Writing
"Shelter"
Pigeon Pages
*Pushcart Nomination, 2020*
"But the attention she lavished on me—the adoration I had craved since childhood—was louder than any of my doubts ... The bass line pounded and my hips moved on their own accord, massaging the rhythm deep into my bones, Jade’s body melting into mine. She breathed in my ear: There’s nothing else I need in my life besides you, like this, right now. The only thing that existed was her tempo, the weight of her hands, and the effortless way I followed her movement, hitting every beat just a little bit early, making it ours and ours alone."
"The News"
Breadcrumbs Magazine
"My pregnancy changed everything. I predicted the wider hips, softer belly, and weaker pelvic floor. What I hadn’t anticipated, though, became clear just a few days in: I would no longer do anything, ever again, without first considering Baby J. I felt heavy: panicked. Fierce independence had been my survival mechanism from an early age. Who would I be now? In a time where all the external messages were you are supposed to be happy, grief settled in."
"My Mother's Secret Ballot"
GUERNICA
"My mother’s story fits tidily into the national conversation about the white working class since the election: motivated by economic instability, we’re told, they gravitated to a candidate who promised to restore their sense of power and safety. It’s a comfortable explanation, one that allows white liberals and leftists to point away from themselves and say the problem is over there. But we can’t disregard the fear and resentment that white working-class voters feel toward the bogeymen Trump names: people of color, immigrants, Muslims. This scapegoating plays on deep divisions, privileging emotion over critical thinking and even common sense, and leading people to choose their race over their class."
"Antiracist Parenting During COVID-19 and Beyond"
Yes! Magazine
“White culture and capitalism value isolation and separateness, which, on the surface, mirrors social distancing. As white caregivers, how do we resist individualism and isolation during the pandemic? How do we integrate the values of collectivity in our parenting when we aren’t in community the same ways as before?”
"Knapsacks"
Organizing Upgrade
“I thought back to the year prior when I took my students ice skating at Bryant Park, and Kemia, a direct and assertive young woman, was standing really close to me as we walked down the street. I tried to make a joke with her: "Honey, you live in the South Bronx. How are you walking around in Herald Square clinging to me like you're my child?" "Because, Rachel. When white people bump into you, they don't say excuse me. It gets me so pissed and I don't want to ruin my day. I paid $11 to come on this trip."'
"Keepin' it Movin': Portraits from a New York City Transfer School"
Schools: Studies in Education
"Attendance is a big problem at my school. This is true for many learning institutions in New York City, but here we serve a population where many of the students have not had positive experiences in the classroom. Some have trauma around this, some struggle academically, and some have just not made school a priority in their lives and old habits are hard to break. My colleagues are dedicated. Our class sizes: small. Our pedagogy: dynamic, creative, interesting, and socially situated within the worlds they inhabit. Frankly, we work our butts off. And still, I only have four students."
"10 Must-Read Biographies And Memoirs Of Famous New Yorkers"
Culture Trip
"Zami is a study in truth-telling. In what the publisher calls a ‘biomythography, combining elements of history, biography and myth,’ the prose reflects Audre Lorde’s poetic prowess (she was New York’s Poet Laureate from 1991-1993), while her characters serve as metaphors for the truths she uncovered in her life. The stories of women who shaped her give the reader a glimpse into lesbian life in the West Village during the McCarthy Era in the 1950s – what feels like a distant past to many of us growing up less than 50 years later."
"The Logic of Teaching Math"
Organizing Upgrade
"There is a deeply held belief among my students that they just don't have the chromosome that allows them to appreciate the beauty of the quadratic formula. For at least the first month with every new class I teach, it feels like most of my work is to get everyone to quiet their fears, be open to the possibility of success, and question this 'truth' they constructed that they are really bad at math."
"Fierce Women Directors at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival"
Culture Trip
"Who run the world? Girls! Well, not quite yet, but the women filmmakers at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival are taking on issues that will help move us in the right direction. From documentaries and feature films to virtual reality shorts, we profile just a few of the fierce female directors that will be at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival."
"Still Sippin' on Some Sizzurp: Codeine Cocktails and the Passing Moment in Youth Substance Abuse"
Bleu Magazine
"Do a YouTube search for 'Lean' or 'Sizzurp,' and many how-to videos pop up. Disembodied hands combine dark bottles of thick purple liquid, ice cubes, and soda in double stacked white foam cups."