When winter comes to Texas — He had gone into the garage and cried when the power went out the night before. Jason had hidden his tears, having no right to shed them. But something within him had been broken when the power went out as the winter storm blew into Houston like a slap to…

And no family was there to save me — When I was six and my brother was four and a half years old, our mother went to prison for the first time. Two Houston police officers drove a squad car into the parking lot of our small inner-city apartment complex, loose gravel crunching beneath their tires. The officers did…

Our mothers and fathers are the punchlines of your jokes — Readers please note: this story includes descriptions of addiction, suicide, and child exploitation. If you need help, contact the National Helpline. My mother was a crack cocaine addict for more than twenty years. Being her son was a lonely thing. It was not easy. Everyone thought it was a dirty…

I didn’t want to simply have a nice house in a bad neighborhood — I bought a little house a couple of years ago. It sits on a mostly quiet street in a mostly Black subdivision, with a good amount of Latinos. …

The Texas abortion ban takes freedom of religion away from all of us — The new Texas abortion law that all of America is talking about, is nothing more than Texas style religious law. American religious leaders are being allowed to force their religious beliefs on all Americans. This law is yet another attempt by the religious right, and the mostly religious white men…

A follow for a follow: the blogger’s drug deal — Since I joined Medium eight or nine months ago, I’ve always seen hopeful writers on Facebook, Twitter, etc, asking for people to follow them in exchange for them following you. Follow for a follow, the blogger’s drug deal. …

Besides the chance of winning one of the writing contests — I’ve seen a number of people express concerns about Mediums writing contests. Some have said they won’t be participating in them for reasons ranging from author’s rights to judging criteria for the writing contests. …

Finding a way out — the consequences of $2.13 an hour. — I don’t want to go back to the restaurant industry. There should be something more for us, all of us. Life should hold something more than returning to an industry where you are not valued at all. Where you are just some guy with a plate attached to his arm…

School violence and bullying in America — They said she tried to run. Caught. And then she tried begging for the mercy of attackers too young to know the beauty of compassion. She made it home after the beating from the two young girls, but only for a little while. A bruised head turned into complaints of…