how we see us
every black person i know is talking about, feeling, processing and inspired to do something by watching ava duvernay’s when they see us on netflix. i wonder, how do we see ourselves and each other?
Category: love
are black gay men afraid of black straight men?
“do you think he’s scared of straight men,” my female friend asked. she was referring to our mutual black gay friend that was seated near her at an event. he’s handsome, professionally accomplished and has so many letters behind his name it looks like the entire alphabet. among black gay men, i’d say he’s well […]
get your thoughts together
we’re quick to questions others, but what are we asking ourselves? a few years ago, i answered one of my mom’s 7:30am calls (she’s since learned even 10am is a bit too early). i answered and in a husky, groggy voice fumbled with my words to her questions. she said “son, get your thoughts together.” […]
hard to date, easy to love
ever heard something so dope and impactful that you instantly got what it meant for you but the person ruined it with the explanation? yea, me too. at our family thanksgiving vacation, my cousin said to me, “you’re probably hard to date.” i knew exactly what she meant, didn’t inquire and she didn’t explain. there […]
the 1’s
people will say that milestone birthdays like 30, 40 or 50 change you. they’re like rites of passages. you do shift some. for me the lessons came at 31 and 41. 30 and 40 were to live out the lessons, the immediate years after is when i got it. so far i’ve learned:
don’t get too comfortable
last weekend some friends and i bar hopped around dc. when the rooftop at our regular spot was closed for a private event, we headed to another familiar, eye-candied one. as usual, we caught up with old friends, met new ones and ended the night full of little white receipts from our adventures. there were […]
still kicking, just not that high
one of the greatest men i ever knew was my granddaddy, connie wesley manley. i love him more years after he’s gone. i wrote a poem for him in my book and i said there that daily i rise deeper into the man he was. and at 41, i’m finally understanding him. his life has […]
what is masculinity?
some years ago i had a party to celebrate a friend. not sure how, but i had about 20 people in my tight, comfy one bedroom apartment. about an hour into it, my cousin arrived. he’s about 6’2″, bald head with linebacker broad shoulders. he turned heads. he strutted thru, dressed in all black like […]
rise in reduction
there will be those who seek to reduce you. know this. and rise. at your job. in your home. your family, even your friends. some people want, almost need, you to play small.
hug a black boy today
i love the color purple. it’s in my top three favorite movies. it’s black history. and that does repeat itself. you can watch it from any character’s angle and learn something new every time. the other night i watched from the perspective of mister. he needed a lot, but what that brotha really needed was […]