The Reason Behind My Voice

 Rest  Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash I recently rang a relative to wish her happy birthday and asked her what she planned to do for the day. She candidly replied, "Work. We are a hard-working family, remember?"  She was telling the truth. I grew up watching my family till the soil with their bare hands, after all "by the sweat our brow" we had to eat. There is nothing wrong with working hard to provide for yourself and others but at what cost? I decided a long time ago that would not be my narrative.  Balance  Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash  I know what it means to work yourself to the ground. I know what it means to grind and hustle. I know what it means to get caught up in the horrors and toxicity of capitalism. I had to watch my mother do it and, for a while, I inherited that culture.  But there is nothing wrong with laying it down and walking away to redefine productivity.  I know what it means to work myself to exhaustion but, I...

Photo Credit: Wherbson Rodrigues The senseless killing of George Floyd has sparked protests across the United States, parts of the United Kingdom, and Canada. Those present at rallies and marches have been calling for the end of racism, defunding the police and justice for black lives which were prematurely ended. These calls are very timely and these protests have been a long time coming.   These recent events made me realize how many systems around the world have been built to keep Blacks suppressed; whether subtle or out-rightly. The system has not been kind to us; it never was. We were taught to hate the color of our skin. We were taught that the lighter your complexion the more beautiful you were and the more favor you would find with "kings". We were taught that the straighter your hair was as a black woman, the greater your chances of finding a good husband and climbing the social ladder. We were taught to hate our gods and not to mention our ancestors. We were...