Walking in My Joy: In These Streets

I ran and ran and ran. I was unconsciously hiding from the things that hurt me most. Fortunately, I always met myself where I landed.

Nelson Mandela has been cited as saying words that ring true for me: “Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.

Listen to what the gods have asked you to show up as in this one fantastic life. Just sit down somewhere, be still, and listen.

available to them, and in the bathtubs full of lukewarm water.

I could see, clear as day, even at night, the familiar, sad, unfair, oppressive, ridiculous poverty that exists there. I saw myself in the kids who ran alongside my car, asking for money. There were far too many. I saw myself in them as they walked miles home from the one school

wanna go see the face of God, Jen? All right, then go on a safari. We just got back.” At the time, I was thinking, Bitch, I can’t afford nothing like that. Well, Merry Christmas, bitches—black-ish came along, and that’s right!!!! I was going to Africa, bitches!!!!!!

I met a white woman with big lips and a face tucked so tightly I could see her bones. The work she’d had done on her face was so obvious that I held my breath the entire time she spoke for fear her skin would burst. But what came from her mouth I never forgot. In a drunken slur, she said, “You

Kinloch was simultaneously so mean and so good to me. Home. A whiplash of emotions. Sometimes up and sometimes down but, honey child, always, always, always poor as hell. Yeah, that’s right, bitch, I come from the streets and great poverty.

knows we will never quiet down again. The work never stops, my friends. The work is ever present. The work is the only thing we have left.

If you can only be tall because somebody is on their knees, then you have a serious problem. And my feeling is that white people have a very, very serious problem, and they should start thinking about what they can do about it.

It was full of phrases that held the most wisdom I have ever read. Love yourself so that love will not be a stranger when it comes. Everything that occurs, occurs for the purpose of enlightenment. When the teacher can bow to the student, the real work can begin.

So I’ll say to you what I say to myself: Do not feel lonely. The entire universe is inside you. —attributed to Rumi

The day we first made love was the day everything changed for me. One afternoon we snuck up into the bedroom and purposely ran out of conversation. He took his clothes off and stood there, a statue built by the gods. We made unforgettable

Suddenly, Tony grabbed my waist and pulled me in, and for the first time in a very long time I wanted a man to kiss me. We stood there for a second too long, tension building, before his lips met mine. It was a movie moment. So good, I was waiting for the director to yell, “Cut!” But Tony kept going.

I’d broken off my last engagement, to a man named Oliver. Six years prior, I had agreed to marry him. We looked good together on paper. He was a marine war specialist, rough around the edges but not traumatized enough to show his dark side up front. Smart as a whip—a genius, really.

Really, then let’s go get a cup of coffee, nigga!” I shot back. “Okay,” he said sternly. I, of course, was kidding.

get to dump all your shit on someone else. Let them deal with it. But if you don’t want to talk to somebody professional yet, I’m here. I’ll tell you my secrets if you tell me yours.

We turn our backs to therapy. We don’t ask for help when help is the thing we all need. It shouldn’t be that hard to speak with someone who is not sitting in the shit but has a distant view of it and can help you see different avenues for getting out of the shit. Trust me, it’s a complete release.

Being a sexual assault survivor myself, this disgusted me. All the pain I carried

Throughout his candidacy, Orange stood on stages, exaggeratedly grabbing at his fingertips, and preached that he was going to build a wall.

I was concerned for the children. Witnessing his actions, our children were learning cruelty over kindness. Throughout his candidacy, Orange stood on stages, exaggeratedly grabbing at his fingertips, and preached that he was going to build a wall.

His words were unleashing the previously undiagnosed malignancy of evil that until then did not have a platform in this country. Things that had been simmering under the surface began to boil up.

Ain't no shame in my game. This is what too much stress looks like. Y'all come on and take this ride with me.

It was time to step out of my comfort zone. I was going to meet people face-to-face. The book had received rave reviews from everybody, everywhere. Oops, I did read that four people didn't like it. I'd like to respond to those comments right now. Fuck all four of y'all.

When I got my first Broadway gig, I called home to tell my mama the news. She said sh always knew I'd be a big star and hung up the phone. She didn't even give me the chance to tell her how much that meant to me. Years later, my sister Robin told me that, after the call, Mama told them I'd be home before I could blink twice.

The killer was a man full of hate who walked into a bar full of love and tried to extinguish it. The entire LGBTQ+ community has been riddled with unimaginable pain at the hands of cowardly people.

The rumor all over town was that I was stealing the show. Even the trades printed it: BLACK-ISH’S JENIFER LEWIS IS A SCENE STEALING GRANDMA. To that, I say, “No shit, bitches.” I’ve stolen every scene in every show I’ve ever done. They should have thought about that before they hired a living legend.

...I suddenly heard a horn blow outside. Nobody honks their horns in Sherman Oaks. It's practically social suicide to disturb the peace like that in our community. Ready to fight for my block, I rushed outside to check who in God's name was beeping.

I had recently begun to wear my hair in an Afro again. It was a symbol that screamed, I LOVE ME! I see my curly hair as antennas to God. We always fussing with it, but Black hair is powerful. Black hair is the only thing on the planet that defies gravity.