Loving and living this life in Seattle
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 them where they have been all their lives. none of this is new. in fact, …
my body woke me up from what i can only assume was a peaceful sleep at 5am saturday morning. my reaction was anything but peaceful. i struggled to fall back to sleep for a few hours before i just gave up. i had a pretty lengthy to-do list so i decided to get started. first …
in church today, we talked about taking care of things that are fragile. when something is both precious and fragile, you go to great lengths to ensure it is handled with care. you don’t want it to be damaged. you don’t want it to be broken. you don’t want to lose it because it is …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 i hunt for my “free papers” so i can navigate my way in this post-racial …