I picked up this piece in Ethiopia - it’s a depiction of the first time The Queen of Sheeba met King Soloman and marks the start of the Ethiopian Imperial dynasty. I’m genuinely happy for Meghan Markle, with my whole heart, I hope she lives happily ever after- but be clear, the notion of black royalty is nothing new. Black queens and black princesses are not a fantastical other dimensional unicorn.

I came across a sentiment shared by James Baldwin years ago that was both clarifying and instructive; “The place that I fit will not exist, until I make it.” I loved the power inherent in it. The realization that the desire to fit, the hope for acceptance and belonging and approval – all things we’re taught exist outside of ourselves, could actually and potentially exist in little ol’ me. The idea that the path to belonging, was in fact one of creation.

I wrote/ recorded this piece a few weeks ago when the FBI first announced their “new” efforts to target a manufactured group of people called “black identity extremists”. It’s hard to believe that such a blatant act of systemic unwellness could rise and fall out of the headlines so quickly. And yet, these are the times we find ourselves in. In these times, I have found comfort, strength, grace and direction from a life that lives in and around and above me.

Me Too. AND ALSO If all the men who have sexually harassed or assaulted or catcalled or otherwise objectified or inappropriately touched without asking or refused to believe allegations made by, another human under the guise of toxic masculinity and rape culture wrote “I’m sorry” in their status lines, people might begin to acknowledge and lift the veil on a problem so pervasive that we’ve put the onus on victims to self identify when we ALL know that we aren’t outliers.

Rock and roll was FOUNDED by a black woman named Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Patriarchy and white supremacy robbed us of knowing what she accomplished, what she contributed to, and of being able to see ourselves in her. They robbed us of being able to aspire to be like her. They robbed us of accessing the art of black artists (specifically black women) who were influenced by her. The fact that rock and roll is perceived as a “white genre” for “white men” is nonsensical.

You interrupted my brilliance to ask; Why do you act white? The notion of “acting white” teaches us to disassociate our brilliance, and our accomplishments, and our curiosities, and our uniqueness with our blackness. The notion of “acting white” teaches us that some parts of us don’t belong to us and in fact those parts of us are wrong, or perhaps they’re right, depending on if we strive to be accepted first and foremost by white people (consciously or subconsciously).