Galveston, Texas, 1863. Slavery had not ended here. Not even close. Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation — begrudgingly. Not because he was morally opposed to slavery (he wasn’t trying to abolish it where…
Category: Blackness
Because I am!
Before It Was Memorial Day
Before the barbecue. Before the beach trips and blowout sales. Before America made it about summer. We made it sacred. May 1, 1865, Charleston, South Carolina. The Civil War had just ended. Freedom had just…
May 19th Belongs to the Fire Starters: Malcolm & Yuri
I’m not here to litigate who killed Malcolm.Not here to debate why the FBI feared him, or how America labeled him a threat while ignoring the threats it posed to him.And I’m not here to…
MOVE
I’m a few days late writing this. May 13, 2025, marked what would have been the 40th anniversary of this horrific event. But I needed time—to learn more, to sit with the weight of it,…
Fire
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I rose this morning smelling like smoke. But last night, I’d been cleansed. It was the fire, you see. Brothers around the flame. Our ancestors—Yoruba, Igbo, Fulani, and many others—shining through our lit faces. Kings.…
Desegregation vs. Integration — Part II
When Desegregation Disguises Itself as Integration Desegregation without real integration wasn’t just a missed opportunity. It was a wound — one that never properly healed. When the focus stayed on access but never touched belonging,…
Desegregation vs. Integration — Part I
Unlocking Doors vs. Building New Homes What is the difference between desegregation and integration? A question asked to a panel at a symposium on local Black history I was fortunate to attend at Northwestern University.The…
Commandments
This is an excerpt from my book BLACK, please leave a comment and share your opinion. I used to watch The Ten Commandments every Easter weekend on ABC. That was just part of the rhythm…
Black Bodies Built the Game
Before we were athletes, we were warriors, healers, scholars, and artists. We came from kingdoms and kinships that celebrated our bodies not for labor but for legacy. Then came the ships. Then came the chains.…
We Don’t Come Into This World Alone
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This weekend reminded me: we don’t come into this world alone, and when we leave it, the journey may be singular—but we are never truly alone. The spirit, the love, and the legacy remain. They…