The Architect of the Fire

You watch me from the distance of your comfort,

Measuring my life by the inches you’ve gained,

You see a storm brewing in my steady eyes,

And call it a tragedy, a spirit that’s stained.

"I feel sorry for her," the words fall like lead,

As if you’re the judge of who wins and who loses,

But you only see the scars that I wear on the outside,

You don’t see the strength that the inner heart chooses.

​You say I won’t survive the weight of the anger,

As if this fire wasn't built for a reason,

As if the world hasn't been cold and demanding,

Changing its face with every new season.

What you call anger, I call my foundation,

The bricks and the mortar that keep me upright,

It’s the heat in the engine that drives me to glory,

The spark that keeps burning in the dead of the night.

​"No one can help him," you sigh to the shadows,

Folding your hands in a hollow despair,

But I never asked for a hand or a handout,

I never asked for your performative prayer.

Help is a word for the people who’ve given up,

For those who believe that the ceiling is real,

But I’ve been dismantling the sky since my childhood,

Showing the world what a spirit of steel can feel.

​You see a dwarf and you think of a fable,

A character written for someone’s amusement,

But I am the author, the king, and the table,

I am the motion and I am the movement.

Whether I’m five or I’m fifty-five years,

The anger you fear is the blood in my veins,

It’s the refusal to bow to your narrow-minded tears,

It’s the power that’s snapping your pitying chains.

​So keep your compassion, it’s far too expensive,

It costs me my pride and it costs me my name,

I’d rather be "angry" and truly intensive,

Than "pitied" and "quiet" and "gentle" and "tame."

I will survive because the fire is mine,

I will survive because I don’t need your light,

I am the sun and the moon and the design,

Waking up every morning to win every fight.

​Look at me clearly or don't look at all,

I’m not a lesson for you to be learning,

I’m not a warning of how people fall,

I am the furnace that keeps the world turning.

So keep your "sorry," and keep your "sad,"

I’ve got a life that is vibrant and loud,

I’m taking the fire that you think is so bad,

And using the smoke to build my own cloud.

The Mirror You Broke

You watch from the height of your privilege,

And find it easy to predict a fall.

You see a woman who stands her ground,

And mistake her fire for a wall.

"I feel sorry for her," you whisper to the air,

As if your pity were a healing grace.

But your sorrow is a cage I’ll never wear,

A mask you try to fit upon my face.

You see "anger" in a heartbeat that’s loud,

You see "danger" in a spirit that won't bow.

But this heat is the only way to melt the crowd,

The only way to survive the here and now.

Don't mourn a life that hasn't reached its end,

Or claim that "no one is able to help."

I am not a broken thing you need to mend,

I am the master of the hand I’ve been dealt.

You look at my stature and miss my soul,

Thinking my story is a tragedy told in small parts,

But I am the ocean, I am the whole,

I am the rhythm in a million hearts.

Your "sympathy" feels like a heavy chain,

A way to keep me beneath your feet,

But I’ve learned to find the harvest in the rain,

And find the victory in the cold and the heat.

What you call "bitter," I call my armor,

Forged in a world that wasn't built for my frame.

I am the seed and I am the farmer,

I am the one who remembers my name.

You think I’m drowning in a pool of my rage,

But I’m just swimming to a shore you can’t see.

I’m tearing the bars right out of the cage,

That you built out of "mercy" to try and hold me.

You talk of my future like it’s already gone,

Like the sun won’t rise on a woman like me.

But I am the break of the golden dawn,

I am the wind on a restless sea.

I don't need a savior with a downward glance,

Or a hand that reaches out just to pat my head.

I’m lead singer here, I’ve taken the dance,

I’m feasting on life while you offer me bread.

The anger you fear is my holy light,

It’s the "no" I say to a world that says "stay."

It’s the power I use to reclaim the night,

And the courage I use to demand my day.

I am black, I am woman, I am built for the climb,

My height is a mountain you’ll never scale.

I’m taking my space and I’m taking my time,

I’m the hurricane wind in a tiny sail.

So keep your sighs and your worried brow,

Keep the "sadness" you save for the "weak."

I’m more alive than you’ll ever allow,

With a fire in my eyes and a truth when I speak.

You see a victim, I see a queen,

You see a struggle, I see a win.

I am the greatest thing you’ve never seen,

The gold that remains when the fire gets thin.

