Feminism: It’s Not About You

Angela Davis Portrait. Photo by Thierry Ehrmann via Flickr.

I am a feminist. I have a feminist perspective. Immediately after typing these words, I also feel the need to type: “I do not hate men.” Often, when I proclaim a feminist perspective, this leads many men to roll their eyes and assert that I’m declaring my hatred of men. The words “I am a… Continue reading Feminism: It’s Not About You

Crisis of Identity

Photo by Amanda Lopes via Flickr

My first identity crisis came with my Haitian background: both of my parents are Haitian and I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. I experienced a lot of negative stereotypes and taunts—Haitian Booty Scratcher, Haitians smell, their socks don’t match—and decided to embrace my American-ness while denying my Haitian-ness. All that changed on… Continue reading Crisis of Identity

In This Together: Police Brutality Against Black and Brown People

Protesters marching in Seattle for justice for the killing of John T. Williams, 2010.

Native people are the most loving people in the world. And it makes sense—so many of us have seen this movie before. We got our own problems, right? Still, ever since the Michael Brown tragedy in Ferguson, Missouri, I’ve received hundreds of Facebook messages and emails—Native people understanding the connection between black folks’ interaction with… Continue reading In This Together: Police Brutality Against Black and Brown People

On the Cusp of Identity

Johny Pitts in Moscow

Johny Pitts is a writer, photographer, and broadcast journalist interested in issues of Afro-European identity. He won a Decibel Penguin Prize for a short story included in the The Map of Me, a Penguin books anthology about mixed-race identity. He recently collaborated with author Caryl Phillips on a photographic essay for the BBC and Arts… Continue reading On the Cusp of Identity

Mental Means of Production

Photo by DryHundredFear via Flickr

In a society where we witness the continuous, acute consolidation of power, be it economic, political, or through sheer military might, far too many souls have been locked in a circle of consumerism. Cities turn to mega-cities. Ample countrysides and vast open spaces, rich and fertile land stand waiting as if in defiance of our… Continue reading Mental Means of Production

OG: Jean Baptiste Point du Sable

Jean Baptiste du Sable, first settler of Chicago, Illinois

OG commemorates pioneering men of color throughout history. Do we really need to explain the acronym? Jean Baptiste Point du Sable (1750-1818), was a Haitian-born trader and pioneer, most famous for being the first non-Native American to settle in what would letter be named Chicago, Illinois. Du Sable established his farm and trading post near the mouth of… Continue reading OG: Jean Baptiste Point du Sable

Lemon and Ice: The Rules of Blackpeoplegatherings

As a full-time Black Person, I have attended about 12 hundred dozen Blackpeoplegatherings in my lifetime. Crab boils. Welcome Home From The Clink parties. Fish fry-style wedding receptions. You’ll probably observe many of the same elements at most of these Blackpeoplegatherings. Drank. Music (with a high probability of the Electric Slide making an appearance). Bad… Continue reading Lemon and Ice: The Rules of Blackpeoplegatherings

Brothers, Do You Love Yourselves?

The author at age 19.

Fat faggot was what they called me from eighth through twelfth grades. It had been just plain faggot before then. And sissy and sweet thang and Oreo and mutt and sometimes halfbreed and once or twice even cracker. But it was fat faggot that stayed. It stayed after I had graduated high school and lost… Continue reading Brothers, Do You Love Yourselves?

Following the Drinking Gourd

Erick Cedeño, Freedom Biker

Over the past three years, Erick Cedeño has traveled long distances by bicycle: from Vancouver to Tijuana, and from Saint Augustine to New York City. But in August of 2013, he embarked on a different kind of trip: one measured not only by miles but also by history. He rode from New Orleans to Niagara… Continue reading Following the Drinking Gourd

Making Black History: Aliko Dangote

Listed by Forbes as the richest man in Africa, Aliko Dangote is worth an estimated $21.6 billion. Rumored to have gotten his start on the strength of a loan from his uncle, the native of Nigeria is founder and CEO of the Dangote Group, one of the most diverse business conglomerates in Africa, dealing in… Continue reading Making Black History: Aliko Dangote