Dr. Durryle

✨ Cross Racial Solidarity: What does trust have to do with it? ✨

Everything. Trust is cultivated behaviorally—through consistent actions that demonstrate accountability, transparency, and a willingness to honor each other’s truths, even when they challenge our own. These behaviors create the foundation to repair harm, bridge divides, and nurture relationships rooted in mutual care and respect.

When we practicing these behaviors, we lay the groundwork for transformation and change but within us and everything around us as well.

Let’s keep learning, growing, and building together. 💡

💬 What’s one way you’ve worked to build trust in your cross racial solidarity work? Share your thoughts below!

📌 Don’t forget to like, save, and share this post if it resonated with you. And hit follow for more insights on love, justice, and learning!

In the summer of 2020, after the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, a deep fear took hold of me. It wasn’t the normal fear of navigating life as an out q***r Black man—it was something much deeper. It felt like every time I stepped outside, my very soul was exposed, raw, and vulnerable to the world.

I came to understand this as a moral injury, or what bell hooks might call a soul wound. It was a rupture that left me questioning how to survive in a world that seemed determined to break me.

That summer, I walked over 100 miles in search of answers, trying to make sense of what was happening and to put myself back together. I took up gardening to remind myself that I could nourish something and help it grow. And I began photographing my neighborhood, seeking out beauty wherever I could find it.

I ended up taking pictures of enormous trees and stunning flowers—simple reminders that beauty still exists, even in a world that so often feels hateful toward Black people and Black q***r people.

That was my entry point into my journey of self-reverence. My drinking and excessive shopping were insufficient coping mechanism when faced against state sanctioned violence against Black people. So, for me It’s not just about coping—it’s about discovering practices that aid in reconnecting with the core of who we are. It’s about practices that help us heal, see ourselves and others clearly, and restore wholeness.

What self-reverence practices do you turn to? Share your thoughts in the comments—I’d love to hear how you create space to heal and thrive.

Because of the trauma I’ve experienced around love, I found myself trapped reliving harmful social scripts:

Love felt inaccessible unless I met impossible conditions.
My worth always seemed tied to others’ approval or compliance.
And unfortunately, love was withheld as a tool to manipulate or punish me.

These experiences shaped how I saw myself and what I thought I deserved. I knew that there had to be more to love than what I was socialized to believe and to accept. So, I researched, I cried, and examined, and did the hard work of unlearning so many toxic love scripts. Healing required everything I had—therapy, faith (once I healed from religious abuse), and the support of my community.

Affirmations became an essential part of my journey. It was something I could do endlessly and as much as I needed. Speaking them reminded me of the power of words and their ability to help me rewrite the narrative I held about myself. They guided me back to my authenticity and truth, helping me reminder that love I have been looking for had always been deep within side.

So, I keep affirmations handy and invite you to do the same. Which one of these resonates with you most? Which will you commit to saying daily as part of your healing journey? Let’s grow together in love and truth. 💖

As we prepare for the challenges and opportunities ahead in our social and political landscape, cross-racial solidarity becomes more critical than ever. Rooted in emotional connection, mutual care, and collective action, it calls us to bridge divides and create spaces for healing and transformation. We cannot dispose of one another or allow the political context to divide us and use our pain as wedge issues to perpetuate harm to ourselves or others.

A Critical Theory of Love offers a powerful framework for understanding and practicing cross-racial solidarity. By interrogating the systems that shape how we relate to ourselves and each other, this theory challenges harmful dynamics of domination and control while centering love as a radical, justice-oriented practice. Through love, we can build relational alliances that honor our shared humanity, address systemic inequities, and foster the courage to show up for one another, even when it’s difficult.

What does cross-racial solidarity mean to you, and how might love guide us in this work? Let’s explore and build together.

In my final article for Nonprofit Quarterly, I present a 6-part Critical Theory of Love framework—a way to ground love in healing, anti-oppressive analysis, and transformative action.

💡 Why does this matter?
Because love isn’t just a feeling—it’s a practice, a discipline, and a radical force for justice.

