The Last Days “…It felt like we were back to the days of being close, and I was grateful for that. When we made eye contact, I felt like I could see right through him.” “…Sometimes a single tear would trace down the side of his cheek — a silent message, a quiet acknowledgment, a… Continue reading The Last Days
Tag: idenity
The Mirror in the Gym: Finding a Brother in Jacinto Bonilla
Written by Dennis Harvell The Mirror in the Gym: Finding a Brother in Jacinto Bonilla They say everyone has a doppelgänger somewhere in the world, but I never expected to find mine in a viral photo of a legendary athlete. When someone first showed me a picture of Jacinto Bonilla, I had to stop. I… Continue reading The Mirror in the Gym: Finding a Brother in Jacinto Bonilla
The Descent
The Descent “…The move to the Bronx was not just a change of address; it was the final surrender of our peace. If Brooklyn had been a battlefield hidden behind closed doors, 1659 Washington Avenue was the front line.” “…We arrived, and the flickering “Brooklyn Light” — already dimmed by the belt and the bottle… Continue reading The Descent
The Look That Stayed With Me
The Look That Stayed With Me “…Sometimes, when I’d turn the music down and ask her to keep it quiet, she’d look at me with a distant, tired sadness — the same look she gave me years earlier on Washington Avenue when she knelt in front of the refrigerator and glanced over at me with… Continue reading The Look That Stayed With Me
The Child Who Watched Everything
The Child Who Watched Everything “…because I was kept inside and denied friends, I became an expert in the atmosphere of those four walls. I learned to read danger the way other children learned to read books. I could sense my stepfather’s mood long before he entered a room. I knew the difference between a… Continue reading The Child Who Watched Everything
The Oasis and the Shadow
The Brooklyn Light: The Park, the song, and the Safety “…there were moments of softness too, moments that belonged only to my mother and me. She would take me to the park on warm afternoons, settling me beside her with a box of Cracker Jacks while the neighborhood radios played the soundtrack of the era.”… Continue reading The Oasis and the Shadow
Black HERstory: Maya Angelou
(“Sovereign Portrait” features Maya Angelou. She is draped in a vibrant, multi-colored kente cloth wrap, her hands folded in a gesture of profound stillness. Surrounding her is a rhythmic, ascending flight of gold-leaf birds—a reference to her “Caged Bird” who finally found the sky. The background is a texture of stacked, ancient books that transform… Continue reading Black HERstory: Maya Angelou
Black HERstory: Major Charity Adams Earley
(Featured Image: The “Sovereign Portrait” of Major Charity Adams, surrounded by the swirling letters and the discipline of her command) Major Charity Adams: The Commander of the Six Triple Eight In the Beyond The Bronx library, we honor those who built bridges across impossible divides. Today, our Black HERstory series spotlights Major Charity Adams Earley—the highest-ranking Black woman officer in… Continue reading Black HERstory: Major Charity Adams Earley
A Glimpse Into Her Nature
Open Door Policy — A Glimpse Into Her Nature “She had a warmth that made people feel safe, a softness that made them feel understood. She helped anyone who needed something — a meal, a place to sit, a few dollars she couldn’t spare, or simply someone to listen. Her generosity wasn’t loud or showy;… Continue reading A Glimpse Into Her Nature
The Weight I Didn’t Know I Carried
The Weight I Didn’t Know I Carried “…I didn’t see it as responsibility back then. I saw it as survival. I saw it as watching over her the way she watched over me when she could. But now, with distance and clarity, I understand the truth: I stepped into a role no child should have… Continue reading The Weight I Didn’t Know I Carried