Category: Black Family

Explaining Baltimore to My Six-Year-Old Son

Editor’s Note: With the latest sickening domestic atrocities spinning incessantly in the 24-hour media cycle, the Baltimore protests almost seem like ancient history. Almost. At the time, we received an essay from a black father and husband about the challenges of discussing the protests―and the racial state of affairs in America―with his two small children.… Continue reading Explaining Baltimore to My Six-Year-Old Son

Foundational Love

Back in the days of cassette tapes, my love for underground and varied hip hop sounds crossed paths with a song titled “The Foundation” by one of my favorite artists of the time: Xzibit. The word foundation has two primary definitions: the first being the lowest load bearing part of a structure; the second, an underlying… Continue reading Foundational Love

Bino and Fino Love the Kids

Ibrahim Waziri is the head of business development for Nigeria-produced educational children’s cartoon Bino and Fino. I recently caught up with him to talk about representation of black kids on television, the show’s fandom, and how the program came to fruition. Bani Amor: What’s the story behind Bino and Fino? How did the show come about? Ibrahim… Continue reading Bino and Fino Love the Kids

Sundays With My Grandmother

I woke up on Sunday morning in my grandmother’s apartment, smelling the steam that came from my ironed dress pants that hung on the wall. I could hear the loud voice of Pastor Joel Osteen on the television preaching about forgiveness and the goodness of God. “By the glorious grace of God” or “Turn to… Continue reading Sundays With My Grandmother