When did it become taboo for men and women to, for lack of better words, get along with each other? You go no more than a few minutes on your timeline, and I bet you'll find a reel or post dedicated to diminishing the qualities of a man or woman. In this era, in which content is the new truth, you could develop a deep dislike for the opposite sex without experiencing these trends in real time. This was not common practice “back in the day”. Even with a lack of mental health

There is a time and place for strength, and there is a time and place for violence. But neither was ever meant to be used against the village. There was a time when black people lived together to protect, to build, and to preserve life. Somewhere along the way, our strength became a tool to destroy each other. For Black boys, our intelligence took third place, with physical abilities and obedient manners taking first and second place, respectively. Even today, we praise the a

Recently, I have been contemplating the inception of SON (Survivors of Negativity). At the heart and soul of my aspirations there is a story about a black family in the inner city. A young couple raising a son in the midst of the drug epidemic with no real understanding of the complex ups and downs of love and parenthood. Doing their best with what they had in front of them, their happily ever after was crushed due to many factors. But the one in particular I chose to write a

Black women are celebrated for their strength so much that the word feels more like a requirement than a compliment. They are expected to endure everything without cracking or crying, no matter how long and intense the pain is. That strength is a beautiful decoration, covering unmet emotional needs. A burden, referenced as the Superwoman Schema : the belief that black women must be self-reliant, emotionally restrained, hardworking to the point of depletion, and neglecting the