Loving and living this life in Seattle
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 weary of the american dream because for people who look like me it’s more of …
i don’t usually go outside to cry. to connect with nature, to commune with god, sure. but today was not like any other day. today i struggled to put aside the growing rage in my soul and focus on my days work. today i spent the day remembering all the times i felt terrified by …
dear ‘merica, good-bye and thanks for all the fish. wait, that’s the wrong letter. my apologies. i will start again. good-bye and thanks for all the opportunities you have provided me and my fellow black brothers and sisters to can’t over the years. really, when you promised access to the american dream, i had no …
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 in the life of a black american. i am depleted. my blackness is not a …
i am not an academic or great scholar. i studied communication theory in grad school at a christian university, but no one will accuse me of being an authority on exegising jesus, translating greek and hebrew into something mere mortals can understand, or drawing elaborate parallels between the divine and humanity. i’m not here for that. but …
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 why. so, to recap, the person who has the power to decide when we can all …
tonight we heard potus deliver yet another state of the union speech. riveting stuff. really. he made a lot of points about the growth of the economy and laid out how important access to education and employment are to the success of all americans living the dream. the dream. this has been the week of …
the new year brings out the optimism in people in ways you would never expect. hey team #newyearnewme! i see you. unlike many people screaming at you to stop declaring things they think will never happen, i say declare as much as you want. first, why does it bother them so much that you want …
life has a funny way of happening when you aren’t paying attention. the older you get, the faster time seems to move. if you aren’t careful, you’ll miss life while you’re waiting for things to happen. about a decade ago, i used to make a list of all the things i really wanted to happen …
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 have to get it out. because if i keep all this pain, anger, and rage …