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White Guilt: On Marrying a Black Man.
I’ve written before about being frozen by big feelings in the face of overt racism (see post N**** r Lover ). I talked about how shame,...
Jessica Kiragu
Mar 12, 20215 min read


Unity.
This week, as we were watching the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump, someone on the screen called the January 6th insurrection...
Jessica Kiragu
Feb 13, 20213 min read


A New Year.
Saying goodbye to a year where, for much of it, we found ourselves restricted to only a few spaces, has me thinking about the ways place...
Jessica Kiragu
Jan 13, 20215 min read


Whiteness At The Polls.
Not long ago our family visited the North Carolina state house and we meandered through an empty and majestic building. Wonder filled my...
Jessica Kiragu
Oct 19, 20204 min read


What I Mean When I Say Black Lives Matter
I can still feel the week the officers who killed Breonna Taylor were not held responsible. It’s etched into me—not just because of the news itself, but because that same week one of my biracial kids quietly said they wished they had white skin like mine. Picture entitled Protest Signs from Wix I remember standing there, caught between heartbreak and fury, wishing this country could see and cherish their lives with the same ease it sees and cherishes mine. Wishing whiteness h
Jessica Kiragu
Sep 25, 20204 min read


Desperation
My white friends, I am writing from a place of desperation, of sadness and of fear. My family – black husband, brown kids and white me –...
Jessica Kiragu
Aug 26, 20203 min read


“N****r Lover.”
“N****r lover.” Picture entitled Spread Love Poster from Wix He said it as I was exiting the building and he – an older white man – was entering. I froze. My arms were full – an infant in one and a small hand holding onto the other. My attention was fixed on negotiating with the toddler holding into my arm about the walk through the parking lot to our car. It was an ordinary moment. Until he spoke, I didn’t notice another person sharing space with us and the unexpected voice
Jessica Kiragu
Aug 20, 20204 min read


Freedom … Why Celebrating July 4th Is A Struggle
July 4th is complicated for my Kenyan, American, black, brown and white family. First, it’s my birthday and my kids seem to think...
Jessica Kiragu
Jul 3, 20203 min read


Happy Juneteenth!
Today our family celebrates freedom. We dance and sing because of emancipation for black enslaved people and to salute the autonomy of...
Jessica Kiragu
Jun 18, 20202 min read
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