2412 Search results for "black life"

I am tired of living in this body, and so I have decided to astral project more often. Calling it “astral projection” instead of “dissociating in the shower” makes me feel better. It feels more true, I guess.  “Dissociating” sounds so clinical. They call it disorder, but it doesn’t feel that way to me. It […]

by Maia Niguel Hoskin “Racism affects so many things before the patient even gets to the clinical encounter. Both implicit bias and structural racism affect how women are cared for in the healthcare system. The cards are stacked against them.”, said the Vice-Chair of Equity and Safety in Obstetrics at Massachusetts General Hospital, Allison Bryant […]

  by Imadé Nibokun Finding a Black therapist can be hard, and finding one during a pandemic is even harder. The social distancing required by the COVID-19 outbreak means that on top of being Black- affirming and capable of supporting your mental health needs, therapists need to be accessible virtually. RELATED: Reminders and affirmations to […]

by Donnie Moreland  My father is a diabetic, with chronic pain and a fragile immune system due to rounds of dialysis, which cause more pain and thus tosses him into the throws of a cycle which is, observably, hell. He is also a business owner, which necessitates an urgency of decision making, that suffers when […]

*This piece is published in partnership with Breakthrough as part of By & For: Black Youth, a written series documenting the issues affecting Black girls and gender non-conforming youth.* This essay mentions death, suicide and state violence.   “Memory is a tough place. You were there. If this is not the truth, it is also not a lie.” […]

by Indigo  During my first semester of law school, I struggled with acclamation into legal academia, but being at an institution invested in public interest lawyering, I shrugged it all of. Then, the racial tensions within my first-year cohort at my University exploded after several of my colleagues complaining to Academic Affairs about our only […]

by Donnie Moreland  This essay discusses body dysmorphia, self-harm ideation, and fatphobia.  I remember wanting to drop fire in my belly. Wanting to light a match, open my mouth and drop it in to burn the fat. This was one of the engrossing illusions I obsessed about, from age thirteen until an age very much […]

by Inigo Laguda Living Black in the internet age comes with “tipping points” – times where we witness unforgettable instances of prejudicial violence or communal disrespect against those who look like us.  For some of us, that tipping point was the murder of Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice and/or Korryn Gaines. Some of us won’t have […]

by Kui Mwai Full bodied, multilayered, complex Black mother-daughter relationships are rarely captured on screen. It wasn’t until I watched Stella Meghie’s “The Photograph” that I realized just how much I was craving to see something akin to my mother and I’s relationship on film.  “The Photograph” invites its viewers into characters Mae (Issa Rae) […]

by Sarah Thomas  As conversations about sex, sexuality, and relationships become more and more mainstream, Black folks need to be visible as both audience and educators. When we are navigating questions about who is worthy of our love and who the people are exploring the finer points of relationships and their lives publically, it can […]

Valentine’s Day is tomorrow and as usual it’s got me reflecting on how utterly diabolical consumerist culture is, how it influences and perpetuates our constant need to measure who is most worthy of love, affection and gifts. And why we think it is our business to begin with. It also has me deeply bitter about […]

  by Tonya Abari Tanya Butler grew up on the backroads of a small, predominantly white Pennsylvania town. Much of her time was spent at her grandparents’ home, playing games with her younger siblings and cousins. Nights filled with shuffling and double-dealing weren’t about winning or losing–they were about learning. Games taught Butler and her […]