What does it mean to be a great man? I’ve struggled with this, because I thought I was, at the very least, a good one. Yet it seems that the slight against my character has turned me colder, into a state of noncaring. My emotions were tempestuous for a long…

“I want a real love, dark skinned and Aunt Viv love That Jada and that Will love” — J. Cole There is much we get wrong about the things we take for granted. Misconceptions on how things are supposed to work, to feel. …

On this “Independence Day” I finally got the pleasure of watching Hamilton: An American Musical. I am enamored not only with Lin Manuel Miranda’s amazing body of work, but also the man that he plays throughout the show. In watching, I’m forced to reflect on Hamilton’s power; mainly his voice…

“Hopeless rage.” These are the words James Baldwin used to describe how he felt when he learned Martin Luther King Jr.’s Death. I am not far from what Baldwin felt as I look at photos of Elijah McClain. Since the beginning of this new surge in the movement, I haven’t…

The young man rests his weary legs at the ocean. The iridescent water shines an infinite array of colors, a symphony of existence. He smiles at the ocean, he returns it. Glistening under the moon, the crisp air washes over him. He looks up and asks the moon why it…

I am tired. So, so very tired. As I sit and watch the anger of my people reach a boiling point, I grow angry with them. Their cries become mine, their words burrow into my mind. The need for radical change is not only important but essential. I am here…

“Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts.” — Buddha Upon starting college, I fell into a dizzying spell of self-improvement. I filled 3 entire journals in that period, but the results I thought I’d get weren’t there. I was still full of self-hate, loathing…

When life slows down, much is revealed to us. By being forced inside our homes, we are also being forced to live with ourselves. Normal life is fast-paced, focused on the next thing, place, or experience. This constant striving not only causes us pain but distracts us from our sense…

I reread “The Art of War” because frankly, I didn’t understand it at first. However, tracing his advice about war and the battlefield back to my own life, I am imbued with practical knowledge on how to conduct myself more like a warrior. Before we begin, it is important to…