Born and raised in Mecca (Atlanta, Ga.), Princess Ariel Taylor took her first steps down Martin Luther King Dr., a few blocks away from the breeding ground of America's brightest Africans. Under the close tutelage of her mother, Empress Imara, herself an avid student in the Movement, Ariel quickly found herself.  By the age of 5 she declared she would don locks like Mom and Dad.  During her toddler years she enjoyed the luxury of a private, African centred schooling environment, but as time drew on and Mom found herself raising Ariel alone, she had to join the ranks of those in public school.  Challenged and teased, Ariel grew accustomed to questions about her hair, her long skirts and her diet, but was never tempted to burn a perm, slip into some skin tight jeans or wolf down a Big-Mac, instead she held her corner and made friends with a select group that were into more than the surface.  Once again, she excelled, showing both resilience and absolute resolve well beyond her years.

Raised in a home whose head was Empreror Haile Selassie I, Ariel was not wanting for positive images of Africa, instead it appeared an ideal, a carrot on the stick for displaced Africans in the Diaspora, almost unreal.   Undeterred by the obstacles and propelled by the signs of the times, her Mom brought Ariel on a reconnaissance tour of Ghana and Ethiopia.  This journey opened Ariel’s eyes in ways no book or movie ever could.  Finally she would see the place she only knew as Zion and meet her distant cousins.  Just 12 at the time, she was able discern the truth from the lies propagated in the main stream media as well as decipher certain untruths sung in the songs of redemption.  It was apparent that people in Africa weren’t starving and possibilities were as vast as the mind could conceive, but it was also obvious  that Zion was not ready made, but there was plenty of work to be done before it could truly be the paradise sung about.  Balanced as she is, she took the good with the not-so-good and mentally began to prepare to repatriate.

Three years later, after much juggling and saving, Ariel and Mom were ready to make the move.  At the height of her high school career, Ariel obediently accepted the inevitability of her repatriation and packed enthusiastically for her new home.  A seasoned adapter, Ariel’s first challenge would be living in a village environment very different from the concrete jungle she had known all her life.  This she took in stride, using the quiet times to learn the local language or simply realign with the new/old energy that occupies this space.  It wasn’t until she attempted to enter school that she met her first real challenge.  By now her locks had grown beautifully, crowning her head as they would any Princess.  This was a problem for the high schools in Ghana.  Imagine this, an African denied admission into and African school because her hair was too African!  Of course there were some private schools that permitted any hairstyle, but they were mostly overpriced and/or too far to journey on a daily basis.  The first year passed quickly and it became apparent that Ariel might have to find an alternate route if she wanted to continue her education.  Her Mom found her remedial classes to keep her mind active and challenged, only to realize that after getting up at 4:30 am to catch a tro-tro into town,  she was subjected to sitting and listening to a “teacher” read off his lesson plans, verbatim for an hour at a time. Not exactly the idea.  Logically, her Mom sent for home-schooling material  and Ariel applied herself.  First she took and passed her high school equivalency exam then began studying for her SATs, at home, with no tutor.  After just 4 months of self teaching Ariel t took the SAT and emerged amongst the highest scorers, with a grade of 1,325!   Needless to say, everyone was proud.  This deserved a reward.  What did she want?  Ah, the proverbial trip to America.  Well it could be expected, after 3 years in Ghana, missing her father and just eager to see the place where she grew up, she was hungry for a taste and she was not denied.  However, this trip would probably prove more enlightening than her first trip to Africa.  Not only could she see the clear stagnation of her peers, but she also sensed the weight of suppression felt but not seen.   By the time she was ready to depart to Ghana she was far more eager to escape than she had been to return. 

Upon arrival forward on African soil she found herself once again and realigned with her calling.   Anxious to resume her education she submitted her application to Ghana's leading university.  After an interview Ariel was warmly welcomed into Ashesi University, the only  school of higher learning, in Ghana, on par with those in America and Europe.

Now, a sophomore in university and well adjusted to African life Ariel is at the helm of her ship, steering it to the future of her choice.  Thanks to the vision of her mother and the support of her father Ariel stands on the verge of the world’s most emerging economy, at the apex of her youth.  Thanks also to her own ability to discern and heed guidance from an early age, she has found an unbeaten path of her own design that is destined to propel her to her highest self.

Repatriation is for the youth, but too often the children are won over by the glitz and glamour that only Babylon can produce.  Ariel is an exception, more like a model for the new generation.