I have to tell y’all...I LOVE making Dear Benighted States of America.

It’s become one of my favorite versions of the podcast.

Most days we gather for The Sunshine Report—the 92 Percent’s daily political news, joy cultivation, and intelligence briefing for Black women on YouTube, TikTok and Substack. We stay informed. We laugh. We think critically but always while reminding one another that a Black Woman’s peace is worth protecting. It’s fun being the 92 Percent.

But sometimes our community needs something wildy different. Sometimes we need a pressure release valve.💨

Many of us, especially GenXers among us, are still peeling off those last layers of Strong Black Woman Syndrome. We’re still releasing the belief that we have to swallow every frustration with grace because we’re worried about being labeled the “angry Black woman.”

Sooooo much of what the Trump regime is destroying in this country is infuriating to watch.

And while I believe deeply in emotional regulation, our strategy of organized indifference, and the need to protect our nervous systems, I also believe there is something profoundly healthy about telling the truth…out loud…with curse words.😆

That’s what the Dear Benighted States of America series of the Hey, It’s Halicue podcast is.

It’s our chance to tell the truth about how many of us feel, one tersely worded letter to the nation from the women who actually built it.

I’ve joked on LIVEstreams and videos that sometimes cursing somebody out, for the 92 Percent, is preventative medicine. But I’m only half kidding.

Black women experience disproportionately high rates of several autoimmune diseases, and researchers continue to study the effects that chronic stress, discrimination, and the burden of emotional suppression can have on our health and well-being. And Black American women deserve healthy ways to release that pressure—not by hurting people, but by refusing to carry everything in silence.

That’s what this series feels like to me—a pressure release valve and a deep exhale for all of us. And I’m always mindful that some of us work in places where we can’t always say exactly what we’re thinking. Some of us have careers, families, and responsibilities that require diplomacy every single day.

So now and then, I write the letter. I press record and say the quiet part out loud.

And I hope my beloved 92 Percent community and those who align with and support us laugh, feel seen, and walk away just a little bit lighter.

☀️ While you’re here...don’t forget to add your fave Black-owned business, product, service or podcast to The Sunshine ☀️ Directory.

The Sunshine Directory is our growing, community-powered directory of Black woman-owned businesses, creators, service providers, podcasts, authors, artists, and entrepreneurs. Every listing helps us circulate our dollars, our attention, and our support within our own community.

Need a great therapist? Looking for a podcast? Searching for a photographer, CPA, hairstylist, attorney, coach, or baker? We want the Sunshine Directory to become the first place Black women look.

Own a business? Add it. Love a Black woman-owned business? Recommend it.

Together, we’re building the economic infrastructure we deserve—one listing at a time.🌻 Visit TheSunshineDirectory.info and help us build the future.

This week’s special episode of the Hey, It’s Halicue podcast is submitted with love.

Disrespectfully,

Halicue ☀️

☀️ A little favor: If you enjoy the podcast and want to help it grow, please click the episode and let it play for at least one minute. That tiny action helps the download count register and tells the podcast gods that Black women’s voices, ideas, and joy deserve a bigger microphone.

Dear Benighted States of America,

To begin, a definition of terms.

After the Rick Chow acquittal for the murder of Cyrus Carmack Belton, Black Americans decided to stop patronizing parasitic businesses in our community and instead intentionally redirect those dollars, hereafter referred to as our Beauty Dollars, into our own community. Simply put, the Black Beauty Blackout is a reclamation.

Specifically, it is Black women making a conscious effort to redirect as much as possible of the billions of dollars we collectively spend on beauty every year toward Black American women.

That’s it.

That’s the assignment. We aren’t meeting in secret. We do have an agenda, and we’re out and proud about it, so you can’t label our efforts as a conspiracy. Black women are taking a closer look at where our money goes and are choosing to make different decisions.

According to Nielsen, Black consumers spend billions annually on beauty products and account for a disproportionately large share of spending in beauty and personal care categories. Black women have long been among the most influential consumers in hair, beauty, and personal care, yet often have to pay 4–9x the price for beauty and hair care than our white counterparts. We are helping build entire industries through our purchasing power, trendsetting, and cultural influence.

Which brings us to the first item on today’s agenda, and it may surprise you all.

Especially to our Asian business owners who jumped onto Beyoncé’s internet, not to express your sorrow at Rick Chow’s murderousness and making you all look bad, but to taunt us, often using racial epithets while we mourned the death of one of our children. And to those folks, we would like to extend a sincere thank you to the many individuals who spent the past several weeks mocking, dismissing, taunting, and challenging Black women for daring to suggest such a thing.

Thank you.

Truly.

Because nothing has clarified our thinking faster than watching people become outraged at the mere suggestion that Black women might choose to spend our own money differently.

Apparently, the idea that Black women could redirect even a fraction of our beauty spending toward Black-owned salons, Black-owned beauty supply stores, Black-owned beauty brands, Black-owned affiliates, Black-owned service providers, and Black women creators was so offensive that many of you essentially double-dog dared us to try.

And for that, we are genuinely grateful.

You told us exactly how you felt.

And we listened.

And with that said, and all that has come before, let’s clear up what seems to be causing so much confusion.

