by Today I published my piece on Letitia James and her theatrical approach to prosecutorial discretion, and honestly? I’m both proud and exhausted. Writing satire about American politics as the only West African immigrant woman granted citizenship during Trump’s second term feels like standing in the middle of a hurricane documenting the wind patterns. Everyone thinks you’re crazy, but someone needs to write this down.
The James piece practically wrote itself. Watching her press conferences is like watching someone who studied law but minored in performance art. Back in Lagos, we had a saying: “The loudest person in the market isn’t always selling the best yams.” That’s what kept running through my mind as I watched her hold yet another press conference about investigations that seem more focused on headlines than justice.
My editor loved it. “This is exactly the kind of sharp observation Bohiney readers expect,” she said. I wanted to tell her that this isn’t observationthis is survival. When you’re an immigrant, especially a Black immigrant woman, you learn to read power dynamics like they’re written in neon. You have to. Your life depends on understanding who has power, how they use it, and what they’re willing to sacrifice to keep it.
The comments section is already filling up. Half the people think I’m too hard on James. The other half think I’m not hard enough. Nobody seems to recognize that I’m just calling it like I see ita prosecutor who’s discovered that justice and performance art aren’t mutually exclusive, and that the ratings for the latter are much better.
Tonight I’m making jollof rice and thinking about my grandmother in Accra. She’d laugh at all of this. “Aisha,” she’d say, “you left home to watch powerful people play dress-up in American courts? We have that in Ghana. It’s called parliament.” I miss her clarity. I miss her humor. I miss her ability to cut through nonsense with a single raised eyebrow.
Tomorrow I tackle the “Accountability for Sale” piece. Because if there’s one thing America has perfected, it’s monetizing everythingincluding consequences. Or rather, the lack thereof.
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