my Blackness does not wash off at night

It’s a great day in South Carolina… or is it?

If you live on the planet earth in the Western Hemisphere on the North American continent and are a living, breathing, reasonably conscious, and own a TV or computer, it is likely that you know that the confederate flag has come down off the statehouse grounds in South Carolina. A few years ago Governor Haley implemented a policy whereby all state agencies must answer their phones by saying “it’s…

Fireflies: because swimming isn’t the only thing that can be synchronized

I know, I know, it’s not very punny. But his year I got to visit the fireflies twice! (These photos are from the first trip. I’m very lucky to have friends who follow me up on my shenanigans!) While I don’t have any photos of the fireflies themselves, Brooke and I had a little fun along the trail.

https://videopress.com/embed/YVKwRUtx?hd=0&autoPlay=0&permalink=0&loop=0

This is the kind of thing…

Time to leave, not yet ready to go–A bucket list

Columbia is and will always be home. The people. The sights. The sounds. The community that’s been behind me every step of the way. There are so many incredible things about home that I know cannot be emulated or duplicated anywhere. And yet, my time here is coming to a close. In April I finally decided on a law school. I’ll be attending Tulane in the fall! But before I go, there are a couple…

I see you: International Women’s Day 2018

I spend a lot of time talking about the women in my life in an every day basis who are doing incredible, powerful things. I’ve been fortunate to learn from some of the amazing difference makers, story tellers, lamp-bearers, and activists. But one of the women who has made the biggest difference in my activism journey is Linda Sarsour. She changed my whole outlook on the work we do day in and day…

The store was unusually dark, but it was just lit enough for me to see rows and rows of beautiful dresses. I was just weeks away from turning 16. I had a cake, a venue, invitations, everything I needed but a dress. My mother (who swears I was the birthday version of a Bridezilla) and I were going from store to store looking for the perfect dress. At 15 I was overweight, sure, but certainly not…

A few weeks ago I wrote that I didn’t want to be invited to anymore vigils. That I was tired of them. That I wanted action. Fast forward to 45’s announcement that he wanted to do away with DACA. I thought about all the people in my life who might end up hundreds or thousands of miles away. I thought about their stories and remembered why this legislation was so important. It’s honestly quite…

Don't invite me to your vigil: When we were mourning the death of Trayvon Martin it was app...

Don’t invite me to your vigil. When we were mourning the death of Trayvon Martin it was appropriate. By the time we got to Michael Brown’s death, I was over vigils without action behind them. Now I think they’re a waste of time. It’s not a waste to mourn the death of those we love. It’s not a waste to remember the lives of people who were the victims of senseless crimes. It’s necessary to grieve…

For Tanya and John: I went to a KKK rally and was inspired.

When I found Tanya she was crying. Not more than a minute before I found her, a fight broke out less than 10 feet in front of me. Like many of the others, I ran. Police with guns as big as I am were quick to diffuse the first real fight that broke out at the rally. The KKK had just begun to arrive and already, I knew this would be trouble. Before you close your browser, this is not about the KKK,…

1. I have never met a more driven, committed, successful, and loving group of women than my Sorors of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.  2-13: I love these women and wouldn’t trade them for the world. These photos are proof.  Ooooooooooo-oop to my Sorors. Celebrating 104 years of service and looking forward to many more. 

2017–Words to live by for the new year.

give more than you take.live out loud and unafraid.dream by night.create by day. self-love is the key to happiness. happiness is the key to joy. joy is the secret to survival. emotions are never invalid.you have the right to be exactly who you are. Apologize when it’s the right thing to do–not when it’s what you were taught to do. To free yourself, be yourself. It doesn’t matter if we we’re ready…

I was raised respectably

I wrote this for a class assignment and shared it with my folks. It was well-reciveved, so I am sharing it here with you all! “We would never allow Negroes to starve, to grow bitter, and to die in ghettos all over the country if we were not driven by some nameless fear that has nothing to do with Negroes. We would never victimize, as we do children whose only crime is color, and keep them, as we…

An ‘I Love You’ Wrapped in Fear

Church was ending. The benediction had been given, the closing song was sung and people were beginning to gather. I was doling out the requisite hugs and pleasantries when he came running to me. The moment was all too familiar. But something about that day was different. There was a seriousness to him that hadn’t been there ever before. He looked up at me and the first words he said were ‘I love…

Rules for Interacting with White People: A Manual

When white men fake their slave owner voices, try not to grimace. It makes them wonder why you’re offended and you end up on trial for their ignorance. Keep water near you at all times. This helps when you need to fake a coughing fit to hide your true reaction to the inevitable “all lives matter, blue lives matter, everything but black lives matter” commentary that is sure to come when dealing…

In all the excitement over Hillary Clinton, we let it go unnoticed that someone else made history.

Freddie Gray just became the first person to commit his own homicide. Now, I know you’re thinking, “when people kill themselves it’s suicide.” Well, you’re right. But Freddie Gray didn’t kill himself. He died at the hands of police. And today, after several failed attempts to convict officers, Prosecutors in Baltimore dropped all remaining charges. So no one killed him…even though his death was ruled a homicide. The system didn’t fail. It protected those for whom it was created. The system isn’t broken, it operated exactly how it was designed to.  That’s what we say every time something like this happens, but today that isn’t good enough for me.

I recently listened to a panel of people who work across the judicial system. And what I heard was frightening. What I kept hearing was how much of a responsibility civilians have to do the right things and act the right way. But what is that? I absolutely owe police officers respect as representatives of the state. But for that to make sense, they owe me the same level of respect as a PERSON. Not a suspect, not a criminal, a person. They have no more of a right to go home at night than I do. Than Eric Brown did. Than Sandra Bland or Rekia Boyd. The problem is that increasingly, we hear from police about their fears. This is all fine and good, except that 2015 was one of the safest years for cops. EVER. So while police are supposed to be protecting us, they’re busy fearing for their lives. As they should… to an extent. Being a police officer is a difficult job. It is not for the faint of heart and I am grateful for the work the good officers do. But the other half of that statement is that like any job, you were not forced into it. You chose a high risk job, hopefully, because you wanted to help people. But what doesn’t help people is choosing fear over freedom. What helps us in understanding. Civilians don’t take an oath to serve and protect, cops do.  It’s time to re-examine those promises and figure out if police policies reflect their sworn duties. We need to ask ourselves if their sworn duties represent our society’s needs. I think the answer to that question is no, at least in spirit. And that is why Freddie Gray is dead. No one protected him and now no one takes responsibility for his death. Our justice system didn’t work for him and now he and countless others have paid the ultimate price. It’s past time we build a system that protects ALL of us. We need to acknowledge that America repeatedly fails Black people. Perhaps if we let our pride die, more people won’t have to.