Many of you have mischaracterized Black women’s focused intention as hostility.

You have mistaken the 92 Percent’s preternatural sense of discernment as discrimination. You have mistaken us establishing a boundary and a new set of standards for ourselves as an attack or punishment.

And perhaps most revealing of all, you have mistaken Black women exercising retail choice for some sort of revenge fantasy. And this letter is to make sure you understand thoroughly and completely that this misunderstanding belongs entirely to you, the Benighted States of America.

And we understand your bewilderment because what you’re witnessing is something far less dramatic and far more powerful.

Black women are becoming more deliberate stewards of our own valuable resources—the resources of our attention and our influence on the beauty industry as a whole. We’re codifying and sharing our personal recommendations and establishing new business-to-consumer relationships. And as our self-care and hygiene are so intimate, sacred, and personal, we are also reclaiming our beauty rituals and trusting our own professionals, nail techs, and supply stores to recreate these services in ways that suit our skin, hair, and nails’ unique needs, versus your need to pinch a penny and skimp on products and the purity of ingredients.

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So to review, to all of the immigrant and POC communities who’ve previously siphoned the resources of the Black community and neighborhood: when Black American women decide to direct more of those dollars toward Black American women, as far as we’re concerned, this is hardly a crisis. We simply choose to call it what it is: consumer choice. It’s economic activism. It doesn’t even have to be that special, for real. Stop taking this so personally, after all. It’s us treating our dollars with the same intentionality everyone else treats theirs. It’s just business, right?

And while we’re here, a small administrative note.

Please save your fucking insults. Pump your bald-ass brakes on the accusations. Save the lectures and the think pieces. It’s hard to keep from laughing at many of the videos you all created to shame, guilt, bait, or provoke us.

In fact, how about this. News flash: The 92 Percent is no longer participating in y’all’s Model Minority Olympics. Black Americans are done competing for proximity to white supremacy and so-called “power.” Y’all can keep competing for approval amongst yourselves because the 92 Percent are 100% not interested in being chosen, validated, accepted, or ranked by this failing nation’s systems. If you don’t have anything better to do, we cannot say the same.

While some POC communities are busy campaigning for acceptance, Black women are busy building networks. Black women are busy recommending one another, creating new Black-owned business directories. Black women, especially, are having a ball discovering and supporting Black-owned beauty businesses. We’re busy sharing those resources. And all of this is strengthening our communities.

We’re not boycotting, America. We are busy redirecting the flow.

Enjoy our 92% LIVE Replays on Youtube

Which brings us to our second point.

We refuse to be baited. We accept how obsessed you are with the Black mind and body, but we will not be lured into the streets on command because we understand exactly what this moment demands of us. And no matter how many crosses you all burn in Grant Park.

Black women understand that we are living in an attention economy. And most of the people demanding our attention have never attempted to earn it with respect or any kind of forethought. Because if there’s anything the presidential election of 2024 and the strategy of today’s limp-dick, low-T leftists taught us, it’s that our attention, time, and hell, even our nervous systems have value.

And we have every right to decide where those precious resources should go.

Which is why Organized Indifference remains one of the core strategies of the 92 Percent. So ratchet down the anger and outsized reactions. Y’all swear that we are the violent ones, but ain’t nobody interested in donating our emotional labor, outrage, explanations, and peace to people, institutions, and businesses that have not ever demonstrated care, respect, reciprocity, or accountability.

So if you’re mad at what we’ve decided to do, you’re just proving what we’ve always known: a hit dog will always holler. We are already seeing that these fucked-up systems and exploitative business practices will start to fail the minute Black women stop feeding them.

Finally, let us address the charge that this movement is somehow fueled by hate.

Nope.

Black women understand better than most the cost of hatred. Our mothers knew it. Our grandmothers knew it. All of our ancestors knew it.

They understood what intensified hostility could bring down upon a Black woman. So we repudiate the charge of hatred. What you are witnessing is not hatred. Detachment, maybe.

It is discernment—absolutely.

Our Black Beauty Blackout is not just a reclamation; we consider it a redirection.

Not to belabor the point, but let’s be honest, America. You have a very hard time comprehending: Black women have decided that our beauty rituals, our dollars, our influence, and our recommendations are precious resources worthy of protection. We are taking our beauty dollars back, one mani-pedi and neck massage at a time.

Now we’re not making any accusations, but there are some members of our 92 Percent community who say: Y’all are mad we’re doing this peacefully and from a safe distance.

We know full well you’d like a little screaming, yelling, and neck-circling so you can have the satisfaction of venting your frustration about rising gas, food, and health care costs on us. But this, our little $7 billion blackout, is really just Black women talking to Black women.

One recommendation, purchase, referral, salon appointment and intimate beauty ritual at a time. So if this feels personal, I assure you it is not. In fact, that’s the entire point. For once, this isn’t about you.

It’s about us.

And we intend to enjoy every minute and redirect every dollar of it.

Disrespectfully,

The 92 Percent 🌻

Hi, 92 Percenters!

