I. The Line That Won’t Leave Me Alone “Some of y’all are trying to get a seat at a table Jesus would’ve flipped.” I heard it in a TikTok more than once, and it stuck—because the truth behind it is heavier than the delivery. We live

I didn’t come to rap as a scholar. I came to it as a kid in a house full of music—soul, funk, gospel, jazz, and everything in between. I was raised by people who believed in the power of lyrics, who rewound songs just to hear a line

If you’re not in jail, in debt, in service, or in the ground… you in danger, girl. That’s not just a punchline. It’s a reality for millions of people living in the margins of America’s systems — people who are poor, disabled, overworked, displaced, or barely hanging

A story about credit, collapse, and what comes next. Do you know why the economy feels broken? Because so much of it was built on what we thought would happen—not what actually did. For decades, we’ve been living inside a system fueled by forecasted value, not real value.

We often ask ourselves, What’s the point?—not always from despair, but from curiosity. Why do people run marathons, climb mountains, or sign up for challenges that push them to the edge of exhaustion or pain? Why do we rally around big, abstract promises like Make America Great Again

Growing up, I was told alcohol was bad. I was warned: “You don’t want to end up like your grandfather,” a man I never met, but whose story ended in cirrhosis. “Don’t be like your father,” I heard, again and again. The message was clear: people I loved

You don’t know what I know—so you can’t possibly get what I’m trying to say. Your experience hasn’t been mine—and that makes you wrong. These are the unspoken beliefs behind so many modern arguments. They’re not always shouted. Often, they’re whispered through

In the ever-evolving landscape of leadership, one of the most intriguing challenges that professionals encounter is the enigma of deflective management and defensive leadership. Though seemingly complex, these terms boil down to a set of behaviors that can hinder growth, communication, and overall success within an organization. To navigate this