“A place to spend my quiet nights, time to unwind So much pressure in this life of mine, I cry at times I once contemplated suicide, and woulda tried But when I held that 9, all I could see was my momma’s eyes No one knows my struggle, they only see the trouble Not knowin… Continue reading From Dying to Thriving: One Black Man’s Journey to Wellness
Results for "Hip Hop"
A Letter to my Younger Self
At 19, I drove from Michigan to Alabama to begin my second year of college. I wish my older self could have somehow transported a letter through time and left it on top of my enormous booklet of CDs which sat in the passenger seat. My future self would know to place it there; He’d… Continue reading A Letter to my Younger Self
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
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
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
What Donald Trump Can Learn from Spike Lee
“I pledge that I will be the president for all Americans… Working together, we will begin the urgent task of rebuilding our nation.” —President-elect Donald Trump, November 9, 2016 This fall semester I am teaching a new course called HIST 289: Spike Lee’s America. The course uses Spike Lee’s filmography to engage students in discussion… Continue reading What Donald Trump Can Learn from Spike Lee
Learning to Float
unlearning is a part of the journey. relearning is a part of the blessing. —alex elle Note to Readers: I’ve been praying through journaling this past year. I have a massive document filled with prayers about many things—mainly faith, love, relationships, and purpose—and I want to share a few with you. This is deeply personal… Continue reading Learning to Float
The Fierce Urgency Of Now
America: we need to have a heart-to-heart. I don’t want to sit here and repeat the liberal or conservative talking points; there’s enough blame to go around. Nay, instead, I think we need to talk about some of the core problems that have been hitting the mainstream in recent years. On Partisanship As a country,… Continue reading The Fierce Urgency Of Now
Burrito Justice
“The true measure of our commitment to justice, the character of our society, our commitment to the rule of law, fairness, and equality cannot be measured by how we treat the rich, the powerful, the privileged, and the respected among us. The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored,… Continue reading Burrito Justice
Trump Is Right about America’s “Inner Cities”–but Wrong on Everything Else
Donald Trump’s archaic use of the term “inner cities,” illustrates a couple of important points regarding where reality and urban revitalization meet. America is experiencing a historic tide of re-urbanization, and areas once called “inner city”—such as Harlem, New York City—are now hot property. So what was Donald talking about? He correctly notes the critical… Continue reading Trump Is Right about America’s “Inner Cities”–but Wrong on Everything Else