Before you jump into the new episode, I have one tiny favor to ask. If you’re listening on your favorite podcast app, letting the episode play for just a minute helps it register as a download and helps more people discover the show. Thank you for helping this little podcast grow. 💛

I wanted to share a quick update as we release the newest episode of Hey, It’s Halicue.

Over the past few months, much of my energy has gone into building a consistent daily live show, The Sunshine Report. Every morning, we gather for news, conversation, community, and a little perspective before heading into the day. The show is also livestreamed to YouTube, and you can find all of the replays there if you’ve missed any episodes.

Thank you to everyone who has joined us live, shared the show, commented, or simply made it part of your morning routine. Your support means more than you know. If you haven’t joined us yet, I’d love to have you come sit in the sun with us.

It’s also been a season of growth beyond the screen. I’ve attended my first creator meetups and industry events, gone live from the Live Long Women’s Health Summit, and broadcast from PlanetHaus in San Francisco. It’s been exciting to connect with other creators, brands, and communities while continuing to grow this work.

One of the most meaningful conversations happening right now inside the 92 Percent community is around Economic Activism. Across the country, Black women are intentionally supporting Black women-owned nail salons, nail artists, beauty supply stores, and beauty businesses. It’s a simple but powerful reminder that where we spend our money matters.

This week’s podcast episode explores Economic Activism in greater depth, including my personal pledge to practice it more intentionally. My goal is simple: to help us build while others choose chaos. To invest in the people, businesses, and communities that are investing in us.

I hope you’ll give the episode a listen.

Thank you for being here.

In every lifetime,

Halicue

Yes! I love you, and I’ve missed you, too! But before anything else, pretty please press play ▶️ on the podcast. Let it spin for just one glorious minute. Thank you in advance for opening it. I’ve missed you. 🥹

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Y’all know your girl is prone to a lil’ hyperbole but I have never been more excited to publish a single episode than I am right now. The last few (six 😬) months, I’ve learned how to be the serious content creator, Thought Leader, and a live-streaming host that Black Women of the 92 Percent deserve. I’m pretty f’ing proud of us, and I am honored to steward what we’ve grown.

Our 92 Percent community grew to over 60,000 Black Women (plus Mark! 😜), and even our small but mighty Substack grew from a small email list of supportive friends and colleagues into more than 1,500 subscribers.

The 92% is a here. We are a movement.

This episode explains Organized Indifference—a practice the 92% already understands—and that we are using in concert with the parallel of ritualizing our wellness as a direct response to this time of violence and chaos. When the world is loud, unstable, and unsafe, Black Women (Soulaan, if you please) answer by becoming more intentional with our energy, our bodies, and our self love and care.

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For Black women, ritualized wellness is not some spa day or Botox appointment.
It is both protection and OUR strategy.

We are living through a moment that demands clarity and self-trust. This podcast exists to help us stay hopeful, grounded, and oriented toward our own futures—without being consumed by chaos or compelled into constant reaction.

Here on Substack, and over on LinkedIn, I’ll be sharing the pillars of the 92% movement—the frameworks that guide how Black Women of the 92 Percent practice Organized Indifference, economic activism, and sustainable self-dominion and community leadership. (Please come find me on LinkedIn. I’ll admit—it’s a little lonely and weird over there by myself.)

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Thank you for being here, 92 Percent.
Thank you for staying. I got us.
Press play.

XO, Halicue🌻

Today we gathered on LIVE— not to hustle, not to push — but to pause.

Inspired by Pillar 1 of the 92 Percent movement, I led a live journaling session where we reclaimed stillness as our strategy and softness as our strength. Together, we slowed our breath, opened our journals, and began again. Not from burnout, but from intention.

We are not stuck.
We are sacred.
And in the quiet, we remember just how powerful we are

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🧡 A Gift for Your Pause Practice

This visual journaling page was created just for you — the Black Woman that understands the importance of our rest and how that facilitates our rise. It's a beautiful, 92 Percent-themed page featuring a brief reflection and four soulful prompts that anchor you in wisdom before your next pivot.

✨ Screenshot it. Print it. Light a candle. Write it out.
Because reflection is resistance. And rest is how we win. 📸

✍🏾 Journal Prompts from Our Live

If you want to save just the questions, here’s a quick list:

1. I'm grateful for…

2. Where have I been rushing to act, when I could pause to reflect?

3. What possibilities did I miss because I didn’t slow down to listen?

4. What does the notion of pausing with purpose feel like in my body?

   
   “You are standing on the fertile ash of your past. Ready to rise.”

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💬 What’s Next?

If you missed the live, don’t worry — more are coming. My goal is to make rest-based rituals like this a regular part of our collective practice. Follow me on TikTok or subscribe here so you don’t miss the next live journaling circle.

After today’s journaling session, I closed our subscriber-exclusive time with a quiet, golden ritual — sealing in our intentions under the sun with OSEA’s Undaria Algae Body Oil. It’s been a staple for years in my skincare and mindfulness practices — a clean, vegan embodiment of everything the 92 Percent stands for: nourishment, evolution, and care without compromise. This isn’t just skincare — it’s how we honor the pause, protect our melanated glow, and anoint the wonder of our transformation. Use code HEYITSHALICUE10 to make it part of your wellness ritual. 🌿✨

If today’s session resonated, leave a comment. Tell me what came up for you. Or just say: “I paused.”

