100 Days of Compassion

For each day between January 20-April 30, 2025, StoryCenter featured stories about people supporting one another—whether through advocacy, resisting violence and bullying, or coming together in the spirit of community.

I saw the call to submit and immediately knew the story I wanted to share.

Toogood was birthed from a deeply personal place: a need to uncover and remember the past (even when painful), as well as to feel a sense of connection and belonging. I’ve been talking about my ideas and this project with other writers, creatives, collaborators for several years now. But my first opportunity to put this version of memory work into practice came through conversation with my cousin Becky (I often affectionately refer to her as my “sister cousin”) since we were so close growing up.

Here is how that experience unfolded. The beauty of sharing stories and memories is that it can be used to heal fractured relationships, create shared meaning, and increase understanding of our place in our families and in the world.

I hope you enjoy this story, “The Past is Alive: How Photos Heal Black Women.” It felt good to write and share. In the months since the story was written, Becky and I have embarked on a family tree project, which includes informal interviews and conversations with our grandmother, parents, second cousins and more. Exploring the past has brought us closer together and helped us make sense of our complicated family dynamics.