Cognize

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 grew up in a house where 'I Love you' sounded a lot like broken glass and bodies crashing into one another way too hard. A house where Love was too loud and too angry for pillow talk. Love's beauty was invisible to the eye [...]

My father is listed as white on his birth certificate. His great-grandfather was the founder of America’s first black daily newspaper. But when I tell the story of my family, inextricably linked to the narrative of New Orleans and, in fact, to the country, I [...]

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 [...]

The following is an excerpt Runaway Inequality: An Activist's Guide to Economic Justice, by Les Leopold (Chelsea Green, 2015). The United States is among the richest countries in all of history. But if you’re not a corporate or political elite, you’d [...]

Panel 1 (Llelena, the main character in this comic, is a heavy, dark-skinned woman. She is standing in front of a mirror in her apartment that is placed above a table with a vase on it, smiling and pointing at her reflection.) Llelena: [...]

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 [...]

I don’t remember the first time I found a boy attractive. I do know that in my earliest memories, when I was 4 or 5, this attraction felt natural and innate. I know, too, that there was a first time I found a girl [...]