Keep your mercy. Keep your hollow sighs.

I am surviving, even as you close your eyes.

I am thriving, under your judging skies,

Watching my own spirit continue to rise.

The Ghost in the Ink: Why 3/5 is a Debt That Can’t Be Settled By Roseanne Milton

The Ledger of Human Flesh

They tell us to "respect the foundation." They tell us the Constitution is the greatest document ever written by the hands of men, a divine blueprint for liberty. But when I open those pages, I don’t see a sanctuary. I don’t see a "shining city on a hill." I see a ledger. And in that ledger, under Article I, Section 2, my ancestors weren't people. They were a decimal point.

Three-fifths.

Let that number sit on your tongue until it tastes like copper. The "Founding Fathers"—men like Madison and Jefferson, who wrote poetic lines about "unalienable rights"—sat in a room in Philadelphia, probably sipping tea and wiping sweat from their brows, and debated whether my blood was worth 100% or 0%. They didn't argue over our souls, our intellect, or our capacity to feel pain. They argued over our utility.

They landed on 60%. Not because they thought we were 60% human, but because it was a cold, calculated move for political leverage. Southern states wanted enslaved people to count toward their population so they could have more seats in Congress and more power to protect the very institution of slavery. Northern states didn't want the South to have that much power. The "Compromise" wasn't about humanity at all; it was a business deal using Black bodies as currency to balance a political scale. We were just numbers used to fill seats in a Congress that was designed to never hear our voices.

The Paper Doesn’t Forget

The "Three-Fifths Compromise" is the ultimate gaslight in American history. People love to point to the 14th Amendment and say, "But Roseanne, they fixed it! The math is gone! Why are you still stuck in 1787?"

I’m stuck there because the ink is still there.

If you walk into the National Archives today and look at that parchment, those words haven't been scratched out with a heavy pen. They haven't been erased or redacted. In the legal world, they call it "superseded," but in the real world, it’s a permanent scar. You can’t just put a "patch" on a foundation that was poured with cracks in it and expect the house not to lean. The Constitution is treated like a holy relic, yet its "original intent" included the literal devaluation of my existence.

Every time a politician talks about "Originalism"—the idea that we must interpret the law exactly as the founders intended—my skin crawls. Because if we go back to the "original intent" of those men, I am a fraction. If we go back to the "original" vision, my right to breathe, to vote, and to own my own body is a statistical error they had to "compromise" on.

The Modern Fraction

When I see the way the world moves today, I see that the "Three-Fifths" ghost hasn't left the room. It just changed its clothes.

We see it in Gerrymandering, where Black communities are carved up and diluted so our votes count for less. That’s the 3/5 math.

We see it in the Justice System, where a Black life is often given a fraction of the value of a white life in a courtroom. That’s the 3/5 math.

We see it in Medical Bias, where Black pain is ignored or underestimated by doctors. That’s the 3/5 math.

They might count us as "whole persons" on a census form now, but the systems built on that original document still act like the math is in effect. They want our culture, they want our labor, and they want our "representation" when it benefits their district power, but they don't want the "whole person" that comes with it. They don't want the Roseanne Milton who speaks up. They want the version that stays in the parentheses.

Reclaiming the Whole

I am a Black woman. I am 100% of a soul, 100% of a citizen, and 100% finished with being told that a "compromise" on my humanity was just "the way things were."

The people who wrote that document weren't "men of their time." They were men who knew better but chose power over personhood. They looked at a mother being torn from her child and saw three-fifths of a person. They looked at a man working until his back broke and saw three-fifths of a person.

We aren't just an amendment. We aren't a "fix" to a broken line of code. We are the pulse of this country, the very people who forced it to actually live up to the "liberty" it bragged about. The Constitution didn't grant me my humanity—my humanity was always mine. The Constitution is just finally starting to catch up to the truth.

So, don't tell me to "get over it." Don't tell me it’s "just history." History is the ground we are standing on. And as long as those words remain in the ink of our founding laws, I will be here, 100% loud and 100% whole, reminding you that we were never a fraction. We were always the whole damn equation.

🛑 Stop Wage Garnishment: The Complete Guide to Taking Back Control of Your Student Loans

Wage garnishment is a stressful, impactful experience, but it doesn't have to be permanent. If your student loans have gone into default and your paycheck is being hit, here are the most effective ways to stop the garnishment and get back on track.

