“I worried about how I’d pass down my family and cultural traditions. How could I make sure they saw themselves in the Christmas festivities? The next thing I knew, I had my first piece of the puzzle – a beautiful black angel.”

‘Aunty Dana, are all angels white or can they be brown, too?’ I was ashamed. All the angels on display in my home were white.’: New mom reflects on Christmas traditions, ‘Angels come in all colors’

‘If I can’t have sex with my partner, I’m not staying with them.’ It hurt to hear these things from people who claimed to love me.’: Asexual woman shares journey to self acceptance, ‘We deserve the space to exist without question’
“At the party, someone prompted each of us to go around and share how we identified. ‘Gay, Bi, Lesbian, etc.,’ then it came to me. ‘Asexual.’ ‘Oh, you’re the one who’s asexual!’ another friend said. I exclaimed, ‘Yup!’ From there, I continued down the rabbit hole of what asexuality was.”

‘There’s something I want to tell you. My partner is female.’ When I finally pressed send, I felt the world stop.’: Woman in same-sex marriage urges ‘be true to yourself’
“As I posted photos of us together, more questions came my way. I didn’t have anything to hide. On National Coming Out Day, I texted my dad. ‘In a perfect world, you could be happy for me.’ I was freed.”

‘I’ve never been a confident person, you know that all too well. That’s why you chose me to be your next victim that fateful night.’: Woman pens letter to her eating disorder, ‘I’m not keeping you a secret anymore’
“You’ve never really listened to me before, so maybe telling you all of this stuff is pointless. Maybe you’re not even listening now. Even if you are, it’s not like you’re going to feel sorry for me after everything you’ve put me through.”

Your Worth Is Not Determined By Your Appearance: A Guide To Self-Love During The Pandemic
“I’ve gained 30 pounds during quarantine. I can’t button my pants anymore. It’s hard to look in the mirror. And I’ve been stuck at my home with nothing but my thoughts and my new adult body.”

‘Are you a Princess of Wakanda?’ Her eyes grew so big. I crossed my arms over my chest. ‘Wakanda Forever, my princess.’ She stood a hundred feet tall.’: Woman shares Chadwick Boseman’s impact in touching moment
“Her dad nearly trembled behind her. That shy girl walked out of pavilion with her head held high like an empress. Mr. Boseman, I’ve seen dozens of black boys and girls accept themselves as royalty in a way I have never seen in my 20 years.”

‘The girls stood outside, waiting for me. My fat was a weakness. I called my mom, sobbing. I wouldn’t be the same.’: Bullied makeup artist on self-love journey goes viral, ‘Love yourself as is’
“School was a scary place to be. Kids called me fat. I told my mom, ‘I want to lose weight.’ I wasn’t deemed ‘Instagram-worthy. It became my weakness.”

‘I received a rejection letter that read, ‘African American ‘fathers’ is such a tough sell. Your project will not be a good fit.’: Author denied book publishing due to ‘black protagonist’
“Imagine you’re a black author. You’ve written one of your best works about fatherhood. You’re super excited to get it published, only to receive a rejection letter targetting the color of your black protagonist.”

‘Did I ever think you were mean and not like you?’ I knew she was leading up to something.’: Stepmom blames movies for giving stepmoms ‘a bad rap,’ ‘Come on, Hollywood, help some sisters out!’
“My stepdaughter has only known her parents being apart. They split when she was 1. I assumed she didn’t have any issues about living in two homes. She brought up ‘Cinderella’ and how the stepmom was mean. Her response made me tear up. ‘I think we are really special. It’s different with us.’ I know it’s not easy for all blended families. The crucial piece is to have a cordial relationship with her mother.”

‘We are not your ‘typical’ family. We are white parents with a black child.’: Mom sends heartfelt letter to teacher ‘advocating’ for her black son this school year
“Eli is usually the only black student in his classroom. We are not a ‘colorblind’ family. Eli’s hair is a big part of who he is and how he expresses himself. Please don’t let anyone touch it without his permission. Please provide him with colored paper, pencils or markers that represents his skin color. Not many teachers in our small town think about this subject.”