The Senate vote

On February 13, the U.S. Senate voted 57–43 to acquit former President Donald Trump of inciting the terrifying and violent attack on the Capitol that occurred on January 6. Although 57 votes were “guilty,” and 43 votes were “not guilty,” a total of 67 votes, or a two-thirds majority, was required to convict. This means that 10 additional GOP senators would have had to cross party lines and vote “guilty.” This, we know, was not going to happen.

This could have been the first step toward healing the racial divide that exists within this country.

According to MSN, President Joe…

Rise beautiful black man!

Rise above the dreadful circumstances that society has thrust upon you.

Rise above the intolerance of others who are intimidated by your determination.

Rise above the institutionalized racism that makes you feel that you are less than you are.

Rise above the discrimination that continuously attempts to hold you back.

Rise above the narrow-minded mentalities that tell you that you will never succeed.

Rise above the injustice that relentlessly targets you as if you are a danger to society.

Rise above the indoctrination of the authorities that incessantly try to imprison you.

Rise above the disparaging…

Singer/Songwriter India Arie has a song entitled “I Am Not My Hair” in which she recalls her hair journey growing up, from the press & curl, the Jheri curl, a relaxer, and then natural. She then says that it wasn’t until she cut off her dreadlocks that she realized, “I am not my hair. I am not this skin. I am not your expectations, no. I am not my hair. I am not this skin. I am the soul that lives within.”

Later in the song, India comments on societal standards for Black hair (especially Black women’s hair) by making…

There is no doubt that President Biden and Vice President Harris are doing an outstanding job so far in their new roles as the leaders of this nation. In his short time in office, according to the Federal Register, President Biden has signed 29 executive orders at the time of this writing. These orders cover the climate crisis, the Covid crisis, the privatization of prisons, immigration, LGBTQI+ anti-discrimination, racial equity, and more.

While we know that Biden and Harris have just begun, we must keep the pressure on them to ensure that they continue to act on behalf of the…

My humble beginnings on Medium

I published my first article on Medium on November 12, 2020. It was approximately three months after I joined because my initial intent was only to read other people’s writing. I had been contemplating using Medium’s platform for my writing, but I was still a little skeptical about whether I would really be able to earn money.

However, after a friend published her first article on Medium that got picked up by Medium’s publication Elemental, I thought more about it. Although she did not join the partner program, and therefore did not make any money with her story, she did…

It began with slave patrols

The policing of black bodies in America has extremely disturbing historical roots that are steeped in racism, classism, and misogyny, and continuously targets people of African descent, especially those from the poorest of neighborhoods. It began with the slave patrols in the 1700s in South Carolina, which were the enforcement arms of the slave codes, the laws that regulated slave life.¹

The slave codes were the predecessors to the black codes

The slave codes then led to the black codes, which began after the Reconstruction era, and were “a legal way to put black citizens into indentured servitude, to take voting rights away, to control where they lived and how…

There have been many calls for healing the nation since the brutal domestic terrorist attack on Capitol Hill that was incited by Trump and carried out by his Manson-like followers, some of whom had weapons and pipe bombs, some who may have intended to kidnap lawmakers, and others who actually left feces and urine in hallways and offices. Healing the country is EXACTLY what is needed. However, while most of us agree that it is needed, we must first recognize that it means vastly different things to different people.

How is the phrase “healing the country” going to be any…

The storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 by right-wing Trump supporters proved one thing — America is who America has always been, and most likely will continue to be. Recent events may be a new means by which extremist groups have chosen to implement their violence and privilege, but the fact remains that America has always been a violent, racist, white supremacist country, and this act was nothing more than domestic terrorism and white privilege at their finest.

Our founding documents, patriotic songs, and pledges make bold proclamations as to what this country stands for and what our…