In which the "justice sensitivity" for which neurospicy folks are regularly pathologized becomes incredibly, glaringly, obvious.
Writing History
The 1990s: Further Developing & Sharpening My Skills
Hundreds of secondary, and then undergraduate level, papers on subjects related to dance, music, psychology, biology, philosophy, and religion.
Highlights include a third-year undergraduate essay comparing sexual taboos across various religions; and a Grade 11 paper on overlooked female composers of European classical music in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The 2000s: Scholarly & Professional Writing
Innumerable pages' worth of internal departmental reports, external stakeholder reports, government briefing notes, and scholarly articles.
Each, in their own way, related to some aspect of equity and social justice, be it supporting the academic and social success of students in underserved urban schools; the availability and quality of child and youth programming across Ontario; or reducing barriers to access in the technology sector.
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Two 200-page graduate theses, completed over six years: Living Culture: Identity, Curriculum, and Multicultural Education (Master of Arts); and Performed Identities: Drama and the Transformation of Multicultural Education (Doctor of Philosophy).
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More than 20 graduate term papers on topics such as arts education, popular culture and social difference, and Black Feminist Thought.
The 1980s: Beginners' Craft in Personal & Creative Writing
Over 100 pages' worth of journal entries, starting at age 9, in which I - often unconsciously - attempted to process life as a Black child growing up in predominantly white spaces.
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Hundreds of pages of fiction writing, for school and for fun. My memory of these stories is vague, at best. It's fair to say, though, that they covered a whole range of genres, including fantasy, sci-fi and, as I got older, romance. All of them, however, featured a Black female main character and, as relevant, a diverse group of friends.