We& #39;ve got to teach readers and audiences to see us beyond pain, death, and "lessons to learn," but days like today make that hard task even more difficult.

Narrative escape is SO important for Black readers. And it& #39;s important for people who aren& #39;t Black to see us there, too.

What I& #39;m glad about is that readers are clearly choosing those stories. It& #39;s time for the establishment to acknowledge that, too.

Black girl whimsy and wonder isn& #39;t frivolous. Black girl adventures aren& #39;t just ornamental. They are essential for our hearts and souls.

"In death, Breonna and Toyin are queens, they are angels, they are saints, they are cover girls and muses, they are regal and chic and beautiful, they are merchandise, they are screensavers, they are profitable."

How do we read Black girlhoods? I wonder. https://hoodcommunist.org/2020/09/03/on-breonna-oluwatoyin-posthumous-iconography-of-murdered-black-people/">https://hoodcommunist.org/2020/09/0...

"Maybe we put crowns on their heads and surround them with symbols of regalia because it is much easier to make them queens and cover girls in the after life than to lay justice on their altars." https://hoodcommunist.org/2020/09/03/on-breonna-oluwatoyin-posthumous-iconography-of-murdered-black-people/">https://hoodcommunist.org/2020/09/0...

What does justice for Black girls even look like? And why do we always talk about it posthumously?

What would justice mean for our living, breathing Black girls? And are there ways to make it legible? https://twitter.com/_lovejak/status/1308828200923996166">https://twitter.com/_lovejak/...

Black girls& #39; stories, in real life and in fiction, get dismissed, minimized, disbelieved...

Forgive me when I say I am skeptical of those mourning our slain when you& #39;re so terrible to the living.