You deserve to run or walk at our own pace and rhythm.
And you don’t need to earn your next breath.

We are the 92 Percent — and we move differently now.

—

With Softness, Soul + Strategy,
Halicue

Hello, my darlings!

✨ My latest podcast episode—“92%: The 2024 Election Portal”—is now live!

🎧 Click here to listen — and PLEASE let it play for at least 60 seconds so we can capture that download! It helps the show grow and lets our NEW sponsor know we’re not here to play. 💅🏽

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I’m feeling rested, restored, and READY for 🙌🏽 Summer! Schools out, my girls are home, and I’m in full fighting form—finally back to regular dance classes, Barre workouts before getting ready for Big Leo season radiance.

🌊 Brand New News: My First Brand Collaboration

I’m so thrilled to share that I’ve partnered with one of my favorite skincare brands, OSEA Malibu. If you know me, you know that rest for the 92 Percent isn’t just spiritual—it’s cellular. And OSEA gets that. Their clean, ocean-based skincare line aligns perfectly with my values around restoration, sustainability, and radical self-care.

💛 Use code HEYITSHALICUE10 for 10% off your first order! My personal favorite is the Undaria Algae Body Oil. The spicy, citrus scent is divine and it’s key to my summer glow!

✨ This Week in Joy: 2025 the Year of the Enlightened Black Man

While the news cycle is giving Batman villain energy (Elon’s black eye?? The Trump bromance breakup??), I say: Let. Them. Fight.
We have bigger things to celebrate—like our mental health, our joy, and the rise of what TikTok is calling the year of the Enlightened Black Man—men who are walking beside us, not ahead of us, in calling for accountability for men by men.

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I’m talking about:

• Deante Kyle (the calm we didn’t know we needed)

• Justin Scott (that man is healing himself and the community out loud)

• Mark Lamont Hill (the blueprint in action)

These men are not anomalies—they’re aligned. And their increased presence and healthy masculine divine protective energy are part of our joy. Period.

This summer, Black Women of the 92 Percent are choosing Radical Ease. I’m reclaiming the simple pleasure of being well and I invite you to do the same.

Stay tuned for more segments, new brand partnerships, and full-bodied Black woman brilliance.

xo,
Halicue
🟡 92% and Summer-Into-Spring Glowing.

🌻 Before you dive into this post, do me one quick favor—
Click the podcast link right up there and let it play for at least a minute while you read. It helps boost the downloads and tells the algorithm what we already know: Black women’s voices matter. ✨

Now, let’s get into it...

Y’all, I barely had time to recover from one of the most fun Mother’s Day weekends I’ve had in a long time (Seeing LL Cool J live at the Venue at the Thunder Valley Casino) before someone brought on the micro-aggressive bullshit!

The good news is that I’ve finally gone clear on something: Their trigger is none other is our fullness and excellence. 🤦🏽‍♀️ Ain’t that about a bitch?

When Black Women of the 92% show up happy, confident, assertive, sunlit, moisturized, generous, well-read, self-employed, or spiritually fortified, someone will come along and fling a micro-aggression at us.

And by they, I mean the ones who speak in “compliments” that land like gut punches. The ones whose tone shifts when Black Women speak clearly and forthrightly. The ones who call it “professionalism” when they just want us to act and feel smaller so they can get back to being centered. The ones who play innocent while practicing the spiritual energetic and spiritual warfare tactic known as the micro-aggression.

This week, it happened again. A microaggression thrown like a dart wrapped in performative confusion and seemingly innocuous question asking.
But this time—I saw it. And in response, I took a deep breath and I spoke the truth, clearly, out loud and with a dazzling smile. And let me tell you something, my freedom to speak loudly, with confidence (because I knew I was justified and just plain right): On the way home, I felt so light. I felt clear. And the micro-aggressor damn near ran away the second I stood up and grabbed my purse. 😏

Here’s the thing though—
I work for myself.
I can speak freely.
I can walk away.
And I know not every Black woman is in that position. Not yet.

So I made this week’s episode of The 92 Percent as a kind of soft armor.
🧠 A lesson.
🖤 A hand hold.
🔥 A primer in protection.
Not just for us, but for our daughters. For the women we mentor. For the next Black Woman, they try it on.

✨ Enjoy the episode, y’all.

Believe it or not, you’ll laugh. Even when the topic is heavy, we find our light. Always have.

And if it stirred something in you, I’d love to hear from you:
What’s a microaggression you’ve experienced?
What did you say in the moment—or what do you wish you could’ve said?

Drop it in the comments, send me a note, or share it with another Black Woman who needs to know they’re not alone. Because naming it? That’s how we heal. That’s how we protect each other. That’s how we win.

XO, Halicue

I’m finally back and just in time for an incoming recession AND the start of The Cowboy Carter Tour! 🤠

This week’s episode of Hey, It’s Halicue 🌻 is about How Black Women Are Riding Out the coming economic and political stormfront, ⚡️🌪️ and I need y’all to press play right now — even if you can’t finish it just yet because that first click helps us rise on the charts and reach more Black Women the 92%.

