"Poverty is not an accident. Like slavery and apartheid, it is man-made and can be removed by the actions of human beings."-Nelson Mandela 2020 has been nothing short of surprises that have been coming from left field. Probably one of the biggest surprises that hit this year was COVID-19. Sometimes I really have to stop…
"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced."-James Baldwin As I spent some time researching current news on black mental health, I began to realize how many factors are compounding during this time and thus affecting the mental health of black folks. With us seeing how…
“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive.”-James Baldwin THE TIME HAS…
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence. It is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare," Audre Lorde wrote in A Burst of Light" and Other Essays. Was Audre Lorde not preaching when she declared and captured the very essence of self-care?????? This post was necessary considering how difficult of a year 2020 has…
"looking forward": there is a stirring in my soul; a restless, wild anticipation. i am staring out into the horizon, looking as far as i can. i can't see what's beyond it--but i can feel it. -lang leav Hey y'all! We've made it to July! What a year so far. Things have been changing almost…
On February 23, 2020 young Black man Ahmaud Arbery was hunted and killed by two armed White men in a pickup truck. Such a modern day lynching triggered the hearts of our community as video footage of Ahmaud’s tragic death surfaced the internet about two months later.
It is an understatement that it has been some time since me and Destany last wrote. We were right in the middle of a great series too that we hope to bring back more discussion about. Anyways, we figured the most appropriate way in reflecting on all that has happened since you last heard from us was by addressing our own roses and thorns.
This post is much more spontaneous compared to the other posts me and Destany do together. Usually, we spend hours on the phone consulting each other on different topics. However, the past few months have left us unable to chat as much, seeing that we have both been busy with school. Destany is almost done…
“Sometimes the hardest part of the journey is believing you’re worth the trip” -Glenn Beck Hey y’all! I’m 22!! Wooo! This year I decided I wanted to go champagne tasting in Sonoma with the ladies, even though I actually don’t like alcohol. Why would I want to go champagne tasting then? Well, I knew that…
hot girl summer : a season of being unapologetic in your glow , securing your own bags , being in your bag , embracing the body you have , laughing more , living more , and doing the dam thing while feeling dam good 💁🏽♀️💁🏽♀️💁🏽♀️💁🏽♀️💁🏽♀️💁🏽♀️💁🏽♀️💁🏽♀️💁🏽♀️💁🏽♀️💁🏽♀️💁🏽♀️💁🏽♀️— 𝕘𝕒𝕪 𝕤𝕥𝕦𝕗𝕗 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕤𝕒𝕝𝕖 𝕠𝕧𝕒 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖 (@artsygalnish) June 25, 2019…
"Children learn more from what you are than what you teach"-W.E.B Dubois, 1897 I recently read this book called “Self Made Man” by Norah Vincent in which a woman went on journey for a year, disguised as a man. Vincent’s observations and take on men are told through the various avenues of manhood: sports, sex,…
"One thing that prevents a man from being a good father is he hasn't completed being a boy"-Iyanla Vanzant Interesting title huh? I bet it sounds pretty close to the common phrase, “motherly instinct,” which refers to the bond formed between a mother and a child. It expresses the somewhat “automatic” but apparent connection a…
"The problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story"-Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Happy Women's Herstory month! March is the month of women! As we are nearing the end of March (time is flying!!), let us honor those who haven't been honored, who's…
Who do you run to? For the past few months, I have been focusing a whole lot on ways I can invest in my self care. One of the ways in which I have been is by listening to podcasts. I remember one of my best friends, Ashley was always about podcasts. She would listen…
Boo'd Up Pray'd Up “Placing Him first in your life should be your daily goal, the main pursuit in the midst of all your other pursuits.” -Paul Chappell For our last post of the Boo’d Up series, we are going to share how we incorporate God into our relationships as well as our future plans…
"It's astounding the first time you realize that a stranger has a body--the realization that he has a body makes him a stranger. It means that you have a body, too. You will live with this forever, and it will spell out the language of your life."-Tish, If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin…
"The self cannot exist without the other..." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gru4IfbKlfU When I first came into the dating realm, I always imagined being with someone who was a “spitting image of me.” I wanted someone who thought like me, was raised like me, into the same things as me. I wanted to date myself basically! But through my…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfGD75vHWrU “Black love is black wealth”-Nikki Giovanni In honor of Valentines Day, let's talk about LOVE. Not any kind of love though. The love that makes you stay in bed past noon; That love that makes you finally love Valentines Day; That love that has you looking out the window on a rainy day, just…
"When I drive to work, I listen to thuggish rap at a very loud volume, even though the lyrics are degrading to women and offend me to my core. I am mortified by my music choices."-Roxane Gay, Confessions of A Bad Feminist Ted Talk As we started brainstorming for this third and final post of…
"So, what do you call being impacted by multiple forces and then abandoned to fend for yourself? Intersectionality seemed to do it for me. I would go on to learn that African American women like other women of color, like other socially marginalized people all over the world were facing all kinds of dilemmas and…
"The most disrespected person in America, is the black woman. The most un-protected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America, is the black woman."-Malcolm X, "Who Taught You to Hate Yourself?" 1962 Source: Broadway World TV Surviving R. Kelly is a docu-series that came out late 2018, shedding light…
