Dear CDC Guidelines and the population that insists on reopening schools right now,

According to NPR, “Biden wants to reopen schools across the country within his first 100 days of office and has already signed executive orders to free up funding and increase personal protection equipment and testing for school districts” (3 Teachers on the Push To Return To the Classroom; NPR). This week the CDC administered new guidelines in order for schools to reopen safely including: proper hand washing, masking, ventilation, social distancing and excessive cleaning.

Across the country teachers have faced the uncertainty of returning to the classrooms…

Community changemaker. Outreach coordinator. Inspiring Rolemodel. Deescalating mentor. Dante Barksdale is being remembered this week after he was shot and killed in his home on Sunday morning. Barksdale wore many hats as a Safe Streets Coordinator in Baltimore’s violent-prone neighborhoods and is described as a kind, compassionate human being who was able to touch everyone. We remember Barksdale today as a changemaker who truly impacted his community and worked tirelessly to de-escalate conflicts and inspire the youth of Baltimore away from a life of crime and violence.

For more than a decade, Barkdale served as an Outreach Coordinator for the…

It’s Tuesday morning. You may not have noticed because these days in isolation, the days and weeks blur together like something out of a viewfinder. The conversation around self-love and self-acceptance has circulated this year with great ferocity. Self-help is a new genre topping the Barnes & Nobles list of most read and most recommended books. But having this obsession with self and the need to explore it, is kind of needy right? Can’t we just accept we’re needy without having to self-help our way out of it?

Oddly enough, being needy for the last 29 years of my life…

Look, I understand the pull to get students back in school. Criticism from parents in my county sound like this:

Children’s mental health is declining

Obesity is at an all-time high

They are not learning anything

They are falling behind

Everything is backwards right now. We’re in the middle of a pandemic. I don’t care if you’re a teacher, a business owner, a parent, or you were laid off of your job — things are bad right now and we can’t ignore that fact. I mean, we’re in the middle of a pandemic, the typical response to any of this…

It’s not like me. That feeling to hear a song on repeat from the moment you wake up to downing my fifth cup of coffee. It’s not like me to listen to French Montana like this. I had to wonder, is this normal? I can’t be the only one who’s felt a little aimless during the pandemic. I’ve never worn sweatpants as much as I have this year, and my purpose feels fleeting with each passing day. It’s 9:31 on a Saturday, and I’m listening to Dave East’s ‘Maneuver’ featuring French Montana for the 9th time. …

In search of an exit

I went corner to corner

wondering where I left off and

where my steps started over

I couldn’t figure out how to get out of the box,

the very thing that locked me out after I knocked,

A single tune couldn’t be heard for miles,

the dark, cold tile

filled with bile and projectile

A wish that a comet would come down and relieve me

of the four tiny walls that went dark and deceived me

A killer whale driven by instinct inspired

A yellow goldfish who circles repeatedly tired

Weak and afraid,

keenly aware…

I can’t be the only one who feels like I move slower in the winter. Something about the crisp, biting air, the need to stay in the warm covers during the dark mornings, and consume every hot beverage in my eyesight in order to create a semblance of comfort separated from the summer I miss so dearly.

That being said, goal-setting for me has always pulled itself to a screeching halt as soon as the temperature drops below 40 degrees. To add to the bite of winter this year, 2020 proved to be a peculiar challenge for all, and I…

I believe that our self-worth comes from our dating history and to put it simply, mine isn’t anything short of needy.

Think about it.

Everyone you’ve dated or have had a relationship with reflects who you were at the time in some way. That’s why some people completely change their appearance in some relationships, it is why some people feel rooted to a certain place, or ready to pick up and move at a moment’s notice with their partner.

My dating experience is a long one. Relax, I didn’t “love” everyone, I just liked dating the old-fashioned way, being asked…