Welcome To The Blog
You’ve arrived at the Letters from a Young Black Woman blog. I’m excited to share my experiences and interest with you, and I hope that they leave you:
Comforted
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Refreshed
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Inspired
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Enriched
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Affirmed
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Comforted * Refreshed * Inspired * Enriched * Affirmed *
Series
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A unique assortment of personal anecdotes and reflections artfully presented through the medium of letters. Delve into the intricacies of life's myriad experiences, encompassing its highs, lows, and everything in between. Prepare for an engaging journey filled with contemplation, discoveries, and meaningful interactions.
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Come along as Allie dishes out her top-notch beauty secrets and fave products that have passed her beauty test. Buckle up to uncover handpicked tips and suggestions designed especially for your beauty needs!
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Dive into thrilling travel escapades and adventures. Rating the hidden gems and popular spots in every city or country she visits, providing recommendations for fellow globetrotters looking to embark on their own unforgettable journeys. So, fellow wanderlusters, take note as we serve up the crème de la crème of travel experiences from around the globe. Are you ready to embark on this exciting exploration?
So, fellow wonderlusters, take note as we serve up the crème de la crème of travel experiences from around the globe.
Explore
Books Every Black Woman Should Read
When I have free time, you can usually find me curled up with my kindle or a book. In honor of Women’s History Month, I’ve sifted through my recent reads to give you books that I believe every Black woman should read. Some classics, a lot of love, but always an amazing lesson.
Piece of 92
We’re good enough to care for your children but not worthy of rights. Good enough to be your rib, but not worthy of your time. Smart enough for your boardroom, but unqualified for the title. Strong enough to stand at the front lines, but unworthy of the same favors.
My Preference, My Choice
I could say I don’t understand our short-end-of-the-stick outcome, but it’s very clear. Black women aren’t supposed to be allowed the experiences of agency and choice. We’re supposed to be given what we’re offered, slap a smile on our faces, and go on our merry way. We aren’t allowed to complain or fight back because in everyone else's eyes, we’re here to support others, not be supported. Being authors of our own stories is shamed because we’re meant to be supporting characters in theirs.
I Don’t Want Any More Friends
I don’t think I want any more friends. I’m far too jaded. Building hope for long-lasting connection only to be met with disappointment. I’ve had men drive me to anger by their actions but when it came to friends it cut much deeper—leaving me heartbroken and confused. With each drive to the heart, I’ve learned more and more of what I can’t accept and yearn for from those surrounding me. And with each formed bond, I learn how shockingly affirming a once-upon-a-time stranger can be. So much so that they become woven into your daily existence. You develop gratitude for the shoulder to lean on and the joy they bring
That’s if it’s done right.
The Internet Ruined My Skin
Day after day, I’d examine my pores hoping they’d be free of black and whiteheads. When they weren’t, I’d slap patches on the fiery craters and fall asleep looking like a child’s sticker collection. Before I could appreciate another day on this earth, I was peeling patches and hoping they completed the job of excavating the bacteria on my skin. I tested luxury recommendations and dermatologist-approved products at Ulta and Sephora. Only to return for an exchange of whatever new solution I had found during one of my deep dives.
What I Thought of When I Think Of You
What landed When I Think of You a 6 start raising in my book? Maybe it’s the tagged excerpts that triggered tears in my eyes and a grin on my cheeks. More importantly, it was the triumphant journey of love for a Black Woman who was enduring the systematic barriers of the film industry. Especially admitting recent American political events, this tale affirmed my every frustration but urged hope to come alive.
Letter 11: Dear Confidence
Cause everyone thinks you live in stolen glances in a mirror and the ability to bravely walk out into the world, when you’re really defined by the decision to live life in your own lane.
You’re the decision to break away from the cycles that only result in hurt and regret, even when it leaves us alone and questioning. You’re the decision to not support the same fucked up morals that leave the different and despised feeling less than. You’re the decision to draw boundaries, in stone, if it means that your cup won’t constantly be drained.
Run the World: Italy Edition
Italian summers are truly like no other. For 10 days I explored the beautiful cities of Venice, Florence, Rome, Positano, and ended in Naples. There’s so much to explore across the country but here are my favorites from my own adventure.
Letter 10: Dear Grad
I wish I could congratulate each of you in the graduating class of 2024. A class with many members who entered college during a time of so much uncertainty. Still, we made it out. However, the questions and obstacles don’t cease. I hope this letter can offer you some reassurance and comfort as we all make a transition from college student to college graduate.
I Love Luxury
I love luxury. My lifestyle is a testament to it.
I love every small detail that offers me a life of ease.
I love Gucci, I love Prada. I love Tiffany’s and David Yurman, too. But those are material things, they aren’t the focus of this special admiration.
I love long walks and forgetting the moments passing by as my feet beat the trail.
I love sleeping in. Rolling back and forth as I fall in and out of sleep.
My First Black Doctor
I’d never visited a physician and had my feelings validated and my insecurities soothed.
Doctors are meant to care for our health. Unfortunately, the test results relating to our physical health supersede the emotions guided by our mental health.
An Intimate Grief
That all changed when the agony visited me more recently. The bereaved was hard to see, outline, or even define. It was more intimate than ever before. So close that I felt wrong that I dared to leave them behind.
Routine Stop
The concern of my grounding returns. I hope he doesn’t make me get out of the car. I hope he doesn’t mistake my umbrella or one of the frivolous items, in my car, as a gun. Most of all I just hope he doesn’t pull his.
Season's Greetings: Experiencing Valentine's Day as a Single Girl
However, I can’t agree with distasteful emotions when they result in a desire to skip the actual holiday.
I could be annoyed, lonely, sad, or frustrated in the 13 days leading up to the 14th, but all that diffuses on the day of.
Passion Fueled, Choice Driven
Writing feels so natural. I don’t say this to sound cocky. I just want you to understand how much I love it. I feel like I belong as a writer. I let my words flow from my thoughts to my pen to paper. And most days it’s as easy as that 3-step process.
Letter 09: Dear Readers
For as long as I choose to write and publish on this platform, I promise to never forget or neglect my target audience, my inspiration, and my muse, Black Women.
The Uncomfortable Truths of 2023
Overall, I loved this year because I fell into my passion, learned, and healed. Any effort to bring me closer to the divine woman I’m destined to become is worth celebrating, even if it wasn’t a fun process.
Letter 08: Dear Comfort
You’d lay by side me for a while; cover me like a blanket. Then I’d turn over and you’d be gone. I never understood why. If I connected with you once why couldn’t you stay forever?