Theresa Okokon

Cognoscenti contributor

Theresa Okokon is a Wisconsinite living in New England. She is a writer, a storyteller, a teacher, and the cohost of "Stories from the Stage." Her writing (and bathroom selfies!) have appeared in midnight & indigo and boston.com, and her thoughts and images can be found on Instagram at @ohh.jeezzz.

Recently published

The author in a screen grab from a video she took of herself playing the flute. (Courtesy Theresa Okokon)

I thought re-learning the flute would be fun. It turned out to be much more

Theresa Okokon first learned to play the flute in 7th grade. When she picked it back up this year, she was just having fun — sending videos to family, posting...

Cognoscenti

Dec 8, 2023

Halle Bailey with young fans at the UK Premiere of Disney's "The Little Mermaid" on May 15, 2023 in London, England. (Kate Green/Getty Images for Disney)

I like you new 'Little Mermaid.' I just want more

Theresa Okokon loved "The Little Mermaid" as a child. Thirty-four years after the original, Ariel's face changed, but the story stayed the same, she writes.

Cognoscenti

06:02Jun 2, 2023

Serena Williams takes in the moment as the crowd cheers her after losing to Ajla Tomljanovic during their 3rd round match at the U.S. Open in Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, New York on September 2, 2022. (John Conrad Williams, Jr./Newsday RM via Getty Images)

Who are we when we don't do the thing we love anymore? Serena is brave enough to find out

Serena Williams wants to be more than the greatest tennis player of all time, writes Theresa Okokon. She wants to define who she is, and she wants that definition to...

Cognoscenti

Sep 7, 2022

The author at her mammogram appointment. (Courtesy Theresa Okokon)

I shouldn’t have had to wait so long for my first mammogram

Black women like me and my mom are 40% more likely to die of breast cancer, writes Theresa Okokon.

Cognoscenti

Mar 14, 2022

Simone Biles competes during the gymnastics world championships on October 8, 2019 in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Stuttgart, Germany. (Tom Weller/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Simone Biles Can Fly, But She's So Much More Than Her Wings

I am constantly reminding myself that I don't have anything to prove, writes Theresa Okokon. Neither do you. And neither does Simone.

Cognoscenti

06:13Jul 30, 2021

People march through the streets after the verdict was announced for Derek Chauvin on April 20, 2021 in Atlanta, United States. The jury found Chauvin guilty on all three charges. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)

'What It Felt Like Was Stillness': Finally, Accountability For The Murder Of George Floyd

Theresa Okokon watched every minute of the Chauvin trial. Our relief in the verdict is temporary, she writes, but I don't really want to think about that right now.

Cognoscenti

03:29Apr 21, 2021

I Can't Be With My Mom This Thanksgiving. At Least We Have Game Shows

I'll stay home alone this year, writes Theresa Okokon. But I'll pretend my mom is watching tv with me.

Cognoscenti

Nov 25, 2020

Protestors demonstrate outside of a burning Minneapolis 3rd Police Precinct, Thursday, May 28, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody Monday, broke out in Minneapolis for a third straight night. (John Minchillo/AP)

'I Do It To Survive': Being Black In America Means Adapting To Constant Risk

The most paramount adjustment I have made is knowing that there is no other choice, writes Theresa Okokon.

Cognoscenti

May 29, 2020