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Black Death, Camera Lenses, and Race Beyond McKinney, Texas
I saw a post on Instagram yesterday which evoked a visceral response from me. The image, by artist Kiakilli (@3rdPharoah), shows an outstretched Black hand, reaching for life out of troubled waters...
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Why I Really Want to Stop Talking About Rachel Dolezal
This post was originally titled “Rachel Dolezal and the Audacity of Whiteness.” I was completely prepared to rage against the machine and rehash what everyone else has said about this ordeal. But,...
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Why it Matters That Hillary Clinton Said “All Lives Matter” In a Black Church...
On Tuesday, Democratic presidential hopeful, Hillary Rodham Clinton, gave a speech on race in the United States at a Black church in Florissant, Missouri. The church is just a short drive from...
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#SayHerName: Two Male Suspects Arrested for the Murder of Arnesha Bowers
Arnesha Bowers was a 16-year-old eleventh grader at City College in Baltimore, Maryland. Her brutal murder happened just recently but hasn’t been as prominent as it should be in news media. The good...
View ArticleWhat if We Loved Black Women Like We Love Black Male Rapists?
When I was seventeen, I was groomed and preyed upon by a high school basketball coach. He told me to stop wearing panties if I wanted to get a ‘real man.’ He invited me to drink, smoke weed, and hang...
View Article“All Lives Matter” but the KKK is Marching in 2015
I wonder if the words “All Lives Matter” get caught it people’s throats when they realize that the Klan is still marching in 2015. Yes. In 2015. The Klan is still marching. I mean, I wonder about that...
View ArticleWhere Does the Black Woman’s Body Belong?
Few things personify white privilege more than the erasure of Black women’s bodies from the public sphere. Evidence of this fact can be found in the reactions to Serena Williams’ recent Wimbledon title...
View ArticleTo be a Black, Queer, Unrespectable Christian in an Era of Unrest
I got a “Monroe” piercing yesterday. I got it for my 31st birthday. Several times – after geeking out about how cute it is – I reflected on the words of my very staunch Christian Pastor and maternal...
View ArticleWe’re Done Being Polite: A Reflection on the Mizzou Protests
Social movements over the years have taught us that politeness and respectabiility rarely result in lasting social change. When 15-year-old Claudette Colvin first resisted public bus segregation in...
View ArticleThe False Virtue of a Vagina ‘Certificate of Purity’
First, yes. The title of this article has the word “vagina” in it. I’m going to say it a lot because that’s what this post is about. I’m also going to talk about sex and penises and more sex and stuff....
View ArticleOn Black Motherhood and Constantly Mourning Our Sons and Daughters
There is something about life that changes when a person becomes a parent. Specifically, for the person who carries a child and brings them into this world, the resulting event is far greater than just...
View ArticleWhy Aren’t the ‘All Lives Matter’ People Outraged About Ethan Couch?
In December 2013, news broke that a young, well-to-do 16-year-old White male named Ethan Couch had been sentenced to probation after mowing down four people in a drunken stupor, killing them all and...
View ArticleWe’re Done Being Polite: A Reflection on the Mizzou Protests
Social movements over the years have taught us that politeness and respectabiility rarely result in lasting social change. When 15-year-old Claudette Colvin first resisted public bus segregation in...
View ArticleLet’s stop bothering Meagan Good about her clothes
Folks have been concerned about Meagan Good’s clothing choices for what feels like forever. A few years ago, she was in the news for wearing a revealing dress (that she looked absolutely stunning in)...
View Article‘Zootopia’: Disney’s Feeble Attempt At Discussing Racism Without Discussing...
Disney’s new film Zootopia has been universally praised by critics and watchers alike. Some have even called it an “instant classic.” The film features a slew of characters dealing with structural...
View ArticleWho’s making the ‘Lemonade’? On bell hooks’ and Beyoncé’s Feminisms
I wasn’t going to get into the bell hooks versus Beyoncé fray over Lemonade and its myriad implications. I resisted the echo chamber hoping the frenzy would die down sooner rather than later. I told...
View ArticleTrump, Clinton, and A Tale Of Two Racisms
Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee for President, is working tirelessly to distance herself from her (former) friend, Republican nominee Donald Trump. Her method in doing so suggests...
View ArticleBlack and Proud in Public: How Black Girls and Women Are Shamed For Being Dope
From proms to graduations, this time of the year is meant to be a celebratory period for high school and college students everywhere. But, when the valedictorian of Central High School in Tuscaloosa,...
View ArticleCutting our hair won’t guarantee our “success” but ending white supremacy will
Changing our hair has never been enough to protect Black people from anything in this country. The mere notion is unfounded and problematic. But that hasn’t kept some especially respectable Negros from...
View ArticleBlack Girl Magic and the 2016 Olympics: The Water and Oil of Black Athleticism
Over the past two weeks, I have watched Black girl after Black girl medal in the 2016 Summer Olympics. Simone Biles has dominated gymnastics. Simone Manuel did the same in swimming. Michelle Carter won...
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