When I saw The Met, I remember just looking at it for a couple of minutes. Staring at its elegance, opulence, and beauty, I was at awe.
Dreaming of More
Category: Race
The sharing of Brown death
I am seeing on Facebook and other social media platforms the sharing of the migrant father and daughter, laying in a pool of water reportedly dead. This photo getting a lot of attention, and whenever I see something like this, I have to ask myself, “Why are we sharing dead bodies of Black and Brown folks? I wrote a piece called “Stop Sharing Black Pain” in which I talked about the repeated trauma and mental terror that Black people receive when videos of Black men and women being killed by…
Nutrition initiatives, educators aim to make food deserts history
Eating the proper foods, drinking plenty of water, and taking the correct vitamins are incredibly important to survival. These take on greater importance when children are involved. Having access to healthy foods is a very important component to developing minds and bodies. Grocery stores that sell vegetables and fruits are necessary to aid kids and teenagers as they grow up
Dr. Vibe Interview – Black Boys and Sexual Assault
Here is my appearance on Dr. Vibe’s show talking about my piece for Media Diversity “The Minimizing of Sexual Assault of Black Boys.” Please listen.
Why I Don’t Code Switch
Some black folks would say, “Leave that ghetto shit at home. Talk like you got some sense!” I wanted to go far, get a nice job, and make money, so I would switch it on and off when I needed to. I felt like I was doing what I needed to do in order to become accepted in the world.
No, I Don’t Accept Your Apology
When I was younger, I would do and say things out of anger. I’d get mad and yell. I would regret the things I said and after some time, I would apologize. My Mother would accept my apology, but as I continued to do those things, she would get tired of my routine. One day after throwing a tantrum and apologizing after, she said, “You know, you keep saying you are sorry, and at some point it doesn’t mean anything.” I thought about that. I wanted my word and actions…
Poking the bear: Khabib, Conor, and The Act of Restraint
On Satuday, October 6, 2018, I like many people had their eyes and ears on UFC 229, and it’s main event, Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor. I had attended my partner’s high-school reunion and was unable to watch the fight, but I had my face glued to my phone, constantly viewing Twitter for updates. MMA, or mixed martial arts, has (very) slowly moved from a fringe sport once described as “human cock fighting” by recently passed Arizona Senator John McCain, to an extremely popular event that garners millions in attendees…
Reject the Emmett Till/Brett Kavanaugh Comparison
Apparently, there is a meme going around showing Emmett Till’s body saying “Women do lie about rape” to defend Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Okay, there is a lot wrong with this and it s triggering for me. As a Black man, one of the many things I have to worry about is false rape accusations. These things happen, especially when we are involved with white women. People’s lives have been ruined, taken, and entire towns have been destroyed because a white woman accused a Black man of rape….
Allyship is a verb
Black folks are tired. I mean worn out, depleted, and exhausted. The marathon of life and the hate we experience has got us debilitated. Drained of power and desire to talk with white folks about what it means to be Black, our struggle, and attempting to justify why we should not be terrorized. We are out of ways to tell white America why we are deserving of respect and peace. Black people cannot describe our lives enough. We have said everything and done everything. It is over. This is the…
#Permitpatty and #BBQBecky: 911 is a joke
There are not too many Black people walking among us today that can tell you they have avoided contact with the police. It is an almost inevitable collision. You can be walking down the street, driving a car, entering your own home, or performing everyday life tasks, and eventually you will interact with the cops. This is something Black parents try and prepare their children when they give The Talk, a conversation our Mothers and Fathers have with us about how to act when confronted by the police and how…