The Listening

Vulnerability post: Wednesday #4 (a day late).... #vulnerabletogether #wegrowweheal there is this negotiation some of us do with our voice, our insights, and our understandings. It is a constant valuation based on time, circumstances, space, aim, moment, etc. We run an analysis of a variety of variables and then decide on how we want to …

Expected

I remember one time in elementary school. I didn’t get something signed by my mom and instead of admitting that I excused myself to the bathroom and attempted a horrible rendition of her signature. I got caught. In school suspension. Nothing major. Happens to a lot of kids. What stood out was the reaction of …

That damn doubt

Self doubt is some sh*t. That antagonizing feeling that you aren’t enough, aren’t the right one, aren’t fit, aren’t able….just aren’t. It is numbing at times. Shattering at others. It can have you looking around like, “does anyone else realize I am not the person for this?” Imposter syndrome is when you have a feeling …

Distance

I have learned to create safe distance in relationships. It allows me to watch (important when you grow up an observer) for patterns, shifts, concerns, habits… It allows me to dissect and interrogate nuance. It allows me to run. It also allows me to show up, be present. Because I am not too far to …

What If?

What if Qtip never lost his wallet in El Segundo? What if G Dep only made a regular delivery? What if Black Sheep decided to make the choice for you? What if men actually cared about the definition of coercion without being scared of what we would have to reconcile with ourselves? What if 50 …

Allies

One of the things that we have to be prepared for is that in this moment there are folks who consider themselves to be at various points left of center in their politics who are showing their lack of in-depth understanding (or feigned ignorance) of the nuance of POC existence in this country. Many of …

Pengatory

I remember looking into the eyes of the woman I was prepared to give my heart to as she explained to me how I might not be the one for her. I was searching for something there to give me hope that this wasn't going to be the end. All I found was a perception …

Theatre of the Mind

"There's a war going on outside, no man is safe from..." Prodigy of Mobb Deep There is so much being done at various fronts in terms of Higher Ed and I think this quote summarizes why it's such an intense playing field for multiple entities. It's also why movements to "transform the academy" have been …

The problem with Spike: A Modern Greek Tragedy

I went to Chiraq with the other fellows from the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard University. We were invited to see the movie by Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. (also known as "Skip"). I had been following some of the responses to the idea of the project when it was …

I Sang Her Away…

So I was dating this woman that I met while doing work for this non-profit theatre company in Raleigh. It was the time when I learned that not knowing what working in development for a non-profit meant makes it hard to be in charge of development for a non-profit. As I toiled away trying to …