Why “Float” and “Loop” represent a new norm in storytelling — Dear Pixar, When I heard your parent company, Walt Disney Studios, was set to launch a streaming service called Disney+, I had no idea the plus sign would stand for inclusion. I’d missed the media coverage that explained how your new series of short animated films, SparkShorts, was designed to…

My daughter turns five and I wonder, “Where did the time go?” — There she is, my Dear Daughter, under the warm haze of a summer night, chasing flickering fireflies with wild abandon across the expanse of our backyard, pigtails bouncing, sprinkling Black Girl Magic like fairy dust as she giggles and darts about, carefree and innocent. It’s just past 8:30 on a…

An appreciation of my #DaddyDoesHair journey — I probably know more about Black women’s hair than the typical guy. Growing up, I was often enlisted by my mother to help her with the upkeep of (or switch over from) the many styles she wore during the 80s and 90s: braids of all stripes (basket weave, box, micro)…

Ten years ago, I had one question: Who was my father? — Ten years ago this month, Friday the Thirteenth proved to be the most extraordinary day of my life. Two days after Christmas in 2005, I set out to answer a seemingly simple question: Who was my father? As a journalist, I wrote stories about complete strangers. But as a man…