Hey Reader!

I’m at the point of “what even is all of this? *gestures wildly* where I’m eating sugary cereal at 9pm (don’t tell my doctor cuz…). But I’m over here like “I’m doing great!” Cuz at least I’m not coping by drinking Four Lokos (remember those??).

I know I just got back from sabbatical, but ummm… TAKE ME BACK, fam!

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I miss being useless. Being a responsible human is overrated, but hey. I guess somebody’s gotta do it.

I’m back BACK at work. Like… fully plugged back into the productivity matrix. Today, I announced to my Patreon folks first, and then on social, that I’m back in the CEO seat of my company. Lessons have been learned, so click that link for more info.

Anywho, let’s talk about what has been on my mind this week. 👇🏾

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RANT

The censorship has gotten completely out of hand.

So we’re in the stage of the fascist regime where we are being told to STFU if we aren’t praising the Red Hat Troglodytes, and their puppet of choice is UpperGums Charlie. Since he got killed (BY A HYPER CONSERVATIVE STRAIGHT WHITE GUY, might I add. One of their very own.), folks have been getting doxxed, threatened and fired for simply not wailing in his memory.

And this week, Jimmy Kimmel made a weak joke about the absurdity of the reactions and lost his entire show. Like… RICH, white men are being punished? Chile, you KNOW the rest of us ain’t safe. Stephen Colbert lost his late night show earlier in the year too.

This week, a professor at Ball State University got fired for simply interrogating this discrepancy. And the truth-teller that is Karen Attiah lost her job at The Washington Post for her incredibly astute words about all of this. The last Black woman columnist they have.

Karen’s silencing is heartbreaking but not surprising, as the campaign to silence Black women has always been loud. It was Karen this week, but before that it was Joy-Ann Reid getting pushed out, Melissa Harris-Perry having her show canceled, Nikole Hannah-Jones being denied tenure. AND AND AND… countless names.

So yeah, when the rich white boys are being silenced? What do you think they’re going to do with Black women? They aren’t going to just try to shut us up: they will try to harm us, financially, physically, emotionally.

This is the systematic authoritarianism playbook, and it's escalating faster than I thought it would. First they came for the openly resistive voices. Then the moderate critics. Now they're going after anyone with a platform who won't kiss the ring.

The message is clear: Fall in line or fall out of sight.

If you think they'll stop with the celebrities, academics, and journalists, you're not paying attention. They're coming for teachers, librarians, nonprofit workers, anyone who dares to speak against their agenda. 🗣️

I'm not being dramatic. I'm being awake.

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REFLECTION

Your voice is your power. That's why they want to take it.

I’ve been seeing people engage in such defeatism about what they should be doing right now. Folks are thinking that if they aren’t making big donations or protesting in the streets, they have nothing else to do. And this is why I want to remind us that the ONE THING we always have is our voice, even if we are being told to be quiet.

Our VOICES are needed now more than ever when the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been.

And knowing that, the voices I’m seeing that are being attacked the loudest, the heaviest and with the most punishment are the voices of Black women. YET AND STILL, I see us engaging in courageous conversations. WE ARE STILL SHOWING UP even though we have the most to be scared of.

I say this as someone who started speaking up about the gncide in Gaza in November 2023. As a result, I’ve been booked for 75% fewer speaking engagements in the last 2 years. Suddenly, platforms that once welcomed me went quiet. The message was clear. Stay in your lane, or lose your stage. The financial repercussions of that is 7 figures for me.

I’ve been threatened, insulted, blacklisted for saying something that the United Nations is FINALLY admitting today: Israel has been engaging in the systemic eradication of Palestinian people. Me, and so many of my peers have lost a lot for simply speaking the truth. But nothing we’ve lost compares to what the people of Gaza have dealt with and continue to.

WE ARE SUPPOSED TO SPEAK UP. Because otherwise, history will convict us.

So when I look around and see so many people, with more social power and currency, choosing silence. People whose livelihoods can actually afford to take the hit. People with the protection and privilege and skin color that serves as an armor, being quiet, whether about Gaza, Sudan, or anything else that has been chosen by the powers that be, to be off limits for us, I ask when they will get tired of participating in the ruining of the world.

If the most punished group (Black women) are still speaking up (in spite of the fact that it is a thankless job), why is everyone else hemming and hawing?

I want to remind us (all of us) that these voices they are trying to censor are so important to them because in our vocalizing of the ills of the world, is our bearing witness to it.

It’s like how Ursula asked for Ariel’s voice, in the Little Mermaid. The sea witch didn't take her beauty or her intelligence. She took the one thing that would render her powerless to advocate for herself, to tell her story, to be fully seen. To take her voice was to take her power.

Systematic silencing operates on three levels:

First, they silence the bold truth-tellers who challenge power directly. Then, they silence the moderate voices who might inspire others to question. Finally, they create a culture of fear where people silence themselves.

And I’m not saying every day get on social media and be yelling. NAH. Often, the truths we need to speak are to the people we know and in the rooms we are in. To the colleagues, the family members, the mentors. The people we know, even before the platforms we have! The access we have is where we need to wield our power.

Every time we stay quiet to keep our comfort, we participate in our own silencing. Every time we choose safety over truth, we hand over our power voluntarily.

Use your voice anyway. Not recklessly, but strategically. Not without wisdom, but with conviction that this is tied to the well being of yourself and the ones you love. In the face of systematic silencing, speaking truth becomes a revolutionary act.

Remember: the very thing they're trying to silence is proof of your power. Don't let them convince you otherwise. 🗣️

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RECOMMENDATION

Protect Your Voice by Protecting Your Information.

I’m not kidding myself. To be an opinionated Black woman is dangerous in a world that wants nothing but to make us bow our heads. In the attempted silencing is also the danger of them doxxing us. I don’t play about my digital privacy, because that can also help my physical safety. There are so many websites that are scraping the internet and putting your private information on the web, easily accessible. It’s scary, honestly.

That’s why I've been rocking with DeleteMe for years. It's a powerful privacy service that scrubs your personal information like your home address, phone number, and family connections from data broker sites and search engines that make it too easy for strangers (or trolls) to find you.

Protection isn't paranoia. It's necessary. 🙏🏾

I signed up for this years ago because there are fewer things more dangerous than being an outspoken and visible Black woman. I don't play about my protection, and this was a starting point.

Here's how DeleteMe works:

1. You give them your basic info (name, address, emails, etc.)
2. They scan the web to find where you're exposed
3. They submit removal requests to dozens (sometimes hundreds) of shady data broker sites
4. You get quarterly reports showing what they found and removed
5. They keep monitoring all year long so you stay protected

It is such a valuable tool and I've told all my folks about it. They've signed up too.
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(Get 20% off a plan when you sign up using my affiliate link)

The same people who want to silence your voice also want to make you vulnerable. Make it harder for them.

Let's stay safe. 💪🏾

So I'm wondering: How are you protecting both your voice and your safety in these uncertain times? What boundaries are you setting to keep speaking truth without putting yourself at unnecessary risk?

With love and vigilance,

P.S. Speaking of using my voice: In my Patreon this morning, I talked about how I'm back in the CEO seat at Awe Luv and what that means for this next season. I talk about leadership, power, and staying true to your mission. That's where the deep conversations happen.​
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