On Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly

Kendrick Lamar didn’t make an album. Or at least not in the traditional sense. To Pimp a Butterfly isn’t an album you’re going to want to just throw on. Its shuffle play value is low. This is an album you revisit. It’s an album you sit with. It’s an album you study. Kendrick didn’t make… Continue reading On Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly

The Pain of Awareness

Over the last few weeks, I’ve spent a great deal of time and words capturing what has been going on around Baltimore. Whether it’s a discussion on the politics surrounding the death of Freddie Gray, the race of the officers, the comments made by the mayor or the shot of hope provided by the state… Continue reading The Pain of Awareness

Spheres of Influence

Following the events in the U.S. cities of Ferguson, Missouri, and Baltimore, Maryland, the Internet has caught fire with up-to-the-minute dispatches of the protests and engagements between U.S. citizens—more specifically African-Americans and allies against the particular stigmas that they face daily. Pictures and videos ranging from toppling and destruction of police vehicles and looting to… Continue reading Spheres of Influence

Douchebaggery and the Great Wall of China

“Hey you,” the vending lady barked at us. “You buy souvenir.” “No, no, thank you.” I said, as politely as I could, pressing my lips together in that unintentionally patronizing, very American way. She stalked off, muttering not quite under her breath. I didn’t understand the words, but I understood the meaning. We were being… Continue reading Douchebaggery and the Great Wall of China

Love in the Time of Curfew

Being from and living in Baltimore, it has been hard to process exactly how the events following the arrest and death of Freddie Gray have appeared to the outside world. Our overwhelmed, Democratic mayor and our Republican governor let the city slip into a state of fear and confusion, embellished by most of the local… Continue reading Love in the Time of Curfew

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

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