Hi friends!
I know I’ve been out of commission for a while but it’s been for a good reason! I was writing multiple articles at the same time and I want to share them with you :)
The first article was published by Allure (you can read it here). My editor was actually one of my good friends, and fellow survivor of the Monmouth University English program, named Taylore Glynn. She’s the head beauty editor at Allure and she’s arguably one of the best people to work with in the beauty industry. Am I biased? Yes. Am I wrong? No.
The article is about how affirmation practices, which have been dangerously white-washed and capitalistic, can be reclaimed by Black people in a way that is authentic to our pre-colonial roots. I interviewed a Howard professor of Africana studies and a mental health counselor about the value of having an affirmation practice and what the historical roots of affirmations are in pre-colonial African culture. Strongly recommend giving it a read.
Next we have my first article for Food52 (you can read it here). It was about the growing overlap between the wine and the cannabis industries. Honestly, I’ve learned so much about the cannabis industry specifically because of this article and I also got to talk to some really cool people. I must admit that this was my first article where I wasn’t able to feature a Black woman (I know! I’m shocked, too!) but don’t worry! I’m making up for it!
Something that I wasn’t expecting to happen since my Food52 article was published is that now I’m being sent cannabis products on a regular basis…like…my apartment is slowly becoming a dispensary and I find this all fascinating.
My final article to be published in the past few weeks actually just can out today and it’s from USA Today (you can read it here). I wrote about my solo trip to Costa Rica and I interviewed some more-experienced Black lady solo travelers to gain their tips, tricks, and recommendations for traveling abroad. I was also able to include which countries they most strongly recommend Black ladies traveling to for their first solo trip!
I’d strong recommend following all of the people mentioned in my articles (they’re links are included in the article). They’re all very sweet people and if you can support their businesses or their social media presence, I know that would mean a lot to them :)
That’s all for now and I promise to be back soon!
Also, let me know if you have any questions about anything in the comments!!