101 Search results for "self acceptance"

In January, I posed the controversial question, “What is the effect of a ‘black’ name in America?” I explained the effect that “black” names can have on job searches, finding that black named applicants wait an average of 15 weeks to find a job while white named applicants wait 10. I now question the effect […]

“Why do we continue to invest our time, money, and intellectual works in the college and university system of the United States?” This is something I ask myself regularly. Is there any other way? What role do these institutions play in producing the inequalities we face as Black people in our country? Do we fully […]

At my high school, the newly formed “Young Feminists Society” has become the latest joke in the hallways. The level of social acceptance for sexism, girl hate, and anti feminism blows my mind. A freshman boy labeled it “Young Dyke’s Club.” A freshman had the nerve to cross a senior girl with a self-declared superiority […]

Last week my friend, and fellow BYP blogger, wrote a gripping piece about the omnipresence of homophobic lyrics in hip-hop through the lens of Tyler, the Creator. Jonathan’s post made me think again about what role I as a listener, and other hip-hop fans have in combating homophobia and sexism within this space. I began […]

Culture in itself is harmless. Simply a hallow word that curls off the surface of one’s tongue. It is only when culture is contextualized that it begins to define our world, our actions, and our perception. When “culture” is paired with another term, it ceases to be ambiguous and comes to life to either uplift […]

Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected into public office was assassinated. In 1978 Daniel White, a former elected official in San Francisco killed both Milk and the Mayor. Now Milk is know as a “Martyr for gay rights” according to Peter Novak, who is a professor at University of San Francisco. […]

Do you think of your momma or grandma as an “inarticulate black welfare mother with 19 children?” If not you might be surprised to learn that certain–largely white–gays  are paying big bucks to have one of their own dress up in drag and black-face as Shirley Q. Liquor, to be the MAMMY they never had […]

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8b5b-vNhVdE Hi, My name is Jonathan, and I use masculine gender pronouns like “he” or “him” to express my identity. I have far too often taken for granted how easy it is and how privileged I am to be able freely express my gender without constant repression or ridicule. I think privilege has to be […]

Whatever the name, Black Studies, Africana studies, or African American Studies, university disciplines designed for understanding African history have a problem of attempting to be too Black. When I say “too Black” I’m not saying that Africana culture (relates to both African and African-Diaspora culture) is annoying, but that the way that scholars handle it […]

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78_loMbmKJ8 Welcome to the world of Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All (OFWGKTA) by way of 17 year old Earl Sweatshirt. You thought Chicago youth were bad, peep the hard truth of LA. This is your first day of millennial purgatory, complete with super drugs, aggressive sexuality, and lyrical violence. If you ask me, […]

Next week is Valentine’s Day. So, I thought I would write an early post about it from the perspective of someone (i.e. me) who deeply desires “soul abiding” relationships, but who struggles greatly in that regard. So, you know what is troubling for me is to look in the mirror and see myself becoming like […]

“I will permit no man to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him”- Booker T. Washington. We live in a seemingly tolerant nation. We have a Black President, more than dozen female CEO’s of fortune 500 companies, and a few LBTQ members of Congress. Let’s give ourselves a pat on the back. We’re […]