Dec 14, 2022Member-onlyAn Open Letter to My CommunityThe challenge I’m accepting for 2023 Once upon a time, I worked for a fairly large media company (which shall remain nameless) that probably should’ve shut down operations long before I ever darkened the door. I don’t say that because the quality of their work stank or because the work…7 min read7 min read
Feb 7, 2022How Black Revolutionaries Revived Love & Romance for MeIn a world built and sustained on cruelty, love is the only possible intervention. I was sitting at the piano of one of the most successful pop songwriters in history, feeling so embarrassed I wished could just evaporate. He’d invited me to their posh summer apartment on the Upper West…Love11 min readLove11 min read
Jan 18, 2022Dr. King Tried to Warn Us About American Fascism. Will We Listen Before It’s Too Late?In his final book, Where Do We Go From Here?: Chaos or Community (1967), Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. issues a sobering appraisal of American politics that could’ve been written just after the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. King employs an entire chapter to describe “a new wave of…Black Lives Mater5 min readBlack Lives Mater5 min read
Dec 28, 2021Why I Think I’m Done Making Hard to Swallow Pills About RacismA friend once told me that “sarcasm is always anger — always.” I don’t know that I agree about the doubly-emphasized always or that, even if its true, that anger is always a bad thing. But I will confess, three years ago, I started a project out of anger that…7 min read7 min read
Nov 26, 2021Member-onlyWhat the Rittenhouse & McMichaels Cases Are Really AboutThe criminal legal system is literally playing with our emotions. As far as awaiting the verdict in lynching trials go, this week has been a roller coaster. Many Americans appear somewhat relieved that the three white men who hunted and killed Ahmaud Arbery last summer were found guilty of murder…BlackLivesMatter5 min readBlackLivesMatter5 min read
Nov 22, 2021Member-onlyWhy Protest Is the Answer to Racial GaslightingStrategic nonviolent resistance is a powerful way to hold up for truth. T-minus 2,856 hours (17 weeks): To countdown to the release of my book, All the White Friends I Couldn’t Keep, I’m curating weekly conversations on the book’s themes. This week’s theme is confronting racial gaslighting. It’d be…Racism3 min readRacism3 min read
Nov 14, 2021Member-onlyWhy Anti-Racism Is Important for Black People TooThe revolution begins with breaking free from the oppressor’s common sense. T-minus 3,024 hours (18 weeks): To countdown to the release of my book, All the White Friends I Couldn’t Keep, I’m curating weekly conversations on the book’s themes. This week’s theme is political awakening. It’s the summer of…BlackLivesMatter5 min readBlackLivesMatter5 min read
Nov 6, 2021Member-onlyHow I Stopped Speaking to Persuade White PeopleOur stories may not always inspire empathy, but they can still empower. One of the deepest needs people have is to be believed. We have stories to tell, and we want to be heard. I think this is especially true when we’ve been harmed. But oftentimes, in our world…Racism2 min readRacism2 min read
Jan 11, 2021Member-onlyWhy America Must (Eventually) Defund the Police or DieWithout an intervention, the institution created to limit democracy for some is a threat to democracy at large. A jolt from the gut startles him awake; he is gasping for air. …Black Lives Mater7 min readBlack Lives Mater7 min read
Jun 9, 2020Member-onlyDear Corporations, Don’t Tell Us ‘Black Lives Matter.’ Show Us.It’s time to add systemic change to your symbolic actions. It seems no one wants to be caught dead without a protest selfie amidst this global wave of antiracist protests. …Black Live Matter3 min readBlack Live Matter3 min read
