As I think of resolutions for the New Year, I am often brought back to the one thing that can make the lives of black youth better: a decent education. I have been lucky enough to be placed in positions to allow me to contextualize my own history and educational trajectory, and ultimately have been […]
SF teen Courtni Webb was suspended from school over a poem she wrote about the Sandy Hook shooting. In the poem, she expresses what her teacher interpreted as sympathy for shooter Adam Lanza. Should a student ever be suspended over a poem? Shouldn’t they have talked with her first?
The Catholic Church lead by Pope Benedict XVI continues to spew out homophobic teachings as he (a man disconnected by at least 5 generations) called me “unnatural.” As the Pope ironically celebrated his pagan holiday by lighting a Christmas tree, he also used the stage as an opportunity to tell women what they could and […]
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5fa6TZc8kI Lately, I’ve been greatly concerned with the misconceptions and myths that continue to be perpetuated about youth in our society. For Black youth in particular, we are often subjected to ahistorical misconceptions that revolve around notions of youth apathy. We often get projected as rebellious ciphers that are for some reason less respectful, less […]
Megan Piphus, an upperclassman at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, recently appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. She’s using music, ventriloquism, and puppetry, to inspire youth to dream big and in color!
I had planned on using this morning’s post to conclude my silly holiday special. Since I took time last week to make a mixtape of rappers covering Christmas songs, I figured I’d spend this morning telling you all about this new, mythical black Christmas figure I had invented. Since Kwanzaa is insufficient and the idea […]
I attend Temple University in Philadelphia, and almost every time I mention that I am from Chicago I get 2 questions: “Do you know Chief Keef?” and “Have you ever been shot?” When did Chief Keef become the poster-boy for Chicago? What does this say about our society’s obsession with violence?
In the LGBTQ community there is something called “throwing shade.” A colloquial term used to describe instances when one individual verbally and offensively altercates another. I am not interested in the shade itself, but moreso the reasoning as to why this experience is so common among interactions between youth of color in the LGBTQ community. […]
Black meteorologist Rhonda A. Lee was fired from her position at a ABC affiliate in Shreveport, LA for responding to a racist facebook comment about her hair. Her employer alleges it violates company policy. Is her former employer justified in firing her? Should she sue?
I write this in ambivalence, dejectedly trying to wrap my mind around a string of incidents that continue to unearth the plight of young Black men in this country. In scarcely a week’s time, 17 year-old Jordan Russell Davis was shot to death by another gun toting “scared” white man, while Brandon Jackson, another Black […]
In light of the recent protest at Walmart last black Friday. I think it is appropriate to revisit the Walmart debate. If there is ever a battle between big business and everyday citizens struggling for their labor rights, I will always be on the side of those who are struggling for a better life. As […]
“I can help you with the brand new technology / You can help me with the age-old philosophy.” –Better People, India Arie It repeatedly comes to my attention that many adults of our society suffer from an ironic form of cognitive dissonance when it comes to their politics on aiding youth. Many hasten to advocate […]
