My Mother and Me

One of the best parts of my adult life is the camaraderie I’ve developed with my mother. It’s a fruitful and engaging friendship filled with jokes, laughs, and playful pokes by the two of us. If a couple of weeks go by without us speaking, my phone will ring and “Mommy” will flash. The minute… Continue reading My Mother and Me

Uncle Shadow and the Crescent City

Welmon's Cane (New Orleans, 2015)

There is something mesmerizing, yet indescribable about New Orleans. For as many times as I have been, I still don’t understand it. Yet, it’s one of the American cities I enjoy most. Whether it’s folks calling me “baby” or the ever-present Bounce remix thumping from sound systems worth more than the vehicles they’re in, ain’t nothing like… Continue reading Uncle Shadow and the Crescent City

A Loving Letter to Black Men Who Mean Well

We try and fail. And we’ve been conditioned to look for black women to help us get up. After all, they always have. But if what we have tried and failed at doing is addressing our own sexism, we must resist this conditioned response. Part of rooting out the patriarchy within ourselves is withholding expectation… Continue reading A Loving Letter to Black Men Who Mean Well

Closing the Adventure Gap

As fall sets in across North America, I have noticed something most profound. After more than 20 years as a professional in the outdoor recreation industry, I’ve begun to see more people of color than ever before venturing out into the natural world. This is, of course, an anecdotal observation not based on numbers. But the… Continue reading Closing the Adventure Gap

Abernathy Man: Wayne Sutton

Abernathy Man is a series that spotlights remarkable black men and the work they’re doing. The tech industry has a problem with diversity. In the summer of 2015, Facebook released demographic statistics about its workforce: “…nearly 70% of its employees are men; 57% are white; Hispanics represent just 4%. Black employees comprised just 2% of their workforce.” Industry blog… Continue reading Abernathy Man: Wayne Sutton

And Then There Were Three

Garfield asked me to write a letter of recommendation recently, and here’s what I said: It’s not uncommon for me to agree to write a letter of recommendation, but rarely is it such an honor and a pleasure to do so. I’ve known Garfield for ten years, which gives me a sound perspective to evaluate… Continue reading And Then There Were Three

Spinach

This being her second visit to the grocery store, with its blinding fluorescent light and constant A/C, she came prepared. The wool sweater, a gift from her best friend back in Nairobi, smells of incense and coal, the scent of safe secrets, closeness, and familiarity. Its fabric caresses her chin as she exhales a memory… Continue reading Spinach

Love and Affliction

It took me a long time to figure out that my love wasn’t potent enough to be an antidote to that disease. In fact, even if the cure for that disease could have been detected within my love, the years spent responding to misdiagnosed symptoms proved to be fatal. The time spent improperly responding to… Continue reading Love and Affliction

The Revolution Will Go Viral

On the morning of April 12, 2015, Freddie Gray was walking in his Gilmor Homes neighborhood when his eyes met briefly with those of a white police officer’s. He ran. Since Gray was black, and Gilmor Homes is a housing project located within the city of Baltimore, the cop took this as probable cause to… Continue reading The Revolution Will Go Viral