Life would be so much easier if it came with a map that contained all the right answers. But as Ocean and I have learned, mapmaking is sort of the point.
In The Stories Whiteness Tells Itself, I examine how, throughout our history, from 1619 on, Black and BIPOC Americans have always been assumed to be guilty until proven innocent and sometimes there was no proving them innocent.
The more Maya explored those Deep Downs and learned to listen to her own voice, the more she understood that the best fortunes are the ones she writes for herself.
I believe there is an important place for serious dramas but why does culture and immigration always come with tears and seriousness? Often, we are the fiesta!