Talk Dat Talk | Your Black Celebrity Gossip, Culture News & Trending Tea

Tag: New Orleans, Louisiana

  • Spring Events: Celebrate Black Culture Nationwide

    The weather is warming up, and so is the social calendar! Spring is the perfect season to get out and experience the richness of Black culture across the nation. Whether you’re a foodie, a bookworm, a wellness enthusiast, or a lover of live music, there’s an event calling your name. Many of these gatherings offer affordable or even free options, making it easier than ever to connect with community and enjoy the season without breaking the bank.

    A Taste of Spring: Food, Wine & Coffee

    For the wine connoisseurs, the Fine Wine Series is hosting a delightful rosé and riesling event in Brooklyn. If you’re more of a coffee lover, the Black Girl Vitamins Coffee Pop-Up Tour is hitting major cities like Chicago, Texas, Detroit, Atlanta, and North Carolina, partnering with Black-owned coffee shops. And don’t miss Keith Lee’s Familee Day, an all-day event celebrating food, family, music, and games with special guests like Kirk Franklin and Andra Day.

    Literary & Creative Connections

    Missed Book Con? Black Writer’s Weekend is expanding to Newark, New Jersey, and later Atlanta, Georgia, featuring storytellers like Jess Hillarious and Ashley Hobbs. The creative homecoming conference, Culture Con, is launching a multi-city tour with coffee-themed meetups designed for deeper connection. For content creators, the Black Girls In Media Lights Camera Influence Summit aims to bring together creators in the South to help each other level up.

    Music, Love, and Culture on Tour

    Gospel music’s favorite couple, David and Tamela Mann, are hitting the road with their Love & Relationship Tour, offering nights of music and intimate conversation in cities like Newark, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. For a unique musical experience, Orchestra Noir is transforming hip-hop and R&B hits into classical arrangements on their tour, with stops in Newark, D.C., and New Orleans. Baltimore’s AFRAM festival is offering a star-studded lineup including Tamia, SWV, Normani, Charlie Wilson, Mario, and The Lox for FREE!

    Wellness, Community & Empowerment

    Prioritize your well-being at the #L2LMixer: It’s YOU Season Wellness Event in Nashville, Tennessee, hosted by Brittney Oliver’s Lemons 2 Lemonade. This event features music, matcha, mental health activities, sound baths, and fireside chats. For those seeking connection and celebration, the HUE Affair expo is back, showcasing Black-owned brands, and the King and Queen of Reality Tour brings Carlos King and Nene Leakes together for a night of wit and humor.

    Theater and Community Causes

    Theater lovers can experience a reimagined production of Ntozake Shange’s ‘for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf’ in Newark, New Jersey. For a good cause, join The Black and Missing Foundation Inc. 5K Run/Walk to support the fight for vanished loved ones. And wrap up spring with the ultimate day party at Queens’ Citi Field for the Dear Summer Festival, featuring DJs, food vendors, and souvenirs.

    Which of these spring events are you most excited to attend? Let us know in the comments below, and share your own favorite local spring happenings!

  • Terrica Lynn Smith: From Homelessness to Real Estate Mogul

    In honor of Women’s History Month, Terrica Lynn Smith’s story emerges as a compelling testament to the power of faith, resilience, and intentional reinvention. Smith, a nationally recognized real estate investor and developer based in New Orleans, has transformed her life from overcoming significant personal barriers, including abuse and homelessness, to leading multi-million-dollar development projects.

    A Journey Forged Through Adversity

    Smith encapsulates her identity as “one of faith, resilience, reinvention, and purpose.” Her journey demanded growth beyond comfort zones and unwavering self-trust, even when the path forward was unclear. These defining moments were not solely about personal achievement but about recognizing her “responsibility to rise, to heal, to build, and to make space for other women to do the same.”

    Her most challenging period, living “under a bridge,” solidified her resolve. Driven by the determination to break cycles and build a better future, Smith found strength in her faith, her child, and the belief that her life could transcend her circumstances. This resilience fuels her drive, proving that rising from the hardest places is possible.

    Defining Power Through Intention and Influence

    For Smith, power means “owning who I am without apology.” She defines female power not through control, but through intention and truth—standing firmly in one’s convictions and moving with purpose. Her power is evident in her resilience, her ability to build after setbacks, and her influence in opening doors for others. “Power matters most to me when I can share it—when it helps another woman see what is possible for her life, too,” she explains.

    Smith’s vision extends beyond her own success; she hopes to inspire other women by showing them that their past does not disqualify them and that their stories can be a source of strength. She draws inspiration from historical figures like Harriet Tubman, Sarah Rector, Madam C.J. Walker, and Oprah Winfrey, each representing different facets of strength—courage, ownership, success born from struggle, and transforming pain into purpose. For Smith, “Community among women means connection, support. The kind of strength that reminds you that you do not have to carry everything alone.”

    • Terrica Lynn Smith is a real estate investor, developer, and mentor based in New Orleans.
    • She overcame homelessness and abuse to build a business with a portfolio exceeding $60 million.
    • Smith emphasizes faith, resilience, and intentional reinvention as core to her identity.
    • She believes power lies in owning one’s truth and using influence to help others.
    • Her message to women is to start before feeling ready and to embrace growth through discomfort.

    What lessons from Terrica Lynn Smith’s journey resonate most with you? Share your thoughts in the comments below!