Niceness is about maintaining the status quo. Kindness is revolutionary. — At the beginning of the pandemic, Gal Gadot produced a video featuring an array of celebrities singing John Lennon’s “Imagine.” It was supposed to be a declaration that we’re all suffering through this crisis together. But it didn’t exactly come off that way. As viewers watched the stars croon lyrics…

Light-skinned and part of the problem — When I was in my senior year of high school I argued against affirmative action. My AP history class had taken a field trip to Selma and we’d spent the day wandering around, drinking in the history of the small city. I was one of two Black students in a…

This isn’t a breakup but it also kind of is. — I’ve been missing in action for a while and I have something to say. It’s mostly about me, but it’s also about us. What we take in and on without realizing. What we consume and are consumed by. It’s about my journey as a writer, going in and deeper. It’s…

On political discourse, abolition, performative activism, and real love — I have a physical response to the word “divisive.” This twisting sensation in my gut that comes up my throat all acidic. It’s shockingly similar to the feeling one might get after eating too much cheese. Apparently, my stomach has an issue processing both dairy and mistruths. While my brain…

True engagement requires that you leave your ego out of the conversation. — There is a problem in the comments section and I’m certain you’ve noticed it too. For some, these spaces provide a unique opportunity to learn amongst peers and contribute to a wider conversation. For others, it’s simply a place to vent and rage without accountability. Like the bathroom wall of…

Biden is infinitely better than Trump, but he’s far from the progressive victory we’d hoped for. — When the 2020 presidential race was called for Biden there was dancing in the streets in New York City. In Astoria, drivers honked their horns to celebrate while little old ladies shimmied in their windows, banging tunelessly against pots and pans. It was a discordant display of joy, one that…

Calories-in-calories-out is far from a perfect system. — Someone I follow online just posted a then-and-now picture of themselves celebrating that they had lost 20 pounds during quarantine. Hold for applause. To her this was a radical transformation. One that left her with wisdom worth sharing. It was this presumed wisdom that stopped me in my tracks —…

Why it's not going anywhere if we just stop talking about it. — “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems to us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.” This is the infamous statement that so many of us assumed would lose Donald Trump the presidency…

And other unfortunate complications Thirst is a funny thing. I’m not sure everyone feels it the same way. I mean, sure the symptoms are alike — burning throat, anxiety, discomfort, helplessness. Maybe fear? I don’t know. I just think that thirst is something that some people get used to. Like…