Published inLEVEL·PinnedMember-only20 Years After 9/11, I’m Giving Up My Survivor’s GuiltMy dad escaped the horrors of the World Trade Center attacks. Yet for both of us, the trauma remains. — I had big plans for September 11, 2001. I left my childhood home in Queens that morning dressed in flared jeans with patches below the knee. As I hopped on the F train at 179th Street and Hillside Avenue, Krystal Harris’ song “Supergirl!” from The Princess Diaries played on repeat…September 115 min readSeptember 115 min read
PinnedDearest AaliyahIf I could speak to my idol 20 years later, here’s what I’d say to her — It’s been a big week for Aaliyah fans. Her album One In A Million is finally available on streaming services after two decades of radio silence. And the biography, Baby Girl: Better Known As Aaliyah gives fans a glimpse behind her beloved swoop bangs with a look at her life…Aaliyah2 min readAaliyah2 min read
PinnedClub Peloton Has It All For The Introverted ThirtysomethingI can not stop talking about Peloton — let’s rewind to see how I got here — At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, when it felt like everything was out of my control, I was adamant about one rule: I wouldn’t buy any massive pieces of gym equipment. I know myself. From the Nintendo console that’s been collecting dust under my childhood bed since I was…Peloton4 min readPeloton4 min read
PinnedSwimming, My Adult Extracurricular ActivityLearning how to move underwater around tiny swimmers taught me that it’s okay to give a new thing a try — I was never the most athletic person. Rewind that VHS tape to the ’90s, and you’d find a shy kid who was really into books and listening to my heroes, Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson. I’d pray for a stomach ache to keep me out of gym class — if…Swimming5 min readSwimming5 min read
Published inLEVEL·PinnedMember-onlyThe Death of New York City Is ClickbaitAnyone who said NY was dead after Covid-19 arrived wasn’t a New Yorker to begin with — Update 6/7/22: Level has a new home. You can read this article and other new articles by visiting LEVELMAN.com. There’s one way to put even the mellowest New Yorker into a fit of rage: insinuating, in any way, that New York City is dead. Last March, grief overtook the city…New York City6 min readNew York City6 min read
Published inMomentum·Oct 15, 2021Member-only“I want to lead the charge and let them have hope, let them know that it is possible to make it to the NBA coming from [Puerto Rico].”Carmelo Anthony1 min readCarmelo Anthony1 min read
Published inMomentum·Oct 11, 2021Member-only“My mom is a woman of color even though she might not be readily identified as such and I feel like because of that, she always gave me space to explore my identity; get in touch with who I am. She understood the void of not having enough guidance, in that. Even though she is not a Black woman, throughout my life, she filled me with such pride of being one.” — Tessa ThompsonTessa Thompson1 min readTessa Thompson1 min read
Published inMomentum·Sep 27, 2021Member-only“Clearly we’re not there yet, but to be able to bring forward the world as we see it, as I see it and as I saw it growing up and all the voices — women, Afro-Latinos, Latinos, Asians. We all inhabit the world, we all have something to say, we all have a point of view.” — Gina TorresGina Torres1 min readGina Torres1 min read
Published inMomentum·Sep 24, 2021Member-only“I would say I’m Black because my parents said I’m Black. I’m Black because my mother’s Black. I’m black because I grew up in a family of all Black people. I knew I was Black because I grew up in an all-white neighborhood. And my parents, as part of their protective mechanisms that they were going to give to us, made it very clear what we were.” — Soledad O’ Brien1 min read1 min read
Published inMomentum·Sep 22, 2021Member-only“I believe if we only are talking to people who agree with us, we are failing in some way to understand our world and our country.” — Gwen IfillGwen Ifill1 min readGwen Ifill1 min read
