Shared strength
“You know, if you didn’t tell people, they wouldn’t guess you have a 19-year-old daughter,” I said to my mother as I put on my coat. We were going to pick up my brothers from school, and my mother looked beautiful. She had her hair down, styled to perfection, and a bright pink dress on.…
गन्धतत्त्व
Whenever my family and I return from an extended leave from our house, the smell of hardwood always fills our nostrils. My sister and I turn up our noses at it, and I promise myself to use the time I have left to replace it. Over that time, I work tirelessly, taking care of my…
Bibi’s Tree
Bibi. Bibi yangu. My Grandmother. Her Tree. Bibi’s tree is yet to be a tree . . . but it is a tree to me. A plant that is supposed to reach her God. A plant that we water, so it grows. A plant that we pray over hoping it protects her. Even if it…
How Professor Mustafa Naseem is changing the world, one app at a time
This semester, I traded in my aforementioned chronically open Google Docs tab for a chronically open Spyder file. Lo and behold, in my attempts to become a Renaissance woman, I took a coding class! As my senior year capstone! After a long day of asking whichever unlucky person who happened to mention knowing Python for…
Loving
I love “Frog and Toad.” In its simplicity, a story about the friendship between a frog and a toad provides its viewers with a guide to loving. No frills, fireworks or grand gestures — just sitting on a rock next to your dear toady friend. Loving was taught to me by two amphibians clad in…
mumbai is loud
mumbai is loud humming with squawks, honks and shouts but noises blend into sounds of laughter, banter and bhajans mumbai is smelly bearing odors of sewage, cows and smoke but smells turn aromas of vada pavs, pakoras and kebabs mumbai is chaotic the traffic incessant, trains crammed but no day is the same the commotion…
MESA hosts annual AA&PI Heritage Month Gala
As spring flowers bloom, the Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs has been offering an April full of opportunities to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. With the second week of April focusing on the Pacific Islander community, MESA hosted this year’s annual Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month Gala at the Michigan…
A Tuesday Afternoon: a fictional short story
I’m sitting on the bus when I finally feel comfortable enough to bring out my dollar-store blue wired headphones. I plug them into my non-iPhone and rest my head onto the semi-frozen window, playing a random pop music Spotify playlist. Closing my eyes, I try to distract myself from the lack of warmth generated from…
What she knows
Content warning: mentions of violence and sexual themes. I don’t believe in fickle things like gold or fate But my mother taught me how to listen when the universe hums a soft siren song How strange is it I found you and time seemed to stop the same day I lost my favorite watch I…
In defense of “Black Ariel”
On July 13, 2019, Halle Bailey was announced as Ariel in the live-action retelling of “The Little Mermaid”. For many, this was cause for celebration. Black Twitter met the announcement with a sea of unbridled support. Fans of the alternative sister duo, Chloe x Halle, rejoiced. For we know, Halle has a voice that a…
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