If you’re new here and happed to come across this article not knowing what any of this is about, here’s a brief overview:

An evening of poetry, communion, and action — Black Women Deserve Poems brings Lynae Vanee’s philosophy for change from the internet to the ground, city by city. Lynae Vanee is an NAACP Image Award-winning digital creator, orator, and cultural commentator. Known for her sharp, poetic insights on politics and culture, she uses her platform to build community, speak truth to power, and respond directly to the political and social challenges facing Black women today.

This summer, Lynae Vanee is hitting the road to tend to democracy’s most indispensable vanguard: Black women. This unique, nationwide tour brings a powerful conversation steeped in activism, poetry, and storytelling to major cities across the United States. The evening features live performance, and an exclusive screening of her groundbreaking short film, Sundays in the Overflow— a beautiful, cinematic love letter to Black women navigating the deep intricacies of Black womanhood while actively resisting fascism.

Following the film, Lynae will share the stage with fellow champions for Black women’s political agency and key leaders in the movement as we inch toward midterm election season. Designed as a community morale booster, this event is crafted to meet the urgency of our cultural moment — leaving attendees feeling deeply cared for, restored, and galvanized with actionable steps to power through the upcoming elections.

I cannot even begin to describe the feeling each room has brought me on this tour, much less what the attendees experienced (If you’ve already attended one of the east coast dates, show some love or share review in the comments.) But when I tell you, guests have left overwhelmed with joy, fervor, a pep in their step to make their next step toward radical self love and democratic socialism rolled into one, believe me. The Black women leave feeling supercharged, and the people that love them— convicted to keep them super charged.

I can’t wait to see what vibes the west coast brings. And I'll be tackling the west coasted in one fell swoop, so it’s going to go by quickly. Sp quick, after this week you’ll have missed your chance to see me 🥺.

Without further ado, here are your guests!!

LOS ANGELES - 8/12 FT. KID FURY

Los, Angeles, long time no see. And I’m coming back with a banger. On Aug 12th I will be sitting with none other than THEE KID FURY as we talk about EVERYTHING BLACK WOMEN deserve and what it’s like surviving this raggedy-ann administration.

I must do a little shout here. I’m such a fan of this man’s work, and I'm so grateful for his sacrifice and commitment to bringing joy into this world and being the light that he is. I hope to use this night to pour just a little bit into him in return for every week he has poured into me via The Read.

You will laugh, you will cry, you will leave with new perspective and new life. I can’t wait to see y’all.

BAY AREA (SAN FRAN) - 8/14 FT. BLAIR IMANI

And for my next guest, none other than miss smarter in seconds herself, Miss @BlairImani will join me in the Bay Area on Aug 14th. Oakland, we may have had to snag a venue in San Fran, but this one might be for you— so gon come across that bridge 💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾. Blair and I will be uplifting radical Black Feminist leftist politics that will see us through these trying times and beyond in (near) the birthplace of the Black Panther Party. Sheesh.

And she alone makes you smarter in seconds, so just imagine how smart you’re gonna after two house. I’m actually so stoked for this one.

PORTLAND- 8/16 FT BIMMA WILLIMAMS

Now I must say, I wasn’t expecting Portland’s tickets to move this quickly. I was really just trying to get up there and see my good friend Bimma Williams. He was the first ever Black person to bring me to Portland and has spoken at length about the Black community in Portland, particularly in the tech space. Very excited to sit with my friend and discuss quite a few things in that regard. So, bring all the black people you can find, your tech friends, yes, even your white friends. We need all the allies we can get.

And last but not least…drumroll please.

SEATTLE - 8/18 FT ANGELA RYE

At my last stop on the West Coast I will be joined by a hometown hero, and one of the most wide reaching organizers I know, Ms. Angela Rye. I honestly can’t even begin to describe the conversation we’re about to have. I just know it’s going to be raw, rooted in academic and experiential expertise, and transformative. For me and for you. This may be the end of the West coast leg of the tour, but it will certainly be the start of something beautiful.

As For The South

I have secured partners for the following cities: Atlanta, Jackson, New Orleans, and Memphis. These cities were selected because they were directly impacted by Louisiana v. Callais, and that is where most funding is concentrated a this time. Independently produced tours cost money guys, and I want to involve more voices in the south, which means more people have to get paid. So, bear with me. Black Women Deserve Poems is organically reverberating in to something much bigger.

There will be more shows, in more cities, and maybe even more countries. Just stay tuned and stay tapped in to learn more.

Love you,

And I hope to see you soon.

WHY AM I DOING THIS?

Black Women have been having a very hard last 400 years. In a world contingent on our labor and ambivalent to our suffering, our exploitation often goes unrecognized as people from all walks of life (White, Black, Asian, Latino, East Asian) adopt the white supremacist notion that they are entitled to it.

This year alone, we’ve been hit with multiple jabs, politically, socially, economically, and via intimate partner violence.

Just this past week, we saw the American Opposition go on a tirade against Jasmine Crockett, demanding that she assist James Talirico in his campaign because he was not performing well in his race against Ken Paxton. They demanded her star power, tenacity, and influence be employed in service to the white man who was chosen over her, one who is far less formidable and experienced than she.

Black women political content creators have been dragged through the mud weekly by bad actors, yes, but also, unfortunately, by the very communities they work with and for.

A few months ago, we saw Black men on the internet halted in their tracks, almost compelled to turn about face on Black women with glee when Megan Thee Stallion broke it off with Klay Thompson due to his infidelity. The rhetorical violence was visceral all by itself, but at the same time, for whatever reason, my timeline was showing me Black women playing voicemails of abusive partners threatening to kill them and their unborn children on top of that.

AND this was all right after we witnessed what I believe should be regarded as “Black Femicide Week,” when at least 8 Black women were murdered by their Black partners within a span of a few days. So, again, even in the context of the past 400 years, this year alone has been a doozy, and it’s only June.

This trend has intensified consistently since the 2nd election of Donald J. Trump and the simultaneous denial and rejection of Vice President Kamala Harris. The election of 2024 was a heavy blow that sucked the very wind out of us. So much so that many of us vowed to sit our black asses down for a stint and put our own oxygen masks on for a while before we dared extend a hand to somebody else. And shit began to fall apart immediately.

In February of 2026, it was reported that over 300,000 Black women had lost their jobs. The Big Beautiful Bill that was passed on Independence Day of 2025 threatens the healthcare, childcare, and SNAP benefits of many Black women and their families.

And those of us who did step up to do the job of at least trying to protect and prepare community were still exposed to all kinds of violence, with the understanding that we had to keep moving. We are often drawn thin, with no one left to pour into us. And with all of this, still not even a thank you.

So, as we inch closer to midterms and things are likely to get even more difficult as we approach a major inflection point, I decided I wanted to come say thank you in person and, what’s more, let you know that you are seen.

WHAT ARE THE VIBES?

This first iteration of Black Women Deserve Poems is not a concert. An evening of poetry, communion, and action — Black Women Deserve Poems brings my philosophy for change from the internet to the ground, city by city, responding directly to the political and social challenges facing Black women today.

