Lisa Beasley’s Non-Negotiable Request for Reparations

Dear United States Government, How you doing? Don’t care. Look, I came across this article and not that you care, but here’s a list of how I’d like to be repaid for hundreds and hundreds of years of torture, the lynching of my ancestors, systemic oppression, subtle racism, overt racism, unwarranted police brutality, the tossing […]

Am I Talented or Black?: My Response to Shonda Rhimes’ Acceptance Speech

In the summer of 2002, during our yearly trips to Blytheville, Arkansas, our family, my aunts, uncles, and a host of cousins gathered in my Grandma’s living room. It was the day before my 16th birthday. Amidst the laughter synchronizing with adult conversations and kids playing, I sat next to my Grandma with my eyes […]