As everyone knows, Queen Elizabeth II passed away this past week. Her death has drawn the expected outpouring of sympathy and reverence for her extensive reign of seven decades. She came to power in 1952 and endeared herself to many around the world. She was a symbol, an institution, and the Head of The Firm. But others have criticized her time as monarch, arguing that she was not some Queen in a fairy tale.

The Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade – stripping away the constitutional right to an abortion. Even though these protections were in place for nearly half a century, the Supreme Court, with its 6-3 decision, took back the fundamental right to control one’s own body and make decisions about their own healthcare.

And just like that, with decades of concerted buildup, 50 years of settled jurisprudence was brought to its knees with the leaked draft opinion of Justice Samuel Alito on Roe v. Wade. Whatever your opinion about abortion, this may indeed mark the first time in the modern history of the Court that a Constitutional right, once recognized and granted, is to be taken away.

I am beyond excited to witness history being made, but let’s be clear: the level of excellence a woman of color has to possess in order to be considered for this role is unfair in comparison to others.

We watch in horror as the Russian invasion progresses in Ukraine, now with thousands dead, senseless destruction and chaos and nearly 1 million refugees fleeing the country for safety. Among those seeking refuge are African students and mothers. But border guards are reportedly not allowing them to escape across the border.

Some critical race theory opponents believe books discussing Ruby Bridges, the first Black child to desegregate her Southern school, have no place in classrooms or school libraries. As though we are too precious to acknowledge what should be a shared pain. Too proud to embrace a shared history.