826 Search results for "joy"

“Nobody is free until everybody is free.” -Fannie Lou Hamer Why am I so hesitant to speak of progress? I think it’s because my heart is heavy and my conscience is unclear given what I know about our present. I can’t state enough that the middle and upper class, college educated, and successfully professional Black people are […]

*Hey folks. This post just magically disappeared a few hours ago. I’m doing my best to repost as I remember.* As the Monday blogger, each year I post something related to MLK Day. Generally, I say something totally inappropriate and nearly blasphemous. I’ve ranted about the lack of sales during MLK weekend; I’ve suggested what […]

I often find myself standing up for the “Welfare Queen”, a woman characterized by 8 children, lack of a job, and the manipulation to receive welfare payments. Republican model, Ronald Reagan, introduced the term Welfare Queen on a national level in 1976. In his presidential campaign, he described an unnamed woman from the South Side […]

  Startlingly sensible achievement gap fix Jay Mathews, The Washington Post, 1/5/12   School board picks first black president Trevon Milliard, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 1/4/11 Milwaukee Journalist Eugene Kane: Black Youth Are 2011 Boogeyman Jorge Rivas, Colorlines, 1/4/12 Walter Dean Myers named national ambassador for youth literature Staff Writer, LA Times, 1/5/11 White House announces […]

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.” […]

Why is white the norm? Why do minorities represent the deviation? Well, the word minority should say it all, shouldn’t it? We are not the majority. We’re certainly not made to feel like the majority. We look at ourselves as different. In the past, there have been scientific tests to prove our inadequacy and incompetence. […]

#TheWholeWorldIsWatching by Jasiri X As the world becomes more politicized and more conscious about how those in power use and divide us, so goes popular culture in general. If you need verification check the New York Times recent article, “Social-Minded Hip-Hop Is Making a Comeback.” For those familiar with my music, I would argue its […]

*Spoiler Alert* On Friday, Dee Rees’ much lauded independent film, Pariah will expand its release from four theaters to eleven, increasing the opportunity for many to view this incredibly important Focus Features release. Rees’ debut work has deservedly generated a deluge of critical praise, and should at the very least garner a few nominations come award […]

Check out the classic (John Singleton-directed) MJ video for “Remember The Time” at BlackYouthProject.com!

When I was a kid, after every Thanksgiving dinner my dad would go around the table and have each kid say what we were thankful for. It was an excruciating process–and nothing like the scene from The Cosby Show. Since my siblings were younger and cuter they came off a lot less abrasive than a […]

Check out the classic video for The Roots breakout single, 1999’s “You Got Me.” Start your day off right at BlackYouthProject.com!

Standing in line at Potbelly’s deli, I hear “Excuse me, but.. I was just wondering what you do to your hair?” About sixteen inches of curly, usually frizzy, untamed, natural madness and somehow women ask me this a few times every week. Sometimes her hair looks just like mine, sometimes it’s heavily processed and looks […]