There have been some wild moments since then, but I think the most important for me have been hearing from the many readers who saw in the story a message of resiliency and perseverance for today.

I'm so glad it connected for you. It meant a lot to me as I wrote it. Thanks for sharing it!

PS. Did you know there are no good synonyms for blood?

I grew concerned last year when they scaled back their pride and Black history month store displays. Cutting DEI says those initiatives are finished, so then it is time for me and my meagre buying power to move on.

I assume all the box stores are bad. Costco fights unionization, for instance. So then it's a matter of weighing the bad choices against each other. I appreciated that Target selected small brands for some of its stores, and had often found Black women-owned companies to highlight and stock.