In my other life, I write books and host a podcast. I am unabashed about centering the point of view and experiences of minority-identified people in both of these endeavors. Readers of my work and listeners of my podcast who do not immediately identify with these cultural references and experiences are forced to do the work to increase their understanding
“African-American voters are voting at just as high a percentage as Americans.” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell made the offhand remark in response to the Senate’s failing to change the filibuster rules to pass legislation to bolster voting rights in the face of state legislatures—like Florida’s—that are creating more rules that create barriers to the ballot. “I’m not American?” That
Dear Governor DeSantis, My daughter has COVID. She’s 7 months. I’m watching her little body battle an invisible bully. She’s riding a fever. Her nose is running. She’s also congested. She can’t nurse, because she can’t breathe. She’s not sleeping well. She pants for air. For breath. To breathe. Freely. Freedom was the overarching theme of your State of the
Today marks the first day of the Florida legislative session. A session where our elected legislators will tackle a myriad of issues supposedly important to Floridians. Though their only obligation is to pass a budget to fund the government, they will no doubt tackle other issues important to the governor, themselves, and their respective parties and political ideologies. This new
Happy New Year! 2021 marked the first time in a long time that I did not set traditional goals for the year. I don’t like resolutions because they seem fickle on their face, but every year prior I used to get absolutely giddy about setting goals, getting a new planner to chart them out, and then watching myself progress through
As the year comes barreling toward an end, I’m keenly aware of how tired I am. I’m spending the holiday out of town with family, and for the last week I’ve been eagerly and anxiously counting down the days until I can board the plane. I’ve even given myself things to look forward to in this countdown like getting my
My son lied to me about wearing his mask. He lied for nearly two weeks straight. I had been sending him to school with a mask every day. He wore it getting out of the car. He wore it getting in the car. Then last week, I forgot to make sure he had his mask, so I messaged his teacher
Today is election day. Albeit it’s a small election, a special election to fill the seat of the late at-large City Councilman Tommy Hazouri, but it’s election day nonetheless. I voted early, last week, at the library. I walked in, pushing my daughter in her stroller to a room full of poll workers who had no one to serve. They
“Verdict watch . . . one guilty but this is stressful.” I fired off that tweet after Travis McMichael was found guilty of all charges for killing Ahmaud Arbery. I watched the judge read the verdict as my gumbo simmered on the stove for Thanksgiving dinner. A spoon in my hand, my daughter on my lap, and my clothes covered
Thursday, most of us will gather together around tables in homes to share Thanksgiving dinner. I have often been struck by the fact that when I gather with my immediate family in Chicago or my extended family in New Orleans, the tables where we break bread are in homes situated in majority Black, if not all Black inner city neighborhoods.