The circus is a place where we can be amazed by the miraculous ability of the human body, dazzled by acrobatics and pushed to the edge of comfort by the threat of danger. The circus is fun because there we have a chance to come face to face with abnormalities that we don’t get to […]
There are so many influential Black characters that we are unaware of. Today while scrolling through Facebook I came across a quick informative video by Timeline News. Their videos feature Black activists whose stories are never written in the history books, they are our forgotten heroes. Overtime I come across a new name of a […]
These past few weeks of research and writing for February’s Black History Month series has been a deeply rewarding experience as a young Black woman. I’ve learned about the names, voices, and accomplishments that have been hidden from our people for centuries. It’s incredible the depth of knowledge we have waiting for us to explore. […]
This ‘holiday’ we call Valentines day, isn’t much different from those other days we celebrate in Western Culture, a corporate scheme to make some extra money. Something that we celebrate mindlessly, unaware of the meaning behind the day or it’s significance in our lives. How is St. Valentine relevant to me? He’s not, but each […]
Being Black and maintaining professionalism in Western society has always been a sort of catch-22. It’s generally understood that as a Black person achieving a professional look is the equivalent adopting as many white looking characteristics as possible. For Black women this means sacrificing the unique beauty of our naturally kinky textured hair to straightening. […]
In relation to yesterday’s topic, protecting our stories and our lives from white-washing and being written out of history, I want to introduce, Black jazz singer, Esther Jones. If you know of Betty Boop and never heard of Esther Jones, than know that her story is a classic example of how Blacks are written out […]
The Importance of asking “Who’s the director?” This is a always question I ask before consuming any media, especially films or television shows related to Black History. When Hidden Figures was released this past Christmas, the answer to this question is the reason why I have yet to view the film. It’s the reason why […]
The following poem was written as a part of my mentoring position in Pongo Poetry Project’s King County Juvenile Detention Center. Each week in preparation for working with students in juvenile detention, mentors write a poem inspired by a specific theme. The week of January 17th we wrote along the theme of Civil Disobedience, I […]
Now that Obama is officially our former president, his presidency is officially apart of Black history and at this end of the first week of February I want to take a moment to reflect. During the near end of his presidency I wrote a letter addressing the way he’s served the Black community by progressing […]
Black hair is big business, Madam C.J. Walker’s realization of this to cater to the black communities’ hair care needs made her America’s first female self-made millionaire. Walker is one of my favorite entrepreneurs because she specialized in the field of Black hair care. During the time that she was growing her business, Walker saw […]