The first serve of the night was the relations between HBCUs and predominantly-White universities. The second serve of the night was Pierre expressing his feelings to Bridget.

**Sidebar: Insert Bridget side eye here. Bwahahaha! I heart a Pierre and Bridge convo.**

And the match point of the night was the rally between Brooke and Christian about his party wandering.

*sigh* Just when you thought everything was roses and sunshine, you get pulled back in. lol

‘Til next time..
Ciao Ciao

-Briana

So as we wrap up the latest episode of “Harlem Heights,” the single most common assessment is that ‘the men on the show are more developed than the women, they are doing their thing in work and in the community while the women come across very catty’. Noted and respected. Prompted by a comment left by a friend on my page (Brandon, I’m calling you out lol), I wanted to share some of the thoughts I had regarding this statement.

I think that the reason why the guys on the show come off like they’re more developed and mature than the ladies has a lot to do with 2009 being the birth of Harlem Heights, as well as our first Black President. This is a moment that, although touching to both genders, rang especially proud for Black men in America, including those men featured in Harlem Heights. Landon’s father is a prominent community leader in Harlem, that is his story…is he going to follow in the footsteps of his father? That does not mean that Landon does not have other issues he is dealing with in his life, that is just the most prominent.

Jason has a young daughter whom he has been inspired to be a better father figure for, ala Barack Obama. He wants to teach her that she can be and do anything she wants, unlike what he thought when he was growing up.

Pierre has been involved with the uplifting of communities through his job, however, this is not the crux of his existence.

Though not as adamant about being a leader in the community, Christian is also affected by our new Black president, in the sense that he wants to rise to the occasion and be the best man that he can be as well. As the season progresses, you will see that these men are introduced as being career and community driven, but their other issues soon show face as the season progresses.

The ladies of the show come from a difference place as we are introduced, and just because the things that drive us are not based in politics, that does not make us shallow.

I for one, am addressing a very close friendship that went bad. Prior to Harlem Heights, it had been close to 2 years since I had spoken to Ashlie. She was my very first friend (and very close friend, might I add) I made in New York, as my mother is good friends with her aunt who introduced us. Shortly after, I began dating a celebrity and it wasn’t that I changed, it’s that my schedule did and we began to hang less and less. Not a lot of time went by between Ashlie and I becoming friends and me entering a relationship, so I felt that Ashlie didn’t really get to know the real me to later assume that I had changed…we spent more time together after the relationship ended than we ever did before so that sentiment was hurtful…especially since the first time I ever heard of her feeling that way was from the lips of a mutual friend.

People hopefully grow up from 22-27 and change because of that, whether they dated someone famous or not. We are all guilty of it ladies: spending all of our time with our girlfriends and when we get a boyfriend, sort of trailing off. And when that relationship ended it was hard to get back in the groove of the friendship because some years transpired, not because I was too hot for Harlem. Harlem Heights picks up 2 years later where 2 prior close friends are seeing each other for the first time and trying to figure out a) where things went wrong, and b) if they can be fixed. That is a very natural and relatable story.

Harlem Heights is also about friendship and the different types of friendships that exist between women, between men, between men and women, and between different classes and social circles. There are best friends, me and Briana, and as my best friend, she rides for me. That does not mean she is mindless and spineless, but she is the big sister that reacts to her little sister being beat up on the playground, then goes back the next day and asks the questions. We all have one.

Me and Christian. Harlem Heights picks up when our friendship is already solidified…I mention briefly that Christian is my homeboy that I play Rockband with late at night, my homie that asks my advice about girls very candidly, and even has a permanent pallet in my living room on the couch as a resting place for his late night shenanigans after being out with his women friends. I am the ‘guy’s girl’, and that dynamic is tested eventually. Harlem Heights asks the question, is an adult friendship between a man and a woman ever platonic? So me giving him advice about not dating Ashlie is not ‘catty’, it’s the nature of our friendship. Of course I don’t think anyone is good enough for my little brother/friend. Christian is charming, yet very impressionable and gullible, so big sisters Brie and Brooke are always there to have his back and send any of his chicks through the wringer.

Me and Pierre…Pierre is a friend of Christian’s that was always around naturally because Christian was always around me. As Briana states, ‘Pierre is gorgeous, anybody can see that’, however, looks are not enough anymore. Don’t get me wrong, just because I was bored sick on our date does not mean that I do not like and respect Pierre as an individual and a person. A date is meant for 2 people to connect on a romantic level, and I felt like we made a more brother/sister connection than a romantic one…and like Briana eluded to in her blog, 2 attractive people on a date is just that, not a love connection.

My rejection of Pierre had nothing to do with me thinking I was too good for him by any means, and I was truly appreciative that he felt me deserving of such an over the top first date…it just wasn’t a love connection and after all, isn’t that what dates are for? :O) But stay tuned for episodes 5 and 6…this isn’t the last you’ve heard of DATEGATE. lol

Harlem Heights addresses the socioeconomic relationships that exist between us, for it is only on Harlem Heights that you see someone affluent/siddity like Kelly Mitchell attend a play with the likes of Jason ‘Young Harlem’ Allen. We are a conduit for each other; through us, Jason expands his horizons and is motivated to do more. And through Jason, the rest of us are reminded about the simpler, important things in life like home, belonging to a community, and just remembering the joy of just plain good ole people who tell it like it is without using big fancy words. I bet none of us thought that post-college any of us would welcome a local Harlem dude into our friend circle and love him the way we do, or that he and Landon would have anything to discuss. This is a real lesson to people to never close your circle of friends, or limit yourself to the types of people you hang around because you could really be missing out.

