Anslem Samuel Rocque

LEVEL Man • 11th October 2023

Eight Gay Black Men Share Their Coming Out Journeys

While today’s generation is more accepting of the fluidity of how a person’s sexuality and gender identity can be defined, that doesn’t mean coming to terms with feeling “different” than your peers is any less stressful.

LEVEL Man • 4th August 2023

The Most Frustrating Aspects of Dating Men, According to Seven Black Women

Whether platonic or romantic, all (key word) healthy relationships have a common thread: The person(s) you’ve chosen to be a part of your life brings you some sort of joy. He or she serves a purpose and plays an active role in contributing to your happiness. Maybe not in everything, everywhere and all at once but for the most part that’s what makes them special. Otherwise, what’s the point?

LEVEL Man • 6th July 2023

7 Black Men on How Divorce Changed Them—For Better or Worse

To get insight on how “I do” evolves into “I’m done,” LEVEL reached out to several brothers for their honest perspective on what it was like going through a divorce or separation. Here’s what they had to say about how the better got worse.

LEVEL Man • 1st June 2023

The Science of Splitting Bills With a Partner, According to Eight Black Men

Should a "real man" pay for every single thing in a relationship while his partner spends only on herself?

LEVEL Man • 8th May 2023

How I Knew I Found My Life Partner, According to Seven Men

Dating typically falls into two distinct buckets: Dating for fun or dating with a purpose. We’re all familiar with the go-with-the-flow phase, but when playing the field (and biological clocks) gets old, people start to focus on building towards something a little more real.

LEVEL Man • 9th February 2023

My Estranged Father Just Died and My Feelings Are Complicated

How do you grieve someone you hardly knew?

31st January 2018

Why I Chose to Donate a Kidney

For those who don’t know, about six months ago I began the process of being considered as a living kidney donor for my friend Kevin. To be honest, I’m not sure how to feel.

25th December 2017

41x41 Life Lessons

An annual reflection on lessons learned as I count down to my 41st birthday.

Complex • 18th August 2017

A Message From Complex: We Stand Against Hate & Violence

The violence and tragic loss of life that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia last weekend is simply further proof of that we need change.

11th January 2017

Remembering My Grandfather 30 Years Later

Outside of my mother, my Grandfather is the single most influential person in my life. So for all intents and purposes, my Grandfather was the father my father couldn't be.

Complex • 25th November 2016

Before #BLM: Sean Bell's Widow Reflects On His Police Shooting 10 Years Later

In a perfect world, the general public wouldn’t even know Sean Bell’s name. He was supposed to be just another hardworking family man from Queens, NY, who enjoyed spending Sundays with his daughters, Jada and Jordyn. He was supposed to grow old with his high school sweetheart, Nicole, and reminisce with friends about his 11-0 pitching record during his senior year. Instead, Bell became one of the most notable police shooting victims of the mid-2000s.

Complex • 10th November 2016

Raising A Black Girl In Trump's America

Public Enemy’s seminal release, Fear of a Black Planet, may have come out over 26 years ago, but the sociopolitical conditions that inspired the album’s title are still evident today. Nothing made that more clear than the tumultuous 18 months that led up to the 2016 presidential election, which concluded Tuesday with Donald Trump declared America’s next commander-in-chief.

espnW • 18th August 2016

How I learned to stop resenting —and start accepting—my liver-transplant scar

By Mitzi Miller, as told to Anslem Samuel Rocque "Just over 18 years ago, I had to have a liver transplant. I was only 22 at the time, but had been diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis, which caused my body to malfunction and attack my own liver because it recognized it as a foreign object. As a result, the doctor said I had the liver of an 80-year-old male alcoholic, and if I didn't get a transplant right away, I wasn't going to make it."

The Root • 4th August 2016

8 Olympic Athletes Embrace Their Black Girl Magic in Rio

This summer we will all witness this magic on an international stage as female athletes from around the globe compete during the Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro. Of course, there will be amazing performances from male competitors as well, but Black Girl Magic is all about the ladies. Here, eight female Olympians share what the term means to them and how they plan to exemplify that in Rio.

Essence.com • 28th July 2016

Confessions of a Black Man Who Never Lusted After Becky (or Her Good Hair)

There's a common belief by many in our community that successful Black men are drawn and commit to women outside of their race more than Black women. Sure, there are quite a few celebrities involved in interracial relationships/marriages, but the real world is much bigger than Hollywood, professional sports and entertainment.

The Root • 24th July 2016

Relationship Hall Passes Are Dumb, Like Jordan-Playing-Baseball Kinda Dumb

In theory, the concept of a relationship hall pass sounds like a novel idea. Getting actual permission from your partner to employ the services of a side chick or side dude for a set amount of time without any repercussions? It’s not my cup of tea, but if two consenting adults agree on this swingers’ arrangement, then by all means do you. Just leave me out of it.

VSB - Very Smart Brothas • 24th June 2016

Why I Laughed At My Best Friend For Crying At His Wedding (And Then Cried At My Own)

#RelationshipGoals mentions were at an all-time high last week due to this viral video of a crying groom that gave everyone all the feels. If somehow you were actually living life and missed it, here’s a quick rundown: Gabriel Deku burst into tears at the mere sight of his bride-to-be Annabelle walking down the aisle. The sob fest got so intense that Gabriel’s best man (aka the real MVP) had to G-check the big homie and make him stand up straight and look at his wife like she’s the captain now.

The Root • 23rd June 2016

A Short List of the Smartest Things Donald Trump Has Ever Said

Donald Trump is an idiot. I mean, he has to be, right? The amount of vitriol that has spewed out of this man’s sorry excuse for lips over the course of his run for the White House is the thing of legend. Trump has offended Mexicans, “the Blacks,” Muslims, women, our intelligence and entire countries, just to name a few.

Essence.com • 20th June 2016

An Expectant Dad's Heartfelt Letter to the Child He Once Aborted

I’m utterly excited about the prospect of fatherhood. But several years ago I couldn’t say the same. Long before my wife and the fast-approaching due date of our first child, I found myself receiving a call I never wanted to answer. Faced with a decision I never wanted to make. A woman I wasn’t in love with was telling me she was pregnant.

Essence.com • 6th May 2016

Ode to My Pregnant Wife: How Motherhood Has Made Me Love You More

Fatherhood was always something I looked at with tinted glasses. It was this blurry thing that I could possibly see in my future but based on not having a constant male figure in my life growing up, it was something I wasn’t sure I’d ever be equipped to be successful at. While my daddy issues caused me to overthink my own father potential, one part of the equation I rarely gave much thought to was the mother of my unborn child.