“I believe there is power in words, power in asserting our existence, our experience, our lives, through words.”

— Jesmyn Ward, The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks about Race (2016)

Courtney Cross-Johnson 4/26/21 Courtney Cross-Johnson 4/26/21

Don’t Let Them Steal Your Joy

If there’s anything I’ve learned as a Black woman in the US, it’s that our joy will always try to be snatched but we have to fight to keep it. We have to protect our mental by any means necessary. We need to find the good moments in some particularly crappy bouts of days in order to stay sane.

Courtney Cross-Johnson 4/7/21 Courtney Cross-Johnson 4/7/21

What I've Learned About Grief So Far

I was fine. Nothing was wrong. I was having an incredibly productive day. And that's when it came back.

I did my best to hold back the tears because again, I was having a really good day, but I ultimately surrendered. I'm batting zero against my waves of sadness and I knew I just needed to let it flow. The bad moments will always pass. Even though it really sucks when you're in the thick of it.

Courtney Cross-Johnson 12/23/20 Courtney Cross-Johnson 12/23/20

To Everyone Mourning a Loved One During the 2020 Holiday Season

It is hard. It is incredibly hard. I don’t share the ugly moments I deal with daily because who wants to hear that? Unless you are in my immediate circle… or my therapist, you have no idea how I am dealing. But please, do not make assumptions about someone’s healing process because it is a lifelong journey.