So in watching the first 4 episodes of Harlem Heights, it is my hope that amidst the catty everyday endeavors of men and women, that you are able to walk away from Harlem Heights with a broader perspective of all of us, fresh off of quarter-life crises and see yourself, or some part of yourself in all of us…and remember that behind 30 minutes of television are 8 full lives and what you are getting is a glimpse. Take all of your downfalls from one week and string them together in 22 minutes, interspersed with 30 second pleas to use certain skin care and eat certain food and drive certain cars, and there you have a mirror that you see is also your life… If you stay at the surface, you get cattiness, but I urge you to delve deeper and realize that every personality has 360 degrees and cattiness is just a piece of the pie.

Rest assured that in the second half of the season, the boys will face their fair share of ‘dog fights’ and the ladies really delve into their lives at work and their career aspirations and you really see us get focused and buckle down, and it’s like I always say, every personality has 360 degrees…right now you’ve seen about 90 of those degrees so stick around. :O)

Yes, Harlem Heights is a reality television show…many of you have cried out for years for more ‘positive Black programming’…yet many of you were bored out of your minds with the first episode (let’s keep it real) and raved that the second episode was much better…which featured what? A cat fight at a birthday party. So we got back to the basics with community stories and stories of single parents…bore and snore from the public…so this past week we got back to it with insults flying, you guys ate it up…so at the end of the day, speak on it. The ‘positive Black programming’ nobody gets, and the cattiness we look down on is heralded in ratings…SPEAK ON IT!

Just food for thought guys!

Always,

-Brooke

27 and single is a hard age for a woman. 25 is far behind, and 30 is full speed ahead. What have you done with your life up to that point? I think so far I’ve done pretty well, but my ultimate goal feels far from my fingertips. That’s what keeps me going day in and day out.

Living in Manhattan in your 20s is different from anywhere else. You dance the night away with bottles flowing, but come the AM you are bright eyed back on your grind.

**Sidebar: Struggling through your smile at work, hopped up on Gatorade and Red Bull…lol.**

Lately Brooke and I have been having conversations about the future. Partying takes a lot of energy away from what we want to accomplish. And now is the time to get serious and buckle down.

But the second you try to leave, the nightlife pulls you back in….

Christian, Brooke, Angelo, and I hit up Club Body. All I can say is bottles, bottles, and more bottles.

**Sidebar: The Goose was loose! I was in a zone with my hat low. Honestly, all the events of that night are a little blurry.**

But the next morning, one memory I could conjure up was the cuddling Christian and Brooke were doing all night. Brooke was hoping a night of drunk friends wouldn’t get him in trouble with Ashlie. But we all know better.

**Sidebar: With that said, let KissGate begin!…. sigh.**

Later that day Christian popped up at Body to talk to Ashlie. After him showing up to her job, and getting his kiss on, she made it quite clear she would prefer to end their relationship completely, including the “friend” zone.

That’s the thing about Harlem nights. Situations can arise, and actions have no excuses. Sometimes all you can do is blame it on the alcohol…

‘Til next time.

Ciao Ciao

-Briana

The New York romance scene is almost like a sport. With so many people to choose from on a small stretch of land, we take speed dating to another level. Your first date is almost like a job interview. During drinks everything is put out on the table before you get to appetizers. So you’ll know if it’s even worth making it to the entree. And the five Blackberry messages you were typing under the table will hopefully turn into a Plan B hookup, because damn you’re so hungry. lol

Pierre and Christian wasted no time to make good on taking the girls out. Christian dined Ash at a popular restaurant, the River Room.  While Pierre opted to go baller and rent the top floor of Talay.

Ashlie got straight to the point about Christian’s relationship status. In this city you have to go for the jugular, because if not things will be swept under the rug until you start cleaning. Being that he is newly single and getting to know someone, making date numero dos a double might not be the best move. Four can be a crowd.

Over at Talay Pierre is running down his life story, while B listened. The only fireworks at that dinner were the candles burning on the table. It might have gone better with just a couple chapters of his life, not the whole book. lol

**Sidebar: With all the stops he pulled out you would think that would be grounds for a second date. Not so fast homie.*

Attraction is first and foremost. But what does that matter if all that comes from it is two good looking people with nothing in common but good looks.

MEANWHILE..

I’m not very easily persuaded, especially when it comes to my designs. But for the past 3 years I have been beat in the head by the tag team that is Bridget and my mother Ramona to launch a handbag line. I work really hard and sometimes that means the sacrifice of putting personal things away for a while.

**Sidebar: Criticism is extremely HARD for artists, so until the line was perfect I was determined to keep it under wraps.*

I had Bridget come with me to see my Production Liaison Merlet. My patterns were ready, now the next step in choosing leather and lining. With sampling underway in China, I finally felt ready to show and prove. Giving into Bridget to do a preview of my line for a select crowd. With both of our connects put together it should make for a memorable night. I am not known for doing the norm, it has to be big and over the top..

‘Til next time..
Ciao Ciao

-Briana