Inside My Chart-Topping Debut: The Onslaught of the -Isms: Original Poetry on Oppression
A #1 new release in African American poetry within 24 hours. Go inside The Onslaught of the -Isms—why I wrote it, what's inside, the poem born on a flight to California, and what readers are already saying.
Aug 94 min read
The Poets Speak: Our Sold-Out Narrative Theater Performance
We sold out weeks in advance. We walked into a full house, and what happened in that room—our poems, the conversations, the tears, the breakthroughs—is something we'll carry for a long time.
May 295 min read
The Power of Human Touch: Benefits That Will Surprise You
From Harlow's monkeys to your own nervous system—discover the proven health benefits of human touch and why your body can't thrive without it.
May 59 min read
![Although he knew how to swim, although his friends took his phone and keys and left the island without him, although his friends had conflicting stories, although he had blunt force injuries to the back of his head—I woke up to the heartbreaking news that a grand jury found the circumstances of Nolan Wells's death "consistent with" drowning. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents the family, says the ruling leaves "more questions than answers" and is calling for the investigation to stay open.
This came days after I saw Nolan Wells's parents in person at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's annual conference about the discrimination and disparities we're facing in Black America. Seeing their pained faces as they struggled to speak of their son in the past tense and share their bittersweet stories of the beautiful soul he was, I started to cry.
His mom said, "He was just a light. He wanted everyone to feel seen [and] protected. He did not like for anyone to feel excluded. ...We were honored that God chose us to be his parents and to raise him."
Sadly, most Black victims of the thousands of hate crimes, police brutality, and gun violence in the U.S. do not get justice.
This photo I took includes civil rights attorney Ben Crump; Nolan Wells's parents, Christine Wonsley and Elmore Wonsley; Santonio Carter and Monica Carter, parents of six-year-old King Carter; Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old who was killed while walking home from a convenience store; and Congresswoman Lucy McBath, mother of 17-year-old Jordan Davis, who was murdered because his music was too loud.
Look at their faces. Remember their names, and pray for these families, for justice, and the countless other names we know and don't know who were also denied justice.
#NolanWells #JordanDavis #TrayvonMartin #KingCarter #BenCrump](https://scontent-den2-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/819021601_18445049932134550_1563142005132942077_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=104&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=V7RSZg0Lak0Q7kNvwGIDhqm&_nc_oc=Adqvy2PXerVRDQjYNeser0F5EE19XNPb5tJgZBL7zgVG0rFtKdSIttuHEpNuQMlTO4g&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-den2-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=07ZNbYVsGQ2Dsom8g_b0Qw&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQIKUk3OGq6t0mt2tY_gZ36WPRSq-I2RvLxNzdMfvN9J1bnEsi6mQ-dme5S3HplVAf9DnN6AFVSO&oh=00_AQOV1ryVhpJzrcWJ0dMCuhPzw8I1CmCAkxszEv0onHu6CQ&oe=6AC4ED87)
