Personal Reflections

Since opening up about my struggles, I have received more support and strength and prayers than I could have ever imagined, and I am incredibly thankful. I am blessed to have such a strong support system in my life. However, not everyone is as accepting [...]

That’s the question a lot of folks have been asking about the latest viral video of a sweaty hulking father who punished his son for walking out of class by lacing up a pair of boxing gloves and repeatedly punching him in the chest and [...]

I want my black American daughter to be president of the United States when she grows up – and to evade, at all costs, the question of whether a president of the United States of America can be morally just. I want her to wear [...]

Nobody called me a nigga to my face But behind backs and closed doors I am sure I have been called every kind of n-word Especially when I excelled in systems designed for me to fail nigga Or called out bigotry and privilege in classrooms [...]

Food and housing insecurity do not disappear from people’s lives when they go to college. There is this damaging misconception that once you get to college – once you’re on an upwardly mobile, higher-education track – you magically have the same resources and opportunities as everyone [...]

By Tiffany Rose Smith | Originally Published at Rose With Words. October 27, 2015 dear (future) school official: my son will be absent because in our house we teach him to respect others, but also stand up for himself and those in need. we do not want [...]

I am fearful of the men who will attempt to treat her like cargo, like a thing to be played with; disposable. I worry that when she leaves me, there will be times when the stars will not align for her goodness, and others will [...]

I talk and write about race a lot. I can’t escape being Black, even if I want to. I have always been race conscious, known who I am, and where I stand in the world. However, everything changed for me during the Trayvon Martin [...]

Name: Adriana Alvarez, 23 City: Cicero, Illinois Child: Manuel, three Job: I’ve worked at a McDonald’s franchise for almost five years. I do everything in my store: cashier; kitchen; runner; drive-through. Wherever I’m needed, I’m there. When I’m not at work, I’m with my son — and sometimes [...]