If you are a mom of a black boy, the level of fear and anxiety that you feel regarding your children’s basic safety can be overwhelming. There is a lot of animosity in this country right now. The most discussed topics are race and police brutality. All over social media people are giving input. Some […]
I want white people to imagine what it’s like to feel suspicious for doing mundane things. Like walking. Some days, I don’t want to be black. It is a statement on our culture that some people—black and otherwise—will read that to mean that some days I want to be white. I don’t. It is not the physical black […]
Rachel Jeantel blames herself for letting Trayvon Martin’s murderer go free. But considering how often black women are blamed for many of society’s ills, of course she does. One of the worst things about being a black woman is that too often other people get to tell our stories. And they tell it in such […]
If you don’t like a name, don’t give it to your child. But don’t disparage another parent for choosing a name simply because you don’t understand it. What makes a name “ghetto”? Is it the name itself, the person receiving the name, or is the threshold based on the person giving the name? Take, for […]
Dad, I am forgiving you because I now realize that you could not be there—not because you didn’t want to, but because you didn’t know how to. He’s not dead, but since his presence was consistently minimal, I usually pretended he was. It made days and nights much easier. Instead of asking “Where’s daddy?” I knew […]
Two identities that appeared to be bitter enemies actually fit together quite well. My experience with the Christian faith took off when I joined campus ministries while an undergrad at Rutgers University. Being a member of these groups came with perks: I always found myself surrounded with friends. Bible studies, movie nights, and hangouts were […]
In an era where mainstream media seems to care more about genitalia than access to healthcare, and more about misgendering than respecting identity, it is emotional to witness Laverne Cox on the cover of TIME. Last month, Twitter was abuzz as online communities gathered to vote in TIME Magazine’s “TIME 100” poll. Laverne Cox, transgender […]
She was the heroine of every black girl’s fantasy, the protagonist in tale, and an epic of her own making. She lived life overflowing. The first time I heard the deep intonations of Maya Angelou’s voice was on an advertisement for the United Negro College Fund. In a sweeping montage, her voice rang out, speak-singing […]
Even when you’re black and rich, or black and powerful, you’re always black first. If you didn’t notice, a story about social workers investigating Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, and their family swept through the blogosphere today. Last week, an Instagram photo showing their 13-year-old daughter, Willow, and a shirtless 20-year-old male family friend sitting […]