This unique, nationwide tour brings a powerful conversation steeped in activism, poetry, and storytelling to major cities across the United States. The evening features live performance and an exclusive screening of my groundbreaking short film, Sundays in the Overflow— a beautiful, cinematic love letter to Black women navigating the deep intricacies of Black womanhood while actively resisting fascism.

Following the film, I will share the stage with fellow champions for Black women’s political agency and key leaders in the movement as we inch toward the midterm election season. Designed as a community morale booster, this event is crafted to meet the urgency of our cultural moment — leaving attendees feeling deeply cared for, restored, and galvanized with actionable steps to power through the upcoming elections.

CAN I COME IF I’M A MAN? OR WHITE?

No matter what race or gender you may be, if you care about Black Women– if you care about the future of this nation– you should come. If you are nonblack or a man and feeling guilty about taking up space, get a ticket for somebody who fits the bill to make yourself feel better.

WHERE AM I STOPPING?

Our Current Lineup boasts 4 Major cities on the East Coast, Dallas, TX, and 4 Major Cities on the West Coast.

WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT D.C.?

I say this without shame. I might love the D.C. the most 🙃. I’m obsessed. I was considering moving up there, but I don’t think I will because they don’t really need me up there, but I will spoil them, unfortunately. So, as the first stop on the tour, I am building out a kick-off experience there that won’t take place anywhere else.

Every show will offer a VIP meet-and-greet opportunity. However, after the show at the D.C. Public Library, VIP ticket holders will be asked to meet me down the street at the gorgeous, glorious, incomparable (h)ours at Manifest, D.C, for an intimate “Dinner and Show” experience.

Just look at the photos of the space:

Yes, at (h)ours, I will be getting back on stage featuring live music to perform an exclusive set. I’ll be joined by a couple of guests too. There, attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions, make requests, and take photos with me after the set. This event is for grown folx only, individuals 18 and up.

But please note this ticket only permits you entry to the dining room. (h)ours is a Black-Owned establishment that offers an upscale fine dining experience featuring globally inspired shareables, pastas, and entrees. The dining room and speakeasy are led by Executive Chef Rock Harper. After purchase, ticket holders will receive a private reservation link to reserve their seat(s) for dinner. Please review the menu here to see what (h)ours has in store.

WHO ALL GON’ BE THERE?

I unfortunately still cannot tell you yet. I’m asking some very important people to join me, so we have to wait on a few confirmations. Just know I have some heavy hitters in my pocket for you.

WHAT ABOUT THE SOUTH?

Everybody, slow down. Southern Dates are on the way and will open up closer to the midterm elections. Those cities are tentatively:

• Memphis, TN

• Atlanta, GA

• Charlotte, NC

• New Orleans, LA

• Jackson, MS

CAN I OPEN FOR YOU IN MY CITY?

No. This is, unfortunately, not that kind of show – not this time around. But you just hold onto that thought!

WHERE DO I BUY TICKETS?

All tickets can be accessed at www.BWDP.live, but each venue has a host site that you will be redirected to to make your purchases on. Please contact the venues for information about parking and guest experience. Again, if you were previously on a waiting list for NY, Philly, Portland, or Oregon, please note that all tickets for all published dates have been released and are now available for purchase.

I don’t have tears for Karmelo Anthony. Not that he doesn’t deserve them. I just can’t cry when I hear news like this anymore.

I have been wrestling with this feeling of numbness. Tragedy hasn’t elicited an emotional response from me in a while. In fact, the last time I truly got really angry was the day I voted in Georgia’s primary election last month. I’d released my articles about the primary before I actually got to go in and vote. My schedule was crazy, and things just kept “coming up.” So I didn’t get to the polls until a day or two before early voting ended–May 13th.

I’d just wrapped up filming an episode of Paring Lot Pimpin’ when it was announced that Gov. Brian Kemp called for a special session to be held on June 17th to consider gerrymandering Georgia’s congressional maps, right along with the other southern states I had just finished talking about in the video. I was seething. I went into that voting precinct hot as fish grease.

The anger was unfamiliar, though. The heat of the rage felt right, but strange. I wasn’t used to it. I was used to channeling my emotions into the work, compartmentalizing grief and horror and rage, so I can be effective—so I can see what’s happening with a clear and level head. So maybe I’d trained myself out of feeling on impact. That would be very Capricorn of me. Not even saying that to be funny or loosey goosey, that type of control gotta be some cosmic shit. Or maybe my autonomic nervous system had grown used to the kind of heartbreak that has become characteristic of my daily living.

I don’t feel much when I hear news like Karmelo’s or Cyrus Carmack-Belton’s anymore. Disappointment, absolutely. Disgust, even. But mostly, detachment. It’s like the detachment goes first, so I won’t fall into despair. I think I rationalize it as a self-preservationist coping mechanism, knowing that humans were never supposed to be exposed to this much trauma. I don’t give it access to my nervous system. I guard my heart and soul with everything I’ve got. However, as I furiously mashed the buttons in the voting booth, teeming with indignation, I felt a small twinge of guilt for only allowing myself to feel this rage when the threat arrived at my front door.

Even with all this psychological armor I’ve built up, even when feeling does slip through the cracks and shows up as rage, tears are still far from me. They seem to only come when I am forced to find or give words to the feelings, not when I write them down, but when I have to say them aloud.

You haven’t seen me in the Parking Lot as much because I’m traveling a lot for public speaking, and in my downtime, I am researching for my book. But something I’ve noticed in my past two Keynote engagements is that when it’s time for me to speak on these subjects in front of a crowd, I can’t seem to keep it together. Emotion rushes through my body like a flood, and even when I want to portray my outrage as strength, my throat croaks. My lymph nodes swell in the way they do when you’re choking back a heavy cry.

I never anticipate it, and when and where it comes out is always unexpected. But I always let it happen. I see these public moments, these stages, as opportunities to affirm the grief and consternation swelling in the collective consciousness. To give credence to those emotions with my platform. That is where I find confirmation that I’m not numb, but aching.

Bruce Banner said it best: “The secret is, I’m always angry.”

I’m constantly aching. I’ve been aching for so long that the ache has become a constant lull in my spirit, generally unmoved by more tragedy but activated by orality.

The last 30 days have felt like a blast from the past in the worst way. In Karmelo’s case, a young Black man was essentially lynched on trial: charged with murder after his public defender failed to get the charge reduced to manslaughter, convicted by an all-white jury, and sentenced to 35 years in a rushed deliberation shaped by largely biased testimony. All of this, because he killed a white boy in Texas.

A user on Threads studying the case transcribed the testimony from one of Karmelo’s classmates, which revealed that Austin’s twin brother, Hunter, made the first threat and that this was a case of two white boys trying to assert their dominance and intimidate a Black boy in their space. And the jury responded appropriately if their mission was to punish a Black boy for defending himself.

https://www.threads.com/@datgurlnetta/post/DZQukeqEf3x?xmt=AQG0yR13EkeuOdINxAoy8a_VsSatFVzeZ8IS_VUY35Lnlx5q7Y9c2MDbe94ycPeDon6FxI-F&slof=1

And while another user made a community note to undercut this truth, this exact transcript can be found here under Defense calls 17-year-old Memorial High School student to stand after taking SATs. I hope Hunter never knows peace another day in his life.

https://www.threads.com/@datgurlnetta/post/DZQukeqEf3x?xmt=AQG0yR13EkeuOdINxAoy8a_VsSatFVzeZ8IS_VUY35Lnlx5q7Y9c2MDbe94ycPeDon6FxI-F&slof=1

In Cyrus’s case, we have one far too reminiscent of the 1991 murder of Latasha Harlins, a 15-year-old girl killed by South Central LA convenience store owner Soon Ja Du, who thought she was stealing orange juice. The juice was $1.79. She left it on the counter after being disrespected and accused. The money to pay for it was still in her hand when she was shot. Soon Ja Du was ultimately given 5 years of probation and 400 hours of community service. Chikei Rick Chow, the man who shot Cyrus in the back, received a not guilty verdict.

Reviewing the details of these cases helped me locate the aching rage lurking beneath the surface. Seeing the images of these two, wide-eyed and helpless, helped me find a little bit of rage left in my back pocket. So much so that I had to record a video about it.

Both of these murderers were infantilized by the model minority myth to empower the system to perpetuate the disposability of Black bodies under the guise of grace. And to be honest, I think minorities weaponizing racism pisses me off more than when white people do it because not only does it affect us all, but knowing full well white people are full of shit and still subscribing to said bullshit is the weakest shit I’ve ever heard of, and I simply don’t respect weak MFs.

Beyond that, as we can all see by now, the Voting Rights Act has been violated and discarded, and racism has risen back to the surface like oil in water after someone finally turns the faucet off. The number of reported hate crimes is increasing. They’ve done it, folks. They’ve made America what they wanted to be again. We can cite a specific historical lineage for each of these travesties against justice, and because of that, on top of not finding fresh feelings to express, when these things occur, I can barely find the words to begin with. Certainly not new ones anyway.

But the point of this article is this: even so, even with all of this compounded on the fact that I feel like I can’t feel as much as I should anymore, paralysis has no place here. I may be on autopilot, and this may sound silly, but Hope is driving. Hope is the Pilot in Command, and Faith is her First Officer. I’m just riding the plane at this point. I keep my sanity by focusing on my calling and where I am supposed to be helpful. This is key to avoiding burnout and shutting down.

I breathe through it. I busy myself with action, expanding my knowledge base, and studying the tools of colonization that seem to keep so many others paralyzed. And I don’t mean immobilized by despair, I mean unmoved and content with the way things are. I find far more frustration these days whenever I’m exposed to just how many people think things have to stay this way because they’ve been this way. And I think ultimately, I block all of this and sit out because I’ll be damned if I have to accept this reality as my foreseeable future.

In 12 Years a Slave, Solomon Northup said: “If you let yourself be overcome by sorrow, you will drown in it.” Now, I was never able to figure out if that was a direct quote from Solomon or something drummed up in the writers’ room, but whoever was responsible ate that.

It’s the flotation device I cling to every time I see the waves crashing, because drowning is not an option.

I have said time and time again that I think it is equitable to treat Black women leaders with more care, that I personally strive to maintain a certain level of consideration for Black women I respect. I will do my best to maintain that position throughout this article. However, let me be clear: I do not respect former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ decision to run for Governor. Still, I have no interest in mudslinging, name-calling, or producing biting remarks for clickbait. The facts are the facts, and they just happen to inform my political opinion in a particular way.

Now I knew going into this that I would not be voting for Keisha in the primary. There were a number of things I witnessed during her mayorship that, even before I was as politically engaged as I am now, soured my experience as one of her constituents. Here were my top 3:

Trigger Warning.

Coming in at Number 3 was how she handled the shooting of Rayshard Brooks. If you are unfamiliar with the Rayshard Brooks shooting, here’s the gist:

Rayshard Brooks was a 27-year-old Black man who had fallen asleep in a Wendy’s drive-through in the neighborhood of South Atlanta in June 2020. He was drunk, and no one could wake him. Officers Devin Bronson and Garrett Rolfe arrived at the scene, where Rolfe administered a breathalyzer test. He determined that Brooks was too drunk to drive, and Brooks repeatedly asked to walk home so he could make it back to his daughter’s birthday party.

Things got physical, Brooks “struck” Rolfe and tried to run off with his taser. He fired the taser twice– the maximum number of times it could be fired, which Rofle, a trained officer, knew. It was not until after Brooks fired a second time, when he was no longer a threat, that Rolfe shot him in the back and killed him.

This, of course, occurred on the heels of the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, who was also killed in the state of Georgia earlier that Year, as well as Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. Atlantans were devastated– furious, emotionally exhausted, and on edge from the tedium Covid-19 restrictions had relegated them to. Riots ensued. Keisha Lance Bottoms denied them their rage. She instituted curfews and forewarned the possibility of more state violence if residents didn’t comply. To my dismay, she sided with law enforcement when law enforcement was the problem.

In the days following the shooting, riots still lingered. Messiah Young and Taniyah Pilgrim, Morehouse and Spelman students respectively, were trying to get home in alignment with the city-wide curfew, but their car got stuck in the mayhem of police officers trying to break up a crowd. I remember from the video of the incident like it was yesterday. Messiah was in the driver’s seat, Taniyah in the passenger seat. Officers in riot gear beat on their vehicle, smashed their windows, trying to pull them out of the car. You could see the moment Messiah decided to be a hero. As they worked to intimidate him, they began tasing Taniyah while she was still sitting there. He jumped to defend her, trying earnestly to rip the taser cords off her body and keep hold of her. He wasn’t successful. They yanked her away from him, and for a moment, he tried to steady himself, anchor himself in his resolution, only to be tased and ripped from the car shortly thereafter. Thinking about it honestly just brought tears to my eyes.

And even after that, an incident that brought harm to the students from some of the city’s supposedly most prized institutions, instead of siding with her people, she continued to side with the cops. Using Dr. King’s legacy of non-violence as a mechanism to guilt-trip her constituents into respectability, she, Killer Mike, and T.I. sided with businesses and buildings, not the heart and souls of the Black people she campaigned on being “magical” just two years prior.

Coming in at Number 2 was the fact that she quit, and why she quit, especially. Quitting at all is enough of a red flag; was the fact that she left abruptly, and why she left, especially. Serving one term is enough of a red flag. There had not been a single term mayor since 1974, and it was received very poorly. Leaving breaks the bond of trust afforded to elected officials by the people who voted for them and eviscerates their conception of whether they can depend on you to see a thing through. But she said she was prioritizing her mental health, and on the other hand, that’s absolutely fine. You have to know your limits, your strengths, and your weaknesses, and be honest with yourself and the people who count on you. But the reasons she cited for her departure made a case that she was not suited for the position of Mayor of Atlanta, much less the Governor of Georgia.

An NPR article cited the following from her press conference in 2021 announcing that she would not seek reelection:

“The last three years have not been at all what I would have scripted for our city,” she said, citing a major cyberattack in her first months in office and a federal investigation into corruption under her predecessor, former Mayor Kasim Reed, “that seemed to literally suck the air out of City Hall.”

