120 Search results for "self reflection"

Let’s call out the names of our fallen brothers and sisters:  Michael Brown, John Crawford, Timothy Thomas, Troy Davis, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Johnathan Ferrell, Emmett Till, Oscar Grant, Sean Bell, Renisha McBride, Darius Simmons, Jordan Davis, Kimani Gray, Rekia Boyd, Kendrec McDade, Timothy Russell, Malissa Williams, Everette Howard, Amadou Diallo, Orlando Barlow, Arron Campbell, […]

Because of my frustration with the latest season of the Boondocks, I revisited the boondocks first season episode featuring Dr. King.  I have recently encountered many people who live a static life or believe that people do not change or if they change, they are “fake”.  I like to believe that life is fluid and […]

By Darnell L Moore Cheryl Clarke once prudently instructed, “So, all of us would do well to stop fighting each other for our space at the bottom, because there ain’t no more room.” Clarke, a poet/scholar celebrated for fearlessly and brilliantly giving voice to the experiences of Black lesbian feminists, has always been acutely aware of the […]

With the recent celebration of Kwanzaa, I am reinvigorated with hope as I learn to internalize the principles each day offered. I couldn’t help but place special emphasis on the principle Kujichagulia (Self Determination) which means, “To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves in order to stand up for ourselves.” […]

When I was a little black girl I would secretly pray to God, the Father, to become sick. You see, when I was sick my non-domestic black mother would cuddle me and become the “ideal mother.” She would busy herself with medicinal concoctions and Vick’s rub. Yes, my mother thought and continues to think; Vick’s […]

In honor of World AIDS Day 2009, I want to open up a conversation/discussion about sex.  Sex makes me nervous! I get nervous both before and after sex. I am nervous because in my head I picture this spinning chart of numbers and statistics that makes me realize that sex is the ultimate Russian roulette. You pull the trigger you get a risk-free nut; you pull […]

by Briana Lawrence Self reflection is… weird. You’re sitting there, drinking a cup of coffee out of your favorite mug (mine being a Tetris themed mug with the words “EPIC FAIL” plastered on them since the pieces aren’t put together properly — it’s me in a nutshell). You’re sitting there, minding your own beeswax when, […]

By michal “mj” jones A few years ago, I invited a group of scholar-activists to present a panel on intergenerational movement building and breaking barriers between elder and younger organizers. The conversation went well, I thought, and we gave the floor over to the attendees to share their stories. Afterwards, an older woman with a […]

  Don Sterling became the latest in a long list of individuals who haven been outed for having race views and not even the subtle racism that is often times in code and institutionalized, but the loud and boisterous stereotypical racism we associate with groups like the Klu Klux Klan. His comments are from an […]

by Naiquan. Last summer, a friend and I realized we hadn’t seen children playing in the fire hydrant. No elder on the block with a key to unlock the “Johnny Pump”. As a child of the Brooklyn Spike Lee portrayed in “Crooklyn,” I know first-hand the feelings of protection and support from my neighbor’s grandfather, […]

Ontological I see a vision  in stored  for much more  than we  give credit to  even when are remised  at what Heaven sent  Go often days  with no, repent  When judgment clouds  an empty brain  and war is outside  Just within the frame  Hallowed be thy name  Now tell me baby  what do you see  […]

Creative expression did not begin with writing. It began with voice — with stories spoken across rooms, songs carried across distance, rhythms tapped into tabletops and knees when words alone could not hold what needed to be said. Long before notebooks, microphones, or publishing platforms, Black communities were shaping experience into sound and gesture so […]