Dear Student Leader, Did you watch the Super Bowl? During the first half, I played basketball with my son, but I managed to catch Bad Bunny’s performance and the last quarters. I loved the overt display of Latinx culture in Bad Bunny’s show, and I expected the Seahawks to win. I couldn’t tell you the name of Bad Bunny’s songs before the Super Bowl. Now, I know “Tití Me Pregunto,” “NuevaYoL,” and “Café con Ron” are the titles of some of his popular tracks. The Spanish language

1 of 3 fog captures from my running adventures Dear Student Leader,   How is the weather? In Sacramento, we’ve had a series of foggy days. When driving and out running, the low visibility reminds me of snow flurries during Chicago’s winters. It’s difficult to see the path ahead. Oftentimes, leadership is like being surrounded by dense fog. You have the vision of where you want to go, but it’s challenging to discern the best route forward. Do you stop? No. You consider past ex

Dear Student Leader, Don’t worry, there will be no name-calling in this week’s letter. If you remember, I posted a letter warning you not to act like a cow or a bear. I will not do that again. During this week’s outdoor running adventure, I took a new route and crossed flocks of turkeys and ducks. The random path put me on a street where I stumbled into a coworker. Both were chance encounters, but they prompted this week’s message. Read on to see what ducks, turkeys, and ass

Dear Student Leader, What’s the difference between education and school? Are they one and the same? If you’ve never thought about it, continue reading this letter. You attend school to receive an education. The school is the structure. You know the desks, the building, textbooks, and material components. School also includes teachers, administrators, your peers, and the staff. An education is how you apply what you learn from the things and people in school. Dr. Martin Luther

Dear Student Leader, The time to act is now! You can wait until you finish this blog post, but… Clarify priorities, organize yourself, find accountability, develop discipline, and get to work. Embrace your humanity and don’t be a cow or a bear! A sense of urgency emerged this week through multiple indicators about the inevitability of change. John Forte passed away, I learned of a friend’s terminal cancer diagnosis, and I read a book by someone who suffered a debilitating str

Dear Student Leader, How are things? Did you use last week’s lesson on consistency and accountability? We are less than two weeks into 2026. Like any day, now is a great time to build new habits. Take the “New Year Resolution train” and start your journey to making changes. Failures will happen, but don’t let them stop you. Courage isn’t authorizing bombings, shooting observers, or removing politicians. Loud power plays often feed weak egos and starving ethnocentric beliefs.

Dear Student Leader, Enjoy the final days of your holiday break. The time to connect with friends and family can serve as a refreshment between semesters. I thought about you as I ran through downtown Sacramento and across the Golden Bridge. Did you make New Year’s resolutions? Want better grades this term? Maybe, for you, building muscle or losing weight is the goal this January. This letter is part of my commitment to growth through writing: in 2026, I will write more than

Have you ever thought about your last message? By this, I mean the last words you will leave behind for your family, friends, and community. It’s morbid to discuss death, but it’s also foolish to ignore the reality of our limited time on Earth.   Thinking about legacy can clarify priorities, reduce stress, and clear barriers to significant success.   One day, hopefully not any time soon, people will reference us as Ancestors. What will people say? Does it matter?   On this fi

I don’t know how many more days, months, or years I have left to live. The doctor says, I’m in excellent shape, but life is unpredictable. I am writing this letter to you for your 15th birthday, in case death comes sooner than expected. Sure, I could have shared these words with you in a private setting. However, much of your time is spent online and on screens these days. I want to see more of you around the house, but you can read this letter in your favorite place at home-

Imagine a stampede. Footsteps pound around you. The breath of other mammals touches your neck. Dust speckles make it hard to see. Do you panic and stop or keep up? I tried to keep up, but after the first five miles of California’s International Marathon, I regretted the decision. The telling pants and painful foot strikes forewarned me of the pending failure. Despite this awareness and thanks to my music turned to max, I ignored the signs. Until mile 14, I maintained the grue

Creativity is not limited by time and space; it lives in us and thrives throughout our natural environment. Kuumba is Kiswahili for creativity. It is the sixth principle of Kwanzaa, necessary for innovative solutions to problems regardless of the season. In recognition of Kuumba, I give this offering. Leaves on the ground   We arrived at 6:45 PM. My family parked across the street from my coworker’s home. We crossed the street, found the address, and climbed the stairs to the

Can you imagine not eating on Thanksgiving Day? What if your decision to remain hungry could build a school for your community? A cause just might be worth avoiding the macaroni and cheese, turkey, dressing, peach cobbler, and greens smothered in meat fats. Twenty-four years ago, a hunger strike led by a concerned Chicago coalition forced politicians to listen and build a new high school. It wasn’t November when the students, parents, activists, and grandparents decided to st

Did you hear the recent news? Target adopted a policy  requiring its employees to smile at customers and display other forms of welcoming body language during their work shifts. The company is hopeful that the change will increase revenue and restore its Black customer base following this year's boycotts. Target regrets leaving the diversity, equity, and inclusion train as soon as the Trump conductor announced its stop. Their decision corresponds to losses in diverse dollars.

Do they want you home? Yes. Would you like to be home more often? Absolutely. Yet the pull of passionate, meaningful, and purposeful work keeps you away.  I know this dilemma too well. It stirs internal conflicts, cooks destructive thoughts, and serves plates of frustration. Sometimes, I eat challenges and digest gratitude. I have moments when I also take on too much and vomit the excess. Lost or disgusted? Read on for context. The Umoja Community Education Foundation held it

Much has changed. While living abroad for eight years, my family stopped recognizing American holidays. I viewed the occasions as capitalistic schemes to boost the economy. They aided the status quo while keeping the most vulnerable populations poor. I laughed at the plot.   While I still find many of the dominant holidays silly and materialistic, I have softened my stance. Last week, my children celebrated Halloween for the first time. My oldest is almost fifteen and a fresh

Today is Halloween. It’s scary to imagine the ghosts that have surrounded us since birth. I’m not referencing zombies, flying spirits, or the vampires responsible for childhood nightmares. The ghosts of white supremacy, patriarchy, and religious hypocrisy are real. Emile Suotonye DeWeaver’s book, Ghost in the Criminal Justice System: Reform, White Supremacy, and an Abolitionist Future , is a game-changer. Each chapter challenges common perceptions of structural oppression and

Last weekend, a capoeira comrade invited me to a “No Kings” protest. While I appreciated the invitation, I declined and instead spent time with my parents during their short visit to a nearby town. I settled for honking the horn to encourage a group of protestors marching down the street. While I’m aware that presence offers the best present to help others engaged in the struggle, I am hopeful this post and subsequent writings add to the protestors’ calls for social justice,

Stars The Umoja team inhaled and exhaled. We sat in plush seats on a black minibus behind tinted windows, like superstars of African-centered diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging initiatives. The bus’s vents circulated a mixture of Egyptian musk, incense, perfumes, air conditioning, and positive vibes. We pulled away from the curb at 8:45 AM on a mission. At the stop sign on the corner of 7 th  Street in Sacramento, our driver turned right. We entered th

We know exercise has physical and mental benefits, yet it remains a challenge for many of us to prioritize. Between assignments, appointments, and annoyances, it’s difficult to find time for working out. A 2022 study reports that 28% of adults in America meet the physical activity marks to support aerobic and anaerobic fitness. The lure of watching TV, scrolling on social media, drinking, eating fast food, or smoking to offset the responsibilities of home and work is strong.

I never met you, but something tells me I knew something about you. In undergrad, I read your book, Assata: An Autobiography .  It was...