I worry that, because African American culture has struggled to achieve recognition internally and externally, the audience is frequently misrepresented or deprioritized. This is further complicated in the face of gentrification and history that never gets told.

I’ve been getting reacquainted with my home town, and in doing so, I’ve noticed some Black-owned shops that I’d like to highlight. If you’re in the area, think of some ways you can intentionally work them into your schedule to spend with them.

Six women are dead, and I refuse to look at them as if they are isolated incidents because they are not. The violence we are seeing against Black women is tied to patriarchy and its rules, which assigns power to men and tells them they are entitled to whatever they want in the world.