JASMYN ELLIOTT

The unfiltered writings of a 3rd-gen Jamaican Gullah-Geechee woman who was born in Miami, raised by Philly parents and principles, reads a hell of a lot, and writes even more (or at least tries to) who is currently navigating being on the other side of her mid-thirties without losing the good sense that God gave her in hope that her words help other Black women do the same <3

Oh, and she’s really into JOY, AUTHENTICITY, and LIBERATION for all oppressed peoples (but especially Black folks because see above).

Writing Pillars

noun: a feeling of great happiness or pleasure; delight

JOY is chief among the principles of my site and of my life. Joy is resistance in an of itself. In a world that seeks to kill our vibe and dim our light, choosing to have a damn good time in the face of hell is the most courageous thing we can do. I choose joy if only to spite any and everything that seeks to destroy me.

Lucille Clifton said it best: “Come celebrate with me that everyday something has tried to kill me and has failed.”

noun: the quality of being authoritative, valid, true, real, or genuine

Ain’t no sugarcoating or bullshitting over here. I said what I said. I wrote what I wrote. I’m willing to be wrong and apologize loudly if I am. I have a right to change my mind, and I have a responsibility to learn and research before I put hand to keyboard. But one thing that I will always be in this place is myself.

noun: an occasion when something or someone is released or made free.

Liberation isn’t a singular event. It is an unfolding, and it is constant. Every day, I strive to make a choice that decolonizes my mind and lets go of a previously held limitation so that I may expand into being the fullest version of myself. Once the chains of the mind are broken, limitlessness is a mere intention away.