We need all hands on deck as we prepare (NOT panic) to meet the coming challenges and shifts as y’all Stunt Queen-in-Chief continues to f up the money and the nation realizes that Dr. Angelou knew exactly what she was talking about when she told y’all to believe people when they tell you exactly who they are.

You know who the original storm riders are? Black women.

So many of us, in this wild, politically and economically chaotic moment, are already instinctively moving towards the eye of the storm — that quiet, centered place where the winds don’t reach us.

Because we’ve been here many, many times before.

We’ve navigated every kind of upheaval, betrayal, and violation and still managed to protect our joy, raise our children, care for our elders, and create beauty, art, and culture out of our pain and ability to thrive in an environment that was intentionally designed to be hostile to us. As one of my favorite new TikTok followers, Nicole, reminded me:

Now, listen… I’m deconstructing from the church, but that resonated deeply with me, not just because that was exactly what my grandma would say when thunderstorms blew in. But also because our sitting down and being still right now isn’t about doing nothing. It’s about listening. Observing. Tapping in.

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This episode is about how Black women of the 92% are doing just that — holding the center, reclaiming our stories, and conserving resources and energy so that we emerge from this whirlwind with our peace of mind (and portfolios) intact.

If you’re tired, anxious, or need to be reminded that

1. this is just an extremely wack extended remix and repeat of 2016

2. We’ve weathered far worse than this and

3. our only way out is through the storm, then this one’s for you.🤗

🌪️ We’re not waiting for the storm to pass. Black Women of the 92% are riding it out together.

Oh — and send up a little prayer for me that Beyoncé adds a Bay Area leg to the Cowboy Carter tour. We deserve.

XO,
Halicue

First things first:
🎧 Go on ahead and Click the podcast link right up there ⬆️ to listen to the latest episode of Hey, It’s Halicue. Let it play for a minute, so the download counts—pretty please! It helps support the podcast. 🙏🏽

Okay, now that we’ve got that out of the way…

Did you miss me?
I just returned from a dreamy 10-day adventure sailing along the Rhine River through the Netherlands, Germany, and France with my favorite uncle and my mom. For those of us Black girls with healed/healing wounds from childhood (thank the Lordt for mediation apps and therapy) trust when I say that every moment of the trip was a beautiful practice in rest, healing, and living as my fully grown, soft, healed, adult self.

And this latest episode was born right from that space. 🌿✨

It’s inspired by a friend, mutual and 👸🏾data queen @iquelytics (follow her on Tiktok) and longtime supporter of the pod—and it's all about authenticity, especially what it means for us as Black women in a world that says, “Go on and just be yourself!” when nothing could be further from the truth. Often the same folk who assure us that they want us to be “authentic” are just yacking. In reality, they prefer us to shrink, code-switch, or conform in a way that keeps us smaller and them more comfortable.🙄

This episode is tender, fire-filled, and full of truth. My goal is to make you and any other Black Woman you know, feel seen, loved, and probably a little challenged (in the best way) to show up bigger, bolder, and more you—even though we know that’s exactly what society doesn’t always want from us.

I’m headed off to England next, but I’ll still deliver sweet audio + video goodness to your inbox. The last trip taught me this: don’t stop creating, even when you’re resting because Black Women of the 92 Percent-our voice, your art, your words—are worth making time and space for.

With love and jet lag,
Halicue

I just finished recording and publishing this week’s episode of Hey, It’s Halicue, and let me tell you—**I was on fire.**🔥 The energy was high, the message—One Band. One Sound. was clear, and I felt deeply connected to our collective power as Black women of the 92%. And instead of just …

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The way he kept the band in formation, on message, and distraction-free? That’s exactly the energy I’ve been seeing from Black women online. No matter how hard people try to insult, bait, or demoralize us, we’ve been speaking with one voice, one message, and one beautifully unified sound. It’s giving precision. It’s giving power. It’s giving unstoppable.😌🎶

Black women of the 92 Percent are moving differently. We’re unified, on message, and completely unbothered—and this week proved it. While the current administration is out here renaming Black Lives Matter Boulevard like it’s going to change history, their goal is clear: demoralize, distract, and bait us.

But we didn’t take the bait. Instead, we passed what I consider to be our first test. The response from Black women? A very sharp, collective side-eye and the kind of hilarious, unbothered energy that lets the world know we could not care less. The days of exhausting ourselves by reacting to every little slight? Over. We move with clarity, conviction, and purpose, not breaking formation.

I’m heading off to Europe for a few weeks and I realized that I’m looking forward to sharing a different side of myself—the Halicue that I describe as the wandering hoodoo. Travel for me is a form of rest, rejuvenation, and creative expansion. But every trip is also a chance to connect with something deeper—whether it’s the energy of a centuries-old city, the synchronicities that unfold when you least expect them, or simply the joy of seeing the world through fresh eyes. This is rest, but make it international. And for the 92%? I’m bringing you with me. I know so many of us plan to travel more over these next 4 years of our rest and reinvestment era, and I’m looking forward to helping Black women turn those dreams into reality—because we deserve to take up space globally, joyfully, and unapologetically.

