This article contains major plot points from The Queen’s Gambit.

Every few months, Netflix markets another binge-worthy series in full-force for global consumption. On October 23, The Queen’s Gambit, a limited series based on the novel of the same name by Walter Tevis, made its debut on the streaming service. The series, set in the 1960s, follows Elizabeth (Beth) Harmon, a chess prodigy who discovers her love and aptitude for the game after her mother passes and she moves to an orphanage for young girls.

Soon after we are introduced to Beth at the beginning of the series, we meet…

When a place can so quickly determine who does and does not matter, no life matters. Tell me who matters? Tell me someone in the world that matters? That’s why there are so many songs about love. Because somehow you know that you don’t matter, and we’re searching for the person that makes our life matter.

My professor made this comment in 2018 while discussing Black Lives Matter and police brutality in the United States, and now, 2 years later, I am revisiting his words as I reflect on the past 7 months and the torrent of pain, disaster, and…

Earlier this year while discussing the Trump Administration’s failure to control the COVID-19 pandemic, my father commented: “You can’t have people in government who don’t believe in government.” On the surface, his sentiment seemed self-evident.

Those working in government should believe in the institution in which they serve. I wouldn’t want a teacher who doesn’t believe in education or a doctor who doesn’t believe in medicine, so why would the government be any different? …

Growing up, I was taught to heed authority. To be respectful if I ever found myself pulled over on the side of the road awaiting judgment from law enforcement. When I got my driver’s license, my mother made sure I placed my insurance and registration in the car door so an officer would not question what I was reaching for in the glove compartment. We rehearsed what I was supposed to say, where my hands should be, and where to look, all to ensure that I survived the confrontation.

I noticed then, as I do now, that my mother was…

I was proud the first time I saw Black Panther. When I arrived at the theater, I felt I had come home; stepping into a sea of fans sporting Black Panther costumes and accessorizing with African clothing and jewelry (in a personal call to Black culture and history, I chose to dress like a member of the Black Panther Party). This moment was different. Unlike other Marvel premieres, we did not rush to the box office because we were obligated to view every cinematic experience leading up to the next Avengers mega-movie. Our reason for being there had little to…

On the day following the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth, the day celebrated as the official end of slavery, White nationalists will rally in Tulsa, OK, as if to commemorate the anniversary of the Tulsa Massacre. While watching us protest, shout “Black Lives Matter!”, and demand justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and many others; Donald Trump will rile a group of people who look all too similar to the mob that slaughtered more than three hundred Black men, women, and children and burned Greenwood to the ground. He is mocking us.

But Trump’s actions, while predictably reprehensible, are…

In “Get Out”, guests ogled at Chris’ body, eye, and skin. Earlier this year, Jessica Richardson described it as ‘heat’:

“I felt it. I felt the heat from it. I felt it in her eyes. I knew exactly what it was.”

It’s the feeling you get when your eyes meet another’s and you know they see you as less. You know they want you out of their space. You don’t feel safe.

And while I’m glad P&G is acknowledging an often unrecognized prejudice that people of color experience every day, I can’t help but wonder why the man in this…

When I watched Hannah Gadsby’s Netflix special Nanette, I couldn’t help but relate her words to the ongoing Senate confirmation battle over Brett Kavanaugh. Her message — that a connection built on love should be the focus of the stories we tell — articulates why sexual assault allegations are commonplace in our society. Somewhere along the way we chose to focus on individual desires and aspirations, forgetting how to approach one another with love, compassion, and empathy.

Earlier this summer, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford accused Judge Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her 36 years ago while they were at a…