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#WednesdayWisdom
"We will not march back to what was, but move to what shall be: a country that is bruised but whole, benevolent but bold, fierce and free." — Amanda Gorman
Morning Musings
Four years ago I walked into therapy on Inauguration Day and said, "Girl." My therapist, a Black woman, responded with, "Girl, I know." And that was it. That was the session. Okay, it wasn't, but that was by far the best part.
Four years later, I logged onto Zoom and pronounced, "GIRL!" And my therapist, a different Black woman, responded with, "Girl, I KNOW!"
Now, if you speak Black Girl, then you know there's a distinct difference between these two conversations. And if you don't, well I don't know what to tell you.
This is just one of many reasons I love Black women. We have our own language. We can have entire conversations without saying a word. Our faces tell EVERYTHING.
On Instagram, I shared a picture of VP Kamala Harris (damn that feels good to write) and Michelle exchanging fist bumps and wrote, "Like, imagine not being a Black woman today. Couldn’t be me." And, like my tweet from December, it went viral.
I love Black women and I love being a Black woman. I take pride in these declarations because once upon a time in the not-so-distant past they didn't ring as true for me as they do now.
Growing up, I prayed to God to make me white so I'd be beautiful. It's a story I've documented at length here. You have to remember, this was before Michelle, before Kamala, before Beyoncé and "Brown-Skin Girl."
It took me quite a while to fall in love with the skin I'm in, so yea, you can say I'm making up for lost time. And no, I won't shut up about it.
Love,
L'Oreal
ICYMI
When I heard Amanda Gorman would be the inaugural poet, I screamed in #BlackGirlMagic. I'd interviewed the country's first National Youth Poet Laureate back in 2017 for Sesi, a quarterly print magazine for Black teen girls.
If you've watched her recite her poem "The Hill We Climb," then you already know Amanda is beyond dope. And if you haven't please stop and do so now. Then when you come back, you can check out my interview with the award-winning author and activist here.
Upcoming Events
Feb. 3: Cooking with A Taste of Amore. Join me and my college roomie/food blogger friend Dore at 8 pm ET/7 pm CT on IG Live as we make shrimp scampi (feel free to grab the ingredients and follow along).
Feb. 5-7: Unapologetic Reset. Join me and my girl Rachel Symone Gilliam for Unapologetic Reset, a virtual retreat featuring more than 30 wellness sessions. Use the promo code LOREAL10 for $10 off your ticket.
Feb. 17: Creating Your Journalism Backup Plan. I'm teaming up with Wudan Yan and Jenni Gritters of The Writer's Co-op for a panel about switching out of journalism. I'll be sharing how I parlayed my newsroom skills into a successful career in nonprofit PR.
Feb. 27: How to Land a Literary Agent. I'm hosting a masterclass for Permission to Write, an online community for Black writers and writers of color, all about the process of finding, vetting and signing with a literary agent.
Links I Love
1. My girl Pam wrote this poem inspired by the inauguration and it. is. EVERYTHING! (Unapologetically Pam)
2. A Literary Friendship Through the Demands of Success. Every writer needs a writer friend (several of them, tbh). Nic Stone and Angie Thomas share why. (ZORA)
3. What Vice President Harris Means to Women at HBCUs. One of my few life regrets is that I didn't go to an HBCU like my younger and wiser sister. FWIW, I feel like I would've gone to Spelman. (The 19th)
Support LT in the City
Despite being an Enneagram 3w2 (that's an Achiever and Helper, for those keeping track at home), I'm actually quite terrible at asking for and receiving help.
So when a few of you suggested I start one of those Buy Me a Coffee pages, I hesitated. Then I remembered two things: 1) receiving help isn't a sign of weakness and 2) if people want to support me, who am I to stop them?
This newsletter is a labor of love and I wouldn't have it any other way. That being said, it is still labor. So if you enjoy rocking with ya girl every week and want to show some love, click the button below. My growing caffeine addiction thanks you in advance!
My Latest Obsession
Michelle. That's it. That's the post.
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