“Are you sure, sweetheart, that you want to be well? Just so’s you’re sure, sweetheart, and ready to be healed, cause wholeness is no trifling matter. A lot of weight when you’re well.” Toni Cade Bambara I try to stay out of social media mess. Truly, I do. Social media can be so beautiful, bringing […]
Holy Saturday is an often overlooked part of Holy Week, but it has become one of my favorite Holy Days. The invitation of Holy Saturday to learn how to remain with pain & uncertainty for longer than what is comfortable; to learn how to grieve well. Some of us need this invitation. Some of us […]
Creed III isn’t your average sequel; it feels like a superhero origin story. This was exactly what Director Michael B. Jordan was going for. “I wanted this film to feel like an origin story and a sequel in one,” says Jordan. Creed III marks Jordan’s directorial debut. The movie follows protagonist Adonis Creed as he contends with the […]
The Cost of Attention I go to Twitter before I watch the news. There, I catch a glimpse of what is on the minds of my fellow human beings–what has succeeded in grabbing our collective attention (at least until the next trend). Attention is powerful. It is a valuable and much sought-after commodity. Many of […]
“There was so much diverse black masculinity in the world of our childhood that it would have been impossible for any of us to have a one-dimensional understanding of black life. We knew from experience that some black males were kind and gentle, others cruel and indifferent, that some fathers were present, and some fathers […]
They won’t hunger or thirst; the burning heat and sun won’t strike them, because one who has compassion for them will lead them and will guide them by springs of water. Isaiah 49:10 Everyone should be able to clean their children with water after playtime with friends. Everyone should be able to savor a refreshing […]
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on the author’s Substack. On September 2, 2022, under the bright lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium, Serena Williams lost at the U.S. Open for what is likely the final time. At 40 years old, after only playing in six previous matches the whole year and beating the world No. […]
Days bleed together in a pandemic. We are still in the midst of one—aren’t we? Contrary to popular belief, and a world that seems to have just moved on with COVID, a pandemic grips us. Sickness has struck this globe in a way that will probably impact us for decades. As we come to grips […]
On Friday, September 2, Amazon Studios will dazzle audiences with quite possibly the most ambitious (and verifiably the most expensive) episodic undertaking in all of screen-adapted geekdom. I had the honor of seeing the first two episodes of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power in an advance screening, and let me tell you: […]
As I ease into the cool, black seat of the barber’s chair, I take a deep breath. For just one moment, I close my eyes and allow the tension and anxiety that are weighing so heavily upon my shoulders to ease. I look around the barbershop and smile. Snippets of conversations float to my ear […]
My formative years taught me that emotions were chaotic and wild. I learned that if I wanted to be a man, I needed to have a strong grip on things, to detach if necessary.
Note: This article contains descriptions of Bridgerton that some readers might consider to be minor spoilers and links to articles that contain spoilers.Can Black folks get a moment of peace? Can we exist without always having to address our collective trauma? Since the start of the pandemic, I have found myself implementing every imaginable method […]
Good day everyone. There has been a lengthy break in my writing, but now I am back. I pray that you all are in good health and prospering in the ways that are meaningful to you. I must confess that sitting down to write something on Kevin Samuels, particularly after his death, feels strange. I […]
Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from Truth’s Table: Black Women’s Musings on Life, Love, and Liberation. Preorder your copy today! From the chapter, “DECOLONIZED DISCIPLESHIP” by Ekemini Uwan The irony of all ironies is that I originally wrote this essay, “Decolonized Discipleship,” years ago because an “urban” white evangelical organization reached out and […]
It’s no secret that the past two years have been a time of great loss. The Black community has lost some of our greatest heroes and icons as well as our neighbors. The impact of one heartbreaking story after another can, at times, feels like too much to handle. In times like these, we need […]
Last November, we collectively offered up prayer and fasting for the life of Julius Jones, a Black man wrongfully convicted of murder who was set to be executed. At the eleventh hour, Jones was granted clemency by the Governor of Oklahoma. Jones’ sentence was reduced to life without parole. It is not ideal that Jones’ […]
“When somebody hurts you, they take power over you; if you don’t forgive them, then they keeps the power.” -Cicely Tyson (as Myrtle in Diary of a Mad Black Woman) Age 7 I was walking to class when I heard, “You act so white.” I froze. My heart sank. At seven years old, I felt […]
By now, everyone has heard, and seen, the moment forever enshrined in television history as “The slap heard around the world”. Will Smith’s physical response to Chris Rock’s comedic attack on Jada Pinkett Smith was viewed in real-time by millions and rewatched and remixed countless more times. Presently, a version where Mr. Rock sheds gold […]
As I’ve walked the streets of places like San Juan, Havana, the Bahamas, I have become aware of a Black culture that I reside just outside of. There is a dash or dollop of Africa that you can hear in the music, see in the radiant colors of the people’s skin, and taste in the […]
Here it goes again. I opened my email to read the results of my lease-to-purchase application. I have settled for a lease option at this time because there is an urgent need to move. I share a bedroom with my two daughters, aged six and twelve. Let me tell you: the twelve-year-old drives me crazy […]
