Source: “Celebration of Blackness” series, Carl Pope, 2002.

I have no New Year’s Resolution’s for 2015. I dislike like the nature of resolution lists; not because self-improvement is bad, but there is not enough focus on what already exists within the self that is positive. Additionally, the good stuff that already exists within the self is not emphasized as something that can be strengthened.
This does not mean that I have not reflected over 2014: I tend to recurrently think of each day, or the past day, or the past years. These are the things that were true this year:
  1. I am enough.
  2. I am more than enough: I am excellence.
  3. You should form and build community with loving, affirming, and accountable individuals.
  4. That beloved community concept is key to social change.
  5. There is no such thing as a safe space.
  6. Despite #5, #3 must always happen, or we will despair and die.
  7. From #3, we find mentors and models who encourage others to cultivate their own voices.
  8. Optimal health (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social) is imperative.
  9. Kindness should be valued; but to be “well-meaning” should never be an escape from accountability.
  10. Discontinue anything or any relationship that impedes #1-9. Leave whatever impedes #1-9 behind.
    1. Exhibit A:
Also true this year:

“If you think you’re going to die to struggle or cannot do the activism, just survive it. It’s not your fault.” – Melissa Harris Perry, 2014 Jana Mackey Distinguished Lecture Series

“I’ve learned three things. I tell everybody that I never used these words much but now I am happy to use them pretty much all the time. One is ‘no.’ The other one is ‘shut up.’ And the last one is ‘get out!’ Now that I have that arsenal, I could go forth. (laughs.)” – Toni Morrison

“Informalize a formal process.”

 “The more you speak, the stronger your voice becomes.”

There was a lot of light, love, and joy this year, and trumped the murkiness, loneliness, and pain I experienced. Light, love, and joy will always win, and will be my lighthouse for the following years, because I will build upon that.