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
Nov 11Back home.Oh hi, Medians. It’s been awhile since you’ve heard from me. I’ve been gone for a minute but I’m back again. Some of you may know me from my time as a Senior Editor at Medium. I adored working with so many of you, editing your stories for Momentum and…1 min read1 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
