what i learned from the royals in our quest to take the crown

i’m kansas city born and raised. i have an unbelievable amount of pride for my home town. i currently live thousands of miles away in seattle but i represent hardcore for my sports teams and my city week after week. tonight, as we lick our wounds and cry our tears of sadness at losing the …

umbrella, i don’t need no stinking umbrella

it’s raining in seattle. i know what you’re thinking. it’s always raining in seattle. wrong. it’s not always raining in seattle. we don’t mind you thinking that though because we don’t actually want you moving here and messing up our hodgepodge of hippie-hipster/geeky-chic/counter-culture/semi-progressive/multi-cultural-inclusive/seattle-freezy vibe. but it’s fall and fall does mean rain. i’m a self-professed vitamin …

did i live up to the expectations of 12-year-old me?

i am a middle child and i live with all the baggage that brings. i’m also the only girl, which adds yet another complicated layer to the core of my identity. did i mention i’m black? yeah, that’s pretty big, too. while i’m at it, i’ll divulge that i’m short, extroverted, christian, single, hard of hearing, and …

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 i hunt for my “free papers” so i can  navigate my way in this post-racial …

we’re all a little bit gonzo on the inside

i’m going to go ahead and say it. lately, i’ve been feeling awkward. not the usual “she dances to the beat of her own drum” awkward but straight up gonzo the great awkward. do you remember gonzo? he was the beautifully weird muppet who fully embraced his awesomeness despite being rejected on a regular basis. …

we were moving mountains long before we thought we could

this past weekend my hiking group, black people hike (bph) hit the tiger mountain west trail for what we thought would be a 5 mile hike round trip. turns out the high point trail (which doesn’t go all the way to the top) is 5 miles. the west trail is actually 4.4 miles one way. …

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, it always hurts. i know all to well how a continued narrative on inhumanity shapes …

i went to italy and all i brought back were these memories

where do i begin? last month (june) i took a two-week vacation with my mom to italy. there are a few things you need to know. first, my mom has wanted to go to italy forever. second, we haven’t taken a vacation together since 2006. third, this was my mom’s first international trip. lastly, we …