Subterms
How is a Black woman created? Is she born with ‘sass’ on her tongue and anger in her eyes? At what point in my life did my heart and my mind feel the weight of my Blackness? Was it my hair? Was it in the way my mother discouraged me from wearing it out, natural, […] More
Just like Black lives, Black mental health matters. As tensions in our country have been at an all-time high this week, a wide combination of factors have made this time especially challenging and exhausting for Black women and girls. As Grace, the founder and editor-in-chief of Sorella Magazine, wrote in a piece about the realities […] More
“Home sweet home.” That’s what my mother would sometimes exclaim when she came home after a long day or when, to my delight, we’d return to our Chicago home after a weekend road trip. Lately, I’ve been reminiscing on this—wondering how the saying fits into a world where I, a Black woman, can be murdered […] More
In 1993, my mother ushered my sisters and I into the car and drove us to a neighboring town. The streets were lined with people of all races; black, brown, white… everyone eager to get a glimpse of the newly-crowned Miss South Africa. But unlike all the previous years and unlike any other Miss South […] More
What a time to be Black in America. As you read this, Black people are disproportionately dying from two pandemics: COVID-19 and racism. After witnessing the recent murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, Black people have had enough. These names are only the recent additions to a long list of names in […] More
If you have been social distancing at home for the past few months and have been tuned into all things COVID-19, on top of the growing tension throughout the country, it’s safe to say that you’ve most likely reached your breaking point already—and you are certainly not alone. The stress of balancing a new normal […] More
“I don’t see color.” The moment of uncomfortable silence after those four simple words are uttered. The sideways glances, the shifting of hands, of feet, of butts in chairs. An awkward laugh may break the quiet, but not the tension — it still lingers. In my experience, this phrase is most often proclaimed by a […] More
I grew up in a family where race was never discussed in-depth. Of course, we all knew that we were Black and we all agreed that racism was a thing. But, we made sure to blend as best as we could into the predominantly white society of western Canada. At times, I remember hating my […] More
