The Royster Chronicle

  "Life will call on you to confront its uncertain hurdles." Dr. BLR   As I sit and type this essay, I’m wearing my Apple AirPods Max, the blue, really cool, and expensive ones, and listening to Andrea Bocelli. I’ve been a fan for many years, particularly of his Italian songs. While I don’t speak Italian, even though I know many curse words and some conversational phrases from my days working at a pizzeria, I’m fascinated that he’s been blind since age 12, plays the piano, and sings beautifully about things he’s probably never seen.  His story echoes those of people with similar disabilities who never let their disability define who they are or what they can or cannot do. I bring this up because, as someone with a disability, you’d never know it unless I told you. I have been living with a gastrointestinal disease, ulcerative colitis (UC), for approximately 24 years and counting. Doctors don’t know what causes it, and to date, there is no cure. Only those who suffer ...

  “Colonizers should never experience homogeneity.” Dr. BLR   One of the things everyone should do is travel beyond the world they’ve been accustomed to. Growing up, I never expected to venture beyond North Carolina, where my mom’s family lived. Fortunately, I had a job that afforded me the means to travel. One of the first places I visited was the Bahamas. It was a wonderful experience, and I highly recommend it. I bring it up because it was where I met an extended family member from Germany. I would call her my best friend, but she is more than that, so I will leave it there. After the vacation ended, I invited her and her friend to visit me if they ever found themselves in New Jersey. Little did I know that within a couple of weeks, she’d be knocking on my door. I can’t make this shit up. What I thought would be a week or so turned into several weeks, but it all worked out. In the end, she invited me to visit her home in Hagen, Germany, and, curious, I accepted....

    “The glories of your past stem from overcoming struggles and demonstrating resilience, which makes you powerful and a threat to others.” Dr. BLR   In the darkest crevices of your mind lie the secrets you don’t want to share. You know, the things you don’t want to reveal to anyone, but you really want to tell someone. How could you not? Some of the shit you did was so salacious that you couldn’t take it to your grave. Well, this is what many families go through, and some of the information is embarrassing, but it is needed to answer questions that often go unanswered. I recently had a conversation with my niece, and she wanted to learn more about our family in light of the recent passing of her father, my twin brother. We had previously submitted our DNA samples to Ancestry DNA and were trying to figure out whether there were any secrets. I had no idea what would be uncovered, so I waited for my results.  It didn’t take long for the regular family members to pop u...

  "You are only as important as you see yourself, not how others see you." Dr. BLR   In 1972, I was in third grade when my teacher, Mrs. Williams, passed out copies of a Scholastic magazine. The front cover featured Franco Harris, a Black Italian American football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers. I was so impressed by his appearance as a Black man that, from that day to this, I’ve been a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. Fast forward. We’ve won 6 Super Bowl Championships and might make the playoffs this year, but we will have to do it without our star wide receiver, DK Metcalf, who was suspended for two games after confronting an unruly fan during a game against the Detroit Lions.  This was his first year with the team, and all seemed to be going well. However, after one uneventful play, Metcalf walked past the stands, and it appeared a fan had said something that upset him. Metcalf grabbed the fan, had a brief conversation, then pushed him back. I thought, no harm, no foul. He...

  “Ambivalence cannot prepare you for the certainty of death.” Dr. BLR   Each day should be filled with contemplation of what’s to come. Unfortunately, life has been reduced to the number of days a person has before they transition. A query on Artificial Intelligence (AI) indicates that the average person lives between 73 and 80 years, corresponding to approximately 26,645 to 29,200 days. That’s for humans. One year of a dog’s life equates to seven human years. So? Also, that sounds so morose. I know, I know. This is what happens when students try to delve into your personal life, and their inquiry prompts you to reflect. Btw, as of this writing, I have lived 22,280 days. This topic was sparked by a conversation with a student about why I was a loner. She didn’t accept my answer that I have no friends, which is probably normal for this generation to question.  (Writing this essay brought up deep feelings I had never explored, so I am appreciative of her pushing me to dive...

