Hey Reader,
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In a week full of tariff whiplash and the usual political dumbassery, I was grateful to spend several days in community with powerful Black women at one of my favorite conferences Leading Women Defined where we started the conference with Vice President Kamala Harris and ended with Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson! 🤌🏾❤️ Talk about being surrounded by excellence while the world outside is falling apart.

And ​these pants​. Grateful for these too.

Let's jump into what's been on my mind this week. 👇🏾

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RANT

Black people did our part, so talk to somebody else

In the aftermath of this election and the chaos that's followed, I keep seeing these sideways glances at ALL Americans. And I need to make something abundantly clear: Black people in America TRIED TO STOP THIS. 🙅🏾‍♀️

We did the right thing. We voted in the right way. We organized, we mobilized, we showed up at the polls despite every obstacle thrown in our path. To the rest of the world watching this horror show unfold: As those of you across the globe side-eye Americans (as you should), please put us on your "except them" list. WE DID OUR PART. Thank you.

Let's be crystal clear about something: 90% of Black voters voted AGAINST ​Habanero Hitler​. We've been sounding the alarm about the dangers of this man since 2015. We weren't confused. We weren't torn. We saw the threat clearly and responded accordingly.

I don't want to hear NOTHING about "Americans chose this" as if it was a collective decision we all participated in equally. Black voters have been the moral compass of this country from day one. We've been consistently on the right side of history, pushing America toward its better angels despite rarely benefiting from those changes ourselves.

For everyone who voted for ​Sweet Potato Saddam​, may you step on legos in the middle of the night for the rest of your days. And then as you try to get in bed, may you hit your knee on the sharp edge of the bed. EVERY NIGHT. I do not wish y'all well.

What I'm sick of is this expectation that Black folks need to fix a problem we didn't create. The audacity to look to us AGAIN to save democracy when we've been doing the work consistently! The problem isn't us. If you want to fix this mess, go talk to your cousin Chad or your uncle Steve or your sister Karen who thought voting for a man who starts tariff wars out of spite was a good idea.

Those are the conversations that need to happen. That's where the work needs to be done. Stop putting the burden on Black people to clean up messes we warned about, voted against, and actively tried to prevent.

We are not America's janitors. We are not here to sweep up the broken pieces of democracy every time white voters decide to have a temper tantrum at the ballot box. We are tired. We are frustrated. And most of all, we are RIGHT.

Black America did its job. We've been doing our job. Talk to somebody else.

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REFLECTION

Know your role and double down on it.

With all this chaos in our world, it might feel like the only way to make a difference is to be loud, to be on the front lines, to be the voice that rises above the noise. But I want to remind us that leadership and change-making come in many forms. 🌱

The world is falling apart. We're all trying to figure out what our roles will be in this moment. And I'm not saying everybody has to look the same, act the same, or be the same - but it's time we all step up and embody leadership in whatever way fits us best.

Since writing "Professional Troublemaker," I've had countless conversations with readers and communities about what it means to make good trouble. What I've realized is that change doesn't always wear a megaphone. Sometimes it wears a listening ear. Sometimes it carries a spreadsheet. Sometimes it shows up with a box of tissues and an open heart.

In a world obsessed with individual heroes, remember this: No single type of leader has ever changed the world alone.

We need the Jasmine Crocketts and the Cory Bookers. We need the Elizabeth Warrens and the Al Greens. We need the people running for local office and the grandmothers who are attending their first protest. We need the Maxine Waters speaking truth to power and the local organizers registering voters in their neighborhoods. We need the Ayanna Pressleys fighting for policy change and the everyday citizens showing up at town halls demanding accountability.

The revolution needs poets AND planners. It needs protesters AND policy writers. It needs those who disrupt AND those who rebuild. The most powerful movements in history had loud voices and quiet strategists, the fierce warriors and the gentle healers.

Whatever your style of leadership, own it. Embrace it. Perfect it. And use it. Because transformation happens when you stop trying to be the leader you think the world wants and start being the leader you're uniquely positioned to be.

The ONLY antidote to all of this is PEOPLE rising up and saying ENOUGH. We keep expecting someone to save us or something to happen. We're waiting on Superman to save the day when folks got red capes in their closets, collecting dust. And frankly, until white Americans are fed up, nothing will change.

The world doesn't need your imitation. It needs your innovation.

Even though leadership often looks like doing the tough things and working with challenging people. You might be the person who taps your boss on the shoulder because you know you have their ear and say, "Hey, that person wasn't treated well." Everybody needs to double down on that kind of courage now.

So figure out what type of leader you are, and then go be that leader unapologetically. Because we need ALL types of troublemakers making ALL types of good trouble if we're going to fix this mess.

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RECOMMENDATION

Call your congresspeople about the SAVE Act.

The SAVE Act is heading to the Senate soon, and it would require eight Democrats to vote for it to pass. The fact that we even have to worry about that is INSANE.

The SAVE Act would create new voter suppression barriers that could prevent many Americans from voting (married women who changed their names, people who are transgender, anyone who changed their names for safety reasons), especially those who don't have documentation with their name exactly as it appears on voter rolls. My passport might be the only reason I'll be able to vote because Lord knows what they'd do with all my different name variations.

Five Calls (​5calls.org​) makes it incredibly easy to contact your representatives. The site provides phone numbers and even scripts you can use when calling about specific issues like the SAVE Act.

If your representatives voted for it, call them and LET THEM HAVE IT. And ​Take five minutes today to call your senators and tell them to vote AGAINST the SAVE Act​. This is exactly the kind of action that makes a difference - you don't need to be a celebrity or have a massive platform to help protect voting rights.

What's one way you're stepping into leadership right now, big or small? Hit reply and let me know - I'd love to hear how you're putting on that red cape.

To standing in our truth,

P.S. My podcast "Professional Troublemaker" has been nominated for TWO Webby Awards! This is a HUGE honor, but I need your votes to win. It takes literally 10 seconds to vote, and you'd be supporting one of the few podcasts centering Black women's voices in the business space. ​VOTE HERE for Individual Episode - Business​ and ​VOTE HERE for Limited Series & Specials - Business​. Voting closes NEXT THURSDAY, so thank you in advance for taking a moment to vote!
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