“She started screenshotting my texts and making fun of me. Our friendship went south. Then, her friends and family started contacting me. Looking back, I realize every time I ignored the red flags, I was setting myself up for how things ended between us.”
‘I was ‘crazy’ for buying disposable diapers. The foods I fed my daughter were ‘wrong.’ I told myself she was just strong-willed.’: Woman urges ‘if they don’t raise you up, they are NOT your people’
‘I was prepared for the hurts that call for a kiss and cuddle. I wasn’t prepared for the hurts I couldn’t fix.’: Mom talks parenting during trauma, ‘It isn’t something you can navigate, it is theirs’
“I thought I could protect my child well enough. A trusted big person took advantage of them.”
I Will Not Be Like Derek Chauvin
“I am a black man. I am a police officer. I am ME.”
My Biological Father Had No Idea I Existed, Until We Met 35 Years Later
“He gave me a chance. He opened his heart and his home and allowed me to get to know the rest of his family. And for that opportunity, I will be forever grateful.”
‘Oh, that poor baby! Why don’t you do something with her nappy hair?’ The other kids weren’t allowed to play with me, the ‘little mixed girl.’: Mom to bi-racial family details experiences with racism
“My mom always carried a brush and detangler. She still carries them with her everywhere she goes, 26 years later. I remember sitting on the floor in my living room, my mom meticulously brushing for hours, crying because of the comments. I wanted to be like the other kids. ‘This is just the way it is, honey.'”
‘He screamed in frustration and my heart broke into a thousand pieces. ‘It won’t be like this forever.’: Mom shares difficulty explaining quarantine to her child, ‘How is he expected to understand?’
“’Mommy, I’m just sad and don’t know why.’ My heart broke for him. There were no goodbyes.”
‘One day, he will fit the description. How will I protect my autistic son from his skin?’: Special needs mom urges ‘it is not my responsibility to end racism’
“Caleb is autistic and struggles with comprehending and engaging in conversation. My reality is that I can’t have race conversations. I don’t know if he will ever understand.”
‘I watched more than a few of my friends commenting negatively on how they look now. Girl, stop glorifying your past self just for being skinnier.’: Woman reminds us ‘comparison is the thief of joy’
“Maybe your waistline grew this past decade (GUILTY, FRIEND), but so did your family. I fear for a time when my daughter would choose to comment only on her WEIGHT in her joyful photos. People preach about the importance of self-love and ignore the elephant in the room.”
‘I got pregnant. My father said I ‘ruined his reputation.’ A black family was not welcomed.’: Woman in interracial marriage says ‘my family is a symbol of unity’
“People would approach our daughter and ask if she was lost and needed help finding her mommy. We were followed and harassed by cops sometimes for miles while we drove. They demanded to know if he was a gang banger.”
‘His skin crawls, he can’t communicate, and he never sleeps. I was going to ‘fix’ my son, it would not win.’: Mom of Autistic son details acceptance of his diagnosis; ‘I’m proud of him’
“I isolated myself and refused to leave the apartment. I canceled therapies, stopped cleaning and cooking, sobbed, and threw things. I finally emerged from the fog.”