You Only Got In Because You’re Latina

“Well, you’re Hispanic. That’s how you got in. You know that, right?” …twelve words that destroyed me that fall day freshman year. I had just started college at the University of Florida and I was attending my first class in the honors program. I’d qualified without a problem, or so I thought. Now, a fellow… Continue reading You Only Got In Because You’re Latina

The Buck Stops Here

“Why can’t we all just get along? I didn’t do anything personally to cause oppression, so why would you call me an oppressor? You’re just stoking more racial tension by discussing racism.” Every day, these same delusional questions and statements are posited by us white folks. Every day, after centuries of racism and genocide at… Continue reading The Buck Stops Here

¡CUBA VIVA! — Undocumented

This one goes out to all the dreamers, the idealists…the “undocumented.” Undocumented. I always felt the DJ was talking to me when he played songs he knew would “connect” with a certain type of audience. Maybe there were teenagers of my same age all over Havana who felt he was addressing them, too. We were… Continue reading ¡CUBA VIVA! — Undocumented

¡CUBA VIVA! — Retratos

My first love, the island of my childhood. In 2009, I walked over 100 miles during the course of three weeks in Havana. I walked everywhere, spoke to strangers, sat around for hours in places waiting for the sunset, adults, children, animals. These are portraits of a life that could have been. -Hemley González    … Continue reading ¡CUBA VIVA! — Retratos

¡CUBA VIVA! — Tambor

The narratives of the African Diaspora in Latin America are sadly underrepresented in both English and Spanish language media, and history curricula in schools. With projects like Negro: A Docu-Series about Latino Identity and now the documentary, Tambor, Dash Harris aims to educate us on how traditional African culture manifests in modern-day Latino society. I… Continue reading ¡CUBA VIVA! — Tambor

What’s the Real Danger Here?

Imagine a 15-year-old black boy sucking dick on a staircase while his mother thought he was at the library. Or a 15-year-old boy going to Pride to have sexual encounters with random men on the street. Or even a 16-year-old boy scared to go to the supermarket out of fear that he might see the… Continue reading What’s the Real Danger Here?

Power On, Fist Up: African Amedia

Mainstream American media has a shameful record of misrepresenting black Americans, their lives and stories in ways that are either outright racist or implied through more subtle, coded language and images. Artist Justin Adu’s African Amedia exhibit, at the African American Museum of Dallas, seeks to address these negative portrayals through the use of multimedia art. I… Continue reading Power On, Fist Up: African Amedia

My Standards are Simple and Mine Alone

“Your standards are too high.” If you’re 30-plus, educated, single, and a woman, you probably hear this at family barbecues and any company gatherings that take place after three rounds of drinks have been purchased. I used to hear this all the time. Maybe the words are still being whispered by my family, but I… Continue reading My Standards are Simple and Mine Alone

Finding Hope

One of the greatest perks of social media is its ability to be used as a vehicle to share stories. A user actively engaged in the forum has a high chance of learning something that will undoubtedly change her perception on a specific topic. As a man, there were certain things in life that I was… Continue reading Finding Hope