Coming Home

by Brittney Griner

For Putin, my worth was as a pawn. My arrest gave him leverage in his clash with

the West. He was well aware of America’s long history of racial tensions, and he knew how to use that to his benefit.

When you’re Black, your behavior

never just about you. It’s about your entire community.

My baby crawled into our closet, got down on her knees, and asked God to intervene.

Putin might’ve made me his pawn, but he’d met his match with a prayer warrior.

Finally, my chest will come in. Finally, my voice won’t be so deep. Finally, I’ll be normal. Finally never came.

When you’re born in

a body like mine, a part of you dies every day, with every mean comment and lingering stare. You’re the biggest person in the

room, but you’re also the...

Psalms 56:3–4: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose

word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”

You can withstand just about any shame so long as your tribe stands with you.

My kneeling was a sign of just how much I love our country. My ancestors helped

build this nation. My father spent his career defending it. I take pride in being American, especially after being imprisoned in a

country where public dissent can get you killed. Here, freedom of speech is our right. Exercising t...

American, not less. Sit. Stand. Kneel. Protest. The beauty of our homeland is...

But it eases my anxiety to remind myself that the Father created time. He’s got this. He’s got me.

What I have is a hope that we can be gentler with one another, that we

can imagine how it feels not to fit.

That’s what unnecessary friction does: replaces the pleasure that

might have been. Instead of sharing a laugh, you’re rolling your eyes and stoking tension. I recalled when we recently

bought furniture for our new place. Totally different experience. I gave no opinion on the throw pi...

couches, the height of the lamps. Relle was in her bliss choosing what she wanted, and I was in my...

These days I settle disagreements quickly. I served a lot less time than I feared I would. I plan ...

Home is love. Home is rest. Home is stability. Home is freedom and connection, the opposite of whoosh, a big exhale after 293 days locked up.