I've been thinking a lot lately, counting my blessings and all, because I've set a goal that was not just unthinkable, but unattainable, just a few years ago, and I actually achieved it. It's not like crossing something off a to-do list, which, honestly, doesn't exist because I like to keep everything in my head. It's more like standing here thinking, I've achieved something on the backs of my ancestors who struggled and died and never got to enjoy the privileges. No, not pri

When I was younger, I never thought about my future in terms of who would get what after I died. It's morbid and we all want to think we're invincible. As I've gotten older, especially this past year, I've started thinking seriously about Black generational wealth. I read a couple of hard-hitting articles about Black land being stolen through dirty tricks the white power structure deliberately put in place. I read about older Black people being systematically taken advantage

I’m a pretty cautious person, dipping my toe in the water, testing, swirling it around a bit to make sure nothing is going to bite me before I slip further inside. I suspect if you were to ask family and friends, they would say, “Girl, you don’t give a f*ck, you are going to do exactly what you want to do.” They’d point to my willingness to do any and everything with myself—theater, dinner, concerts, travel. To me, those are the safe things because I don’t have to combat my

Purchasing a house is a big decision. Moving to a different city or state is a heavy lift. Building a life in a different country? That’s a whole other thing and for someone who isn’t a natural risk taker, it’s daunting. But sometimes, for one’s on sanity, you need an escape plan just in case things go sideways. When I finally made the decision to draft a “get on up outta here” plan, I had a romanticized idea of how my next act would look. My imagination created unrealistic

A friend once asked, “Girl, do you even have a pulse?” I wear my calm stillness as a badge of honor, chest poked out and everything, but looking back, I’m not sure she meant it as a compliment. I’ve always been a quiet lake on a perfect summer day. Underneath the surface, there’s a lot going on, but the chaos is invisible to casual watchers. So yes, I have a pulse and you’ll never know how fast it races. I am a woman in America. I can buy an expensive gift or two without bat