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

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