At the age of 22, fresh out of college and starting my career, I think about how many young African-American men didn’t have the opportunities I have had or didn’t make it as far as I have at this point their lives. I know many young men who dropped out of school, couldn’t afford school,… Continue reading Journey to Manhood
Abernathy Man: Carlos Watson
Abernathy Man is a series that spotlights remarkable black men and the work they’re doing. You are one of the few people of color leading a large, mainstream global publication. Where did you get the name Ozy? Carlos Watson: There was a wonderful 200-year-old poem called “Ozymandias.”[1] I often interpreted to mean “think big, but… Continue reading Abernathy Man: Carlos Watson
Riding through Joburg with Lianne La Havas
“Is this Hillsong?” the driver asked. We were 100 meters from my house. There was not enough time for a sermon. In the front seat of the cab, I gathered myself before I answered. “No, it’s not Hillsong at all. At all. It’s Lianne La Havas,” I said, in a measured tone, collecting the overwhelming… Continue reading Riding through Joburg with Lianne La Havas
The Quiet Revolution
The quiet Revolution of being Black in America Where our bodies are always on auction blocks We are bought and sold for fragile egos Where our defiance is listed under justifiable homicide Justice is a word we don’t know and we are told to just go along Even when the police are hell-bent on violating… Continue reading The Quiet Revolution
One Photo, One City
Philadelphia was everything that Boston could never be. After two miserable years of living in Massachusetts and desperately seeking an out, a weekend visit to Philly during the Odunde Festival did me in. The streets were crowded with black people. Their beauty was an overwhelming barrage to the senses. Booths burst with vibrant African prints.… Continue reading One Photo, One City
Sentence—for James Baldwin
The sentence, you said, must be pared to the bare bone. This was years after you left New York for Paris, $40 in your pocket, with ragged duffel bag of few clothing and early novel manuscripts you would lose crossing the Atlantic. You had to leave, you said, after your best friend jumped from the… Continue reading Sentence—for James Baldwin
Maybe She Should Have Just…
I deleted and wrote this essay over at least twice. It was difficult to write because I was still sorting out my emotions. I didn’t want to vent and write an angry piece or feel compelled to have something encouraging to say. I also wanted to make sure this essay had a clear purpose, given… Continue reading Maybe She Should Have Just…
Abernathy Man: Wade Davis
Abernathy Man is a series that spotlights remarkable black men and the work they’re doing. You were among the few professional football players to come out as gay once retiring from the NFL. Tell us about how ideas of masculinity affected your experience as a black gay athlete and how it affects us as a… Continue reading Abernathy Man: Wade Davis
My Mumia
CAST: Me, Mumia Abu-Jamal Supporter, Mumia Abu-Jamal Supporters, Pedestrian, and Dutch Tourists One and Two (“Dutch Tourists”) MLK, Jr. weekend 2014. 11 am on Friday, January 17th. Philadelphia. A sunny winter day at 4th and Market Streets. On the southeast corner, MUMIA ABU-JAMAL SUPPORTERS hold up large signs as drivers and pedestrians pass by. On… Continue reading My Mumia
Transforming Words into Lived Journeys
“Talk is cheap. It is the way we organize and use our lives every day that tells what we believe in.” -César Chávez As I have traveled on my journey, I learned to recognize that life’s crossroads can lead to conflicts that appear irreconcilable. They can feel like insurmountable barriers to be feared or conquered,… Continue reading Transforming Words into Lived Journeys