During childhood my favorite television shows were cartoons, The Cosby Show, and the black-and-white classic series I Love Lucy, Leave it to Beaver, and The Three Stooges, which I watched with my dad. One summer he introduced me to a series called Amos ‘n’ Andy. Unlike the other “classic” shows, Amos ‘n’ Andy reruns did… Continue reading Reflections on Black Image in Amos ‘n’ Andy
Category: Identity
Dreams Deferred: Fostering Healing in Black Men and Boys
Let’s take a peek at the Black male over time: [1903] W.E.B. DuBois in The Souls of Black Folk: The Negro is a sort of seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with second-sight in this American world—a world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation… Continue reading Dreams Deferred: Fostering Healing in Black Men and Boys
Why It’s Not Okay to Call a Human Illegal and How Yoga Helped Me Speak Up
“We came to this country to unite, you need to show them we are here to work hard. That’s it. You show them by example not by arguing or crying.” Those were my fathers words when I was crying after somebody made a racist comment about Mexicans being lazy. I took my father’s advice to… Continue reading Why It’s Not Okay to Call a Human Illegal and How Yoga Helped Me Speak Up
Searching For Identity In the Realm of Black Hair
A few weeks ago, I stepped away from the kinky/curly hair community for a basic haircut. I’d re-entered the space with an understanding of how I revel in the fragmentation of the African-American community. While I question what it means to be united with other African-Americans, I used my hair to play up my self-worth.… Continue reading Searching For Identity In the Realm of Black Hair
30 For 30: How Writing Changed the Gameplan
When I was seventeen, I already had a plan for the next twenty years of my life. There were goals I’d set for myself and being focused was mandatory in order to succeed in those objectives. Though I was young and mostly in the beginning stages of my knowledge, I had a strong sense of… Continue reading 30 For 30: How Writing Changed the Gameplan
Transforming Words into Lived Journeys
“Talk is cheap. It is the way we organize and use our lives every day that tells what we believe in.” -César Chávez As I have traveled on my journey, I learned to recognize that life’s crossroads can lead to conflicts that appear irreconcilable. They can feel like insurmountable barriers to be feared or conquered,… Continue reading Transforming Words into Lived Journeys
Why I Stopped Identifying with the Struggle
On “Real,” from his debut album Food and Liquor, Lupe Fiasco rapped, “struggle…is just another sign that God loves you/cuz on the low, being po’ also teach you how to hustle.” Those lyrics became a mantra, a personal ideal to live by as the struggle had been something I’ve had to deal with my entire… Continue reading Why I Stopped Identifying with the Struggle
Rachel Dolezal and Defining Blackness
Outside of adoptions, “transracial” isn’t a thing, and race is not a social construct. Let me explain… By now, we’ve all heard of Rachel Dolezal. Yes, she is president of her local NAACP branch. Yes, she was recently outed by her white parents. Yes, she has been deceptive about her racial heritage. But transraciality doesn’t… Continue reading Rachel Dolezal and Defining Blackness
Black Like Me
Once upon a time, I lived in Colombia. And one day, I posted this as my Facebook status: Acabo de caminar del gimnasio. Hoy es un día brillante de sol tropical. Y bajo de ese sol iluminante, se me dió cuenta que yo era el único negro/moreno/mulato en la calle que no era obrero, vigilante,… Continue reading Black Like Me
Running from Blackness
Identity can be a complex beast to understand. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, to Haitian parents, and grew up in a system that only ever spoke about the African-American experience: coming from Africa on slave ships, landing in the South, gaining freedom, and participating in the Civil Rights Movement. My story has a… Continue reading Running from Blackness