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

The Making Of Blue Collar Hustle — Part 1: Views From Stone Mountain

“One for the money, yes sir, two for the show A couple of years ago on Headland and Delowe Was the start of something good Where me and my nigga rode the Marta, through the hood Just tryna find that hook up, now everyday we looked up at the ceiling Watching ceiling fans go ’round,… Continue reading The Making Of Blue Collar Hustle — Part 1: Views From Stone Mountain

2016: A Year in Review

We recently published our 300th article, which feels surreal. There are far too many articles and contributors to highlight from the past twelve months, so I’ll simply direct you towards the archive. There’s a lot of great content we haven’t yet published as well. Interviews with leaders in tech and media, contributor profiles, tech spotlights,… Continue reading 2016: A Year in Review

Healing Through Poetry

Anyone can be a poet. Yes, you read that correctly. ANYONE can be a poet. In fact, poetry is something we were all born with. From the womb, our bodies were being created by poetry. Not with words but with sounds, vibrations, light—and lack thereof—binding energy, love, pain… everything that is needed for a great… Continue reading Healing Through Poetry

What I Learned Teaching Black Men at the Cook County Jail in Chicago

I teach a class called “Black Male Leadership” in Division 6 at the Cook County Jail in Chicago. With over 9,000 inmates, Cook County Jail is the largest jail in the United States. It’s located in the center of Chicago, a city that holds the unimpressive distinction of having the nation’s highest murder rate—with over… Continue reading What I Learned Teaching Black Men at the Cook County Jail in Chicago

Stilling the Waters: How Quitting Social Media Saved My Life

I still remember creating my Facebook account during my sophomore year of college. It was a timely and convenient way to make new friends and keep up with an increasingly distributed social circle. In the intervening years, Twitter became an indispensable way of keeping up with global news and trends, and Instagram served as a… Continue reading Stilling the Waters: How Quitting Social Media Saved My Life

4 Your Soul Conceptually: J.Cole’s Thesis On Millennial Black Consciousness

“And I looked into your eyes and knew that you were a queen. Black skin, black hair, the blackest of beauty I had ever seen. Your cries were as melody and the music pierced to the very core of my soul. Simply the thought of parting with this warm bundle of preciousness left the fringes… Continue reading 4 Your Soul Conceptually: J.Cole’s Thesis On Millennial Black Consciousness

Geniuses Need Love Too: Childish Gambino Album Review

“The potential of Black Genius lies within the interest, and inevitably the talents, we all have within us. The potential and capacity to achieve Black Genius grows when that interest is cultivated into skill. Black Genius is realized and achieved in those spectacular moments when we collectively utilize our talent and skill to disrupt and… Continue reading Geniuses Need Love Too: Childish Gambino Album Review

I Will Not Be Silenced

Earlier this week, I shared photos created by a student artist with the demeaning words of PEOTUS painted on women’s bodies. The photos had been shared widely via BuzzFeed and Huffington Post articles. I posted the photos on Facebook and learned that sharing photos of a woman’s body (including an image showing her nipple) did… Continue reading I Will Not Be Silenced

The Professional Politics of Natural Hair

Picture day at work can be an exciting time. Not only are you becoming an official part of the team and brand, it’s also another excuse to buy new clothes. The most exciting part, for me at least, is the chance to update my Linkedin profile. Unfortunately, picture day can also invoke a lot of… Continue reading The Professional Politics of Natural Hair