m.

5. Walk with your keys in your hands and keep a key between each finger

6. If they put you in the trunk kick out the headlights

E.g.

If your gut is telling you to cross the street or change your path, do it. Don’t risk it. Your body knows.

If you can, buy a large umbrella and walk holding it. Studies say that predators are less likely to attempt an attack on someone that could fight back. Keys around your knuckles is fine but you’ll need to get very close to do damage. Umbrellas are more precise.

Avoid wearing headphones if you are alone on an empty street. Look aware.

Again: Stay. Away. From. Walls.

Entering an uber alone? Call your father (or anyone you trust) and say “hey dad! Yep, I’m almost there, I’m sending you the route.” outloud. Then proceed to send them the route so they can follow the uber drive. This will most likely intimidate the predator.

If you see someone in an uncomfortable or possibly dangerous situation, walk up to them and say “Betty, oh my god, I haven’t seen you in so long!”. If she gets slightly confused, you can whisper and let her know you’re trying to help and that she should follow along. Walk together to another station or away from where you are. The man will most likely not follow. I have done this one 2 times and can be very helpful.

If you are unsure she needs help, you can pass her a note saying something like “hey, I noticed this man beside you is making you uncomfortable. If you’d like help, fake a sneeze right now and I will come up to you and pretend we are friends.” This is a long note, but its an example. Be discrete. If she follows along, proceed with the previous tip. This is helpful when you’re in a crowded train and you notice harassment.

In honor of Pride Month obviously, here’s my next list! Please continue to add authors and books to this list! 

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin

Another Country by James Baldwin

Tell Me How Long the Train’s Been Gone by James Baldwin

Invisible Life by E. Lynn Harris

Just as I am (Invisible Life #2) by E. Lynn Harris

I Say a Little Prayer by E. Lynn Harris

Hood Witch by Faylita Hicks

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson

Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett

By Any Means Necessary by Candice Montgomery

A Dream so Dark by LL McKinney

The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus

Build Yourself a Boat by Camonghne Felix

Little and Lion by Brandy Colbert

Skin Deep Magic by Craig Laurance Gidney

The Summer We Got Free by Mia McKenzie

Juniper Leaves by Jaz Joyner

Queer Africa - Selected Stories

The Yellow Brownstone by Lisa K. Stephenson

Freedom in This Village by E. Lynn Harris

Black Like Us: A Century of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual African American Fiction by Devon W. Carbado

In Case You Forgot by Frederick Smith and Chaz Lamar

Mogul by Terrance Dean

Potomac University Series by Rashid Darden

The Secrets of Eden by Brandon Goode

Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann

Growing Up Girl: An Anthology of Voices from Marginalized Spaces by Michelle Sewell

Talking at the Gates: A Life of James Baldwin by James Campbell

Black Lesbian in White America by Anita Cornwell**

If We Have to Take Tomorrow by Frank Leon, White Roberts, and Marvin K.

Brother to Brother: New Writings by Black Gay Men edited by Essex Hemphill

In the Life: A Black Gay Anthology by Joseph Beam

Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde

Real Life by Brandon Taylor

Here for It by R. Eric Thomas

Romance in Marseille by Claude McKay

A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James

Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta

The House You Pass on the Way by Jacqueline Woodson

Black Deutschland by Darryl Pinckney

A Visitation of Spirits by Randall Kenan

Crossfire: A Litany for Survival by Staceyann Chin

The Other Side of Paradise: A Memoir by Staceyann Chin

Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

How We Fight for Our Lives by Saeed Jones

Zami: A New Spelling of My Name by Audre Lorde

Don’t Call Us Dead by Danez Smith

Lives of Great Men by Chike Frankie Edozien

Burnt Men by Oluwasegun Romeo Oriogun**

She Called Me Woman edited by Azeenarh Mohammed, Chitra Nagarajan, and Rafeeat Aliyu

B-Side and Other Misheard Lyrics by L.M. Bennett

For Sizakele by Yvonne “Fly” Onakeme Etaghene

Black Power Barbie Volume 1: Love Lives of Heroes by Shay Youngblood

Loving Her by Ann Allen Shockley

No Telephone to Heaven by Michelle Cliff

Something Better than Home by Leona Beasley

Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn

Yabo by Alexis De Veaux

Fragments that Remain by Steven Corbin

Vanishing Rooms by Melvin Dixon

Blackbird by Larry Duplechan

B-Boy Blues Series by James Earl Hardy

The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez