Adiba Nelson

Then we had that talk that made my eye twitch: the budget talk.

This book is real, folks. As well it should be –– it was written by one of the realest women on the planet.

"I will peer relentlessly into every cop car I pass with a young black man in it, stretching my neck to make sure that it’s not my son who’s been arrested for driving while black, walking while black, or breathing while black. I will hold my breath while listening to every news report of another black man that has been arrested, beaten, killed, and made an example of."

“Why would you do that? You have a daughter. Why would you put yourself in that position?”

I don't love this. I don't love any part of it. I don't love the fact that a life is in my hands every moment of every day.

Black women were branded as sexually promiscuous and immoral, which in turn was used as justification for sexual trauma/rape.

Apparently, we Black women have a smell. And it’s been bottled and labeled and is being offered up for consumption by Sunflower Cosmetics. Yep. You read that right. There is a legitimate company out there who is selling a perfume called “Black Women.” If my girlfriend hadn’t posted a picture of it in a local shop, I would have called her a damn liar.

I would break girl code. And if you love me, I hope you would do it for me too.

My job is to make you feel — whether it’s lust, pride, anger, guilt, joy, sadness — whatever it is you feel, I want you to feel it.

I applaud you for being here. I applaud you for giving life the five fingers of death and deciding to show up for whatever the day brings — every day.