My Writing
blog
the other talk
01 April 2021
I relish in the raising up of my pre-teen Black girl
Watching her body change, I make sure to celebrate her
To cultivate in her the expansiveness of her being — of what is possible,
A connection to her power and majesty…
advocacy report
Speaking Up, Reaching Out: The Sexual & Reproductive Health Needs of Immigrant Youth in New York City (2013)
blog
on Toni Morrison & the craft of writing
28 August 2019
I learned of her death while driving through Bed Stuy. I saw the first tribute flash across my phone during a quick Instagram scroll at a red light. I recall immediately knowing it was true, that the inevitable had happened. I considered letting out a guttural scream, but my daughter was in the backseat, and I could feel my pre-emptive annoyance at her questions—
advocacy report
A Closer Look at Forced and Early Marriage in African Immigrant Communities in New York City (2013)
book chapter
In Search of Success: Where School and Marriage Meet in the Educational Lives of Immigrant African with Limited Formal Schooling (2014)
For immigrant youth from cultures where early marriage is the norm, marriage and schooling as two polarized, contentious, and incompatible options (Ludden, 2011), perceptions that are incorporated into the policies that govern the lives of recently arrived immigrant girls. Yet, young people themselves do not …
journal article