Personal

What It Means to “Trust the Body” in The Time of Trump

“Facts matter” flashes across screens constantly as an important contrast to the swirl of misinformation…

The Stolen Birth Certificate: A Bastard Moment Memoir

In June 1989 my adoptive mom died about three weeks after suffering a debilitating stroke.…

Art Reborn: How the Pandemic Transformed my Art and its Purpose

Life changed for everyone around the globe with the Covid-19 pandemic. The virus took its…

Navigating the College Experience During a Pandemic

In all honesty, having Covid derail my senior year wasn’t a fun experience. No prom,…

COVID-19: On Interconnectedness

Perhaps ultimately, spiritual simply means experiencing wholeness and interconnectedness directly, a seeing that individuality and…

The Real Reason for the Embarrassing State of my Toenails This Summer

Like so many others, I do everything from home these days. And consequently, I rarely…

Breathing Space: An American Muslim Experiences Protests and Rallies

“It’s like Eid prayer at the convention center,” My eight year old daughter looked up…

The Black Cosplay Community

The cosplay community has always been an important part of my life, long before I…

Fire! Fire! Gentrifier!

The birds are singing. One sustained high note. A lower note, then another a full…

I Can’t

We’ve been talking a lot and rioting on I Can’t Breathe, but the reality is—and…

Mistaken? A Racist Tale in 3 Parts

My mom named me after one of the Disney Mouseketeers, Karen. (We won’t discuss my…

Revisiting Gaming

I have been reflecting on the past month of binge gaming. Command and Conquer, Supreme…

Remembering All the Black Children: Why, Why, Why?

As I trek my usual trail in Rochester, NY, I see golden leaves pressed to…

The Cost of Not Being Counted: Why The Census Matters

Achieving a fair and accurate census count is incredibly important when we look at the…

Stop Using My Identity As A Joke

To the guy who said: “I thought I had found the perfect Asian guy ……