We mourn the life of 22-year-old Tiarah Poyau who was approached by an unknown man who began dancing on her. When she, as a liberated young women, told the man, “Get off me,” he pulled out a gun and shot her at close range. We send love to her family and friends who grieve their lost … Continue reading #SayHerName #TiarahPoyau #ToxicMasculinity
Category: Racial Justice
This summer I had the opportunity to travel to Kentucky with my son and my mom to visit family. While there on the border between Ohio (free state) and Kentucky (former slave state), We visited the Underground Railroad Museum to learn the rich history of slavery and freedom in the land. At the museum … Continue reading Visit to the Underground Railroad Museum
Black children are witnessing violent acts against Black lives and are experiencing post-traumatic stress--How do we help our children to process and heal from this trauma? In the past week alone, there was the 4-year-old girl in Falcon Heights, Minn., who was captured on video consoling her mother after they watched a police officer shoot … Continue reading In the Turmoil Over Race and Policing, Children Pay a Steep Emotional Price
"As a mother of two black boys, I have to be extra vigilant in making sure they understand how their presence can make people feel threatened, while at the same time help them understand they have value. I have to have a conversation with them when they get a little taller about how they will … Continue reading The Heartbreaking Reality of Raising Black Children in America
This week the New York City Council launched the Young Women's Initiative (YWI) in partnership with my fierce sister, Joanne Smith of Girls for Gender Equity, to identify the gaps in services for young women age 12-24, with a focus on women of color. The YWI brings together leaders and organizers who work with teens … Continue reading #SheWillBe
Black Parenting Matters: Raising Children in a World of Police Terror. Thursday, 01 October 2015 By Eisa Nefertari Ulen, Truthout My child's breath is a freedom song. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out. The rhythmic pulse of air he powers is love, is life, is liberation. In. Out. In. Out. My child is breath. "I … Continue reading Black Parenting Matters
Click our Parenting For Liberation SoundCloud to hear how James Baldwin's letter to his nephew in the opening of "The Fire Next Time" inspired this Parenting For Liberation site.
Talking to My Son’s Kindergarten Class About Violence Against Girls and Women on Career Day “He’s too young” I was told as I struggled with deciding how I would share Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy with my six-year-old son on the MLK holiday this year. As I contemplated taking him to a screening of … Continue reading The time is now…
When Michael Brown was gunned down, this song was shared with me. It spoke to the depth of pain and rage that was boiling in my blood. Hearing Ms. Lauryn Hill's small children voices in the background, calling out "Mommy" while she sings breathy, brimming with frustration of Black Rage validated me as a mom--it's … Continue reading Black Rage