Back to my roots: Writing, spinal surgeries, and understanding my lane

Today marks Day 1 of what I hope will be daily updates from me that will a mix of personal reflections, political analysis, investigative reporting, activism, faith, and everything in between.

Hello my friends,

First off — yes — I couldn’t figure out how to make that picture of me a normal size. 😅

I wrestled with it for longer than I care to admit. But eventually I said:
Let me stop fussing with pixels… and just say what I came here to say.

I’ll figure out how to resize things another day — like the old man I clearly am.

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I am home.

Three months ago, I had a pretty brutal spinal surgery.
Surgeons removed two discs from my cervical spine (my neck) and replaced them with metal cages.

And… it appears that surgery has failed.

I’m now likely on pace for a much more intense and invasive surgery in the coming weeks or months.

Alhamdulillah, I accept it.
I’m disappointed, yes. I’m in pain. And I don’t look forward to what’s ahead.
But one thing it means is this:

I will be home.
And I will be writing.
A lot.

Starting right now, I’m going to write here daily.

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Here’s what I’m going to give you:

📖 My personal journey — more than I ever have before
🤲🏽 Causes, families, and campaigns I believe in and want you to support
📢 My thoughts on civil rights, human rights, genocide, apartheid, Gaza, prisons, police, drones, bombs, war, peace, and more
⚖️ My complete disdain for both the Democratic and Republican parties
🕌 The beauty of Islam — in ways I hope even non-Muslims will find meaningful
🌍 My raw take on American and global politics and their deeply rooted corruption
💸 A full naming of the corporations backing genocide and oppression
🧱 And yes — I will confront Zionism directly.

Some days I’ll write a lot.
Other days I’ll just give you links.
Or a video. Or a podcast.
Or a list of bullet points to help you understand something big.

But I promise you this:
I will always tell you the truth.
I will always tell you how I really feel.

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Nobody is unbiased.
That’s not just a myth — it’s a fabrication.

Everybody is biased.
The honest thing to do is admit it. And move forward with integrity. I’ll always tell you exactly how I feel about an issue or person and even how I am feeling personally as I write.

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I’ve been in pain nearly every day for the past 30 years.
So this isn’t new for me. But this time, the pain is… different.
Worse. More limiting.

I’m still productive — but I simply can’t travel like I used to.

And on the days when the pain is overwhelming, I’m just going to tell you.
I’m not going to pretend. Not here.

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Some of you know me fairly well.
You know my heart.
My family.
My work.

But a lot of you?
You only know one small slice of who I am.

Let me tell you more:

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I’m a Muslim.
Every morning, when I wake up — through the pain — I pray.
I don’t see myself as a celebrity, a leader, or an activist.
I see myself as a servant of Allah, as a husband, a father, and a man responsible for a household of 13 people (that’s a whole story I need to tell you about).

Before I’m anything else — I’m just a man, with real challenges.

And chances are, whatever you’re facing…
I’ve either already faced it, am facing it now, or will face it soon.

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If you’ve known me long enough, you might remember:

For decades, I was known as someone who brought people together.
I was a bridge-builder — between cultures, races, religions, neighborhoods, and nations.

I was that way as a kid.
I was that way in college — one of the most visible student activists in the world.
I was that way as a teacher in Atlanta’s jails and prisons.
And I was absolutely known that way as a Christian pastor.

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For most of my life, I’ve played a role I now call a cultural translator.

I’ve tried to explain to one community how another thinks or feels — and why.

I was raised poor by a single mother at a time when that was rare.
She worked in brutal heat, making light bulbs for 40+ years.
Because of that, I will always have a heart for workers, and for those living paycheck to paycheck.

I’ve lived that life. I haven’t forgotten.

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I spent nearly a generation as a bridge between Black and white Americans.

I was raised mixed (Black and white) by a Southern white woman in rural America in the 1980s.
I didn’t even understand race until racism itself crashed into my life so violently that it changed my future forever.

That may never be my role again.
But even now, I live at the intersection of dozens of different worlds —
And I want to do my best to help make sense of what I’m seeing, and what I’m feeling, for you.

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If you’re here with me, reading this?

I’m honored to have you.
Truly.
You being here matters to me.

Let’s go on this journey together — with honesty, clarity, courage, and truth.

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With love and appreciation,
Your friend and brother,

Shaun

PS: If you are not following me on the following platforms, I am about to seriously ramp up activity on all of them. I’d love to have you there.

• Telegram - This is my most uncensored self.

• TikTok - I am about to launch several new series there. 278,000 strong and growing.

• YouTube - We just crossed 1 million subscribers and I am about to launch several new projects there.

• LinkedIn - Where I connect with you professionally but still fight for justice. We are about 75,000 strong over here.

• Facebook - I’ve been here for 20 years and am still going. 2.5 million strong and counting.