Mother Jones Illustrations;michel Christopher/abaca/zuma;malcolm Ali/whe image/getty;chip sornodevilla/getty What happens when dystopian visions of futuristic societies stop feeling like fiction and begin to resemble reality? A year ago, a group of us read Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower & Parable of the Talents (read my blog3/1/25). What struck me then and disturbs me even more now was how eerily familiar Butler’s imagined America felt. Her novel depicts a society des

Golden Roulette Wheel Recently, we have heard a great deal about betting on clinical trials whether a drug will work, whether it will receive government approval, or whether a particular treatment will make it through the regulatory process. And when I say betting, I mean betting. I mean the same kind of betting we associate with Las Vegas: putting money down on an uncertain outcome with the hope of making money if you are right. Except this time, the wager is connected to wh

REVOLT NEWS There has been considerable discussion in higher education surrounding Tuskegee University’s recent dress code policy prohibiting bonnets, do-rags, pajamas, and house shoes in certain campus settings. Ironically, what is not being discussed as widely is the simultaneous expectation around other forms of conduct and distraction in academic spaces, including the use of cell phones. At the center of the debate are two competing values. One perspective argues, “You ca

We See You. Do You See Us? This past week, more than 27,000 African American women including professionals, entrepreneurs, graduate students, and undergraduate students gathered in Las Vegas as members Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®, one of the nation’s oldest and largest Black women’s service organizations. United by an enduring commitment to service, they demonstrated what collective leadership looks like in action. The timing of this gathering is striking. At a

Black Box Gift A Great Gift I am naming what many of us already know: more than 300,000 Black women have lost significant streams of income in recent years many of them entrepreneurs, creatives, and thought leaders. Forced lifestyle shifts, shrinking opportunities, and economic structures that consistently marginalize Black women are yet again minimizing our lives, labor, and leadership. We can debate the causes macroeconomic shifts, intentional political agendas that push Bl

Sunday, December 20, 2025, marked the Winter Solstice the longest night of the year. For others, the day was observed as Blue Christmas. Though these events are not inherently connected, Blue Christmas services are often held in December as sacred acknowledgment that the holiday season is not joyous for everyone. For many, this time of year is layered with grief, loss, rejection, illness, loneliness, and unresolved pain. Physical ache and emotional wounds do not quiet themsel

Google Images: Threads I haven’t posted in weeks—frankly, because I’m exhausted. Trump-tigue, I call it. Ironically, it hasn’t even been...