This fall has already been a whirlwind. My job as a museum director did not work out, life remains hard as the only full time Black woman professor on my campus, and my aunt/second mother died. And yet, this season of transition has also pushed me to think about what is most important to me: my work as an educator.

I recently got the chance to collaborate with Blair Imani Ali, a fellow historian and content creator that I have been a fan of for a few years. We did a video on zombies and how it is a bastardized version of Haitian folklore and culture. And to my surprise, the video has over 1 million views and counting! In fact, I had to start a TikTok page, which if you know me, you know is a leap (why do the videos change so fast??). But I am leaning in to this new opportunity for growth and more engagement—as my sister, Daphne, told me, “give the people what they want, Courtney!”

I also recently got an article published that I worked hard on all summer; it is a piece on a Black Chicago-based artist, William Edouard Scott, whose time in Haiti changed his artistic practice and his world view. Like many of the other people I write about, Haiti was and continues to be an important touchpoint for Black Chicagoans, and vice versa. Shoutout to my dear friend and colleague, RL Watson, for helping me bring this article to life and for supporting me as I look to level up my writing skills.

And I remain booked and busy in these public history streets: I have 3-4 talks coming up before the end of the year, including a webinar about the Scott article I mentioned above. So again, while this has been a very challenging season for me, I am choosing to see it as clearing a path for me to step into my power and what is truly meant for me. I’m nervous, but I think I might be an influencer now y’all (add it to my other titles!).