Now, someone asked me if I was nervous about traveling, given everything happening with the current administration (you know who) and the European Union scrambling to counteract his latest tariff threats. Me afraid? Please. In addition to my passport, travel docs, and copies of everything because I’m responsible and seasoned, I’m also bringing a printed copy of the polling data.

Why? Because if anyone asks me how I feel about him or the state of global affairs, I’ll simply hand them the numbers. Black women got 92% and a 🏆 W when it came to keeping our stature, geopolitics, and global 🌍 reputation intact. If the world is watching, let them know: Black women are speaking with a unified voice.

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Enjoy this week’s episode of Hey, It’s Halicue, where we dive into the power of Black women’s unity, the radical act of prioritizing ourselves, and why ignoring distractions is the real flex. There’s a special EFT tapping exercise 🧘🏽‍♀️ created just for us—because it’s one thing to know we’re all moving together, but it’s another to feel it, deep in our bodies. One band, one sound, one heartbeat, one movement.

The 92% is here. We are together. We are ready. Tap in. 🎧

XO,

Halicue🌻

I’m so happy to release this episode about the political power of Black women’s creativity because I’ve received so many downloads lately about just how crucial this moment is. Black women’s art, joy, and creative expression have always been political acts.

I have what I can only describe as a deep knowing that what we create—individually and collectively—over these next four years will be historic. Our artistry won’t be solely focused on the beauty trends or unique forms of self-expression that we constantly innovate. This artistic era will be about Black Women’s sovereignty, about reclaiming the space to dream, imagine, and build on our terms.

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This may sound odd, considering our plan of centering our rest first, but I plan to explore and rediscover the creativity of domesticity. Since girlhood (y’all remember that I am the eldest daughter. First daughter of the first daughter, in fact.) I’ve always seen the domestic arts as drudgery—especially after COVID, when we were all confined to the house and every household chore felt like an endless, joyless cycle. But recently, I’ve been reminded that home life, when approached with intention, can be an art form.

Seeing Black women like the Duchess of Sussex create beautiful, warm, and luxurious lifestyle content—with ease and on her terms, simply because she loves it—has been so affirming. Meghan refuses to be boxed into the vulgar reality-show spectacle that the dominant culture expects from Black women, and I love that for her and us. Watching her step into this creative space, but doing it with grace, warmth, and that unmistakable Leo ease, has been a revelation. And to be honest, her confection of a lifestyle show has been a lovely distraction from the boiling lava flow of hot garbage emanating from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and corporate media.

I dedicated this episode to the artist in every Black woman who has been silenced, discouraged, and forced to work instead of create. I mourn the loss of Black Women artists we could have had—the writers, the painters, the filmmakers, the designers—if society weren’t so addicted to Black women’s physical and emotional labor. But I also hold deep hope and faith that the next four years will be a time of artistic renaissance for us.

And because I don’t just want to talk about it, I’m creating something for us. The Creativity in Bloom Challenge launches this Monday—a sweet, supportive space for us to explore, dreamscape, and finally give birth to the creative visions that have been waiting inside us. This isn’t just a challenge; it’s a practice, a ritual, a reclaiming. Like the podcast, it exists to remind us to choose ourselves over and over again. To create not as an afterthought, but as a pillar of our political strategy—because when Black women create, we shift culture, we shift economies, we shift history.

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This creative emphasis goes hand in hand with the economic boycotts and financial strategy of the 92%. The more we pour into our own artistry, the more selective, intentional, and strategic we become with where our money, time, and energy go. We are no longer asking for a seat at a table built for our exclusion—we are building entirely new art projects and creative spaces that honor, sustain, and nourish our visions.

Let’s support each other, pour into each other, and lift up Black women’s creativity like our future depends on it—because it does. May this be the era where we, Black Women of the 92 Percent, prioritize our artistry, our self-expression, and our collective brilliance.

XO, Halicue 💫✨

And when I say “focus,” I mean Black Women.

I was stung by the way Joy Reid was unceremoniously canceled. And although rumors swirl about her being asked to return to her news desk, I have no desire to sign a petition begging MSNBC to bring her back. I’m not invested in trying to help patch up a dying legacy media/corporate news system that was never built to benefit or properly inform us.

As far as I’m concerned, corporate media’s corruption is a huge reason this nation is buckling under the weight of white Christian nationalism. The failures, the spin, the erasure—it’s all part of how we got here. 💅🏽

So instead of pleading with the powers that be, I have a different ask.

Where is our online Black women-run news network?

Where is our alternative to these systems that betray Black Women, the foundation and most dependable voting bloc of progressive politics, every single time?

Where is our platform, built in our image, that refuses to compromise our integrity for white appeasement, liberal guilt, or corporate dollars?

MSNBC's fumbling Joy Reid, one of the only talents Black Women were even tuning in to watch, has made it clear to me: It’s time to stop trying to fix their structures and start building our own.

White Women (and White Lotus Season 3) Confirm: We’re 💯 Right to Focus on Ourselves

Lately, I’ve been having some... revealing conversations with white women of my acquaintance. And let me tell you something—if there was ever a moment I doubted that Black women prioritizing ourselves was the right move, these discussions shut that down immediately.

