Hey folks, I had hoped to begin 2025 with a message of kindness and optimism, a fresh start for a new year. But as the headlines poured in—the truck attack in New Orleans, the cybertruck explosion outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas, and the shooting outside a club in Queens—it became clear that relief would not come easily. And then Ohio added its own bullshit with the passage of H.B. 315.
Read MoreYesterday, the world lost a powerful voice, the legendary poet Nikki Giovanni. For me, her passing brings to mind how profoundly her work shaped not only my understanding of poetry but, more significantly, my sister Janine’s life and work. Janine, a poet in her own right, first introduced me to Giovanni’s words. Through her, I saw how Giovanni’s poetry uplifted and provoked, celebrated joy, and confronted injustice—always with grace, compassion, and unwavering truth.
Read MoreWhen I think about what “legacy” means, I think about what we owe to those who came before us. “Legacy” is both a gift and a responsibility. It’s the history of humanity distilled into a few words. When I think about “legacy”, I think of us as river stones, carving out the path through which the water flows. I think of us, most often, as part of a community.
Read MoreOur understanding of the world and language are interconnected: language shapes the world we see, and the world shapes the language we use. It is not surprising, therefore, that for centuries, Blackness has been entangled with negativity—not by accident, but by deliberate and nefarious design. The linguistic programming has reinforced systemic racism, stigmatized Black people, and shaped perceptions both within and outside the Black community
Read MoreI do not grieve Kamala Harris’ presidential loss, but I hold sadness for another Trump presidency. The current political atmosphere is a troubling blend of uncertainties and certainties. The impact of the infamous Project 2025 and the callousness reminiscent of his first presidential term are a given; however, how the breadth of this white supremacist programming will be carried out over the next four years—and on—remains unclear.
Read More365 days and counting. A year of witnessing what began as shocking, disgusting, and dismaying, but seemingly turned into a daily increase in savagery that most of us have never seen before. Captured on our phone screens, the unbearable truth of this manufactured “conflict” has unfolded. It’s become apparent that the masses and our gullibility have been long used to embolden the most evil individuals and acts in this world. Despite the public outrage and out-pour for an end to the massacre Israel is committing in Gaza, the West Bank, and now Syria and Lebanon, the Western “leaders” continue to align themselves with Netanyahu and his Zionist ideology.
Read MoreOne of the harshest winters on record for a leap year was underway. On February 29, 1692, in Massachusetts, three outcasts were accused of witchcraft: Sarah Good, a poor pregnant woman; Sarah Osborne, a woman estranged from the church and mother to a daughter who would testify against her; and Tituba, a slave known only by her first name.
Read MoreProject 2025, advanced by the Heritage Foundation, is a proposed rubric for the “hopeful” incoming Republican President; essentially Trump. This so-called extreme right-winged manuscript outlines four pillars: policy, personnel, training, and playbook. These pillars will help the President not only in his transition into office but also serve as a guidebook to “take down the Deep State and return the government to the people.” And with “courtesy,” Project 2025 identifies on their website these issues being the primary focus of the next Republican President:
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