"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is no work, no knowledge, no wisdom." Ecclesiastes 9:10. 

I have been trying to find the best way to write out something that has been on my heart for the past month or so. Trying to write a blog post has been almost impossible but this is a topic I feel strongly about and want to try to articulate, not only for myself but for anyone who may need to hear this. 

​Like many other people in the age of Netflix and other streaming services, I never was a fan of waiting every week to watch a new episode of a TV show. I hated being left for seven whole days to deal with cliffhangers from the previous episode, let alone the last season. I spent the majority of this summer binge-watching various shows, including two of my all-time favorites Scandal and Being Mary Jane​.

​When Scandal first aired, I distinctly remember my family discuss the infamous "Earn me" line which definitely peaked my interest, but I didn't start actually watching the show until it entered it's second or third season. When I did finally give in, I set up my laptop in my bathroom and tried to stay attentive as I retwisted my locs. From that moment, I fell in love with Kerry Washington's Olivia Pope and the Scandal universe. 
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I don't remember exactly when I started watching Being Mary Jane, but I also remember being similarly captivated by Gabrielle Union and her portrayal of the titular character Mary Jane (or MJ). 

What I love about both of these characters, besides the fact that they are played by two of my favorite actresses, is that they gave me images of successful Black women who were where I wanted to be. I started watching Scandal around the same time I decided I would attend Howard, so of course I practiced my "It's handled" and imagined myself doing the Olivia Pope Strut™ in the streets of Washington D.C.