Because what has become abundantly clear to me after a few private conversations this last week, is this:

As a GROUP and DEMOGRAPHIC, they simply do not have a sisterhood

They do not trust each other.
They do not like each other.
They have been trained to compete with one another from birth—taught that another woman’s success is a direct threat to their own.

White women I know personally have shared this with me...in the last WEEK! 😳

Now, Black Women have known all of this for decades, if not centuries. After all, we’ve been surviving white women in just about every sphere of our lives since forever.

This is why, in the absence of Black Women and our emotional and physical labor, white women are struggling to organize with power, why their political will disintegrates, and why they fumble the bag when it comes to coalition-building.

And yet, Black women?

We move differently. And we’ll continue to do over the next four years in this period of rest, reinvestment, and joy.

The 92 Percent won’t just build relationships; we’ll build networks of survival.
Black Women won’t just celebrate each other; we’ll invest in each other.
Black Women won’t just “support” in theory; we’ll continue to hold each other up, in real-time, when it matters.

Our collective power is the greatest threat to this already crumbling empire. So you see, we’re already doing it right. No need to course correct in any way, 92 Percent. 🙌🏽

This week on Hey, It’s Halicue:

🎙️ We get into the real reason Joy Reid’s cancellation stung—but why we refuse to chase validation from broken institutions.
🎙️ We talk about what it means for Black Women of the 92 Percents to shift our focus away from “saving democracy” and toward building our own personal and collective power.
🎙️ We break down how white women themselves are confirming that Black women choosing themselves is the smartest strategy yet.

And as always, this isn’t just theory—we’ve got action steps.

💡 A powerful grounding exercise to center yourself before diving in.
💡 Three deep, reflective journal prompts to help you process the chaos and anxiety, bask in community, and move forward in power.
💡 A call to action for the real ones—because it’s time to stop reacting and start building.

The collective is the new coup.

Black Women of The 92 Percent are moving differently.

And if you’re ready to move with us, listen to the full episode now.

XO, Halicue 🌻

Y’all, I slipped. They almost got me this week. I let in a tiny bit of news—just a crumb—and whew! I’m sorry that I stuck my head out because it is well and truly wild out in these geopolitical streets. So, for a second, I got caught up and spiraled into a nasty little dance with the twin demons 😰 Fear and 😬 Anxiety. But then I remembered: The 92 Percent are holding the line and are showing no signs of giving up our right to Rest and Joy. And we refuse to be gaslit or cheated out of our well earned era of Regeneration and Creative Expression.

And since I’m a bit of a Black Girl Nerd, I’ll tell you how I’m working through a lot of this. Whenever I get frightened by all of this chaos and uncertainty, I just remind myself that we’re in that part of the movie. The gifted heroine is in the storm of battle, and she’s battered on all sides by chaos and the forces of evil. She’s fought a hard battle, used all of her skills and wit but is now exhausted. She is this close to giving up. And then? Something shifts. She stops running and stands tall. She connects to her purpose and center of power, conquers her fear and can now go on to vanquish her foe. That’s where we are.

So many of you have DM’d me or dropped a comment, saying you’re scared and that it feels as though the sky really is falling. I get it. But this is exactly why I create Hey, It’s Halicue and particularly this week’s episode Less Access, More Peace. This podcast is our soft shield, our permission slip to lean all the way into rest, creativity, and joy—because while fear is loud and ever threatening, our peace? Our peace is non-negotiable.

Our energy is everything, and our first step towards our personal liberation is to call it back home. No grand gestures, no explanations—just quietly beginning the process of reclaiming what’s ours. Watch what happens.

So please enjoy Episode 4 of Season 1 of “Hey, It’s Halicue” now and I hope you love Part One of my new 10 part YouTube series on The Black Women of The 92 Percent. We’re in this together, and spoiler alert. The heroine makes it out. 💛

XO, Halicue🌻

Today isn’t just about romance (although I am sort of in love with y’all. 🥰 Check the bottom of this post for a special Valentine’s Day Bingo I made just for us! 🤗 )

That’s why your girl is thrilled to drop a brand-new episode of Hey, It’s Halicue! 🎙️✨ on my favorite holiday, Valentine’s Day. And FYI, I the reason I love Valentine’s Day because it’s just gives everyone an extra excuse and incentive to tell your favorite people that you love them.

Who We Are as the 92 Percent
(Audio + Video podcasts are now LIVE! )

This episode is a love letter 💌 to US—and it tells the origin story of who we are: the Black Women who who dream big, love hard and therefore deserve REST and radical JOY. Let’s talk about why our power is in our collective love for each other and how we can reclaim what’s ours.

🎧 Listen, watch, and most importantly—share this episode with another Black woman. She needs to hear this just as much as you do.

And because we’re about that deep, intentional love, I’ll be going LIVE🔴 this Sunday in our Substack community for a special session:

🌙 Journaling & Rest Oracle Reading where we’ll unpack this conversation together, reflect, and receive wisdom for the week ahead.

Mark your calendars beloveds, and I’ll see you soon.