“There was last summer. There was a pandemic. There was a social justice movement. There was a madman in the White House,” she said.

“It is abundantly clear to me today that it is time to pass the baton on to someone else,” she said.

Given this information, information that, mind you, came straight from her mouth, one would be rightfully confused about her decision to seek election again, let alone to a higher, more demanding office. Particularly because the madman is still here, the Hantavirus has potentially landed in St. Simons Island, Georgia, and our nation is in the throes of new social justice movements left and right. And as things get grimmer, people will be pushed further towards radicalism.

She also said that she was too introverted for the role of Mayor…

An interview with KLB from the intelligencer pulled a quote from another article without citing it, making it seem as though she said the she was introvert masking as an introvert, and would rather be reading a book than at a party in real time in reference to being mayor.

I’d hoped to ask her about these sentiments to get some clarity on what changed, to give her an opportunity to speak to them directly on my platform. However, her office was unresponsive to several attempts from my office and the talent team at my show on REVOLT TV, The People’s Brief. I was not under contract for the new season of my show yet, but I’d told the team I wanted to do a round-up of interviews before the primary. I got confirmation from Esteves and Duncan’s teams to sit for interviews, but nothing from Bottoms. Her team liked the message in my DMs, but still, nothing. I gave her a chance to speak to concerns I’d already made public, and it seems her team chose to decline.

Lastly, Coming in at Number 1 is Black Georgia’s — and primarily Atlanta’s — commitment to recognizability and relatability, instead of real reform, even when recognizability and relatability continue to fail them. Don’t get me started on the current sitting Mayor Andre Dickens, not today at least, maybe later.

When I initially went to Kiesha’s campaign website to see if she was addressing any of the apparent concerns, there was only one video at the time, this one:

I was flummoxed, smacked in the face with what felt like low-hanging fruit and minimal effort. This story about her grandmother being an alarm clock felt like bypassing an opportunity to be straight with voters about her past. Instead, she launched straight into a “down home” rhetoric, designed to appeal to “southern sensibilities,” all while wasting critical time to connect with potential voters. With so many threats Georgians are facing from this current administration, it felt like an insult to the general voter’s intelligence, our standards for our representation, and a waste of our time.

Back in 2019, the students of Spelman College boycotted her appointment as their Class of 2019 commencement speaker due to this same kind of frustration. See an image pulled from their “Not Keisha” campaign entitled “It’s not Just about Mac and Cheese.“

Now, I’m aware that not all Georgians have the same priorities as younger voters, who may have more academically informed political interests. And that’s not shade. People from different walks of life have different political priorities. For example, many millennials, by virtue of the internet, have seen enough bullshit around the globe to now, newly, bake global liberation into their priorities and expectations for local and state elected officials. People who don’t have the luxury of worrying about those things may truly not give a fuck about those things. So, all of this is to say, I understand that there are levels to cracking the code of someone’s political interests. But I did believe that, given the myriad issues plaguing Georgians across the board, a sense of urgency and a demonstrated no-nonsense approach would be paramount for a leader with a history such as hers to regain our trust if we were going to choose her to be our fighter.

The video seemed to miss the mark even more, since she spent the better part of it trying to convince voters that Donald Trump was a bad guy, when we didn’t need convincing in the first place. She didn’t get to her issues until 1:25 in, well after most folks have stopped paying attention. Moreover, as the front-running Black woman candidate, she failed to include reproductive rights in her pitch at all.

She has since updated the website to showcase this video:

— where she still does not mention reproductive Rights.

The lack of coverage on the subject is concerning. It seems to be buried in a list of healthcare reforms on the “issues” page of her website, and then teased out more openly in an attached pdf. It may be a strategy to win over more conservative voters, which is another red flag. It tells me that she intends to play it safe and is likely to compromise on the people’s demands. Even so, it still seems strange to me, seeing as the former Republican in Democrat’s clothing, Geoff Duncan, is plastering Black Women’s maternal death rates and promising to sign legislation to overturn the 6-week abortion ban on his first day in office.

Now, could he be lying? Absolutely, but what does Keisha look like to voters who have never seen or heard her speak on the subject, so they can understand how she really feels about it? For her not to have a strong stance on it as the “Black girl named Keisha who got elected to the highest office in America’s so-called Black mecca?”

The only thing that makes sense to me, the only reason I could see why Keisha would be so bold as to make a move like this would be her trust in something called “The Atlanta Way.” It’s cited as the historical record of Black and White business elites in Atlanta working to resolve racial issues and preserve a “bolstering Black community,” in the process. This means a wealthy Black community. However, today, Fulton County alone is split right through the middle with poverty plaguing a majority black southwest, and a majority white and well-to-do northeast. But one thing I don’t have time to get into in this article is the “Atlanta Way’s” connection to the chokehold that capitalism still has on Atlanta’s Black population, which has only been masked by Atlanta’s “hustle culture.”

The soul of the city has been stepped, its priorities shifted. Its ancestral and historic intrinsic values of freedom fighting and civil rights advocacy have been neglected for the opportunity to attain temporal money and power. These two elements, mobility mistaken for freedom, became the city’s thwarted definition of Black excellence overnight— like a body swap the city never noticed. How else do you think all this construction came in, eating up all our green spaces, clogging up our traffic, and erecting white leaning spaces in the heart of the city, resulting in what is no longer a majority Black city?

Keisha wanted to call on Dr. King’s example when she tried to quell riots in the city. Well, she and Andre Dickens for damn sure weren’t honoring Dr. King’s legacy by ushering in Cop City. Especially not on nobody’s stolen Native Land.

All in all, I think for me, Keisha just represents how conservative Black people can still be while wearing the mask of liberation that is often assumed by Black leadership. The alignment with law enforcement, the played-out stereotyping of Southern Black interests, the refusal to be loud about Black women’s reproductive rights, and the choice of capital investment over people.

…

But alas, enough about why I didn’t vote for Keisha Lance Bottoms. Before I get into who I did vote for, let’s talk about who my favorite, perfect world candidate is.

Every candidate is pretty much running on the following top issues:

• Protecting Georgians from Donald Trump

• Affordability

• Expanding Medicaid (cause when y’all let Stacey loose the last election, 900 hospitals closed down in rural areas, because without Medicaid, rural hospitals were not incentivized to stay open 😤)

• Supporting small businesses

• Improving Education

• Reproductive Rights

My favorite candidate, however, Olu Brown, added more variety to his campaign platform, addressing issues that others overlooked, and the way he put it all together felt truly refreshing.

My favorites, after a deeper dive on his website, were:

• A plan for traffic, full stop.

• A plan that felt like shifting Georgia from a “cop city state” to a “crime prevention state,” given his focus on mental health first responders, community policing, and developing innovative strategies to prevent crime in collaboration with law enforcement. He’s not an abolitionist, but his model is what people mean when they say defund the police.

• Reproductive justice

• LGBTQ and Immigrant safety, seeing as we’re all Georgians.

• Plans for farmers and fishers, and for expanding healthcare to rural areas, given that 75% of Georgia is rural.

