269 Search results for "safe space"

‘Families of Chicago’ to host a safe space for LGBTQ people of color with 2nd annual holiday banquet
In a world that often expects and perpetuates whiteness and hetero-normativity, Black and Brown people in LGBTQ communities have a unique need for safe spaces. Given this need, an organization called Families of Chicago (FOC) will host a holiday celebration for queer and trans people of color—especially young Black people—on Sunday, December 10, 2017 in […]
Black and Latinx queer people need safe spaces, too
By Preston Mitchum This past Pride month marked the one-year anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla. At approximately 2:00 AM, 29-year-old Omar Mateen – who allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS on a 911 phone call during the hate crime and terrorist attack – walked into Pulse on June 12, 2016, killed 49 […]
U Chicago: “We Do Not Condone Intellectual Safe Spaces”
In a letter Dean of Students in the College John Ellison informed incoming first year students at the University of Chicago to expect an environment committed to freedom of inquiry and freedom of expression. He additionally warns students not to expect “intellectual safe spaces where individuals can retreat from ideas and perspectives at odds with their […]
Why the Banjee Black Gurl’s Brunch is a safe space
By: Terrence Chappell This past Sunday, June 8, I hosted a brunch at my apartment in Chicago’s Edgewater community. I absolutely love having friends over and entertaining. I grew up watching my mom entertain, so this brunch brought it full circle, of course with the help of a few of her hosting secrets and nick-knacks. However, this brunch […]
E.E. Likhaya Lam: What Happens When You Build a Home and Safe Space for Black Youth
E.E. Likhaya Lam means equal education is our home in Xhosa. This is now the title of a the CD I was able to record with 15 high school youth about how they came to join a movement, and sing to tell about it. Every time I hear the voices of these 15 young people […]
Stop Cop City: The Social Movement Re-defining Community Safety
In the United States, police kill over 1,000 and injure more than 51,000 people each year. These figures are already staggering—and likely undercounted by more than half. The violence doesn’t happen in isolation. It’s built into the systems we’re told exist to protect us. And in cities like Atlanta, those systems are expanding. As a […]
Stop Cop City: Re-defining Community Safety
Stop Cop City: The Social Movement Re-defining Community Safety In the United States, police kill over 1,000 and injure more than 51,000 people each year, with evidence suggesting that these figures could be underreported by as much as 55%. In addition to these numbers being substantially higher than other developed nations, unfortunately, they are […]
Black youth suicide is increasing. We can’t wait to create space to talk about mental health
Editor’s Note: This essay contains discussion of suicide By Carlett Spike The thought of killing myself has crossed my mind before. I was depressed as a teen — overwhelmed by the pressures to succeed in high school, keep up with way too many activities and ultimately get into a good college.
8 ways to exist in white spaces when setting them on fire isn’t an option
by Briyana D. Clarel This summer, I attended a conference for community-minded artists in New York City. Despite the conference’s commitment to activism, days passed without any Black presenters and the few presenters of color spewed dangerous rhetoric like “We’re all immigrants” and “It’s about class, not race.” Of course, the Black contingent came through, […]
Florida white man kills Black dad over parking space, won’t be arrested because of “Stand Your Ground”
Last Thursday afternoon, a dispute over a handicapped parking space turned fatal in Pinellas County, Florida. Local authorities announced they will not arrest the man who killed another man as the incident falls under Florida’s self-defense law, known as “Stand Your Ground.”
As light-skinned people, it’s our job to make space for those silenced most by colorism
By michal “mj” jones A few years ago, I invited a group of scholar-activists to present a panel on intergenerational movement building and breaking barriers between elder and younger organizers. The conversation went well, I thought, and we gave the floor over to the attendees to share their stories. Afterwards, an older woman with a […]
What Kevin Spacey’s “apology” says about how whiteness operates in marginalized spaces
by Ashley Nkadi This past weekend, Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp chimed in on the ongoing #MeToo conversation, adding his own personal account of being assaulted by actor Kevin Spacey when he was just 14-years-old. Rapp recounted the event to Buzzfeed, alleging that toward the end of a party at Spacey’s apartment, Spacey “picked [him] […]