Within these pages you will find pieces of my story, my experiences, my heart, my mind, my spirit, and my vision for a better tomorrow beginning with the work I do today. These writings depict my journey in coming to understand the mark that I am striving to leave on the field of education and the world at large. They embody my connections to Blackness, Afrocentrism, womanism, Black girlhood, double consciousness,

decolonial refusal, urban culture, music, dance, and love. They also speak to my realities as a woman of color in the academy, and my path toward healing from the trauma of my past and present.