Celebration | Tyra Garlington

The Arts and Their Role in Cultural Sustainability Featuring Mr. Stuart Holt, President and CEO of ArtsFairfax

Posted on May 6, 2025 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

Think back to the first time you engaged in an art project as a child. That moment was not just about creativity; it was a profound expression of who you are, conjuring something extraordinary from mere imagination. Remember that school trip to a museum or a national park? Those experiences were monumental, filled with discoveries that left an indelible mark on your identity and contributed to your understanding of our culture. Art, expression, and culture may not always seem interconnected, but they are incredibly effective tools for driving sustainability and education. Arts and cultural education empower individuals of all ages,……
Read More »

Women’s History Month Celebrates Nikki Giovanni, Poet Extraordinaire

Posted on April 8, 2025 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

In her own words, “We had music growing up, 78RPM’s that evolved into 45RPM’s and, always, the radio. The radio in my day, Black and white, played everything. Gospel Spirituals, even some opera when Leontyne Price came along. You could listen to R & B late at night or you could go to the other station and listen to popular music. There was also jazz if the wind was right. I feel so sorry for the kids who only hear one kind of music. Where do your dreams come from? My dream was not to publish or to even be……
Read More »

Thank You for Your Service Then and Now Featuring McLean and Tysons Rotary Clubs Flags For Heroes Team

Posted on April 5, 2025 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

Today, we face a season of uncertainty, unrest, natural disasters, and violence. Many of us have become more aware of our fragility and that of our social systems. To thrive, we must understand that we are dynamic beings on a journey, not just a destination. We have choices in how we respond to life’s challenges, and sometimes that means going the extra mile. This week, we revisit our “Frankly Speaking Human Library” theme: “Thank You for Your Service: Then and Now.” For the past six years, I have celebrated veterans and active-duty military personnel who contribute greatly to our quality……
Read More »

Black History Month Salutes CAF Red Tail Squadron Leader Bill Shepard.

Posted on February 11, 2025 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

The mission of the Commemorative Air Force Red Tail Squadron is to educate people of all ages about the Tuskegee Airmen, so their strength of character and ability to triumph over adversity may serve as a means to inspire others to rise above obstacles in their own lives and achieve their goals. Woven throughout their outreach program, the group’s Six Guiding Principles – Aim High, Believe In Yourself, Use Your Brain, Be Ready To Go, Never Quit, and Expect to Win – were developed alongside documented original Tuskegee Airmen to inspire students to rise above their obstacles. PRESS RELEASE –……
Read More »

Black History Month salutes “Love in Action” with the late Congressman John Lewis and NPR’s Krista Tippett

Posted on February 4, 2025 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

First Corinthians 13: 4-8 says, “Love is patient and kind; Love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. … Love never ends”. Wikipedia says, “Love is considered to be a positive and negative: with its virtue representing human kindness, compassion, and affection, as “the unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another”; and its vice representing human moral flaw, akin to vanity, selfishness, and egotism, Author Glennon Doyle Melton expresses Love as a message from God, and I quote: ……
Read More »

Legacy is for the living with father and son Courtney and Asa Nero

Posted on December 17, 2024 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

Ray Bradbury, in Fahrenheit 451, says, “Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child, a book, a painting, a house, a wall built, or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way, so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you planted, you’re there. Dara Horn says. “Every person has a legacy. You may not know your impact, and it may not be something you can write on your tombstone, but every person impacts this world.”……
Read More »

“THIS IS US” featuring Cape Cod Entrepreneur Sandy Wycoff.

Posted on December 3, 2024 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

Life will accommodate you in any way that you choose. It is always listening to the silent requests of your heart and mind. It is always surveying the landscape of your heart, gathering the bits and pieces of the emotions buried there. Life can be an open book to learn about great mysteries and wonders. It can also be a mysterious and frightening pit you fear to tread. Or it can be a basket into which you can place your treasures and carry abundant blessings. Until today, you may not have realized that life answers your requests. You may not……
Read More »

Thank you for your service CAF Red Tail Squadron Leader Bill Shepard!

Posted on November 12, 2024 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

This month’s theme is: Thank you for your Service, Then and Now. I am passionate about celebrating veterans and active-duty military who continually help us sustain and maintain our quality of life, often at the greatest of costs. We hear stories through various lenses this November and December, including wars fought, age, gender, race, family impact, and cultural and social legacies. Our stories have included Mary Jessie Herrera, a 100-pound, 20-year-old Military Policewoman who wore an M16 and a 9 mm sidearm in IRAQ as accessories. We have heard informative heart-to-heart stories from women who decided to serve in the……
Read More »

There is always more: featuring award-winning playwright, author, and singer-songwriter Lezlie Revelle Zucker.

Posted on October 22, 2024 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

There is always more. “If by chance no one has told you that they love you today, I would be honored to be the first to say I love you today. I love you because you are and have been so willing to grow. And my, how you have grown. You have grown from struggling to searching, from trying to do something to learning how to do it. You have grown from fear to having faith to demonstrating your courage. You have grown in many ways, consistently demonstrating your willingness and courage to take the next step toward the profound……
Read More »

Unwrapping gifts daddy Jay Little and daughter Gia build a gift of legacy together.

Posted on September 24, 2024 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

Author Kahlil Gibran in his 1962 book The Prophet says, “And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, Speak to us of Children. And he said: Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of life longing for itself. They come through you but not from you. And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even……
Read More »