A Letter to My Daughter: Dear Baby Girl, It’s Okay to Feel Scared Right Now
My 9-year-old daughter is questioning a lot of what is going on in our world right now. I explain to her the importance of Black Lives Matter and answer…
Tag: family
Welcome Home: Navigating the holidays without a home
“What are you and your son doing for the holidays?” This question, innocently asked, is an emotional minefield for me and families like mine across the country coping with homelessness….
My Family’s Curse
When thinking about the American dream, we often believes that merit in equals results out—if you work hard enough, you deserve what you get. But is that always the case?…
A 23rd Birthday Commemorated Without Celebration, as Nevada Ranks Sixth in Police Killings Nationally
Las Vegas, Nev. – Monday, September 25th, 2018, would have been the 23rd birthday of Junior David Lopez. He was a young man with wedding plans set for mid-May and…
The forced trajectory of Trinita Farmer, mother of police homicide victim, Tashii Brown
“He was very creative,” said Trinita Farmer about her son, Tashii Brown, during an interview in her home on March 4, 2018. Farmer was eager to exhibit his work, which…
Unarmed & Black: Keith Childress, Jr. remembered, and the growing list of loved ones left behind after police violence
Family, friends and supporters of police violence victim Keith Childress, Jr. demand justice for his murder. His mother, Jacqueline Lawrence, lives in Phoenix, Arizona, which makes advocating for her son difficult, but she has started to meet other families impacted by police violence.
A Year of Fighting for our Families and Friends
The Center for Community Change, in its work with the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM), has been standing steadfast against attacks against our family and friends. Even in the face of Trump’s non-stop barrage of hateful immigration policies, FIRM and its members did not hide in the shadows. FIRM members showed up countless times this year at rallies, at Congressional offices, held hunger strikes and never let their voices be silenced. And we are determined to continue to push forward in the year ahead.
Home Alone: A Single Mother Tries to Navigate Missoula’s Child Care Crisis
Photo Credits to Brian Hart. Originally published by the Missoula Independent. My life as a single mother has often meant looking up, helpless, waving goodbye like Wile E. Coyote, after…
My Multiracial Son Embraces His Black Identity
Originally published by the Indianapolis Star. The wispy-haired 4-month-old Mark is held timeless in a frame in front of me. The 12-year-old, shaggy-haired Mark is fast asleep in the room…
Announcing, my forthcoming memoir: MAID: A Single Mother’s Journey from Cleaning House to Finding Home
On June 16th, I celebrated my youngest daughter Coraline’s second birthday. While she opened presents, I relished the memory of her entering my life. She was born a month after…