I meant to post this on July 9th...but I forgot.

As my 28th birthday comes to a close..I reflect. I reflect on 28 of the things I have learned in this short time here:

1. I have learned to love my wide nose and kinky hair

2. I learned that Black love is radical and revolutionary

3. I learned that wypipo sometimes cry to avoid taking action against injustice and inequity

4. I have learned that Black women are everything and ready to play every role necessary in life

5. I learned to love the queens who match they hair color with the color of they outfits. And nails. And purses

6. I have learned that it’s ok to use “they” (read:their) as a possessive pronoun

7. I have learned that love is patient

8. I learned that silence is a position, too

9. I learned that anti-Blackness is ubiquitous but not everlasting

10. I have learned that people disliking me is not my problem

11. I learned that the erasure of Black women and Black Queer folx has roots in historical liberation movements

12. I learned that the quality of my friends is much more important than the quantity of friends I have

13. I have learned that hope is action

14. I learned that in order to do this social just work and do it well, I need to first heal from the discrimination I have endured

15. I have learned that this is all temporary

16. I finally learned that eating chocolate chip cookies every day isn’t the greatest idea

17. I have learned that self care is not just something to be practiced on the weekends

18. I learned to tell others how I prefer/need/deserve to be loved

19. I have learned that Black creations are only ghetto until whiteness finds use for them. Then, they become manifestations of genius.

20. I learned that being motivated by love is much more powerful than being motivated by fear

21. I have learned that not everyone will come on this journey with me…and that’s ok

22. I

23. Have

24. Learned

25. That

26. I

27. Am

28. Enough