The girl you ask to dinner will never show you her true face. Her deep, caramelized skin is carefully concealed beneath layers…
I guess I’ve been an art historian, informally I’d say I’ve always “geeked out over art,” since my teens in San Francisco.…
I hear my student say that word and I’m not surprised. I knew this student was going to say it because this…
It’s late afternoon as we climb into my father’s gray Mercedes. As we stay stationary in the garage, I lean my fro…
Dear God, It’s your Ugandan daughter, with the 4C hair. As you know, I was born in Mengo Hospital between day and…
As Bill Withers plays in the background about grandma’s hands, I look down at my own. I have my grandmother’s hands. They…
Trina, I need you to stay inside for recess today. You are a little Black girl in a world that’s White. You…
It’s a typical spring morning – a slight chill, cloud cover, and the threat of rain. I can hear through my open…
As a kid, I remember the subject of race coming up twice in our family. The first time was when my brother…
I need to remind myself that Mama is human, that she is not endless love, and food, and sacrifice. But she makes…
I was ten years old when I first witnessed domestic violence. It was a hot summer day on Hobart street. Children were…
“If I didn’t define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people’s fantasies for me and eaten alive.” — Audre…
“Have you considered writing a book about your life?” It is likely someone has asked you this question, or maybe you have…
“African-American girls always score higher than their white peers when it comes to self-esteem,” one of my High School teachers lectured. I…
Let me start by giving my parents the grace they deserve. My mother was only sixteen when she had me, and the…