10 Search results for "ideal slaves"

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 Avery Ware Writer Darnell Moore delineated how objectifying thoughts of oblivious passersby is rooted in “ sexist, misogynistic, and patriarchal ways of thinking — and being.” He further makes the connection to men in queer communities, and how this school of thought is ultimately linked to politics of desire: “if a femme person is […]

“Sex is what makes us human.”  This, of course, is an absurd claim. And yet, it’s a lie that many believe. A lie that I have heard many times, in one form or another. I continually find myself having to argue that sex and sexuality are not and never will be factors in whether or […]

By J.R. Yussuf I began prioritizing my mental health shortly after graduating college in 2012. I still felt as though I had to keep it a secret because going to see a therapist was seen as bizarre. But I went anyway because with each passing day, life increasingly felt like a punishment and soon sleep […]

*This post contains spoilers of “The Girl With All The Gifts”, “The Birth of a Nation”, and “Get Out”* As someone who has studied and worked in film and television for most of my professional life, I have resigned myself to a set of facts: no film made for mass audiences is truly (or at […]

The office of Black Youth Project 100 is a few blocks from President Barack Obama’s private residence in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood. The organization’s national director, Charlene Carruthers, like Obama in his younger activist days, is a Chicago community organizer. The similarities may stop there. Indeed, Carruthers has been loudly calling for the resignation of […]

There is something particularly disturbing about efforts to indoctrinate children with positive ideas about American slavery. Sometimes, the fact that slavery even happened is conveniently overlooked. At other times, it is romanticized to the point of seeming more like a tough but rewarding job than chattel bondage. A new book called A Birthday Cake for […]

              This month is about us — that is Black youth in the diaspora. Today, everyday, and particularly each day of this 28-day month, the Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100) will fill your social feed with spotlights on people who have contributed to our proud history. Today’s spotlight is […]

It’s awards season. And although I did not spend a tremendous amount of time in the movie theater, I learned a thing or two about what’s hot in Hollywood, which might be summed up in the following tweet from Erykah Badu:   Judging from the trailers I sometimes catch while watching television, this observation seems […]

Why is white the norm? Why do minorities represent the deviation? Well, the word minority should say it all, shouldn’t it? We are not the majority. We’re certainly not made to feel like the majority. We look at ourselves as different. In the past, there have been scientific tests to prove our inadequacy and incompetence. […]