Six Ten AM

Words, like many things in this society, have their moments. They trend until we forget about them. Remember when Justin Bieber popularizing  swag  in the 2010s caused an uproar and suddenly, people were debating the  real  meaning of swag? Hmm… okay, given the cultural and historical context, maybe I won’t use  swag  as an example, but we all know what I mean! That being said, it’s been  years  now, and calling women  females  is still a thing. Bathong? Aren’t we tired? Even women calling other women  females … on  Beyoncé’s  internet? Where did this trend even come from? I guess we can blame a mix of internet forums, hip-hop culture, and  alpha male  rhetoric. The word  female  has always been around in science and the military, but somewhere along the way, it got picked up in male-dominated spaces—gaming, Reddit, rap lyrics—and became less of a descriptor and more of a way to talk about women like we...

I know Kendrick Lamar made being a certified hater cool over the last year, and that’s great. But let’s run it back to when people had us all wrong—when they thought we carried hate in our hearts like a sickness, that we were miserable simply because we refused to forgive. I still stand on the idea that forgiveness is a Western concept. It has nothing to do with me. Before colonialism, our justice systems were built on balance, reciprocity, and accountability—not the moral obligation to forgive. Colonial rule, especially through Christianity, weaponized forgiveness to pacify the oppressed, discouraging resistance and justifying harm. Traditional justice was replaced with laws that framed vengeance as barbaric while upholding colonial power. Even today, reconciliation efforts prioritize forgiveness over real justice. Do your findings.  Forgiveness, as they define it, was never ours . Our justice is about restoring balance, whether through compensation, exile, or vengeance. Some peop...

  There are days when everything that could go wrong does—horribly. Today was one of those days. You all know her by the billion nicknames I have for her, but today, she will simply be my little girl. My little girl hasn’t been feeling well, and naturally, she took being a Velcro baby to new heights, practically gluing herself to my chest. Just last week, her dad and I were taking shifts carrying her day and night because she needed that comfort and care. She’s a real cuddler, just like her dad. I, on the other hand, am touch-averse. And while you can reason with a partner who craves physical touch, you can’t do that with a baby. Now, you’ll never hear me call my daughter “difficult.” For one, I don’t think it’s fair. And two, I refuse to associate negative emotions with someone who cannot take care of herself and has only been alive for all of nine months. It’s a mean and ridiculous sentiment. Until the day comes when I know  she’s  the drama—meaning we’ve raised her wel...