Language and Power Can Be Manipulated to Distort the Truth — I find it fascinating that people can read George Orwell’s 1984, and even have it be required reading in schools, yet never be able to apply the lessons and themes to real life. One of my favorite novels, the story shows a dystopian future where totalitarianism is the order of…

I’m glad the elites and the football-obsessed got a chance to return to their favorite pasttime. Really, I am. What would America be without Entertainment after all? Just a rain cloud with no silver lining. But I often wish I could unsubscribe from the circus. Which celebrities were spotted at…

I’m in between churches. Moving from New Jersey back to New York mid-pandemic meant that I had to find a new home church in my new location, and I’m still looking. An Uber driver was playing the latest gospel one time and I struck up a conversation, so after a…

One of my most vivid memories takes me back to that beautiful corner office where I spent two hours with the new female CEO, sharing my perspective on how white supremacy was showing up in my treatment at the organization. She paused her passionate notetaking to gaze up at me…

Police reform never actually happened — In a few hours, Judge Peter Cahill will determine whether Derek Chauvin gets prison or probation. His lawyers have come full circle with a show of absurdity that began during trial with their justification of his actions, and ends with a call for probation of all things to be the…

My job decided to hire two white women from an external similar organization to come do a “Know Your Rights” training with the Direct Service Team. The idea was that if we knew our hypothetical rights, we would be able to pass the information along to our clients, who needed…

She is acutely aware that they pay her less than she deserves, and has learned to bargain for every inkling of fairness or favor that she is owed — With a star-studded cast and equally impressive names behind the camera, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom was one to watch. It debuted on Netflix in December 2020 to much less fanfare than deserved, but made waves all the same, with flawless performances and a narrative both timely and timeless.

I recognize myself in my grandmother’s eyes. My cousin showed me an old picture of her that they had just found. She looked so strong and serene and beautiful and fierce. I missed her. I missed that I never got to know her as I got older. I knew she…

Hint: It’s Not Rocket Science — A woman found my email address and emailed me after my second article was published in Nonprofit Quarterly. She didn’t strike me as the writing type, but still, she picked her words very carefully, “thanking” me for my “opinion” piece that she happened across. This person lived in Chicago and…