PASSIONS IGNITED: WHY I WRITE

Can you believe it? It is November already. This year has been insane, to put it nicely. From the RONA to social unrest, 2020 has been a dumpster-sized load of dog poo set ablaze. And the flames will not die. And the stench is not going away. As I write this post, Corona cases are on the rise.  Countries are going back into lockdown.  Black people are still getting shot in the streets.  Protests are still happening around the world.  And the most important (perhaps in our lifetime) election is happening in less than two days. All this is scarier than Nightmare on Elm Street! These events seemed to ignite another fire…No scratch that….re-ignite a fire within me that I had turned down on low. That is my need to write. 

WRITING ABOUT THE MARGINALIZED EXPERIENCE: NEW TO THE BLOG BUT NOT TO ME  

I am a writer at my core. I believe that is what God called me to do. I knew that at an early age. In middle school, I wrote papers on topics like the AIDS epidemic and interracial marriages.  In high school, I looked at race relations. In college, I continued to examine race as it relates to my city – Birmingham (also known as BOMBINGHAM in the 60s because of the bombing of a church that killed four little girls). I explored the role of Black churches during the Civil Rights Movement. I looked at films and how Hollywood portrayed Native Americans throughout history.  You see, writing about race and the experience of marginalized people has always been a passion of mine. So, when I stood in horror and watched the video of George Floyd’s death, it was like GOD hit a reset button.  And I had to write. 

I wrote and I wrote. I penned two poems about George Floyd’s death that I am currently submitting to different publications. I created web content for the Diversity & Inclusion committee I belong to and facilitated a class on How to Confront Unconscious Bias. I penned a personal essay for RECKON South about my experience at a PWI.  I crafted posts on the blog around representation and what you can do to learn in this time of social unrest. Check out:   Listen. Learn. Act. Three Steps to Moving Towards A Better Tomorrow or Rare Depictions of Black Women in Film: A Look at Black Panther and Why It Matters. And I am working on several children’s books because representation matters.