Why is writing important to you? Writing has been my gateway to the world. I’ve met a lot of interesting people and had my entire worldview turned upside down after covering stories about ideas and things I wouldn’t have been exposed to before. I write to learn and to express… and hopefully to change a… Continue reading Contributor Spotlight: AJ Springer
Author: AJ Springer
AJ Springer is a writer, communications pro, nerd and nomad. Stomping competition is his hobby and job. You can find him on the Internets discussing current events, combat sports, pop culture and the finer points of pro wrestling. When not doing that, he can be found searching for a new home for his written words.
Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and #BlackLivesMatter: Why “Stop Killing Us” is Both Revolutionary and Insufficient
This was supposed to be about #AltonSterling. That would’ve been easy. After years, or decades, if we start the timeline at the Civil Rights Movement, of police misconduct towards Black people, Sterling was the latest hashtag. The Baton Rogue, Louisiana father of five was fatally shot outside of a convenience store where he was selling… Continue reading Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and #BlackLivesMatter: Why “Stop Killing Us” is Both Revolutionary and Insufficient
No Safe Spaces: When Violence Against Women is Fantasy and Reality
A ctress Rose McGowan made headlines recently while calling out a billboard for Fox’s X-Men: Apocalypse movie and its connection to violence against women. While comic books, and by extension the movies that spawn from the books, are not bastions of world peace or shining beacons of how we should treat each other, McGowan’s beef… Continue reading No Safe Spaces: When Violence Against Women is Fantasy and Reality
Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” Wasn’t For Me… And That’s Okay
Like most of Black Twitter, I was glued to my television set on Saturday for the world premiere of Beyoncé’s Lemonade. I wasn’t sure what it was going to be. I was sure that I needed to be somewhere where it was going to be. My partner made sure of that. As a fan of… Continue reading Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” Wasn’t For Me… And That’s Okay
I Don’t Blame You For Not Wanting To Vote… But You Should Vote Anyway
Let’s be perfectly honest and keep it 100: The 2016 election cycle is a shit show. It’d be a shit show if it existed in a vacuum. It’s an even bigger debacle on the heels of our nation’s first black president who ran a near flawless campaign in 2008 and made lightning strike twice in… Continue reading I Don’t Blame You For Not Wanting To Vote… But You Should Vote Anyway
For Us, By Us On The Low: A Movement For Black Media
As a longtime fan of the Melissa Harris-Perry Show, it didn’t take long to see the show—one of the only spaces on cable news that highlighted issues of concern for progressives and communities of color—was in trouble. First, the branding was stripped away, replaced with the generic MSNBC logo. The content changed, with Sundays seemingly… Continue reading For Us, By Us On The Low: A Movement For Black Media
The Detox: A Word (For Men) On Loving Before Losing
For better or worse. In sickness and in health. For richer or for poorer. When we talk about love, we often acknowledge the rocky roads and rollercoaster rides necessary to make things work. We’re in love with love, whether it’s the forever relationship or “for as long as we can have it.” And in love… Continue reading The Detox: A Word (For Men) On Loving Before Losing
You Can’t Celebrate Black History While Destroying Black Futures
Black History Month is the lone time of year when blackness becomes safe to celebrate by those who love black people and those who loathe us. Love is the easy part. I love my people. February is the month where that love kicks into overdrive. It’s the 28 or 29 days out of the year… Continue reading You Can’t Celebrate Black History While Destroying Black Futures