As I got ready for school, dramatic TV-court shows like Paternity Court and Divorce Court, or “chat” shows like Maury served as background noise. Yet, these shows display and, quite frankly, exploit problems that are anything but in the background of Black communities. As I watch the shows for the dramatism that makes them entertaining, […]

A Black boy on Tik Tok writes, “No hate but everytime I say I like white women, Black women always say to me ‘coon,’ ‘no taste,’ ‘go with those slave masters.’ But if I say I like Black women, white girls just say ‘oh ok.’”  The problematic notion that Black women are bitterly defensive when […]

Yes, being ‘strong’ helps me cope with discrimination, but at what cost?

At my predominately white school, I have been asked many questions regarding my hair by non-Black people. Whenever I would get my hair straightened, I would face the same question: “Is that a wig?” Not only is that question extremely disrespectful, it is also just very unnecessary. Why does my hair concern you? Something I […]

The world is not particularly friendly to Black mental health. The constant reminders of Black oppression, the pandemic, and now, remote learning, have taken an exhausting toll on the mental health of Black teens. Black teens across the country are facing burnout, a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged […]

On February 6, I received an email about Apple’s new Black Unity watch. At first, I was confused by this new piece of inventory until I remembered: it’s Black History Month, and that means it’s the time when corporations remember that we exist and decide to bombard us with a plethora of Black-inspired and focused […]

The events that have occurred over the past year have broken and reshaped the lives of people all over the world. It is true that being in a state of quarantine & experiencing a global pandemic has changed the lives of many, but I speak of one series of events that have been brought to […]