Growing up as a model, I had so many people ask me if I would go into another facet of the fashion industry when my modeling days came to an end—I was like, “My modeling days are going to come to an end (?)!” Many people just assumed...
The following are the words that were spoken over me when I first entered the world. “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad (SAW) is His messenger.” Malika, they named me. It means “queen” in Arabic. “Bulaong, if...
I am a Black American woman born Muslim. I am weary, I am frustrated, and I am disappointed with the selective memory and selective compassion of many of my fellow Americans. I’ve watched videos of Black men shot by police, and I’ve...
Courtney: We’re talking about hair. And we’re talking about race. Two things that might not immediately strike someone as being related. But lately there’s been a lot of discussion about the natural hair movement and white people...
When I was first asked to write about the topic of the confederate flag, I was thrilled. Then after some time, I started thinking, “What would I write that hasn’t already been said?” From Rep. Jenny Horne’s impassioned and tearful...
It began in high school—actually before that—but my my first organizing effort was done senior year of high school. Speaking out against things that seemed unjust has always felt natural to me. I had this deep understanding of what I...
A new show on A&E, “8 minutes,” follows a retired cop-turned-pastor Kevin Brown and his team of volunteers and advocates. Their mission is to provide resources to “possible victims of sex trafficking.” Kevin and his team set up in...
As we continue to witness violence against women of color, queer people, transgender people, Black people, and other non-Black people of color, the Color of Violence 4 (COV4) conference in Chicago last month served as a space to be in...
