𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘴, 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘬𝘺, 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥. – Alice Walker  I imagine there’s not a lot one can say about a work like this that probably hasn’t been said, but there is a lot to be said of the distance one travels when staying alive, gaining experience, and reflecting. …And all I’ve been thinking about is God.  I’ve been thinking about where it’s at, how we find it + how it continuously bursts out of whatever we’ve tried to hold it in. And like that Ultimate Ancestor, Walker’s prose is elusive in the way that the relationships explored in these letters seem to…

"In my grandmother's house the act of remembering, recounting that story, was meant to ensure my future safety, protection gained through knowledge, and the vigilance that brings, a certain hyperawareness: hair rising on the back of my neck when I'd hear a particular kind of southern accent, a tensing in my spine when I'd see the Confederate flag or the gun rack on a truck following us too closely down the road." In this quote Trethewey shows how being a daughter of the south is a constant state of understanding a hatred nobody believes is there and a danger that feels all to real all the time.

I had the distinct privilege of being asked to speak on systemic racism both from a literary perspective and as a black man in Amerikkka. The great thing is, I most certainly wasn't the star of the show. There were people from all over the world giving their informed thoughts and opinions, as well as their experiences. We didn't stop talking for over 3 hours!

Recently I finished “How to be an Antiracist” By Ibram X. Kendi and I also recently put the finished stamp on “Conversations in Black.” I think both of these books were extremely necessary, especially for the time that we currently find ourselves in. America, at least for me, is at a standstill, and the only thing that seems to really still be working and permeating the fabric of this country is the very thing that it was built on: systemic racism.  First I’d like to talk about the books and then I’d like to talk about some convos that these ideas sparked. Ibram X. Kendi’s book is really, really good…

Right now the world is kind of in shambles. It’s difficult to find anything noteworthy on the internet and everyone’s kind of in a panic the likes of which I’m sure most of us have never seen. The only natural disaster I have to juxtapose what Covid-19 has done to the nation is Katrina, and even that was regional. In response to the mayhem going on everywhere, what I’ve found to be most calming is to spend some time actually searching out the good in the 24 hours we are allotted daily, especially between myself and others. Recently a brother of mine texted me out of the blue and asked…

1. Ed Gordon’s recently released Conversations in black. I haven’t put a big enough dent in this just yet to give thoughts-but I’m excited. 2. Londrelle’s Eternal Sunshine + Sun Flower Soul both of which are super transformative and filled with everything you need to do daily maintenance on your mind, body, + soul. There’s chakra affirmations, meditations, and so much more. He typically creates an audio version that you can download on Apple Music or Tidal. 3. Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s Friday Black. A dystopian story collection + all of them are amazing and take the reader on an excursion that he’s never quite ready for. The Finklestein 5 story…

Angela Davis has written and seen more than I could ever imagine. She’s been a noted member of the American Communist Party and she has also been an associate of the black panther party, the black liberation army, and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Having been around all of these formative groups, and having been instrumental in most of what I think of as the civil rights movement and the contemporary struggle for equality, she is a stalwart in her own right. Cornel West called her a “long-distance freedom fighter” and this short, concise offering from her, Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a…