An Oriki Tribute to Nikki Giovanni
I learned of the passing of Nikki Giovanni and needed to honor such a giant with a proper Oriki. Yolande Cornelia of House Giovanni. THEE Nikki Giovanni. Second of her name. Poetry and Prose Priestess. Revolutionary Rhapsodist. Sage of Soul-Stirring Stanzas. Distinguished Delta Dear. Virginia’s Venerable Voice. Legendary Laureate of …
About Twitter, Elon Musk and the Mirage of Intelligence
Elon Musk is now the CEO of Twitter, and all hell has broken loose. In a week, he’s fired over 3,700 employees and is beginning an $8/month plan that will allow anyone to have a verified checkmark. And those who are already verified but don’t pay will lose their blue …
About Kanye’s Antisemitism, Earned Consequences and Who We Fight For
Kanye West‘s anti-semitism is really going to be his downfall. And rightfully so. Dude has been out of pocket with what he’s been saying about Jewish people, and I’ve seen a few interviews. His hate speech against Jewish people is awful and we cannot ignore it. We cannot dismiss it …
About Kim, Kanye and Who Deserves Abuse
To be a woman who is worthy of being abused or harmed, you need to be pious, flawless, perfect. You need to be a saint whose never worn skimpy clothes, cussed or made a mistake. Kim Kardashian is none of those. Yet and still, she doesn’t deserve the harassment and …
Use Your Voice (with Cynthia Erivo) – Episode 3 of Professional Troublemaker
My guest this week on Professional Troublemaker is my long-lost twin, another powerhouse woman from my Voltron squad, the golden-voiced and brilliant Cynthia Erivo. If you don’t know Cynthia, I don’t know what you’re doing with your life, but as far as her official credentials go, Cynthia is a Tony®, …
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 …
Hold Yourself Accountable (with Sophia Bush) – Episode 45 of Rants & Randomness
My people! Welcome to this week’s episode of Rants & Randomness. Back in June, I was part of the founding team for Share the Mic Now – an online campaign to magnify Black women and the important work they are doing in order to catalyze change. On June 10, 50 …
About Teddy Riley, Babyface and the Failed Uncle Production
I have been laughing my whole ass off at the jokes about Teddy Riley and I don’t think this will stop being funny for a LONG TIME. Or ever. There are so many lessons here. * This is a transcript of the video I posted. Yesterday was the Uncle Production: …
I’m Looking for the Good in this Great Loss: A Reflection on Kobe’s Death
It felt different. It feels different. It don’t make sense. Kobe Bryant dying in a helicopter crash with his daughter, Gianna and 7 other people. Shit is wild to type out. It was wild to hear. A month later, it’s wild to even be saying it and knowing it’s real. …
Barack’s Moisturized Ankles Aren’t Playing Fair
While the world is crumbling and everything is a dumpster fire and I got more grey hairs in my edges than I can count, some people are flourishing. By some people, I mean President Barack Obama. You know, our ex. The One Who Got Away. The fool who sits in …