what if right now was not treated like some far gone conclusion? like some sort of abstract myth we pull from the sky to find faith in? what if this moment was all that we had to savor in? to swim with? a steady shore of yes and sure, close to vest, pushing away the drowning we…

my favorite version of self is the version that doesn’t require applause, approval or attention to begin anew, to journey and grow. that version lives in you too — the…

The emcee may need to be in all of our Top 5 DOA’s after that Verzus masterclass — I started on Twitter. That’s where all news starts for me. Weeks prior, I had been following the back and forth on Instagram though — Styles P, aka the Ghost and more conscious member of the prolific rap group The Lox, and Jim Jones, once Cam’ron hype man and mouthpiece…

And ashy. And uninformed. —

How we talk about sex has largely been shaped by whiteness — it’s time to change that. — The word autonomy has become a part of the lexicon in my household. My daughters may not fully understand the definition, but it’s become part of our regular communication. It’s a reminder that they have a say in what gets to happen with their bodies. I want them to understand…

For too long, women have been forced to remain quiet about the abuse they’ve suffered at the hands of men who were meant to protect them — TRIGGER WARNING: Toward the end of Allen v. Farrow, the HBO docuseries detailing Dylan Farrow’s harrowing account of abuse, I felt a large lump in my throat. It had been there from the beginning of the series, but something about Mia Farrow’s adopted daughter, now an adult, sharing her story…

Our art gets to inspire — and be inspired by — cultural and political shifts — I was on my second to last glass of whiskey. The hum of the ceiling fan gently cooed in my ears. I rocked you to sleep, slowly and silently, while Daniel Kaluuya, as Fred Hampton, finished the speech of a lifetime. …

The energy can’t be duplicated — New Jack City makes me feel nostalgic. My partner and I watch — and, at times, laugh — while Wesley Snipes delivers his tragic, Shakespearean performance. While we watch, I am talking about Christopher Williams’ acting debut and singing “I’m Dreamin’” louder than our Bed-Stuy apartment’s walls can take. I’m…

Black girls deserve to live in the beauty of their Blackness — Before I hand my infant daughter to her mother for feeding and soothing, I talk to her in rhymes and spellbound lyrics from Jay-Z songs and Old Dirty Bastard ad-libs. I finish tickling her small tummy, the tummy that can fit under the whole of my palm. …