“As a wedding gift, I got a picture frame from my mother-in-law that said ‘Mr. and Mrs. Courtney’,” Erica Williams recalls, shrugging it off.     She had not changed her name.    When Erica Williams, a cultural anthropologist and author from North Carolina, got married at age 34, she chose to keep her name. However, she did suggest an alternative to her husband.

Why haven't these savings circles become common among Black folks in the U.S. It's certainly not due to lack of need. Do we lack mutual trust or social ties? Our contributor declares: The question isn’t why these models aren’t more common.

What songs have shaped you? Explore songs that reach back to history, nourish us and teach us sisterhood, resilience and confidence.