My little black girl is three years old, and I’m probably hyper concerned [1] about images of black womaness and their impact on her emotional and physical growth. For as long as I possibly can, I want some say over the representations that flood her developing psyche. That being said, my husband and I surround… Continue reading Perception is Everything
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An Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of 2016: About David Walker…
At the 2012 A2MEND: African-American Male Education Network and Development conference in Los Angeles, I gave a speech to an audience of about one hundred young black men from California’s community colleges on David Walker as a figure of inspiration and enlightenment. I started by asking those who already knew of Walker to please raise… Continue reading An Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of 2016: About David Walker…
Family Reapers (a short story)
I am here to recollect the stories of one family. A family who must face judgment from Death, the decider of its fate. She has an ink-filled scythe, red eyes, and dwells in her sulfur lair, acting swiftly with no remorse. The members of this family live in dungeons; they are in hellholes that hinder their… Continue reading Family Reapers (a short story)
The Perfect Woman
I want to be the perfect woman. At first glance, this might seem ambitious, but it has been repeatedly proven this is actually quite attainable. I know it, because there is an entire industry made of men who’ve created a career and commissioned quite a bit of money from telling women how to be women.… Continue reading The Perfect Woman
A Conversation with Todd Corley
I used to work for Abercrombie & Fitch back when conditions were far from ideal. I was hired right out of college in early 2002 at an all-comers job fair where my “collegiate” and “quality” (i.e., white and ripped) looks drew instant attention from a recruiter. I was thrown into a busy store with zero… Continue reading A Conversation with Todd Corley
What Would King Do?
The Black Lives Matter movement has exponentially increased America’s protest activity within the last two to three years. The movement, if it needed to be summed up in one sentence, is centered on the lack of accountability regarding state-sponsored police violence inflicted on black citizens. These protests have done an amazing job of bringing awareness… Continue reading What Would King Do?
A Slave’s Christmas Story
Solomon Northup was a free black man from Minerva, New York who married the love of his life on Christmas Day in 1829. Northup was born in July of 1808 to a freed slave, Mintus, and a “woman of color” (reportedly one-quarter African-American, and three-quarters European) whose name is unknown. He was raised on the… Continue reading A Slave’s Christmas Story
Why We Need Spike Lee’s Chi-Raq
It’s not wise to underestimate how movies can shape a young person’s life. Twenty years ago, when I was a teenager, Tales From the Hood played a tremendous role in my growing up. The movie, through an infusion of horror and humor, showed several stories dealing with racism and Black men growing up in urban… Continue reading Why We Need Spike Lee’s Chi-Raq
Special Delivery: The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree
Something out of the ordinary happened on Black Friday. I was actually in a shopping mall, shopping for something I needed. I had every intention of joining my friends at REI in “opting out” of the day after Thanksgiving spending frenzy, but there were a few critical items I needed for my next Joy Trip.… Continue reading Special Delivery: The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree
Gemini Boy (A Fictional Short Story)
Bernard McMain, now known as inmate 999341, spent most of the night grasping for the memory of touch; his mother’s touch, to be exact. She had written him for the last time a month ago. “I don’t wish to burden you with this news, but I’m dying. I’ve known for a while and hoped against… Continue reading Gemini Boy (A Fictional Short Story)