Earlier this week, I shared photos created by a student artist with the demeaning words of PEOTUS painted on women’s bodies. The photos had been shared widely via BuzzFeed and Huffington Post articles. I posted the photos on Facebook and learned that sharing photos of a woman’s body (including an image showing her nipple) did… Continue reading I Will Not Be Silenced
Tag: Black Lives Matter
The Dangerous Effects of Media and Black Oppression
As I scroll down my Facebook News Feed daily, I am forced to see visuals of black and brown bodies: some dead completely covered in blood with a white police officer towering over them, some who have already passed and have been used as martyrs for other types of political movements, or some with their… Continue reading The Dangerous Effects of Media and Black Oppression
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
White People: Understand That We Do Not Understand
D ear White People, You’ve heard the news. You’ve seen the stories. Many of you, like me, are likely disgusted, horrified and depressed by the recent events that have led to the unjustified and premature termination of (yet another) two meaningful lives. And not just these two. There have been many, many more. Hundreds of… Continue reading White People: Understand That We Do Not Understand
Fantastic Lies and Omissions
“I am innocent. Every member of the Duke lacrosse team is innocent. You have all been told some fantastic lies!” —David Evans The new ESPN 30 for 30 documentary film, Fantastic Lies, marks the tenth anniversary of the Duke University lacrosse scandal by providing a step-by-step analysis of the scandal. At the conclusion of the two hour… Continue reading Fantastic Lies and Omissions
What Would King Do?
The Black Lives Matter movement has exponentially increased America’s protest activity within the last two to three years. The movement, if it needed to be summed up in one sentence, is centered on the lack of accountability regarding state-sponsored police violence inflicted on black citizens. These protests have done an amazing job of bringing awareness… Continue reading What Would King Do?
A Few Words About the Police
The fallout following Mike Brown’s murder is a couple of days old now and I’ve seen many give their opinions of various topics related to this heinous crime including racism, classism, the ineptness of the NAACP, the backlash behind President Obama’s official statement, respectability politics and the role of police in our community/police brutality. The… Continue reading A Few Words About the Police
A Letter to My Father
It wasn’t until we stopped speaking that I realized that we haven’t had a real conversation at any point in life. Sure, there have been talks, but they’ve always been one-sided, and I don’t think either of us realized it. Truth is, I’ve been living in your shadow for so long trying to be just… Continue reading A Letter to My Father
Stokely and the Birth of Black Power
Cocky. Self-assured. Reckless. Radical. Activist. Organizer. Leader. By the summer of 1966, any of these words would be used to describe the man who coined the term Black Power, signaling the official shift from the Civil Rights Movement to the Black Power Movement. No man made a greater contribution to the Civil Rights Movement while… Continue reading Stokely and the Birth of Black Power
Uncle Shadow and the Crescent City
There is something mesmerizing, yet indescribable about New Orleans. For as many times as I have been, I still don’t understand it. Yet, it’s one of the American cities I enjoy most. Whether it’s folks calling me “baby” or the ever-present Bounce remix thumping from sound systems worth more than the vehicles they’re in, ain’t nothing like… Continue reading Uncle Shadow and the Crescent City