  "Don't let your quest for attention be the bane of your future." Dr. BLR   Growing up in the 1960s, I was fortunate to watch heavyweight boxer Cassius Clay, aka Muhammad Ali, methodically defeat most of his opponents. Although he wasn’t my favorite, I was a fan of Ken Norton; Ali epitomized greatness. Their contemporaries included Joe Fraiser, George Foreman, and Larry Holmes, all of whom were at the top of their game.  Fast-forward to the 1980s and 1990s, when the likes of Mike Tyson, Riddick Bowe, and Evander Holyfield emerged. The speed, power, and prowess of the boxing profession accelerated. The path had been laid so that only the best of the best would prosper. Most of the champions during this period were Black Americans, and it remained that way for many years until the rise of the Ukrainian Klitschko brothers, who ruled the division for years until a white American, Tyson Fury, took over. He was grossly out of shape, yet he won his fights.  The boxing...

  “My commitment to peace is no longer a realistic choice when your response has consistently been violence.” Dr. BLR   The world is divided on the definitions of controversial subjects, and rightly so. We should all be free thinkers and able to express ourselves. I’ve been troubled by the term “terrorist,” its definition, and who gets to define it. The FBI classifies it into two categories: international and domestic. Both have a place in this essay. I’ve asked this question of my students every semester, and you’d be surprised by what they say. I will address domestic terrorism first.  The FBI defines domestic terrorism as “violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as those of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature.” Having grown up in the 1960s, I’ve seen it up close. The race riot in the City of Newark, sparked by local police actions, saw the Newark ...

  "One day, you must explain to your younger self why you did what you did." Dr. BLR   When I look back on my upbringing, I’m fortunate that life was a bit simpler then. When things got stressful, I’d go outside to run or play football or basketball, whatever physical activity I could, to burn it off. It was all that straightforward. There was no need to be in the house because it was boring as hell, but that was then. Now, the newer generations have many things to keep them engaged. I can’t say I blame them, but knowing what I know now, I feel sorry for them. They have so much more to contend with. I tell my students that if they believe they have an addictive personality, they should never use drugs. Fortunately, weed has been the usual drug of choice for this generation. I find that many of them struggle with stress and quickly develop anxiety in response to the stressors in their lives. I understand because life is tough. However, needing to get high at a young age to...

  “Conformity is stifling and is universally demanded by those who obscure the truth.” Dr. BLR   Friday, December 19, 2025, was scheduled to be the day the world would finally receive all of the Epstein files. While I wasn’t going to download them, I expected many Americans to be waiting with bated breath. As someone who's been involved in litigation, I knew the Trump administration would pull some bullshit and come up with an excuse to deny full access. Once the files were released and most were redacted, the fix was in. I watched complaints online and in the mainstream media, but like everyone else, I, too, wanted to see the final product. The 60-count indictment and the names of the rapist and co-conspirators weren’t included. As expected, black ink was strewn across essential documents that may have implicated President Trump or some of his wealthy friends. However, some files were inadvertently released and may come back to bite Attorney General Pam Bondi, whose job ...

  “Capitalism isn’t concerned about your financial struggles.” Dr. BLR   Every so often, I find myself explaining, primarily to my students, that I don’t celebrate any holidays or birthdays. When I say any holidays or birthdays, I mean just that. Some will remark, well, how about your kid’s birthday? My response is that they were born once, so no, I don’t celebrate those either. At that moment, I get a strange look, followed by a “why?”  The simple answer is that all of these holidays, birthdays, or events were made up without my input. Not that I am defiant, it’s just that I like to decide when and where I will spend my money. I will then try to head off the following comment, which goes like this: “You don’t have to spend money. You can make a gift.” I then follow up with, "Yeah, okay, you tell that to your kids.”  The good thing is that I sat my kids down very early in their lives and explained my position. The confused look on their faces told me they didn’t...

“As you lay on your deathbed, I looked into your eyes and knew you were ready for the next chapter, and my sorrow for your departure was eased.” Dr. BLR   In a chaotic world, you can never predict what will happen next. Life has a way of surprising us. Yet at some point, you have to expect the unexpected. Earlier this year, I lost my twin brother, Aaron Keith Royster. It hurts to write these words because I am still grieving, and I hope that writing this will help with the process. I don’t think there’s a stronger bond than being a twin, whether identical or fraternal. My brother and I were born about four minutes apart. I wanted to stay in my mother’s womb a little longer, so I kicked him out for my special entrance. Our bond lasted for the next sixty years. My earliest memory of being a twin is from when I was around three or four years old, when my father was trying to teach us how to box. He rewarded us afterward with colorful licorice candy. Unfortunately, not long after,...