Hey, Therapy, On our first date, I was a few weeks on the surviving end of a deleted suicide note. I was tentative, terrified, and zombie-like. To say that I wasn’t in a good place that chilly September morning when I first entered your warm embrace would be the understatement of the century. I was… Continue reading Hey, Therapy
Category: Identity
Bino and Fino Love the Kids
Ibrahim Waziri is the head of business development for Nigeria-produced educational children’s cartoon Bino and Fino. I recently caught up with him to talk about representation of black kids on television, the show’s fandom, and how the program came to fruition. Bani Amor: What’s the story behind Bino and Fino? How did the show come about? Ibrahim… Continue reading Bino and Fino Love the Kids
Changing Society’s Perspective on Disability
Before I even knew who I was, my life changed forever. As an infant, I was injured in a car accident caused by a drunken driver. But even though I was paralyzed and grew up with a spinal cord injury, I didn’t let my disability slow me down. I learned how to do everything from… Continue reading Changing Society’s Perspective on Disability
How to Be Beige
I was wearing my best polo shirt, baggy jeans, and gold hoops on the first day of high school. It was the perfect outfit for a ninth grader at the large New Jersey school I should have been attending, surrounded by all of my childhood friends, but a terrible choice for the suburban New England… Continue reading How to Be Beige
What’s in a Name?
I am Aniefre Essien, a man born and raised in the South L.A. neighborhood of Harbor City. Essien is somewhat known in sports circles after the rise of Ghanaian soccer superstar Michael Essien (which also happens to be my oldest brother’s name). The name Essien is found commonly among Nigerians from the southeast part of… Continue reading What’s in a Name?
I, Too, Am B-CC
Orlando Pinder is a Maryland-based high school student and the filmmaker behind the short documentary, I, Too, Am B-CC. The video features students of color from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, just outside Washington, D.C., and follows in the footsteps of the I, Too, Am Harvard project, which interviews black students in predominantly white schools. I recently got to talk… Continue reading I, Too, Am B-CC
Change I Can Believe In: On Media Bias
There are some things in media that I believed would never change. If I’m watching TV and I check out the Knicks game, it is likely they’ll lose. They’ve been losing my entire life. But what things in the media sphere can we change? While not always on display, my natural hair is a beautiful… Continue reading Change I Can Believe In: On Media Bias
Black in Alabama
Mine is the story of a boy who spent his childhood summers becoming black in Alabama, wrestling dirt in the whispering winds of Wetumpka out back of a one-room shack in which his great grandmother raised 15 children. It is the story of a boy who spent time with an old man, fishing the broken… Continue reading Black in Alabama
On Appropriateness and Appropriation
My fellow white men, Ferguson was insane. Back then, I split my time between New York City and North Florida, so I was able to witness two very different communities responding. Predictably, the white, male, cisgendered group (of which many of us are part) in Florida substantively crushed the myth of post-racism in modern society.… Continue reading On Appropriateness and Appropriation
Sundays With My Grandmother
I woke up on Sunday morning in my grandmother’s apartment, smelling the steam that came from my ironed dress pants that hung on the wall. I could hear the loud voice of Pastor Joel Osteen on the television preaching about forgiveness and the goodness of God. “By the glorious grace of God” or “Turn to… Continue reading Sundays With My Grandmother