An Oriki Tribute to Nikole Hannah-Jones, the 1619 Project Architect
Nikole of House Hannah-Jones First of her name Shaker of Systems Rejecter of Racist Regimes Denouncer of Discrimination Pulitzer Prize Professor Baroness of Bucking Boards Teller of History’s Truths Agitator of Academia Frau of Fiery Fros Tycoon of team #TakeNoShit She told UNC to take their tenure, which she earned …
An Oriki Tribute to Brittany Packnett Cunningham
Brittany of House Cunningham, first of her name. Giver of grace. Servant leader. Teller of truths. Activist for good. Fighter for justice. Orator of brilliance. Principled pontificator. 🎨 @nicoleupdegraff
About the January 6 Coup on the Capitol and Why We Should Be Very Alarmed
A coup happened yesterday. It wasn’t FULLY successful, but it was a success. Why? Because these terrorists (yes, that is what they are) now know they will be allowed to breach federal government grounds, without consequence. That was a test. How far will they be allowed to go and still …
#EndSARS: Why Nigerians are Protesting and How You Can Help
The revolution is now and I need you to join the fight against SARS. Over the last week, Nigerians have been marching in the streets and protesting online against police brutality. SARS stands for The Special Anti-Robbery Squad. They were created in 1992 to deal with crimes associated with robbery, …
Go Your Own Way (with Brandon Stanton) – Episode 49 of Rants & Randomness
This is one of my favorite conversations I’ve ever had on Rants & Randomness. I absolutely cannot wait for you to hear this one. I’m talking to the amazing Brandon Stanton. He’s the creator behind the popular photo storytelling platform Humans of New York. After being fired from his job …
Breonna Taylor’s Life Mattered and Our Rage is Righteous
On March 13, 2020, Breonna Taylor was in her apartment sleeping when police banged on the door, broke the door off its hinges, shooting. Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, shot back once at the invaders, hitting one in the thigh. Breonna was shot 5 times by the police. She never made …
Don’t Weaponize Chadwick Boseman’s Death to Shame People
I want us to be careful about how we are using Chadwick Boseman’s death as life lessons. One of the things that I saw was somebody saying “Whenever you want to come up with an excuse, think about Chadwick Boseman” and that didn’t sit right with my spirit. I get …
About the Hypocrisy of Fellow Christians and Making Demons of Other Faiths
I am a child of God. I am a woman of faith. I am a Christian. And I have been all my life. I come from a Christian family, and our matriarch was my grandmother, who had a mainline to God. I wear a crucifix around my neck. I pray …
Beyonce’s ‘Black is King’ is a Masterpiece
When Beyoncé dropped The Gift in 2019, in conjunction with the live remake of “The Lion King” she blessed our ears with a heavily afrobeats album, partnering with some of West Africa’s finest musicians, in Yemi Alade, Tiwa Savage, Mr. Eazi, Burna Boy. Every song was a vibe, some were …
Who Fights for Black Women?
A couple of weeks ago, I posted a video on IGTV because I was enraged. My blood was boiling. A lot of this post is transcript of my video, because it is something we need to talk about. ***TRIGGER WARNING*** A Black woman named Kimberly Robinson got killed because an …