This morning, my friends and I did a breathwork session, which has become something we do each year we make the trip. Before we started, our guide was talking to us and said something that stood out to me: “We should love people for who they are, not just accept them for who they are, because that brings acceptance, which implies judgment. We should just love them for who they are.” I’ve never really thought about how acceptance, which we take to be a positive thing, still implies some sort...

Last night, my friends and I hiked to the top of Cathedral Rock in Sedona, Arizona, for the sunset. The sunset wasn’t the only gift that we would receive at the top of the mountain. When we reached the summit, we were greeted by two young Black men sitting on the rocks like they were sent there to see us. They sat on rocks with their backs to the main view, facing the exact point we would come up. Immediately, they said hello and dapped up my two friends—acknowledging that it was nice to see...

My friend and I have a longstanding debate that will never be settled: who is the better rapper, J. Cole or Drake? You already know where I stand. We’ll never settle this debate because what we each appreciate in music differs, along with what we consider important metrics. Drake, whom I actually like and listen to, clearly wins the streaming and popularity game. You don’t reach the level of distribution and audience size Drake has if you are not good. He has mastered creating radio hits and...