Decolonizing is Spiritual Work
I'm Chanel — writer, 4th-generation diviner, independent journalist and scholar. I'm also a mother of two Black teenage sons, which means this work I do isn't theoretical for me. This is where I write about anti-racism, embodying love, and the actual mechanics of how implicit bias gets inherited by a child, and what it takes to disrupt that pattern. I believe decolonizing is spiritual work, and I write for the parents and caregivers ready to do the intentional work of changing our world, together.
"I Don't See Color" Is Not the Flex You Think It Is
I want to say something plainly, because I think plain language is the only honest way to say it: "I don't see color" is not a neutral phrase. It is not a kind phrase. Saying it is not actually about kindness at all. It's a way of opting out of a conversation while sounding like a good person. Here's the test I'd ask you to apply the next time you hear it, or the next time you feel it rising in your own mouth: who actually gets to say this? Not seeing color is not available to the person who...
Adultification Bias: Why Black Children Don't Get to Be Children
I was eight years old, sitting in my first parent-teacher conference of the school year. I'd gotten my very first set of "dookie braids" the night before and felt like Brandy walking into that classroom. I was getting 100% on my homework and tests, every single time. Turns out, that would become a problem for me. My teacher told my mother she'd noticed I "might think I'm better than the other students." That I acted "too good" to do classwork. She'd known me for a total of four weeks. I was...
A Back to School Story on Anti-Racism
Somewhere right now, a Black girl is getting her hair braided the night before the first day of school. She’s sitting between someone’s knees, wincing a little at the parts, already rehearsing who she’s going to be in that classroom. I know because I was her. I remember the scratchy tip of my braid grazing my neck as we walked through the entrance of the school building. The day before, I got my very first set of “dookie braids.” They were styled in a high ponytail, and the burnt ends of the...
If This World Were Mine - Poem
A Poem by ChanelAF written: July 6, 2026 If This World Were Mine If this world were mine You would be free Free to listen to music as loud as you desire Free to play with your toys in the park Free to wear a hoodie the way it’s meant to be worn Free to tell a friend where to find some beautiful “maypops” Free to take a summer boat ride with friends Free to rest in your own bed If this world were mine I wouldn’t have to explain why your skin color makes you different Why you can’t be in...
The Most Spiritually Aligned Thing I Ever Did
Four years ago, I posted something that changed my life. I remember sitting with it, reading it over and over, trying to figure out if I was really about to do this. I was terrified. But I was also tired of carrying a lie. So I posted it. On February 22, 2022, I came out as bisexual. Publicly, on the internet, to people I knew and people I didn’t. And I want to tell you what happened after that. The real version, not the highlight reel. The first thing that happened was grief. I wasn’t...
For Queer girls, who have considered suicide, when the church wasn’t enuf
Writer’s Note: July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. My grief over losing my Nana still feels as fresh as it did 2 years ago. She was my foundation, my teacher, and the only person who showed me truly unconditional love. I’m honoring her by finally telling my story in full, by using my voice instead of burying it. For the past 9 years, I have been on a long journey of healing that eventually led me back to myself. This essay is one of the most vulnerable pieces I’ve written. I wrote...