Issue #05: Unlocked
A monthly curation of Black, Global Indigenous, and POC voices
Unlocked is a monthly selection of content from Locked In, an unofficial BIPOC writing community on Substack. Each month’s issue will be curated by a different Locked In member, chosen from a monthly call for members to share posts that they’re most proud of. If you identify as BIPOC, request to join our private community.
Welcome to our fifth issue of Unlocked! Every month, we ask our BIPOC writing community to share posts that they’re proud of. If you missed our first one, check it out below!
I’m
, one of the Locked In organizers. I write , a series of letters to my son, Myles, about the joy of fatherhood and the inner child within me that is healing as I raise him. One post I’m especially excited about from this past month is titled I Never Knew Grief Could Be a Place. It’s about Brooklyn—a place I love deeply yet fear my son may never experience for himself.Here are a few other community submissions from September 2024 that I loved and think that you will, too. Apologies for this coming a little later than usual.
GARDENING
Ugly Tomatoes, Sexy Dinner by
Brittney is a community gardener, and her post below made me think twice about how I assess vegetables at the grocery store. Why do they always look so perfect? During our search, we often look for the ones without blemishes or marks, and if we come across any with flaws, we toss them back. As a community gardener, Brittney reminds us how we overlook the potential of our produce simply by judging its exterior. Even though her post was about fruit, I couldn’t help but think about how we often do the same to people. How easily we meet others and decide they aren’t for us—how readily we ignore that each person like a vegetables, as Brittney says, holds beauty within.
What I love about the way her post ends is that she shares some great recipes, all made from imperfect foods. I would love a seat at Brittney’s kitchen.
We meticulously pick out the "prettiest" veggies for the pantry, hoping to encourage people to take them home. But those imperfect gems? They’re often left behind, lingering on the shelf, waiting for someone to see their potential.
But what if we saw beyond the quirks? What if we peeled back the rough exterior to reveal the juicy beauty within?
Imperfect foods are like hidden treasures. They might not win any beauty contests, but they are packed with flavor, nutrients, and stories. They might not win any beauty contests, but they are packed with flavor, nutrients, and stories. They’ve weathered storms, fought off pests, and grown against the odds. And that resilience? You can taste it.
Family and Femininity
What Will People Say? by
I. S. Bashirah's deeply vulnerable piece explores femininity and purity, examining how her desires for herself come into direct conflict with what she feels compelled to do because of religion and family expectations. Through a series of well-connected vignettes, Bashirah shares her struggles with her family, especially her father, revealing how these challenges make it difficult simply to exist as herself—to the point that she sometimes wishes she could be someone else.
Being a child in the shadow of a man like that, a man who has created so many messes that I can and cannot name, it felt like relatives were always trying to decipher, was I like some wounded animal in need of rescue? Or were the mistakes I made a sign that I was inevitably going to become some feminine version of him?
Art and Creativity
On the Power of Making Things by Hand by
Shinjini shares glimpses from her art journal, along with notes on her creative process. While I personally struggle with anything that requires drawing, gluing, or cutting, I found her post grounding. I know firsthand what it feels like to be anxious about writing; yet, as I begin and immerse myself in the process, a sense of ease and calm comes over me. Writing calls me to be fully present, and I imagine it does the same for her. I’m grateful that, as writers and creators, we have something that centers us and brings us to the page, the canvas, the present.
Just as we can give form to pieces of collage paper or a block of wood or a lump of clay, so can we create our reality with the power of our choices and decisions, breathing life into our plans and seeing them take shape.
We can’t always control the exact outcome — that’s rarely guaranteed — but we can layer our actions on top of one another, respond to what is arising, and find our way forward. Just as with art, so with life.
Family
Tracing Your Shadow Through Shifting Leaves by
Tiffany’s piece takes us on a journey through her experience of witnessing her father’s battle with cancer. Through seven beautifully crafted 100-word stories, beginning at the age of one, Tiffany reveals the lasting impact of watching a loved one suffer. I found her piece deeply relatable; as each story unfolds, we see not only her father’s physical transformation but also her own growth and change.
I am one and am not yet aware of things beyond my own self. I cannot see sadness in the eyes of those who brought me into the world. Before me, they smile only, and weep when I look away, as the doctors say there is little chance my father will live a year.
Dealing with Burnout
The Fight to Slow Down by
Dr. Gladys Ato brings us back to the sacred act of slowing down, capturing the raw, instinctual pull to feel safe in the embrace of love. It beautifully untangles the tension between the need to be held and the urge to stay vigilant, reminding us of that quiet place where we once trusted deeply. Through tender, layered reflections, Dr. Ato invites us to remember the peace that comes with surrender, nudging us to let go and simply be.
To truly slow down is to return to the embrace of a mother cradling you in her protective arms. You fight the urge to be held by another, unsure of when you’ll be dropped or forgotten.
This issue of Unlocked was curated by
, who writes Raising Myles …..It was edited by the locked-in members who help manage the Locked-in member publication. To be considered for the feature, request to join the Locked In community.Did you miss our Unlocked Issue? Catch them below:
@marctypo you are always welcome to have a seat at my kitchen garden! I’m a NJ gal too!
Thank you so much for sharing my work and including it here! It really means a lot. I've added the rest of the posts linked here to my reading list. Thanks for putting this together!