I confidently walked into the second grade classroom in Little Rock, Arkansas that radiated new possibilities. In the back of the room, the class lima bean plants were in little plastic cups. A large window...

The clicks of my 5 in. heels echoed as we hiked the stairs looking for our row. The cold stadium seats brought goosebumps down my arms, and the anticipation grew in the air. My grandpa’s Old Spice cologne...

For months I woke up in the morning and expected the same old thing, more clumps of my hair to continue falling out from my anxiety. I prepared myself for another day of feeling less in control than the...

Beams of sunlight stream through the window and onto my white-frame bunk bed. All is silent but the creak of old floorboards in our rented vacation home. Aunts and uncles, cousins and grandparents,...

When you say the word “white privilege” at this majority-white school, you get that look. The look that says “I don’t want to talk about it,” and “I couldn’t care less.” But white privilege...

I walked into the choir room and stood in the corner until my two best friends noticed the expression on my face. You wouldn’t know anything was wrong if you didn’t know me and had just seen me in...

I flopped down onto the lunch room chair and laid my lunch box down in front of me. As my friends began to pack the table, I spread out my array of food across the table: a sandwich, baby carrots, Capri...

As my sweaty hand pushed in the throttle, a jolt of sheer power flooded through the plane. The engine roared to life—dashes on the center line passed by faster and faster. At nearly 90 mph, the plane...