I left newspapers five years ago with three goals in mind: I wanted to keep writing for a living, keep paying my bills and keep doing work that helped people. I loved words. I loved storytelling. And I loved being able to ask any question I wanted. At the same…

The most beautiful day of my life also felt like the most selfish. Inside the ornate building decorated with childhood photos, golden charger plates and candle-lit glass vases, my knees wobbled and I wept as my bride-to-be, cloaked in ivory, strolled down the aisle. Outside, thousands of people were dying…

She’s scared to go outside and she’s afraid for her children. I swallowed back anguish when I read those comments from an Asian colleague at work this week. I wanted to know how she was coping with the latest in a spate of violence targeted at Asian Americans. …

One of the greatest blessings of my life is that I’ve spent much of it surrounded by incredible Black women. From my mother, aunts and grandmother to my fiancée, close friends and colleagues, Black women have been paramount in shaping me into the man I am today. I credit them…

No one’s saying Chadwick Boseman was a (panther) god. He wasn’t the Second Coming of Christ. He wasn’t the preeminent civil rights leader of our era. He wasn’t the be-all and end-all of Black excellence. But, he was a symbol. He was an icon. He was a hero. That’s why…

I winced when I saw it. Alien. That word is demeaning, ugly and offensive. Alas, it’s also legal because it’s written into federal law. I’ve never liked the use of “alien” in reference to people who aren’t citizens but live on U.S. soil. It’s always felt wrong and divisive. Those…

Some scoffed and others cheered when the NBA’s Jonathan Isaac decided to stand last week as his teammates kneeled in support of Black Lives Matter. I just sighed. I praised Isaac’s brazen choice to tell the world about Jesus. He leveraged a golden opportunity to share the gospel and relay…

If memory serves, Queen Pearl only popped me with a switch once in my life. I can’t remember what I did, but I guess I deserved it. For those who don’t know, a switch is a freshly picked stick or small branch from the nearest tree in your front or…

One of the latest headlines to emerge about Breonna Taylor details Oprah Winfrey’s historic decision to give up the cover of her magazine to honor the slain Black EMT. Good. We need more of that. But, here’s the news I would’ve liked to see: “Cops who killed Breonna Taylor charged…