Whiting in her book And What Would You Say if You Could? leads us on a journey of history, grief, beauty, and what it means to come of age as a Black woman in this country. "The world and its past and present happenings are not always things of beauty," writes Whiting. "Racism. Sexism. Colorism. Slavery. Violence. Death. Yet, these often-unspeakable things are importantly spoken in the most beautiful but damning words."