If you want a case study in what happens when America sowed voter suppression and attempted to harvest democracy, look no further than Fannie Lou Hamer and the 1964 Democratic National Convention.

On February 15, 1968, tension was building in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Black students at South Carolina State College were protesting segregation at a local bowling alley. They were unarmed. They were organized. They were disciplined. They were not rioting. They were not looting. They were asking for dignity. Three days later, on February 8, state troopers opened fire on those students, killing three young Black men and wounding many others.

We spotlight Cyborg — Victor Stone — the living bridge between man and machine, heart and hardware, grief and greatness. Cyborg is not simply a superhero with tech upgrades. He is a testament to survival. He is proof that broken does not mean finished.

This Favor Fridays with Tony™ — on the 13th day of Black History Month — we honor the favor that turns survival into proclamation, and endurance into testimony. Today, we spotlight Frederick Douglass, a man who understood that sometimes favor doesn’t just free you — it commissions you.

This 12th day of Black History Month, I’m shining the spotlight on What’s Happening!! and What’s Happening Now!! — two series that did something absolutely radical: They let Black people be funny, awkward, ambitious, stubborn, tender, and regular… on national television. No constant trauma soundtrack. No “very special episode” energy every week. No forced message wrapped in shame. Just life. And when Black folks are allowed to be fully human on screen, that is history too.

In Chapter 2: Destiny’s Call from Book I of S.O.L.A.D.™: Soldiers of Light Against Darkness™, Kevin Darryl Edwards wakes up shaking. Not from pizza. Not from imagination. Not from random anxiety. But from a recurring dream. Same unknown people. Same key moments. Same message building toward something bigger. And what does Kevin do? He looks out the window at the storm and asks: “God, what are You trying to tell me through these dreams?”

Today on Tony Tips Tuesdays™, we’re talking about what it really means to write with cultural authenticity—why it matters, how to do it responsibly, and how to avoid turning lived experiences into stereotypes or scenery. And because today marks the 10th day of Black History Month, we’ll also spotlight a Black literary giant whose work remains a masterclass in writing culture truthfully, unapologetically, and on its own terms.

Born enslaved around 1818, Frederick Douglass was denied what slaveholders feared most: knowledge. He later wrote that slaveholders understood something dangerous: "Knowledge unfits a man to be a slave." So Douglass sowed anyway. He taught himself to read—illegally, quietly, persistently. Every letter learned was seed. Every word understood was resistance. Every sentence absorbed was preparation.

Soldier of Light Against Darkness™, one of the greatest acts of courage is not rebellion—it is refusal. Refusing to bend. Refusing to blend in. Refusing to become what the system expects you to be in order to survive it. Throughout Black history, courage often looked like staying clean in environments designed to soil the soul. And that kind of courage still matters today.

And for Black History Month—especially the 7th day, when we honor not only Black achievement but Black endurance, Black spirituality, Black complexity, and Black legacy—Bloodwynd is a perfect spotlight. Not because he’s the most famous hero. Not because he’s the easiest hero. But because he represents something many stories avoid: Power that answers to morality. Justice that isn’t performative. Judgment that isn’t casual.

Alignment is what happens when your prayers, your choices, your pace, and your obedience begin to agree with what God has been showing you all along. It’s the relief you feel when you stop fighting what God is correcting. It’s the peace that settles in when you finally let go of what never fit.

On this fifth day of Black History Month, there’s no more fitting subject than A Different World — a series that did far more than spin off from another hit sitcom. It shifted conversations in Black households. It reframed what “college” looked like on TV. It normalized Black intellect, Black community, Black debate, Black love, Black discipline, and Black joy — all inside the same half-hour.

A weary soul is easier to deceive. A tired mind is easier to discourage. A depleted heart is easier to isolate. That’s why exhaustion often shows up right before breakthrough. Right when your faith has been holding strong for a long time. Right when you’ve been faithful with no applause. Right when the load hasn’t lightened—but your strength has. The enemy is not shocked by your endurance. He’s counting on you running out of it.

Today on Tony Tips Tuesdays™, we’re going deeper into the craft of writing hidden desires—the emotional engines that quietly drive decisions, sabotage relationships, and eventually force characters to confront themselves.

Groundhog Day is built on a simple idea: If the groundhog sees its shadow, winter continues. If it doesn’t, spring is on the way. Whether or not the folklore is accurate, the symbolism is powerful. Some seasons repeat not because time is stuck—but because behavior hasn’t changed. We relive the same frustrations. The same setbacks. The same prayers. The same cycles. And often we wonder: Why am I still here?

Monday, February 1, 1960, four young Black men sat down at a Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. They did not raise their voices. They did not raise their fists. They raised their resolve. They sat—and refused to move.

Portrayed by Neve Campbell, Sidney Prescott isn’t just the heart of the Scream franchise—she is its conscience, its moral anchor, and its emotional spine. For nearly three decades, she has endured betrayal, trauma, loss, and relentless violence… and still chose to live. With Scream 7 arriving February 27, Sidney’s return invites us to look back—not just at a survivor, but at a woman who reshaped what survival means.

The adrenaline of the new year is gone. The grit of endurance has already been tested. You’ve stayed. You’ve remained. You didn’t quit when it got uncomfortable. Now comes the harder question: Where is this actually leading me? That question is not a sign of doubt. It’s often a sign of favor.

When you’re outnumbered like that, you don’t always control the remote — you learn to share it. You learn to watch what they want to watch. And sometimes, without realizing it, those shows end up shaping you too. The Baby-Sitters Club was one of those shows. Before I knew the characters. Before I understood the stories. Before I realized how quietly powerful it was…

Wars that start as a whisper. A pull. A wave of heaviness that doesn’t make sense. A thought that isn’t yours—but feels like it is. And that’s exactly why the enemy loves the mind. Because if the enemy can win the battle in your head, the rest of your life becomes easier to invade.