By Salaam Green Dear Black Girl, While tutoring an eight year old girl, she looked down at me and stated, “We have the same bodies.” This young girl attends a predominately suburban white school, and as we were doing homework she observed the notable fact that we were shaped alike. The look on her face […]
By CJ I received my undergraduate degree at a public institution, and now I am at an Ivy League. This is my first dive into the world of elite academia, and soon I will leave this program with both my degree and my brokenness. Though I am proud to be receiving my Master’s degree from […]
by Tiffany Hobbs I hope Jesus doesn’t look like the white man on the wall. That flowy-locked iteration of the Messiah they wanted Black people to believe in would find his alabaster skin colored with surprise as Ms. Aretha Franklin entered the gates and demanded payment—her heavenly reward—upfront. Her blessings must be plentiful, as she […]
by Daniel Johnson The topic of masculinity, what it is and how it is expressed in both immediate and popular culture, is one that always seems to be spurred on or perhaps made more visible by conversations which happen on social media, usually centering around how men showing each other affection seems to be taboo. […]
by Tonya McKenzie This essay contains discussions and descriptions of sexual violence, child abuse, and murder There are some things that you never forget, like the sound of a car screeching down the street and slamming into one of your neighbors or the bombastic sound of a gunshot and the sight of the damage that […]
Living Single began streaming on Hulu at the beginning of this year, but I have only recently had the chance to start re-watching the 90s sitcom. Throughout the show’s five seasons, I identified with each of the main characters at various moments, but there was only one episode where I was able to find any […]
Junot DĂaz, the award-winning author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, has been accused of sexual harassment and misogyny in the literary world by fellow woman authors Zinzi Clemmons, Monica Byrne, Carmen Maria Machado, and others.
The University of Texas at Austin is attempting to address the limiting nature of the societal construct of masculinity. The University of Texas’ Counseling and Mental Health Center is collaborating with the Voices Against Violence initiative to create campus-wide dialogue about how to create a more healthy version of masculinity. According to their website, “MasculinUT […]
Charlene Carruthers, the Founding National Director of BYP100, has announced via a heartfelt letter that she will be leaving the organization at the conclusion of the year. For the past five years, Carruthers has lead and guided and managed a movement which has actively sought to center a Black queer feminist vision. Founded in 2013, […]
Editor’s Note: April is Black Women’s History Month. Throughout this month, Black Youth Project is celebrating Black women. This month is also National Minority Health Month, Autism Awareness Month, Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Child Abuse Prevention Month. We are interested in publishing works that address these topics and the things surrounding them. Collaborating with the […]
by Briana L. Ureña-Ravelo Content Warning: This essay mentions of r/pe of a child I just read Junot Diaz’s essay about his childhood rape and the years of sexual, romantic, and relationship trauma and toxic patriarchal behavior that followed. I applaud him opening up and owning to some really deep, dark trauma on a significantly […]
With a recent grocery store opening, Salvation Army is beginning a program to combat food deserts, communities without meaningful and close access to fresh produce and meats. Food deserts often have substantial poverty levels. The communities are often of-color and reflect larger national food security problems. As the Huffington Post reported, the Baltimore store, constructed on a […]
