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“How’s It Goin’ Down”
I was headed to Miami the day DMX (X) transitioned. That weekend the venues showed X mad love, but I knew the energy wouldn’t be the same as in New York. When his memorial service was held at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, I was on another flight out. However, I did see a video…
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Chadwick Boseman and the Heart-shaped Herb
I am thinking about what Chadwick Boseman meant to us and how in 2018 he and the Black Panther cast inspired and reminded us of our greatness, brilliance, love, nuances and complexities as Black people. When the movie was announced in 2016, it trended due to the excitement of seeing a Black superhero get his…
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Conversations: For Kia and Steven
As the co-director of a CUNY undergraduate program, I have been fortunate to meet some amazing young people, who teach and inspire me. I had a conversation with two of them, Kia and Steven along with my director Lauren (aka L-Boogie/Boogs). At one point, Steven confesses that he appreciates his conversations with Kia because it…
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One Day at a Time
Hi, how are you? (Before you continue, seriously answer the question.) As for me, when asked, I have been saying the same thing since New York was quarantined, “Taking it one day at a time.” This is whether I have highs or lows so that I do not add to the weight that others may…
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Fall in Love, Again
It’s important to me that my first piece of 2020 is about love. With drafts in my notepad on my phone, I began to write notes about my love for hip-hop in December. A couple weeks ago, I explained to my homeboy how I fell in love with hip-hop three times and would title the…
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Queen & Slim: The Rides
I saw Queen & Slim (Q&S) and liked it but had some major issues with it. However what intrigued me the most about the movie wasn’t their ride to freedom, but the rides, themselves. There were six distinct automobiles that Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) and Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) were in that made me use a different…
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Protect and Keep, Pt. 1: A Letter to Kha
Dear Khaseen, On Monday, September 16th, I sent a check-in text to my goddaughter because the school year had started and I didn’t hear from her. She said she would give me a full report when things settled. The Friday of that week, she texted that she hates AP Physics and that her friend was…
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My Therapy Sessions with “Perfect 10”
I was reluctant to listen to “Perfect 10” on DJ Mustard’s Perfect 10 because “Higher” featuring John Legend on DJ Khaled’s Father of Asahd pulls at the heart strings like the moon on the tides. Until recently, I decided to press play…then left it on repeat…It reminds me of the therapy sessions with my real…
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notes in the margin: “no.”
No. Nah. Negative. I will let you know. Let me think about it. Not a good fit. I got you… Silence. So what is the root of the fruits that I bear? Rejection, a loss (an “L”), or said another way, “No.” Everyone faces rejection, but when it comes to my hustle and my…
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notes in the margins: roots and fruits
What kind of fruit are you bearing? A number of people have called me a perfectionist. I’m not a fan of the term because I don’t see myself as one. At all. I am particular and sometimes stubborn, but that’s not a perfectionist. However, there are few things that I have accept and appreciate with…
kashema
my view. my voice.
kashema 