• Voting rights protection with a plan to end illegal gerrymandering.

• And best of all, no PAC Money ever.

Some may say having so many priorities is overzealous, but even putting them on the website shows that he is listening to what the people want, not just what the establishment has prioritized.

The only things I didn’t see, that I’ve been looking for, were plans to combat the botanical sexism plaguing Georgians, plans to stop data centers, or any plans to end the AI surveillance that has turned Atlanta into the most surveilled city in the nation.

And as much as I love him, he doesn’t have anywhere near enough of a platform to beat out the front-running candidates. And because Georgians like me want to give someone besides Keisha a chance at the seat, I am electing to cast my vote for the person who is likely to get closest to the finish line. So without further ado, my pick for the Gubernatorial Democratic Primary is:

Jason Esteves

His plans, though still heavily informed by establishment priorities and goals, seemed more fleshed out and intentional, not to mention the ways I’ve seen him connecting with the people on these issues in a way that truly feels authentic:

• He doesn’t have the hurdle of a vastly complicated record of political leadership to address to get Georgians on his side.

  • Even if he did, he seems more prone to engaging tough discussions than evading them.

• He understands and practices community aid and meeting community needs. He and his wife opened an urgent care clinic during the pandemic.

• He’s got a more forward and more accessible plan for reproductive health; you can read it here.

• He’s got a plan for black men; you can read it here, which I think is super encouraging at a time like this and has the potential to bolster that voting demographic over time. Some of my favorites on the list are:

  • Legalizing marijuana and clearing records of low level criminal offenses

  • Building a more diverse teacher workforce, expanding mentoring and academic support for young boys, and

  • Investing in after-school and summer jobs programs for our youth

  • Improving literacy rates and implementing remediation for students with learning disabilities

Would I prefer somebody who is also anti-PAC and openly Pro-Palestine? Literally, Yes. But there were no such options from front-running candidates. Derrick Jackson had the most to offer in that respect, but unfortunately, he polled the lowest. This likely has a lot to do with that “Atlanta Way” I was getting at earlier.

Thurmond’s platform only focused on affordability, not the slightest sliver of women’s reproductive rights. On top of that, his media presence is so poor that it doesn’t even look like he’s trying to win.

Would I prefer a woman? Also, yes. But I made my choice based on Georgia’s history of being lukewarm on critical issues, truly only surviving our red state era because Brian Kemp hates Donald Trump. More than that, I would hate to put somebody in the seat I don’t trust to rise to the occasion.

And the truth is, I only trust any of these folks as far as I can throw them. Why? Because I haven’t seen any of them do the job. That’s why I don’t “endorse” candidates, except for maybe Stacey Abrams. I may share space with them, I may platform them if I think they mean what they say and if I believe they are suited to meet the moment. I don’t shackle myself to their decisions or their career trajectory; I think that’s how we lose the plot of the power remaining with the people.

For those who may argue that voting for Esteves siphons the vote from Keisha, Duncan, and Esteves are both polling behind Thurmond. And though the lead Keisha has in the polls is significant, I truly believe Esteves may turn out to be the frontrunner because he has strong support on the ground and on social media. At this stage, as I lend my voice to determine who gets to represent my voice in the upcoming primary election, I choose Jason.

Now, whatever Democrat wins the primary, of course, I’m going to vote for them in the fall. But if it ends up being Keisha, I hope someone from her team reads this with a servant leader’s heart and disdain or ego. Because if she does win the primary, I want her to win the whole thing, but boy, will we have some work to do. Seriously, if somebody from Kiesha’s team is reading this, don’t hesitate to call me.

If you want to see who else I chose on this long-ass ballot, and why, click here.

First of all, I feel like I’ve never been a real-life voter until today. I have never in my days been this dialed in to exercising my civic duty, but it’s far too much going on for me as a citizen not to put as much work, if not more, into defending my rights as the Trump administration is putting into taking them away. It took me an entire business day to do this research and take notes. I’m talking from 9am to 5pm, and I took lunch at my desk. This isn’t simply a cheat sheet. There are several seats where you have to pick a candidate to run; obviously, that’s why we’re here. But many categories, especially the judges, only have one choice, the incumbent, or the person who already has the seat, and no one is running against them. I felt it was important, if I was going to make a list to share with the public, that we all had some information about these people to understand whether they were friends or foes of liberation. And my God was it rough to find two slivers of information about some of these people.

Was it worth it, though? Absolutely. I’ve been hollering “vote down ballot” for the past few years, but I must admit, even when I visit the booth and vote down ballot, there are often names I don’t recognize or surprise measures or questions because I didn’t take the first step of retrieving my sample ballot. With my schedule, I believed making the time to get out to vote was the most important thing, but after the past two days, I see that’s only 10 percent of the battle. This primary may have been harder than others because there were just so many positions up for grabs this year. My Ballot alone had 41 categories, some with 4 and 5 candidates to compare and contrast. But I can say with confidence that this will be the first time I go to the ballot box completely confident that I am abreast of every person on that ballot, and the function of the role I am electing them for.

Alright, let’s dig in.

If you already know how to find information on your candidates, this next part isn’t for you. Go ahead and skip down to the list. If you don’t and would like to learn how, stay with me.

How to Learn Who’s on Your Ballot and What they Plan to do for you.

One thing I’ve learned is that a lot of people don’t know how to do research, meaning they don’t know where to start. It may seem intimidating, reserved for more dialed-in or perceivably more intellectual people. That’s a trick; they want you to stay scared and stupid! (Okay, nobody is stupid, uninformed may be a better word, I just want you to be offended by how the political system sees you and where it wants to keep you.) All you have to do is be curious and ask questions. I approached this ballot like any regular Joe would, as if all they had was the internet, no insider knowledge per se, just based on what is accessible on the internet.

The following instructions are specific to the state of Georgia, but can help you find the right information in your state.

In this instance, get on Google and type in “view my sample Ballot.” A few options will pop up; you want to go to the near link in the top search results that says “View My Sample Ballot” on georgia.gov.

Once there:

• Log in.

• In the bottom right corner of the Personal Information block, click View Sample Ballot.

• Click Your Party Affiliation (This article pertains to Democratic candidates only, as there are no independent candidates at this time.)

• Click “Open in New Tab” in the top center to keep it open for reference as you look up names in other tabs.

Then you want to open up Ballotready.org *I’ve hyperlinked this to the Georgia Primary Ballot Page for your convenience. This site is a one-stop shop that takes you to every candidate’s issue website and social media sites so you can gather as much information about them as possible. However, it is imperative that you cross-check the sections on your Ballot with the sections on Ballotready because your Ballot has several measures unique to your specific district, and some categories, as I found out the hard way, are not on Ballotready at all. Don’t get me started on the judges!

How I Made My Choices

1. I reviewed the websites to determine who has the better platform.

   1. A few criteria I look for are the Issues, their “why,” whether they are educating voters on their website on what they are voting for, and the overall accessibility of their campaign information.

