true kings don't die, we multiply 👑

Spread the love, forward to a friend!

View this email in your browser

#WednesdayWisdom

"Gentle reminder: Give yourself permission to be sad—to not be okay, to not hold it together, for once. Make room for falling apart & grieving what you've lost or longed for. Cry more. Release the emotions trapped in your body—it is alright There is profound strength in allowing yourself to lean into heartache, that is where healing lives. Give yourself permission to love yourself through it." — alexandra elle

Morning Musings

This year just keeps getting heavier and heavier. I don't know about you, but I'm still reeling from the death of Chadwick Boseman, best known for his role as King T'Challa in Black Panther.

I was wrapping up a virtual happy hour with my besties late Friday evening when my husband rushed into the dining room and said, "Chadwick Boseman is dead?!" It was equal parts a question and a declaration.

Immediately, I rejected both parts of it. "No," I countered. "No, no, no, no, no. That can't be true." Everyone stopped talking and a quick google search confirmed our worst fear -- it was, in fact, true. He was gone. 43. Colon cancer.

I kept reading and re-reading the statement posted from his Twitter account hoping the words would somehow morph into an order that made sense, because these words did not. Could not. Would not. 

"2020 can go straight to hell," I tweeted. I meant, and I still mean, every word of it.

How do you take Kobe & Gigi, John Lewis AND Chadwick Boseman in the same year? On top of a global pandemic that has claimed the lives of nearly 1 million people? On top of deadly natural disasters every other day? On top of police killing and shooting Black people for no damn reason? 

I mean, just that Sunday, police in Kenosha, Wisconsin shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, SEVEN times in the back. That was Sunday. Then we lost Boseman, who literally brought the Black Panther to life, on Friday?! Make it make sense. Because it doesn't. It can't. And it won't.

Superheroes aren't supposed to die. And sure, you could argue that Boseman "only" played one on the big screen. But as someone who believes representation matters always in ALL ways, I can assure you that this is bigger than a movie. This is bigger than Marvel. This is about little Black children (and hell, even some adults) seeing themselves in a role, in a position of power, that has historically not been afforded us.

This is about little Black boys seeing themselves as the hero of the story in a world that constantly depicts them as the villain. Again, this is so much more than a movie.

And the fact that Boseman made such a massive contribution while fighting his own battle is a testament to his character, a legacy that will surely live on forever. Because as Jay Z rapped in "MOOD 4 EVA," "real kings don't die, we multiply."

Wakanda Forever.

Love,
L'Oreal

ICYMI

One of my favorite things about being a journalist is having a professional excuse to chat with some of my favorite "Twitter friends in my head," such as Paulana Lamonier, CEO and founder of Black People Will Swim. I've been admiring Paulana from afar on social media for years now and recently interviewed her in my latest for Well + Good.

Virtual Happenings

Sept. 2 (TONIGHT): Pinot x Poetry. Two of my fave writers and poets, Pam Johnson Davis and Arij Mikati, join forces for what's sure to be an incredible evening of love and light. (FREE)

Sept. 17: Roundtable of Sisterhood: Starting Strong - Positioning Young Women for Success @ Work. Women Employed concludes its Working Lunch Summer Series with a conversation about lifting as you climb. (FREE)

Sept. 24: How to Manage Your Mental Health While on Social Media. My friend Vanessa Flowers of Flowers Girls Meet is partnering with Ama La Vida Coaching to share tips on how to have fun with social media while still showing up as your best self. ($9)

Links I Love

1. Not the Bayang! If you've spent anytime on TikTok this summer, then you're familiar with this catchy ditty from user @itsjustnyissa about her hatred of bangs, or as she calls them, "bayangs." (Beauty IRL)

2. How to Break Up With Your Employer During The Pandemic. Yes, it can be done. (Forbes)

3. It's OK to Feel OK Right Now. As I mentioned before, 2020 has been one hell of a year. And for all it's tragedy, there has been happiness as well. This is a friendly reminder that your emotions are valid. (New York Times)

My Latest Obsession

Between my full-time job and freelancing, I spend a LOT of time on my laptop (as in anywhere between 10-12 hours a day). After my friend and colleague Leila suggested blue light glasses as a way to alleviate eye strain, I immediately booked an appointment at Warby Parker* and my only regret is I didn't do so sooner.

*FYI, it's the Haley pair in lavender crystal in case you want to be twinsies. 

Now Hiring

1. Editor, US for The Fuller Project

2. Staff Writer, Culture for Slate

3. Web & Digital Content Manager for The HistoryMakers

4. Director, Marketing - One World for Penguin Random House

5. Swing Shift Production Coordinator for Comedy Central

6. Senior Manager, Corporate Communications for Sephora

7. Chief Inclusion Officer for Twin Cities PBS

8. Producer, Podcasts for The Los Angeles Times

Psst...did a friend forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here so you never miss an issue! Liked what you read? Be sure to follow using the buttons below.