27 Search results for "civilization"

By Naomi Alexis The so-called “father of modern gynecology”, James Marion Sims, trafficked in enslaved Black women, likely impregnating them through rape, in scientific experimentations for the purpose of advancing his career in medicine. When experimenting on these enslaved women, he did so without anesthesia. He developed tools through trial and error and repeatedly performed […]

by Donnie Moreland  In my six years participating in scholastic speech and debate competition, the one lasting impression of the sport itself, less any social interaction, was that language is never fixed. Language is neither absolute, or inherent. Language is craftable, manipulatable, sellable and infinitely interpretable.  This seems obvious, but when you think of how […]

Editor’s Note: This month at BYP, we will be exploring the US Elections & Family/Parenting issues, and we are interested in publishing works that address these topics. How has our political system been working for and against us? What dynamics are different today? How should we prepare for the presidential election, and what is the […]

After Iowa Rep. Steve King’s most recent racist comments, House Democrats stopped efforts to censure the lawmaker, claiming it may set a precedent for limiting freedom of speech. Censure has only been used six times in the last century, and is one of the most serious punishments a House member can receive.

By “DJ Ferguson” If you were to listen to “Immigrant Song” by Led Zeppelin—really listen to the words and let their meaning sink in—it becomes clear after a few verses that despite its name the song is not about immigration. It’s about colonialism. We come from the land of the ice and snow From the […]

Editor’s Note: This piece is excerpted from a talk I did for Cal State LA’s Black Future Series in February. Though I love poetry, I usually avoid readings when there aren’t many artists of color on the bill. But recently I went to just that type of event in support of a friend who was […]

by Jamila Mitchell The emancipation of freed slaves and subsequent constitutional amendments of the 20th century meant that white people could no longer marginalize Black folks through the physical bondage of chattel slavery. Faced with new restrictions, they quickly resigned to maintaining their rule through a new age of psychological warfare on the formerly enslaved, […]

It’s not everyday that mainstream publications constructively critique where they went wrong in the past, but recently two high-readership organizations shared their focus on more sensitive coverage moving forward. Both National Geographic and the New York Times admitted recently that their staffs produced coverage that often affirmed and celebrated the lived experiences of powerful white men at […]

by JeCorey Holder

by Briana L. Ureña-Ravelo Warning: Spoilers up ahead! After months of anticipation, I finally saw Thor: Ragnarok and I was not in the least bit disappointed. Taika Waititi is the Indigenous Maori director, writer, actor, and comedian who made sure Indigenous people, jargon, humor, culture, and anti-colonial messaging was prominent throughout the movie, and who made […]

The King has returned. T’Challa and the Afrofuturist paradise and visual feast that is Wakanda is back again, and this time we got a full theatrical trailer, unlike the mini-trailer that dropped during the NBA Finals. In this one, we get a glimpse of Erik Killmonger, portrayed by Michael B. (some call him Bae) Jordan, […]

Several white men devised and carried out a plan to normalize so-called “alt-right” ideas to the public through Breitbart media, according to a long-form reported piece on BuzzFeed News. The piece chronicled e-mails showing substantial thought, collaboration and funding from largely, but not exclusively, white people on different sides of the political spectrum and their […]