Endnotes to Jay-Z’s 4:44 : Mental Health Awareness

“It’s like my therapy, making music……When language has reached its limit, disease sets in.” – Jay-Z On June 30, 2017, Jay-Z (Shawn Carter) released his 13th studio album 4:44, arguably the most personal and socially conscious album of his career. Subscribers to his online streaming service, Tidal, are privy to music videos for the songs… Continue reading Endnotes to Jay-Z’s 4:44 : Mental Health Awareness

Emotional Intelligence of the Black Male

As we enter the year of 2017, many Black people are wondering what will happen once President Obama leaves office. Many have displayed ideas of fear, confusion, frustration, and hopelessness. For Black people, this is understandable; We have been dealing with a significant amount of stress and confusion for many years. Recently however, more overt… Continue reading Emotional Intelligence of the Black Male

Therapy is Working for Me

Looking back, the circumstances surrounding my mother’s death happened in two phases: the six months of hospitalization before her passing and the subsequent four months without her. PHASE ONE The first phase was a dizzying whirlwind of misfortune. I watched her suffer in ways that still seem surreal. She entered the hospital on Mother’s Day… Continue reading Therapy is Working for Me

How An Ultralight Beam Helped My Dark Depression

I first heard “Ultralight Beam” when Kanye West and company performed it on Saturday Night Live. The-Dream opens with “I’m tryna keep my faith and Kanye continues with Deliver us serenity. Deliver us peace. Deliver us love. Lord knows we need it.” Think about how tragic it is that Kanye West, one of the biggest… Continue reading How An Ultralight Beam Helped My Dark Depression

Therapy Changed Everything

Deciding to go into therapy is a choice that often comes as a last resort. For black men, we avoid it until it becomes a self-imposed ultimatum. In my case, it was a desire. I wanted to talk to someone who held no judgement of my past. I wanted to confide in someone who held… Continue reading Therapy Changed Everything

Why I Stopped Identifying with the Struggle

On “Real,” from his debut album Food and Liquor, Lupe Fiasco rapped, “struggle…is just another sign that God loves you/cuz on the low, being po’ also teach you how to hustle.” Those lyrics became a mantra, a personal ideal to live by as the struggle had been something I’ve had to deal with my entire… Continue reading Why I Stopped Identifying with the Struggle

Rachel Dolezal and Defining Blackness

JEROME A. POLLOS/Press Rachel Dolezal, director of education & curator of the Human Rights Education Institute, discusses the offering of Human Rights Education Institute flags Monday in response to flags flown by local hate groups.

Outside of adoptions, “transracial” isn’t a thing, and race is not a social construct. Let me explain… By now, we’ve all heard of Rachel Dolezal. Yes, she is president of her local NAACP branch. Yes, she was recently outed by her white parents. Yes, she has been deceptive about her racial heritage. But transraciality doesn’t… Continue reading Rachel Dolezal and Defining Blackness

The Pain of Awareness

Over the last few weeks, I’ve spent a great deal of time and words capturing what has been going on around Baltimore. Whether it’s a discussion on the politics surrounding the death of Freddie Gray, the race of the officers, the comments made by the mayor or the shot of hope provided by the state… Continue reading The Pain of Awareness