Do you ever notice how when you watch movies that you saw for the first time as a kid, you’ll have similar emotional reactions as you did then? For example, I still for the life of me cannot watch the scene where Sassy the cat gets swept down the river…

A Statement on Academic Legitimacy — Most of the inner workings of academia merit scrutiny, and the theory that we stand on to further our political and intellectual agendas is no exception. In her 1988 piece The Race for Theory, Barbara Christian analyzes and critiques the ways that theory is defined and ascribed value in academia…

The untimely transition of The Color Purple’s most audacious character — Sofia Butler** from Alice Walker’s The Color Purple caused me to see an aspect of anti-black racism that I will never be able to shake from my memory. Her story illustrated one of the most unsettling realities of racial and gender violence that I have learned about to date. Though…

It’s not just for marriage anymore — 1) You deserve to If you’re considering a move as big as a name change, it’s for a reason. And outside of nefarious motives, I think that you deserve to. The following is a short list of reasons why I believe you deserve to change your name: 1) You deserve to pursue peace 2)…

A tale of adoptee lore — There was a point in my life when I spent more time watching adoptee reunion footage than I care to admit. I mean, I was hooked. I was equally as fascinated by the adoptee’s response to seeing their biological family for the first time as I was by the biological…

I didn’t always know that I wanted to be a teacher. I was never the kid who forced friends and siblings to sit in front of garage sale chalkboards and endure spelling lessons. In fact, I was much more likely to be found rollerblading around the kitchen island (in preparation…

I didn’t want to watch Philando Castile die but by the time I realized what was happening, I had watched him die.⠀ I just can’t seem to unsee that.⠀ I only read what went down when Atatiana Jefferson was gunned down by Fort Worth police in her home as she…

In Dionne Brand’s Verso 55, the Canadian poet imagines an exchange between the souls of those held captive in the cells of Ghana’s Door of No Return and a group of Black travelers visiting the site. As the visitors enter to pay their respects and offer thanks, the ancestors awaken…

I’m fucked up over the Breonna Taylor case. It has been hard to process because I’ve spent time imagining the horrific violence that she suffered, because of what I’ve learned about the state’s attempts at cover-up and bribery, because of the myriad of justifications for her murder that have been…