Why I Claimed the title, “The Warrior KQueen,” and Why I Continue to Embrace it in the New Decade of my life. “She wasn’t looking for a Knight. She was looking for a Sword.” – Atticus Dear Fellow Warrior, I hope you had a fantastic summer. August is over, and we are now in the…
Approaching “Midlife” with the “Gilmore Girls”: A Mid-Summer Birth Month Reflection
“If you’re gonna throw your life away, he better have a motorcycle.” – Lorelie Gilmore Dear Fellow Warrior, In my last post, I shared some reflections on mental health, part of mental health awareness month in May. I had more to say. And We are here now, mid-year, and mid-summer, mid-July, and it’s Minority Mental…
The Power of Writing One’s Truth: A Mental Health Reflection
“Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation.” – bell Hooks Dear Fellow Warrior, Over the past year, I think I have done a better job of transitioning some of my unfiltered writing, primarily in my daily journal, rather than feeling that urge to share my thoughts immediately with a world that doesn’t…
Time Passes…Seasons Change…And We Keep Building
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” – James Baldwin Dear Fellow Warrior, Time passes, seasons come and go…. and summer feels like it is already here… even when you are not ready for the heat. I missed the Kite Festival in DC, this year.…
Ten Years with a Warrior KQueen
“Write hard and clear about what hurts.” – Earnest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast Dear Fellow Warrior, Spring has arrived. Through another difficult winter and the blessing of another Ramadan. And I know I have not written for several months now. This is actually the first blog post on Chronicles of a Warrior KQueen, the first…
A Tribute to Allah: Honoring Survival and The Ultimate Spiritual Transformation
“To Him We Belong. And To Him We Return.” – (Quran, 2:156) Dear Fellow Warrior, There is no perfect end of the year. No perfect close. It just needs to close. You need to cross that finish line. Because time never stops; it is the only resource that will always remain scarce. So I didn’t…
Punished for Surviving: A Suicide Note (Poem #3)
“What are the words you do not yet have? What do you need to say? … And there are so many silences to be broken.” – Audre Lorde Dear Fellow Warrior, I wanted to share this piece before the end of the year. After more than ten years of suicide prevention and mental health advocacy,…
A Special “PhD Wedding” Anniversary: Hooded, Hijabi, & Unapologetic
“You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.“ – Dr. Maya Angelou Hasbiyallahu wa ni’amal wakeel. Dear Fellow Warrior, Recently, I shared a critical moment on social media, and I wanted that moment to be here, at its rightful place here as well. This past week, on December 16th, I honored four…
My Social Media Achilles Heel: Jealousy, Visibility Politics, and Divine Reorientation
“When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” – Audre Lorde Dear Fellow Warrior, I am increasingly mindful of the difference between quiet presence and silent extraction. Several years ago, as soon as I finished my…