2. I reviewed their media presence to determine who has the strongest campaign.

3. I get a glimpse of what people are saying about them, and who is doing the talking about them. This can look like typing in their name into social media search bars to see content that isn’t on your algorithm, or perusing through their comments to see if anyone is mad at them or holding them accountable for anything in particular. Are these people in favor or opposed: White, Black, Latino, Asian, Native? This also indicates which demographics may support a particular candidate and why.

4. I do one last funding check on their endorsement to see if there is anybody alarming in their pockets.

Not everybody ends up “checking all the boxes.” Nobody ends up being perfect or beyond critique. That’s why I don’t “endorse” candidates, except maybe Stacey Abrams. I’m not standing by any candidates ten toes down just because I like the story they tell. I have to see the work.

The List

In the order it appears on the Ballot.

STATEWIDE

For United States Senate: Jon Ossoff

He is the incumbent and only candidate, and has been a strong contender in keeping Georgia blue, combating corruption, and arguing them boys down at the Capitol. He has recently introduced legislation to ban corporate PACs altogether. Which is interesting to learn, given that he is on record as having received $780,000 from AIPAC. All the more interesting is how AIPAC has actually been targeting him as of late due to his moves to restrict certain weapon sales to Israel. Still, the majority of his money comes from individuals and smaller orgs, not AIPAC.

It is also important to know that republicans are spending beaucoup money to try to unseat him at the midterm elections, because they’re scared of him. And the way Instagram content is looking, it gives he is well on his way to making a bid for the presidency, if not in 2028, then maybe 2032. So for now, he’s the guy.

For Governor: Jason Esteves

If you want to know why I voted for him instead of front-runner Keisha Lance Bottoms, click here.

For Lieutenant Governor: Nabilah Parks

Her priorities exceed those of other candidates on base issues, given her additional focus on parental leave and maternal healthcare. Her policy plans offer a minimum of 12 weeks of parental leave, not just maternity leave, as well as mental healthcare for mothers for up to one year post-pregnancy to tackle postpartum. She is also pro-doula, anti-ICE, and has publicly stood up to Governor Brian Kemp.

Secretary of State: Dana Barrett

I was very scared to choose a white woman, but she had the most appealing package. Her issues were the same as those of other candidates, but her time as Fulton County commissioner showed that she had experience taking a stand against Donald Trump and the FBI, even facing jail time for trying to protect voting integrity in Georgia, and never backing down. I did not see many Black voters speaking about her, but this note from someone on the threads made me feel better about my choice.

Judge Penny Brown Reynolds would be a great choice for runner-up, in my opinion. She is an extremely qualified Black woman. Take a look at this snippet from her bio:

“She worked her way through college and law school and went on to become the first African American to serve as Executive Counsel to a Georgia Governor, having previously served as the first African American Chief of Staff and Executive Counsel to the Lieutenant Governor.” She has been serving as a judge in Fulton County for the past 10 years.

My vote went with what I perceive as experience with the type of intimidation this presidential administration has become characteristic of.

Georgia Attorney General: Tanya Miller

Tanya definitely has more of a presence than her opponent, Bob, but what piqued my interest was her focus on tackling exploitation in everyday expenses, combating monopolization, and demanding transparency from corporations across the board.

Georgia Agricultural Commissioner: Katherine E. Juhan-Arnold

This one was harder for me. In Sedrick Rowe, we have a Farmer, an agricultural scientist, and a PhD Candidate. He seems to have more money behind his campaign, more community notoriety, and he’s more polished.

However, Katherine E. Juhan-Arnold lists Data centers and the protection and preservation of Georgia’s water and farmland at the top of her list of priorities. So I’m into her bad. She also has plans to ensure that whatever Georgia’s policies are regarding marijuana are structured, safe, and that Georgia’s farmers are not left behind. Take a look at the following excerpt from her site:

Georgia School Superintendent: Otha E. Thornton Jr

None of these candidates seems more high-profile than the others, so I think any of them has a chance to win. I was most impressed by the layout of Anton Anthony’s website layout. Very appealing to the average voter looking for information about the candidate’s history, platform, and personality. However, it was Otha E. Thornton Jr’s messaging on “giving the teachers their classroom back” that sold it for me. Take a look:

As a former educator in Georgia, even in my short two and a half years, I was overly burdened with what felt like administrative paperwork, and by administrative, I don’t mean secretarial or housekeeping, I literally mean paperwork that the administrative staff was responsible for.

I worked in two different school districts, so I know for a fact some of the work I was required to do at my second station could have and should have been handled by the admin. But even at my first school, some of the administration’s responsibilities were painted as “teamwork efforts.” I specifically remember serving as a JV volleyball coach for one year. I was unable to complete a specific task or meet the needs of my assigned “team.” I was getting paid to coach and only had so many minutes in a school day to meet those needs; I was not getting paid to complete delegated tasks. When I told the administrator I could not do it, she decided to give me the silent treatment for the rest of the year because there was no other real way to punish me for saying no.

At my second station, any pushback on how these additional tasks impacted teachers’ ability to do their work and focus on their kids was met with gaslighting and intimidation. There is such a low retention rate for teachers for many reasons. All of the candidates seem to address pay as one of the chief reasons, but the burden on teachers to complete tasks outside their job description is insane, and I’m glad he addressed it, so he gets my vote.

Georgia Insurance Commissioner: Ahmbuj AJ Jain

Oh, look, a position I’ve never heard of. Take a look at this quote from Ahmbuj AJ Jain’s website that describes the current state of affairs and what a Georgia Insurance Commissioner can change.

Clarence Blalock pointed out that, unlike two of his opponents in the primary, he does not come from the world of Big Insurance, and that, because this is Georgia’s most corrupt political position, we probably should hire the fox to guard the hen house. Here’s what he wrote about previous Insurance Commissioners:

Looks like he was subbing AJ and DeAndre Mathis, but the context is off. Both of the names above were republicans, at least at the time of arrest, so they had different priorities.

I’m going with AJ, since his website was more voter-friendly. It educated me on the landscape, what the problem was, and how he plans to combat rate hikes, payout delays, zipcode and credit-score based pricing, political insurance fraud, and expanding Medicaid.

Commissioner of Labor: Michelle Michi Sanchez

Christian D Smith was also so kind as to explain what his position does:

He seems to have the strongest campaign in terms of notoriety, but Michelle Michi Sanchez is by far the most progressive.

Her site goes into far more detail about her platform. Both candidates speak to making the department more proactive, but Michi brings specificity in addressing Wage Theft, Worker Protections, Unemployment Reform, Clean Energy jobs, supporting working families and mothers, language access, and ending labor exploitation.

Nikki Porcher has a strong issue platform, but I was sold by Michi’s attention to detail on the myriad facets of the worker’s experience. She gets my vote.

DISTRICT. If you are not in Fulton County, jump to JUDGES

Public Service Commissioner District 3 - Peter Hubbard (incumbent)

• Sworn in in 2026

• In only a few short months as commissioner, Hubbard has:

  • Demanded an independent audit of Georgia Power’s profit margin, arguing that it is significantly above national averages

  • Pushed for a reconsideration of the PSC’s 2025 lame duck approval of Georgia Power’s massive fossil-fueled grid expansion

  • Published a data center cost analysis estimating that data center electricity discounts shift over a billion dollars in infrastructure costs onto residential customers,

  • Testified in front of the state legislature on the need for legislation to protect consumers.

