This holiday demands a deep engagement with American history and anti-Black oppression. Anything less is an insult. — I was born on June 19, 1982. My birthday falls on the Black liberation holiday known as “Juneteenth,” a fact that has always felt inspiring and meaningful to me. Now, on the eve of my 38th Juneteenth, uprisings against racism are sweeping the globe, sparked by the video of the…

Today is International Workers’ Day 2020, also known as May Day, and there’s a massive boycott that’s been organized against companies like Amazon, Target, Instacart, Whole Foods and more. I’m always down for workers’ rights, and yet this boycott gave me a moment’s pause. With the emergence of COVID-19, delivery…

Ew, mom. “Well. I’m just saying!” My mom started giving me really straightforward life advice when I was about 12 or 13 years old. Most folks in my hometown Columbia, South Carolina, were preaching abstinence and so-called virginity. But Pat saw things differently. “I watch you get out of this…