i have heard many of my non-black friends say how surprised and appalled they are by some of the blatant racist things they have witnessed recently either personally, locally, or on a national stage. part of me wants to ask …
black is the color of my skin, grief is the color of my soul
growing up in racist, segregated kansas city, i was always aware of my blackness. mine was a childhood riddled with the absolute best expressions of black love juxtaposed with the absolute worst expressions of black hate. at 36, i’m growing …
if we burn you burn with us
another day, another death, another funeral, another march, another protest, another militarized attack/response, another news cycle calling black people thugs and criminals, another shouting match on social media, another call for peace, another demand to forget and move on, another day …
i need you to feel me
we are a country of shouters. the one who shouts loudest, longest wins. wait. that’s not entirely true. you are more likely to win when you have the power to set the perimeters for the shouting – when, where, how, and …
i love being black
blackness is under constant assault. by definition, it is the absence of light; the opposite of clean (deeply stained with dirt). there are so many negative associations with the word back that we have a love hate relationship with the word, …
warning: cloak may cause invisibility
writing is my therapy. over these last few months, with mounting racial tensions, outright displays of hatred, and low-key disbelief that my america has too many throwback moments to yesteryear, i find myself writing daily. multiple times a day. i …
songs in the key of life
singing ain’t my thing. i’ve said it plenty of times and i’m sure you all know me well enough to take my word for it. that hasn’t stopped me from singing, of course, because i completely believe in the healing …
dear white people, it’s always about race
a little bit of history repeating itself is happening in america. we are seeing a resurgence of jim crow mentality and legislation in cities and states across the country. segregation. unemployment. voter suppression. policing state. hold on a second while …
use your words: exploring the narrative of inhumanity that shapes black america
after ferguson erupted onto the national stage, i was appalled, although not the least bit surprised, by the rhetoric that quickly switched from shock to rage to blame to utter disrespect for black life. it hurt. it still hurts. honestly, …
when blackness and feminism converge on the same world stage
the world is still buzzing from two things that happened last week. we lost a world icon in the homegoing of nelson mandela and rising world icon beyonce dropped a surprise album without so much as a peep. two very …