For me, this framework grew out of years of asking questions like: How do we practice love in the face of injustice? How do we build relationships and systems that heal rather than harm? I’ve seen how transformative love can be—not just in movements for justice but in my own life, where love has healed wounds and opened up new possibilities.

This framework calls us to the disciplined pursuit of love—to diligently practice the six competencies I outline. These practices don’t just help us love better; they can radically transform who we are and the systems we move through.

✨ Dive into the article and explore how love, when pursued with intention and depth, can reshape our relationships and our world.

Here’s a reflective and inspirational Instagram post based on your walk and preparation for day 2 of SJTI:

🌅 Sacred Stillness at Sunrise 🌅

This morning’s walk along the beach was more than just a moment of peace; it was a time to ground myself, to connect with the sacred within me. As the sun rose, casting its golden light across the water, I was reminded of the beauty in stillness and the power of reflection.

These moments are my spiritual reset—a chance to listen deeply, to feel, and to be ministered to in ways that prepare me to walk in alignment with love and purpose.

As I prepare for day 2 of the Social Justice Training Institute, I am holding onto the words of Donald Lawrence: “Let the Lord minister to ya.” These lyrics remind me to remain open—open to healing, open to wisdom, and open to transformation.

Doing the work of justice requires showing up with integrity, congruence, and love. Today, I move forward with the intention to pour into others, as I too am being poured into by the stillness, the sunrise, and the sacred.

May we all find moments to pause, reflect, and reconnect with what grounds us. 💛



Let me know if you’d like me to make any edits or adjust the tone!

Certainly! Here’s a draft for your Instagram post about the 48th Social Justice Training Institute (SJTI):

🌟 Reflection and Growth at the 48th Social Justice Training Institute 🌟

This past week, I will have the honor of joining the 48th SJTI—a transformative space dedicated to building capacity for social justice leaders. It’s a space that goes beyond dialogue, creating deep, intentional work for equity and inclusion in our personal and professional lives.

Being a part of this community is always humbling. The lessons learned and relationships built remind me that the work of justice is not only about systems—it’s about hearts, minds, and the courage to show up authentically.

As a Next Generation Faculty Member, I’m proud to contribute to this legacy while continuing to grow alongside my peers. The energy, vulnerability, and brilliance shared during this institute inspires me to hold space for others to do the same in their own communities.

To the incredible participants of SJTI 48: Thank you for your courage, your honesty, and your commitment to building a world where love and justice prevail.

✨ The work is hard, but we are stronger together. ✨



Does this align with the message and tone you’d like to convey?

🖤 Love is more than a feeling—it’s a radical force for transformation.

Too often, love is reduced to something private, passive, or individual. But what if we expanded our understanding? What if we saw love as a collective act, a commitment to justice, and a tool to dismantle oppression?

In my latest article, I explore how love’s transformative power is often limited by narrow, transactional views. When love is conditional or confined to convenience, it loses its ability to truly heal and unite us.

But love has the potential to go deeper—to center humanity, confront harm, and rebuild our connections in ways that foster equity and belonging.

This is the kind of love I believe in—a love that does justice.

🌍 Read the full article through the link in my bio or on the NPQ website. Let’s create a world where love is bold, courageous, and collective.

✨ I’m so excited to be presenting at Facing Race 2024 in St. Louis! My session, “Operationalizing Love,” is all about reclaiming the transformative power of love in our social justice and movement building work.

We all become stronger when we recognize love as a radical force for justice. When we center love, we can build stronger, more compassionate, and more sustainable movements that bring about true, lasting change. 💙

Join me in exploring how love can guide us toward collective liberation. Let’s build movements rooted in love and justice.

Thank you, Skidmore! I had such a wonderful visit😍😍😍

Excited to be leading my session “Operationalizing Love” as part of Skidmore College’s In It social justice series! 💕💕💕

It’s such an honor to be invited, especially knowing that someone from Skidmore experienced this session at NCORE and found it transformative. I don’t take this work lightly—creating spaces for deep reflection and critical examination is sacred work. I’m ready to explore how we can operationalize love in ways that resist oppression and foster healing. Grateful for the opportunity to share this journey with the Skidmore community!

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