A Year in Review: What I Learned In 2022 About Royalty, Reparations, Grace, Migration & the Road Ahead

Though I’m not much for New Year’s resolutions, I think everyone should reflect on their day, week, month, rough patch, growth spurt, year. What worked? What was learned? Where do we go from here? This year (2022) has been a period of enlightenment and expansion.

I’ve met new friends and gained committed allies. I’ve watched institutions fall and fail, miserably. And witnessed the American people rise. I’m grateful for all of it.

In 2022, I honored my insights by putting more of my political thoughts “out there.” I published 8 articles for Newsweek this year, held three dozen media appearances to advocate for the descendants of U.S. slaves, racial equity in organizations, Black American politics, Affirmative Action, immigration reduction, Black American economics, and more. And through it all, I’ve been open to what is revealed. The good, bad, and the ugly.

Here’s a quick take about what I’ve learned in 2022.

Black Americans must stop being nice & gracious.

Everybody wants to scold a Negro but not one critic could actually BE one…for a day, let alone a lifetime. It’s a knee jerk reaction to pathologize Blackness. Especially pathologizing Black Americans. If Black…