106 Search results for "diaspora"

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 […]

‘Sex Crimes Against Black Girls’ Exhibit Uses Art to Confront Incest Akiba Solomon, Colorlines | February 21, 2011 Last week, I checked out “Sex Crimes Against Black Girls,” a multimedia art exhibit that tackles many forms of sexual abuse black girls endure in the African Diaspora. The work, which will be at Bed-Stuy’s Restoration Plazauntil April […]

I’ve been nursing a lemon pound cake jones by going to Starbucks a bit more often than I’d like.  I know it is not a business that I should patronize with my graduate student funds, but a craving is a craving.  Anyway, I’m standing at the counter listening to the Starbucks employee recite my order […]

This coming Friday, Tyler Perry’s movie, For Colored Girls, will premiere nationally on November 5, 2010. The premiere of Perry’s movie is preceded by the viral YouTube Sesame Street video; I Love My Hair, and Willow’s video, I Whip My Hair. Both videos tell a black girl story of empowerment and self-love.  The last couple […]

Recently I had a series of discussions with people on Twitter and in real life about Marcus Garvey’s status as a Black leader. I was surprised to find that not everyone respected him or his ideas as much me. Why was I surprised? No idea. His ideas have long been misunderstood as simple back-to-Africa rhetoric […]

What happens when you take one of the illest mc’s of all-time and put him on a track with a “toasting” reggae sensation? You get distant relatives. I’m not referring to your typical long lost cousin kind of distant relative, I’m talking about the family member who you never met but instantly click with. Although […]

“She dances like a Black girl.” httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z5HYNqx3n8 What? Is there something distinct about the way in which we move or speak that is noticeably…Black? Before, I would have denied this. There’s no way you can identify movement or speech as distinctly Black. Right? Maybe.

“What? You think I’m Black.” I’ve heard this response more than I care to remember. What’s worse is that I’ve heard this from Black folks. You’re probably wondering what kinds of Black folks don’t know that they are Black. No I’m not talking about Clarence Thomas. Nor am I talking about fairer skinned Black people. […]

Born of Jamaican roots on August 17, 1887, Marcus Garvey is the grandfather of pan-Africanist cultural movements throughout the diaspora. His Universal Negro Improvement Association went onto inspire generations of movements, scholars and black people across the world. Today, I encourage all of you to take a moment out to remember this powerful ancestor, and […]

         Race is a social construct that has historically been used as a means to stratify cohort groups. But what happens when an individual who feels they transcend it shakes up the paradigm? Professor Henry Louis Gates, one of the foremost scholars on African-American studies has spent a lifetime researching and redefining [...]