XO 👩🏾‍❤️‍💋‍👩🏿,
Halicue

💌 P.S. y’all know I’m a yapper so get down into the chat and LMK what you think of the episode and what/when you cross off your Valentines’ Day Bingo square! 😘

It was the beginning of Black History Month, and my big Leo vibes were impeccable, per usual. 😜 I’d successfully boycotted Target for over a week, Beyoncé finally won Album of the Year for Cowboy Carter 🤩 and she announced the tour! Doechii’s speech at the Grammys had me grinning like I was her proud auntie. The podcast episodes have been flowing, the Substack energy was right (I love it here, btw) and I was actually excited to sit down and do our very first “Hey, It’s Halicue” journal prompts myself…

And then? Boom.💥🥺

I’d barely written two sentences when I was hit with a full-force, time-traveling, plot-twist Mississippi flashback straight into some of the saddest chapters of my own personal Black girl history. Like, I was just minding my business, sipping tea, taking what I though was a break from editing and suddenly, I was ten years old again, crying and apologizing for taking up space and having committed the high crime of leaving dirty dishes in the sink. 😩

Whew.

Sounds dramatic, trust me—it was. But I know I’m not alone. Because when I asked my sisters in the 92 Percent to explore the origins of guilt, shame, and its connection with Black femininity, I knew exactly what I was doing with this very simple prompt. I just didn’t expect it to be this hard when doing them myself. 😩

And listen, I don’t say this to scare you off. Quite the opposite! Because the truth is: this episode is not sad. It is funny. It is rebellious. It is a good, deep, belly-laugh in the face of every guilt trip Black Women have ever been force-fed.

Because we deserve joy. And the first step in fully claiming it? Looking guilt in the eye, snatching its wig and letting it know it is no longer welcome here.

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Black Women are not guilt’s emergency contact.
Black Women are not on the guilt tripping group chat.
Black Women are not RSVPing to another “But You Should Feel Bad” convention.

So, in the second episode of Hey, It’s Halicue, we talk about it. Laugh about it. And RELEASE it! This episode is where we start breaking up with guilt for good—because we already know certain people have already tried to activate it in us this month. They always do. It’s one of their favorite tricks.

But not this time.

This time, we are choosing peace, ease, creativity, and joy—with a nice, juicy side of petty if necessary. 😌

So grab your headphones, press play, and let’s laugh in the face of guilt. Then grab a journal and take this week’s prompt for a spin. Just… be gentle with yourself. Some memories might pop up. But don’t worry—we’ve got each other.

Oh, and don’t forget—the video podcast is live on Youtube 📺, too. Because some conversations just hit different when you see the expressions that go with them.

Aren’t you feeling 92% happier already? Let’s keep going.

💛
Halicue

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This first episode is your gentle reminder to strap in and settle down. This will be a long, smooth, restful ride. We’re not just resting—we’re redefining what rest and revolution look, sound and taste like for Black women. And let’s be clear from the very beginning: I repudiate the concept that rest is selfish. I mean, it is for some folk, but not for us. For Black Women, rest is our strategy.

Please enjoy and share the episode. And don’t forget to check out the journal prompts and thought experiment questions! They’re here to help you go deeper into this journey and are designed to help those of us that are new to the concept of radical rest to reflect, dream, and plan for our brilliant, prosperous futures.

Get more from Halicue Hanna in the Substack app

Available for iOS and Android

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There’s also an accompanying video component to each episode that’s free!

Hit play, grab your journal, and tell me: how are you resting? And when someone presses you about your new restful lifestyle, remember—don’t explain anything.

🎧 Listen now
xo, Halicue

I’m Halicue—podcaster, recovering overachiever, domestic goddess, professional joy-seeker, and now your host of Hey, It’s Halicue, my brand-new weekly audio + video podcast and community designed especially for the 92 percent.

Who are the 92 percent? Glad you asked. We’re the incredible, magical Black women who admittedly, became accustomed to dragging a resistant world towards progress on our backs, making the impossible possible, and doing it all with flawless edges and a smile. (Spoiler: That’s wholly unsustainable and harmful to our emotional wellness and physical health.)

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But guess what? After the heartbreak of the 2024 election, Black Women decided spontaneously and unanimously that this is our season to reclaim something that’s been overdue: Rest, Joy, and unapologetic Self-prioritization.

On Hey, It’s Halicue, we’re diving deep into what it means for Black Women to break free from hustle culture, embrace radical joy, and practice what I like to call “restful rebellion.” Every week, I’ll bring you thought-provoking conversations, laugh-out-loud moments, and actionable tips to live your most fulfilled life—without burning out for anyone else’s benefit.

Please consider this podcast and our new Substack home, your cozy corner of the internet, where we unpack what it means to thrive as Black women in a world that loves to keep us busy, serious, and stressed tf out!

So, grab your favorite cup of tea, your soft slipper socks, and prepare to enjoy video and podcast episodes packed with love, wit, and a little fire.

Follow me on Substack and YouTube, and be part of the conversation with other sisters who are choosing themselves for once.

Ready to rest, rise, and have some fun along the way? I thought so.

Love y’all,
Halicue
Host + Creator, Hey, It’s Halicue—A Podcast and Community for The 92 Percent

P.S. Let’s make this our movement. Share this with the Black women in your life who need a reminder that they deserve more than survival—they deserve joy.