Bruh. It's Actually July. So That Means 🎂 🎉!
This is a long one (for e-mail). Like ~450 words. Read it in transit or something.
July's the month that I got to use my lungs for the first time. The first time I saw my young parents' eyes and watch them cry as they held me. I first got to see the snow before I was a year old in December - that same time the first photo of myself was ever taken. I have a copy of it on my fridge out here in Oakland. I say all of this to give myself a sense of grounding — I'm getting older and I need to move the goal posts.
Objectives at 26
I turn 26 today this was sent out. I'm writing this to share a day of personal reset. Nothing drastic like wiping out every mode of communication. But a personal reset of all of the "failures" that I've had that are weighing me down. I choose today to be the day that I open my door and say "Fuck it, let's do it in production". It feels safer since, to some systems, I'm a new person. My cells have changed, my thinking has evolved and been weathered by experience and the world. I'll be attending an IndieWeb Homebrew Website Club tonight in San Francisco - definitely pull up. After that, I'll be heading to a few Black-owned bars in Oakland and thanking everyone and everything that led up to this moment.. Reply and I'll give you the where and when if you're in the area.
What I'll be doing is a bit of the same — focusing on https://black.af and making it into a bit of a news mill. Not necessarily only consulting but also a resource centre for things in the space of technology and the intersection of Blackness. I'll be candid - it'll be lots of link aggregation but I do plan to also showcase things people in my network are working on once in a while. I see y'all.
So You Think You Grown?
Nah. I did, however, never expect me to be this old. A thing that plagues a lot of Black people who grew up poor was the constant concept of death. Especially if you grew up in the cut. My parents shielded me from a lot and they kept me safe. But it's always wild to hear people call me "sir" or think I'm older in demeanour for my age. That's probably me trying to rush through it.
I Didn't Get You A Gift.
That's totally fine. What I would want you to do is go peep https://instagram.com/theblackaf and https://twitter.com/blackafllc and give those a follow. The algorithm favors follow counts, especially when it's organic. A lot of the content from https://black.af will be syndicated to those sites so definitely look out for that.
Thank you for being a subscriber. Seriously, knowing that someone out there is willing to just hear me vent, share and express myself online in a more intimate setting (you gave me the reference to your skeleton key!) is dope. I might get sappy like this more often — vulnerability hurts but keeps us human.