I’ve been a fan of Aubrey Drake
Graham for a long time. Even as far back as when he used to play a character
named Jimmy on a show called, Degrassi: The
Next Generation. This was way
before he was rapping. I always thought he was cute and had the biggest crush
on him. The first time I heard, Best I
Ever Had, I was hooked. I couldn’t believe he was rapping, and to see how
much his career has grown has been incredible. I even got to see him in concert
once, when his Take Care album came
out. And it was a night I’ll never forget. It’s wild when I meet people who
diss him and his work, and say things like, he’s
overrated and corny, but I don’t
think so. I think he’s cool. One of the things I love about his music is that
he sings and raps, and that’s something special. I also used to have a bunch of
his posters hanging up in my bedroom, but took them down years ago – they seem
like they’ll be more fitted for a home office space in my bachelorette pad. His earliest album,
Thank Me Later, really showed his
range and all the following work he’s done, proves his staying
power. He produces great material, and I can’t wait to see what he drops next.
I’m a Black educator in my fifth year of teaching middle school English, and in my third as the 8th Grade English PLC (Professional Learning Community) Lead. And while I genuinely enjoy the purposeful work I get to do, seeing the growth of my scholars, and continuing to hone my skills in a content area I’ve loved since I was a little girl, I’ve had to confront some unpleasant experiences in this space. I’d been through much worse when I was an academic advisor at a Christian university. Racism, sexism, harassment, and workplace bullying were sadly norms in that environment. However, some of what I’ve experienced as a Black educator hasn’t been normal … It doesn’t seem normal to be the only Black educator in my department – in a predominantly Black school. One of my Black colleagues once said, “It should look like a Tyler Perry movie in here.” But it doesn’t. It didn’t feel normal being reprimanded in a meeting (during my second year of teaching) by an administrator who went in on...