  • Along with Commissioner Alicia Johnson, Hubbard has cut the 5-0 Republican voting majority down to 3-2, and used his position to shed light on the heavy burden residential customers have been forced to carry.

Public Service Commissioner District 5 - Angelia Pressely

This is a pretty solid three-way race on the platform front. Shelia Edwards has the most experience and history of winning, but she does not make her position on the issues clear and accessible. Of the three, Angelia Pressely made the most forward stance on clean energy. So hats off to her.

United States House of Representatives - District 5: Nikema Williams

Nikema Williams, hands down. She’s got the strongest platform, the most experience, and from what I have seen personally, the strongest and most authentic connection with Georgia voters on the ground. She’s a proponent of all of the issues we care about being argued in-house at the capital, and she has shown time and time again that she ain’t never scared.

State Senate 39 - Sonya Halpern (only option)

Sonya Halpern - Platform pretty much covers the gamut on standard liberal issues.

View issues here.

State House of Representatives - Bryce Berry (Incumbent)

Public school teacher, union member, non-profit leader, and community organizer. Good people. $15 million in new scholarships for HBCU students through HOPE, stood against Trump and MAGA Republicans’ attacks on our seniors and nursing homes, and led community efforts to increase literacy rates in our district.

Fulton County Commission Chairperson: Mo Ivory

I’m going with Mo Ivory, hands down. Robb Pitts seems to have done a phenomenal job, but I am a proponent of ushering in younger representatives who have a finger on the pulse and know how to leverage digital and grassroots platforms to effectively communicate their messaging to as many people as possible. Also, someone poised to confront the issues plaguing Georgians from the national front.

I appreciated Pitts’ focus on public transit, funding more libraries, improving infrastructure, and even improving animal shelters. All of which I hope Mo incorporates into her strategy. But she seems poised to fight for fair and free elections, like everyone else on my list.

Fulton County Commissioner District 3 - Jodi Merriday

Jodi Merriday has the most robust platform; she’s campaigning on her record of service to people and not politics. See this snippet from her website.

Shout-out to Kimberly Bean, who is also running, is an experienced operations leader at a leading aerospace company, a minister, and a dedicated community advocate, and has more than 15 years of experience in finance. Black women literally do everything they possibly can.

JUDGES

We’re almost to the finish line, people. But before I get into my picks, let it be known that this was by far the most difficult category for me to research. Judges don’t typically have websites, and it’s difficult to find the cases they’ve decided, the decisions they’ve made, and, since they are technically non-partisan, the opinions they hold. This creator offers some helpful information about the Judges category. And if your ballot does not include the same judges as mine, I still implore you to try your best to familiarize yourselves with the ones that are.

The judges’ category is not up for primary; these are final choices. They are super important now more than ever because many of them will see any potential cases the state of Georgia may bring up against Donald Trump, and we want them to rule in favor of the people. Georgia has been red for a very long time, so for some of these, all I have to go on is who appointed them and how long ago, to determine whether it may just be time for them to leave. Many of them are uncontested, but I’ve got a few fun write-ins for them, so they know we’ve got our eyes on them from here on out.

The good news is that one candidate, Miracle Rankin, gave us some Cliff’s Notes for judges that should appear on everybody’s Ballot, as well as some specific to Atlanta, Rockdale, and Augusta. And what I’ve discovered overall, friends, is that essentially, we need to replace all these mfs.

Supreme Court of Georgia:

• Charlie Bethel must go. He’s a Deal appointee and supported the 6-week abortion ban. Replace him with Miracle Rankin, someone who supports reproductive rights.

• Same with Sarah Hawkins Warren. Replace her with Jen Jordan.

• Ben Land (incumbent), unopposed. Kemp appointee, probably not our friend. Write in– “No.”

Appellate Court:

• Will Wooten, a former Trump prosecutor who investigated Jan 6, could be the first LGBTQ person to sit on Georgia’s Supreme Court. He would replace Trent Brown, who was also a Deal appointee, who effectively disqualified DA Fani Willis from prosecuting Donald Trump in 2020.

• Elizabeth Gobeil used to work for The Federalist Society– a very 80s kind of conservative group, hinged on Federalism– or the belief that the federal government should be limited, and the rest of the power should be left up to the states. But we see today how that position can be twisted and turned to meet the republican party’s convenience whenever need be. So let’s get her out of there and give Fatima Felton a try, a woman who is also an advocate for women’s right to privacy.

• Sarah Doyle (incumbent), unopposed. Couldn’t find much on her, though it looks like her cases are primarily focused on civil matters, which can still put her at risk of perpetuating racism in some form or fashion. So with a homegirl being from Dallas, and having gone to the University of Florida for undergrad, I rule a double homicide. Sorry, not sorry. Writing in “no.” again.

• Todd Markle (Incumbent), unopposed. Write in: “Hell No.” Also a deal appointee, also helped disqualify DA Fani Lewis from prosecuting Trump.

• J. Wade Padgett - “No again.” Kemp Appointee.

Georgia Superior Court

• Alice Benton. “No, also.” Kemp appointee.

• Chuck Eaton. “Y’all not tired?” Kemp appointee.

• Kelly Ellerbe. ‘No–once again.” She got her seat by election. It was hard to find information on her decisions, but this clip from Fox5News (not the same as Fox News) gave me the insight that she works in tandem and in favor of proponents of republican and conservative values. Mainor- the representative mentioned in the clip is currently running for school superintendent and had the nerve to put at the top of her list that “parents shouldn’t be forced to send their kids to failing schools,” instead of idk making sure the schools don’t fail. 🤢 Weirdo.

• Replace Chriag Schwall with Janice Moore. Schwall was also a member of the Federalist Society and appointed by Sonny Perdue, also a republican. Been here a long time. Get him out of here. Janice is also dope because she prosecutes cases of abuse and homicides in the crimes against children unit.

• Kevin Farmer – might be cool.

He won by election, and in 2025, he dismissed a racketeering trial against cop city protestors. He declared a mistrial because the jury had been selected behind closed doors.

• Robert C.I. McBurney - On the fence, he’s unopposed, so either way this won’t make or break him, but while he was a Deal appointee, he also served as a trial attorney in the United States Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. He also struck down the 6-week abortion ban before it was reinstated, declaring it unconstitutional, and presided over the case where they tried to take MLK Jr. ‘s bible and Nobel Peace Prize from his family. He might be cool as well.

• We definitely want Nikia Smith Sellers to replace Paige Reese Whitaker. Paige Whitaker is the judge who oversaw the YSL case. Nikia’s history is steeped in civil rights activism, and while judges are unaffiliated with political parties, this suggests she’s inclined to act in the interest of human rights. And that’s always the right thing to do. And she has a website, praise God.

• Fred Eady, “ No thank you.” Also appointed by Sonny Perdue.

• Eric Richardson - Seems okay. Most of the research I had to do on him got into his personal life, connections, and affiliations. I won’t put any of that on blast, but alas, he seems safe.