​Part 1: Federal Student Loan Garnishment (Administrative)

​Federal loans (like Direct Loans, FFEL, Perkins) can be garnished through an administrative process without a court order. The government can take up to 15% of your disposable pay.

​1. Rehabilitation (Your Best Permanent Solution)

​This is the most common and effective way to permanently stop federal garnishment.

• ​How it Works: You agree to make nine voluntary, reasonable, and affordable monthly payments within a 10-month period. Your payment amount is based on your income and expenses.
• ​The Result: After successful completion, the default status is removed, the wage garnishment is permanently stopped, and the negative record is removed from your credit history.

​2. Loan Consolidation (A Quick Stop)

​You can consolidate your defaulted federal loans into a new Direct Consolidation Loan.

• ​The Condition: You usually must either make three on-time, consecutive monthly payments on the defaulted loan or agree to immediately enroll in an Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plan with the new consolidated loan.
• ​The Result: Consolidation immediately pays off the old, defaulted loan, effectively stopping the garnishment right away.

​3. Request a Hearing to Dispute or Reduce

​You have the right to challenge the garnishment after receiving your 30-day notice.

• ​Dispute the Debt: Request a hearing if you believe the debt is incorrect (e.g., already paid, not your loan).
• ​Claim Financial Hardship: If you prove garnishment would prevent you from meeting basic living expenses (like rent and utilities), the amount may be reduced or paused temporarily.

​Part 2: Private Student Loan Garnishment (Requires a Lawsuit)

​Private lenders do not have the federal government's administrative power. They must first sue you and win a court judgment before they can legally begin garnishing your wages.

​1. Negotiate Repayment Before Judgment

​Since the lender must go to court, you have leverage before they get a judgment.

• ​Your Strategy: Contact the lender or collector to negotiate a forbearance, settlement, or an extended repayment plan. Getting an agreement in writing can prevent them from filing a lawsuit that leads to garnishment.
• ​The Key: Act quickly upon receiving a final notice or notice of acceleration.

​2. Contest the Lawsuit/Judgment

​If you are served with a lawsuit, do not ignore it! This is your primary opportunity to stop the garnishment.

• ​Your Strategy: File an answer with the court. You may have defenses such as the debt being past the Statute of Limitations for collection in your state, or issues with the loan paperwork.
• ​The Result: If the lender cannot win the judgment, they cannot garnish your wages. Note: The maximum garnishment amount is typically higher for private loans (up to 25% of disposable income).

​3. File an Objection After Judgment

​Once a judgment is entered and garnishment begins, you can still file an objection with the court.

• ​Your Strategy: You can argue that the amount being garnished exceeds legal limits or that the garnishment causes an extreme financial hardship under your state's laws.
• ​The Result: A judge may order the garnishment amount to be reduced or paused based on the evidence presented.

​Final Step for Both Loan Types

​Make sure your current address is on file with your loan servicer (Federal) or the relevant court (Private) so you receive all important notices. Never ignore a garnishment letter or a court summons!

🤬 The Iron Will: Built on Bullshit and Stolen Lives

By Roseanne Milton | January 7, 2026

When we talk about the American Revolution, we are often fed a sanitized, glorious narrative. But the truth, the one that runs through my veins, is brutal and ugly.

My ancestors—19 of them—were enslaved at the Catoctin Iron Furnace in Maryland. And let me be clear: the entire foundation of their forced labor, the system that stole them from their home country and chained them to a furnace, was bullshit. It was pure, violent theft of human life.

The Paradox of Patriotism

This furnace, powered by the sweat, skill, and suffering of my family, was a critical armaments manufacturer for the Continental Army. They weren't fighting for "freedom" for my people; they were producing the very tools needed for white colonists to gain their own.

Cannonballs: My ancestors made the ammunition—the cannonballs—that helped secure the decisive victory at Yorktown in 1781.

Pig Iron & Shells: Their specialized knowledge was used to fulfill contracts with the Colonial Council of Safety and the U.S. Board of War.

Everything: From mining the ore to burning the charcoal to casting the metal, every piece of iron that supported the rebellion was the product of stolen genius and stolen time.

They literally forged the tools of American liberty while living under the heel of American bondage. There is no greater hypocrisy in our nation's founding story.