#IfIDieInPoliceCustody don’t say I was an organizer. Don’t talk about how I knew what to say when everyone else was too shocked or too scared to say anything. Don’t say I was courageous. Don’t say I was smart. Don’t mention all the work I did for “the community.” Tell them I was too busy being Black to worry about bein' good. Describe for them how I danced down the street with my headphones blasting the soulful sounds of Nina Simone into my brain. Tell them that the feeling of her voice bouncing off the cavernous walls of my skull is the closest to feeling liberated I ever get.
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#ILoveBlackWomen Day Two: DONATE
"The Revolution will not be funded!" INCITE! Women, Gender Non-Conforming, and Trans people of Color* Against Violence It turns out that empowering oneself in a capitalist system can get pretty expensive. Even for all-volunteer organizations the daily costs of food and office supplies adds up over the months and years it takes to make real change. … Continue reading #ILoveBlackWomen Day Two: DONATE
#ILoveBlackWomen Day One: READ!
The best way to combat the erasure of Black Trans*, Black Women, Black Girls is to integrate centering their narratives into your daily praxis. One way to do that, is to intentionally consume art, music and literature created by and about Black Trans* Women, Black Women and Black Girls. The media we consume has a … Continue reading #ILoveBlackWomen Day One: READ!
Donate to the Well Examined Life
In need your help! I need you to donate to the Well Examined Life. The goal of my website is to increase self-awareness through dialogue, both my own self-awareness and those of my readers. If you have been reading this website for a while then you have probably seen me write about some deeply personal … Continue reading Donate to the Well Examined Life
Meditation for the Living
*If you were triggered by my piece please read through this taking deep breaths. Pausing after each stanza to reflect. Focus on your breathing to center yourself* You are not alone in this struggle, collectively we are powerful beyond measure. You are loved even as we struggle, collectively we are powerful beyond measure. Your … Continue reading Meditation for the Living
A Complex Argument For Love
Below is a copy of a speech I gave at a Jews United For Justice Event on Black Lives Matter. It was a great night and I'm really proud to have been a part of it. It was hard to come up with the words to use to express my feelings in the right … Continue reading A Complex Argument For Love
Clare: The Stories We Tell Ourselves In Order To Live
I’ve debated with myself about what the purpose of these interviews is. I’ve been constantly questioning why I do them and, more importantly, what I want my audience to get out of them. I have yet to come up with a coherent answer to the second question but talking to my dear … Continue reading Clare: The Stories We Tell Ourselves In Order To Live
The City As An Imaginative Space
*This poem was a part of my This Place Has A Voice project* Images. Beats. Words. These are the building blocks of my human experience These are the strings that weave into my worldview Every feeling has the perfect image to express it Every moment has a chord And every thought I have constructs itself … Continue reading The City As An Imaginative Space
Dear Uncle Buddy Boy
Dear Buddy Boy,I’m sorry it’s been so long since we talked. I was angry the last time we talked, just like I’m angry now. I was mad that you asked me to leave. I was mad that you thought it would make me a man. I was mad that you didn’t always believe me. I … Continue reading Dear Uncle Buddy Boy
#tbt Runaway
Have you ever thought to yourself "man, Aaron sure does right a lot...and he's not...terrible...he should write a novel!" Well, if you have had that or similar thoughts you are in look. I dappled at novel writing in college. So in honor of Throw Back Thursday [which I'm told is a thing] here is my … Continue reading #tbt Runaway
