Yes, there's a problem with gender as it is today, and we must fix it, we must do better.

Perhaps it is time to debate culture. The common story is that in "real" African culture, before it was tainted by the west, gender roles were rigid and women were contentedly oppressed.

We do not just risk repeating history if we sweep it under the carpet, we also risk being myopic about our present.

Stories matter. Many stories matter.

Each time he suggested they get married, she said no. They were too happy, precariously so, and she wanted to guard that bond; she feared that marriage would flatten it into a prosaic partnership.

Dear Non-American Black, when you make the choice to come to America, you become black. Stop arguing. Stop saying I'm Jamaican or I'm Ghanaian. America doesn't care.

Stories can break the dignity of a people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity.