Today I discuss a key challenge facing me with my creative writing: balancing authenticity with concern on how my work impacts the larger narratives about my marginalized and frequently misunderstood community.
My thoughts on the enthusiastic reception that “Straight Outta Compton” has received and the contradiction it shows. The term ‘queen’ is often used in some circles in reference to African-American women but our actions show we don’t really believe that:
“I never dreamed you’d leave in summer.” The idea that we would lose you eighteen months after burying our matriarch, Grandma, was unfathomable to me. I just assumed there was some universal law about such things. When I got the call that Wednesday when you lost consciousness I didn’t think of death. I didn’t think […]