I wasn’t going to do a follow up to the original #BlackBlogsMatter challenge. I fully intended to flake and bow out of this whole thing.

Blog challenges are grueling. I’m not a blogger who writes content super far in advance — 2 or 3 days at most. That’s why I write once a week … or less. Sometimes much less. So I was truly creating on the fly most of last year. Creating every day while still keeping up with your job and your family and your life is hard.

Creating every day on heavy topics like colorism, cultural appropriation, White fragility and Black consciousness is harder. In my experience, Black people talk about these subjects amongst ourselves on an almost daily basis. We ebb and flow and bob and weave our way through these subjects with passion and humor and fire like it’s no big deal. Because speaking openly about these issues amongst ourselves is no big deal. It is comfortable and easy and normal.

Speaking about these issues publicly for those who don’t likely know or understand you or your culture or your experiences is not comfortable or easy. It is not normal. It is a big fuggin deal.

The thought of doing it again gave me much pause.  Even though I said I was going to. Even though I knew I needed to …  Still, I almost gave up.

Sometime in October, I got messages from a few blogger friends asking when, not if, the 2018 challenge would start. When I responded jokingly saying I hadn’t even thought about it yet, one said “Well, get to thinking! You’re the only one talking about these topics this way. We all need this. Black Blogs Matter STILL Matters.”

I don’t know if she realizes that her message saved this challenge. And me.

Black Blogs Matter STILL Matters because Black bloggers are STILL the main and often only ones talking about these so very relevant, powerful and necessary topics.

Black Blogs Matter STILL Matters because Black bloggers are STILL  being overlooked and marginalized despite being the only ones talking about these topics.

Black Blogs STILL Matter because our silence continues to mean to our complicity in our oppression.

Black Blogs STILL Matter because our stories need to be told through our eyes and voices.

Black Blogs STILL Matter because Black Lives Matter STILL Matters.

This challenge is more than just a month of posts about diversity and inclusion focused topics.  It’s a paradigm shift. It’s a moment that is becoming a movement. It’s some of the most important work I’ve ever done.

And it matters. It STILL matters. It will ALWAYS matter.

So buckle up! The next 15 weeks are going to be a wild ride!