Black Excellence12/14/18Dec 14 20184Black Excellence12/14/18Black ExcellenceSoror to Soror: How I'm Learning to Be About That (Greek) LifeS. D. Chrismon11There was nothing like the first time I heard “Soror” in front of my name. Many Black Greek Letter Organizations…
Jun 17 201896/17/18Daddy’s Girl, Daddy’s Critic: Finding Peace With My Father’s FlawsS. D. Chrismon7I have three dads. But I have a biological dad, whom I met over eight years ago. Then there’s my adoptive dad, whose…
Jun 15 2018106/15/18‘It Gets Better’: The Lie We Tell LGBTQ YouthsS. D. Chrismon72Editor’s note: For Pride Month, The Root and Jezebel are teaming up once again for JezeRoot, with content by writers…
May 10 2018135/10/18The Mama Dilemma: Adoption, Racism and the Search for AnswersS. D. Chrismon25Eight years ago I got a Facebook message that said, “Do you remember me?” I was prepping for a staff meeting and…
Apr 27 2018144/27/18Out of the 5 O’Clock Shadow: I Shave My Face, and There’s No Shame in ThatS. D. Chrismon116I’ve been shaving my face since my early 20s. Back then, I didn’t have health insurance, so when I noticed I was…
Apr 12 2018344/12/18The Voices Missing From #MeToo: Experiencing Sexual Assault as ButchS. D. Chrismon35He was my dude, my nigga, my friend. The details of that night are mine to keep, a privacy I allow myself, even as I…
Mar 26 201863/26/18#MeCrushMonday: The Audacity of Loving YourselfS. D. Chrismon11A really good friend once told me, “I take care of myself extremely well. So whoever I’m with has to be just as good…
Hustle and Glow3/11/18Mar 11 20186Hustle and Glow3/11/18Hustle and GlowYou’re Fired! What to Do When You’ve Been Let Go From Your JobS. D. Chrismon29Last week I was told that my position at my day job is being eliminated. It’s the second time this has happened in…
Feb 20 2018142/20/18The Trouble With Hero Worship: Is #TeamKillmonger Also #TeamToxicMasculinity?S. D. Chrismon242Editor’s note: Multiple spoilers ahead.
Feb 4 2018122/4/18Sex Trafficking and the Super Bowl: There’s More at Play Sunday Than Just FootballS. D. Chrismon40On Sunday, when the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots meet for the Super Bowl, the spotlight in…
Feb 1 201812/1/18 From Living Single to Love Jones: How the ’90s Shaped My StyleS. D. Chrismon4Between Bruno Mars and our new president, Cardi B, taking us back to In Living Color with their video for “Finesse”…
Jan 21 201811/21/18Going With the Flow: Embracing the Blood That Binds UsS. D. Chrismon1In the immortal words of the late Joan Rivers: Can we talk?
Jan 11 201831/11/18Finding My Crowning Glory: A Black Butch Hair JourneyS. D. Chrismon4In black America, there’s a mythology surrounding the black beauty shop—I would even argue that the black beauty…
Jan 7 201831/7/18Stay Gold! 5 Wishes for the Golden Globes Red CarpetS. D. Chrismon9It’s awards season—my favorite time of the year! Some butches may look forward to the Super Bowl (I’m personally…
New Growth1/6/18Jan 6 20185New Growth1/6/18New GrowthIt’s a Different Show: Grown-ish Isn’t A Different World—and I’m Cool With ThatS. D. Chrismon21This week, Grown-ish premiered on Freeform to big fanfare. Everyone is loving it. I’m loving it.
New Growth1/3/18Jan 3 20183New Growth1/3/18 New GrowthFinally, a Seat at the Table: Jay-Z’s ‘Family Feud’ Makes a Major Statement About Who Belongs in the FamilyS. D. Chrismon15Because of Jay-Z, this New Year’s Eve, I found myself thinking about families and feuding.
Jan 2 2018111/2/18With Bright, Will Smith Misses an Opportunity to Launch a Real Afrofuturistic RevolutionS. D. Chrismon174My friends and I constantly talk about how we want a bunch of black movies across the spectrum, from romance to…
Dec 31 20171112/31/17Stop Putting Your Life on Layaway: 5 Things You Should Say Yes to in 2018S. D. Chrismon14Recently, Wifey and I went on a double date with another black lesbian couple I deeply admire. One of them is an…
Dec 28 20171412/28/17She’s Gotta Have Her: The Great Str8-Girl DebateS. D. Chrismon26It was around 1994, and I was crushing hard on L. She was fine—like an Asian Apollonia, but just a bit thicker, with…
Dec 22 20171112/22/17To Be Real: Dressing My Way out of ‘Butch Envy’S. D. Chrismon21In the summer of ’98, I lived in Harlem. There’s a longer story behind how a Midwest-raised black tomboi found…