234 Search results for "whiteness project"

I hate the term “privilege”. Its flatness allows it to facilitate spurious claims masquerading as the work of liberation, which is why it’s so overused in neoliberal social justice spaces. It promotes dangerous assertions lacking any sort of nuance whatsoever, like “third-party voting is the height of white privilege” or “refusing to vote for Clinton […]

I have always considered myself an optimist. This may come as a surprise to those who have heard me argue, sincerely, that “everything is anti-Black,” or who experience my total lack of faith in the idea of reform, or who witness me supporting unapologetic non-participation in the electoral system, having long lost confidence that it […]

Last Thursday, 42-year-old Bayna-Lehkiem El-Amin was sentenced to nine years in prison plus three more under supervision for his role in an altercation in 2015. His case is a cautionary tale about just how well white gay men and white women have cultivated progressive language around gender and sexuality to mask the violence of their […]

JOHANNESBURG—The policing of Black women’s hair strikes again. This time, black students at the Pretoria High School for Girls in Pretoria, South Africa allege that their school’s dress code is being enforced in a manner that discriminates against natural hairstyles. The girls claim that they have been punished or threatened with punishment for wearing styles […]

Going to college at a predominantly White institution (PWI) as a queer Black woman was difficult on its own. However, when considering that I was also first-generation and low income, I was at a severe disadvantage academically, professionally and socially. This is why a recent story about a Pitzer College student’s request to live with […]

Growing up, July 4th always meant popsicles and watermelon, fireworks and family, ribs and chicken. It sometimes meant a trip to Brookdale Park if my friends were coming by or Dan Foley if we were going to my auntie’s house. It never meant struggle or disenfranchisement and it certainly didn’t seem particularly political to me […]

Activists, viewers, and commentators around the country have been talking about Jesse Williams’ iconic speech he gave at the BET Awards this past Sunday. Williams was awarded the Humanitarian of the Year award and spoke candidly about his passion around the preservation of Black lives. Even folks like the acclaimed poet Alice Walker were taken with […]

Sometimes I feel like people see me like they see Rachel Dolezal. Yeah, her. As a biracial woman (half Black, half white) from the suburbs, whose features are not predominately “Black”, I find myself in a constant battle with myself as I try to figure out if fighting for equity and the uplift of the […]

Changing our hair has never been enough to protect Black people from anything in this country. The mere notion is unfounded and problematic. But that hasn’t kept some especially respectable Negros from suggesting otherwise. Last week, educator and television personality, Dr. Steve Perry, came under fire for suggesting that young Black people, specifically young Black men, […]

Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee for President, is working tirelessly to distance herself from her (former) friend, Republican nominee Donald Trump. Her method in doing so suggests that she is somehow critically different from him. But, young people of color don’t seem to be buying that claim. This begs the question: Why are her supporters struggling […]

“If you had one recommendation for recognizing the full identity and addressing the needs of transgender women, what would it be?” This question was asked to trans activist Janet Mock on Friday, April 29, 2016 at the United Nations headquarters where she spoke on a panel about the need for more visibility of trans black […]

Last week, news broke that tennis star Maria Sharapova was found to be doping, meaning she has been taking illegal performance enhancing drugs. All this has transpired while the pretty, tall, thin, white athlete and spokesmodel has been playing professional tennis.  Most news outlets are describing the issue as Sharapova having “failed a drug test” […]