I am a Black woman and mother of a Black child. I have spent much of my life being cognizant of what it feels to like to grow up in a predominately Black city plagued by negative narratives. I recall being told much of my youth that I had to grow up and get out of Detroit in order to be something. It was deflating, but I bought into it. It wasn’t until I realized the psychological impact that sort of thinking had on me, and on so many others, particularly young people. This realization solidified my commitment to use poetry as visionary resistance to not only counter those harmful narratives, but as a method of re-spiriting generations who were struggling with a similar reality. I also wanted to serve as a conduit for other Black artists who needed a respite in order to create from a space of healing. Petty Propolis was born out of a desire to rewrite the narratives that traumatize us while visioning and cultivating a world that can recognize our full dignity and humanity.