• Jay M Roth– seems fine. Fair. completely impartial, and more seasoned, of course. Miracle Williams, however, while maintaining the same fairness, uses words like “Restoration for victims,” “accountability that corrects,” and “redemption when earned.” These are all interesting. This one feels like a toss-up for me, but I’m going to give Miracle a chance.

• Cassandra Kirk– Good to go. Also appointed by Deal, re-elected twice, and focuses on Juvenile Drug Court and Misdemeanor Mental Health Court. Her track record shows community-oriented solutions and innovations. And she pioneered Fulton County’s first Misdemeanor Mental Health Court as an alternative response.

Wooooooo. Chile, I’m done. Headed to go cast my vote, and take a walk cause I’ve been sitting and looking at a screen for the past 48 hours. With that said, there are very likely elements I could have missed. Like many regular folk, I have not been following all of these people closely. So if you see a red flag, don’t drag me. This isn’t about me being right; this is about everybody being informed. Leave a comment with corrections or things to consider, and if there’s a major oversight, I’ll publish a correction.

I did all of the work so you didn’t have to, but you definitely should. But if you know good and well you won’t, “gon head” and hit that paid subscriber button and thank me for my troubles.

In todays epsiode, I offer reflections on the past 30 days of cultural, political, and social events, sharing insights as well as personal updates. I discuss recent controversies, societal issues, and my personal growth journey, and offer a candid and thought-provoking perspective.

I hope you enjoy!

Read more

Being chronically online is a part of my job. I have to know what’s going on because I’ve cultivated a relationship with my audience that they come to me to make sense of what’s going on. And in that practice, I ended up cultivating an algorithm of like-minded thinkers. I do expose myself to a bit of diversity of thought to keep my perspectives well-rounded, but not enough that I frequently encounter MAGA, alt-right, or conservative disinformation campaigns first-hand, if ever. Never seen red pill content a day in my life. The most unwelcome discourse I see online are bigoted responses in the occasional comment section, and sometimes my own posts make it to the wrong side of Threads.

Most of the combativeness I face is within my own community, as I often push boundaries on more antiquated, conservative, or counterproductive perspectives within the Black community. But boy, I tell you, I ain’t never seen it like this.

Megan Thee Stallion’s outing of Klay Thompson for infidelity brought proponents of the Black Manosphere out from their decrepit corners of the internet, like cockroaches. I don’t use words like “deplorable” often, but this shit is deplorable. It’s sickening, and truthfully, it’s heartbreaking.

Over the past 2-3 days, I have seen black men come out in droves– gleefully– maximizing every opportunity to bully any Black woman with something to say in defense of Meg, or Black Women as a whole. Take a look:

I could use bigger words for what they are doing besides “bully,” sure– denigrate, humiliate, ostracize, punish, devalue, all the things. But bullying feels like the most astute way to put it because, in the grand scheme, it’s childlike, trivial, and its projection in its most infantile form. Still, somehow, the impact feels shockingly vile, twisted, and evil.

Seeing them hop from post to post to laugh at, make fun of, and jeer any Black woman, or man, for that matter, trying to hold Klay accountable, is jarring to say the least. But seeing them seemingly feed off the hate-fueled debates and pile onto them with the intent to be elusive, aloof, contrarian, combative— incendiary, is maddening.

There’s usually a pattern too. If met with historical patterns that show patriarchy, and Black expressions of patriarchy to be problematic, OR evidence that Black women are in fact Black men’s biggest supporters, their response is always that “this is one-sided and overgeneralized.” When met with statistics about why it’s actually appropriately generalized, the response immediately leans into how Black women are inherently the problem.

Then, when someone takes the bait, these men offer ill-contextualized statistics in bad faith to substantiate their argument, and when called out, it immediately moves to name-calling, personal attacks, and assumptions about our purity, whether or not we’re gold diggers, our lifestyles, and/or our relationship statuses— when all those things aside, the fact remains that the issue here is internal.

After hearing the news, I thought back to some discourse that was happening just a couple of months ago- about the white-momifaction of the NBA. For the fans primarily focused on the game, the consensus was that the league was getting softer and less exciting to watch. For the fans primarily focused on the men, the consensus was generally that the NBA used to be a whole lot finer 🤷🏾‍♀️.

Klay happens to be amongst the NBA players who are children of former NBA players who married white women. So, in an admittedly frustrated post, one still rooted in honest frustration of the conversations surrounding athletes choosing white women, I shared this:

Please, I implore you, look at the abhorrently disrespectful comments BLACK MEN —who are not and will never be NBA players— FLOODED my comment section with:

It’s like they are not even fighting to be heard anymore; they are just fighting to wear us down, to tear at our self-esteem, to see us depleted.

It’s saddening, truly. And it feels a whole helluva lot like MAGA. Arguing for argument’s sake, with no historical knowledge, parroted talking points with no nuance to aid in depth of understanding, and bewildering allegiance to an ideology that wishes to destroy them.

And it gets even more worse. Meg and Klay are just this weekend’s news. Their news comes on the heels of a 2-week run of hypervisibility of Black femicide by intimate partners. I spoke about this past Friday at the Senator Jeanne H. Lucas Luncheon at the 2026 North Carolina Black Summit. When I posted this clip from the speech I gave as the keynote speaker for the event, I received a lot of positive feedback. The clip was emotional, it was raw, it was very heavy. And the comment section reflected those sentiments greatly.

A few agitators were calling it performative, or weaponizing the fact that I write poetry to suggest that just because it made people feel good, it doesn’t it was necessarily true. Mind you, in the clip I provide, a real-life list of contributions Black women have made to help keep the Black community afloat since enslavement. So to suggest it was “untrue” really baffled me. Another premier MAGA trait, denying historical fact. Allow me to remind everyone that I have a master’s degree in African American studies. If there’s anything I can do, it is provide somebody with a list of facts.

But of all of the comments, this one stuck out to me the most, almost ripped my heart out of my chest:

I have since asked him, “What would make me worthy?” Not because I needed his feedback, but because I wanted him to bring words to what else he could possibly be looking for. No response, and that was 3 hours ago.

The landscape for this dialogue gets worse.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, theys and thems, is why not listening to R. Kelly, Chris Brown, Usher, Diddy, Trey Songz, the Dream, whoever, is that serious. It’s literally a matter of life or death. These men, accused or convicted, continuously get a pass, the benefit of the doubt, or just simply assigned a higher value, directly correlates to the belief that women don’t deserve to have a voice or be protected in men’s everyday lives.

I have an absolutely zero tolerance policy for rape culture.

I was a feminist before this moment. And even that I garnered through some extensive unlearning. But this is new for me, this feels different. I fervently believe this moment is ushering in a new wave of feminism, and I don’t know how it’s going to affect our community. I, personally, haven’t reached misandry yet, and I don’t ever want to have to get there.

But I will say, as a single woman, who wants to be married, who wants to have children, who can be loved well enough into making a you sandwich here and there, going all out for a special breakfast in bed, or clearing my schedule for an evening to cook you dinner, who wants to be soft, the men are just making it increasingly difficult.

How am I supposed to feel safe enough to choose?

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