22 Search results for "exceptionalism"

Black academics need to stop reproducing anti-Black notions of exceptionalism
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 […]
Solidarity in translation: Anti-Blackness from the U.S to France
by Fania Noel The assassination of George Floyd by the police and the uprisings that followed reverberate across the Atlantic Ocean, finding resonance and solidarity in France. Four days after the murder of George Floyd, a medical expert was called in to evaluate the case of Adama Traoré, a Black man who died while in […]
New social media checks for visa applicants show the dangerous transformation of surveillance in the US
Editor’s Note: This month at BYP, we will be exploring Black Liberation & Organizing, and we are interested in publishing works that address these topics. How do we hold politicians accountable to Black communities? Is that even possible? What should be our role in the electoral politics? What does abolition look like in practice? What […]
The price of radical concession
by Inigo Laguda August 26th 2016: Colin Kaepernick tells NFL Media why he’s been sitting through the national anthem. “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people,” he exclaims in an exclusive interview. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would […]
Professionalism is a lie, sheltering in place is no exception
Whether we want to admit it or not, there’s a superficial boundary between professionalism and unprofessionalism that undergirds constant productivity, capital and unhealthy notions of self worth. This boundary exists to reinforce white supremacy, carcerality, punishment, policing and surveillance. The structures that legitimize this faux boundary do so in service of themselves always. All the […]
“Who taught you to love yourself?”: How political education moved me to leave academia
By Deria Matthews “The university was not created to save my life. The university is not about the preservation of a bright brown body. The university will use me alive and use me dead. The university does not intend to love me. The university does not know how to love me. The university in fact, […]
Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’ contends with unresolved trauma, and a host of other unsettling things
This essay contains spoilers for Us. In the surface story of Us, the Wilson family travels to Santa Cruz for summer vacation and finds themselves stalked by doppelgängers in a sudden home invasion, but there is so much more to be found beneath it. Adelaide (Lupita Nyong’o) and Gabe (Winston Duke), with daughter Zora (Shahadi […]
Carceral “love”, consent, and Black womxn’s bodies: From ‘OITNB’ to ‘Siempre Bruja’
This essay contains discussion of the sexual exploitation of enslaved and incarcerated Afro-Latinx womxn, and mentions r/pe by Briana L. Ureña Ravelo Like with many other seemingly promising new shows, I and so many others, especially Afro-Latinxs, were excited for the debut of Netflix’s Siempre Bruja. Even in the midst of this excitement, there was […]
Black excellence?: How a school abused Black students & got fame for sending them to Ivy Leagues
By Kevin Clay The culture of physical and emotional abuse, blackmailing, and the intellectual sabotage of students recently uncovered at the T.M. Landry school in Louisiana by the New York Times, atop what was previously a narrative of “Black student exceptionalism,” positions the school at the nexus of much larger and pervasive problems in the way […]
Trump admin releases propaganda filled report about Socialism that only shows they don’t understand anything
The Trump administration released a report early Tuesday morning entitled “The Opportunity Costs of Socialism” which attempted to establish that Socialism as a terrible idea, but makes a concession that modern Socialists “denounce state brutality and would allow individuals to privately own the means of production in many industries.” The document is confusing and ultimately […]
SXSW didn’t warn attendees about bombs targeting Black people in Austin, in case you forgot Black lives with money don’t matter either
By Teju Adisa-Farrar Draylen Mason was a 17-year-old living with his family in Austin, Texas when he was killed by a bomb on March 12th. Many of the articles written about his death list all of his accolades and note how incredibly talented he was. The picture generally shared is one where he is playing […]
Mike Pence believes the end of abortion rights to come soon
If largely white male conservative politicians brought equity issues the same energy they reserve for policing what women do with their wombs, America might demonstrate the exceptionalism they espouse. Vice President Mike Pence brought this point home on Tuesday when he delivered a keynote speech at a luncheon in Tennessee. The Susan B. Anthony List (SBA) […]