122 Search results for "facing race"

Revisiting ‘Rated R’ and Rihanna’s narrative of a Black woman’s experience with trauma
by Ayika Tshimanga Before Robyn Rihanna Fenty released her commercially successful project that is popularly regarded as her best work to date, ANTI (2016), she produced an underrated gem that would lay the groundwork for ANTI to exist, Rated R. At the time of Rated R’s release, Rihanna was widely regarded–and arguably may still be […]
With Mary J. Blige set to star in ‘Body Cam’, we may have another Black horror hit soon
by Andrew Keahey Black horror films have a consistent combination of factors that make them successful in the public eye: relatability and catharsis. The elements in our horror movies meant to frighten and upset are often familiar to us, and are scary because the fear is something we have felt before, and often. When the […]
It’s no surprise more women are being imprisoned as less men are. We need abolition, not reforms.
By Stanley Fritz Last year during Mother’s day weekend, the National Bail out Collective, a coalition of black organizers working, including participants from The Movement for Black Lives and multiple affiliated groups joined forces on an initiative whose main goal was to liberate hundreds of mothers and caregivers who had fallen victim to the criminal justice […]
UCPD’s shooting of student in mental health crisis highlights the academy’s role in police brutality
By Cosette Hampton Last Tuesday night, an officer of the University of Chicago Police Department (UCPD) shot 4th year student Charles Thomas, who was having a mental health crisis. For those familiar with the University’s conflicting statements on safe spaces, trigger warnings and free speech, it should come as no surprise that even students are […]
Large pay gaps persist between white and of-color food service workers in the Bay Area
With the Bureau of Labor Statistics recording that more than 10 million people perform food service functions in America, trends within this industry affect many communities. And, as is often the case, general concerns within the industry particularly affect Black and Brown communities. In fact, a recent report for Northern California’s KQED News documented a […]
Who owns the Black experience?: Decolonizing theory & how the academy commodifies Black life
Editor’s Note: *I AIN’T THE FIRST PERSON TO EVER THINK OF THIS SHIT. To be Black is to live outside of the ways the world makes sense of itself. Outside of the gender binary, or how men and women are forced to occupy distinct roles, but Black men aren’t given the power patriarchy affords to […]
Lupita Nyong’o discusses sexual harassment by Harvey Weinstein
As nationwide discourse continues about sexual harassment, sexual violence and exploitative gender dynamics, Lupita Nyong’o bravely added her voice to the more than 50 women who have named Harvey Weinstein for his allegedly predatory actions toward them. In a graceful and unsettling op-ed for the New York Times, Nyong’o wrote, “I have not been able […]
U.S. cites anti-Israel bias in withdrawal from the UN’s Educational Scientific and Cultural Org.
A common narrative portrays the current administration as a largely white male group of chummy individuals who play golf, harass women and roll back the hands of time. The issue is not that this administration is inactive, but rather the actions it takes consistently compromise the quality of life for people of different backgrounds.
1 year after Pulse, the vulnerability (and strength) of queer people of color is more apparent than ever
One year ago yesterday, a gunman snatched away the lives of 49 dancing souls at a gay nightclub in Orlando, FL. This tragedy became known as the Pulse Massacre, the largest mass shooting (that was not a military operation) in American history. As a few queer people of color pointed out amidst the predictable rush […]
The Case of Quilombo: Black Students Fight to Stay in Brazilian Universities
By Kristian Davis Bailey In December 2016, I visited the Fluminense Federal University (UFF) in Rio de Janeiro. Students had been occupying UFF for 45 days, with some sleeping inside barricaded academic buildings 24/7 to shut the university down. The UFF Occupation was one of 1,000 national occupations protesting Michel Temer’s right-wing presidential coup and […]
Liberation is a 3-step process: Broadening activism’s scope in the wake of the Movement for Black Lives
Contrary to popular belief, the Movement for Black Lives is not solely about police brutality. Bigger than body cameras and electoral politics, the Movement is about Black liberation and freedom for all Black people. Liberation and freedom are unconventional in the sense that the system under which society currently operates makes those two realities impossible. […]
The forgotten collateral of exhuming the Black dead through art
My best friend’s brother was murdered in 2012. We shared a birthday and the Blackness for which he was killed. My mother might say the fact that we didn’t share the same fate is only by the grace of God. I wonder what kind of God saves one mother’s Black boy just to take one […]