982 Search results for "black politics"

Crime, Punishment and Black Politics Katti Gray, Colorlines, May 28, 2010 The day bullies dared to gang up on a lone teenager smack atop Jimmy Smith’s meticulously kept lawn, his reflexes kicked in. “Sanctuary over here!” he hollered, dashing out of his Chicago home and firing his Beretta revolver skyward. “Ain’t nobody dying up in […]

By Maya King For more than two centuries, religious institutions have sat at the intersection of pain and liberation within African-American communities. Churches like Birmingham’s Sixteenth Street Baptist and Atlanta’s Ebenezer exemplified this, giving birth to the people and movements that defined the Civil Rights Era while providing political capital and a sense of stability […]

by Tanya Fields On a daily basis, I have to quiet the voice in my head telling me that I ain’t shit. It constantly compares me to all of the fabulous Black women whose lives I get to witness snippets of on social media and beyond. Women with the alphabet behind their name, posing for […]

A recent debate generated on Twitter has many Black women assessing the role of colorism in Black feminism, particularly regarding the “faces” of the movement. From Beyoncé to bell hooks and even young Amandla Stenberg, the gravitation towards lighter faces prompts concern over the exclusion of the nuanced experiences of darker-hued women. But as prevalent […]

Despite being one of the most active political constituencies in the nation, black women are severely underrepresented in federal, state and local government. That’s the conclusion of a study released by The Higher Heights Leadership Fund and the Rutgers University Center for American Women and Politics, in collaboration with the Center for American Progress.  The […]

“What shall I tell my children who are black, of what it means to be a captive in this dark skin? What shall I tell my dear one, fruit of my womb, of how beautiful they are when everywhere they turn they are faced with abhorrence of everything that is black. The night is black and so is the boogyman. Villains […]

In an elementary school on the south side of Chicago children participate in recess as a new phrase surfaces. Anytime a student does anything disruptive on the playground, a teacher will shout out to them and say “would Barack do that”? Anytime a male student disrespects a female student, another teacher will yell out, “would […]

By Justin Hill In 2008, when I first read “Gay is the New Black” on the cover of the Advocate, I CRINGED at its implications.  Even as I write, “Gay is the New Black,” it is unsettling because it elides, obfuscates and erases many tensions and concerns. You may be asking, “Why speak about it […]

A fellow facebooker wrote, “How are Youth lacking role models? Our fucking President is black – what youth are lacking is an asswooping. In this country anyone can go to college simply by raising their hands. There is no excuse to be in America and not have a Bachelor…s IF someone wants it. No one […]

The Congressional Black Caucus and the politics of summer jobs Perry Bacon, Washington Post, May 4, 2010 Congress will appropriate more than $1 trillion this year, and all the Congressional Black Caucus wants is $1.3 billion. But after six months of haggling over the funding for a youth jobs program, the group is running out […]

by Dr. Ravynn K. Stringfield Social media is currently flooded with messages from people encouraging others online to “get into print media” or “go analog,” while simultaneously bemoaning the loss of politically aware print media that centered marginalized voices—RIP Bitch Media—and a dearth of media that represent our experiences. However, for Black artists, writers and […]

by Amber Butts My maternal grandmother, Audrie, who was a second mother to me, was my first entry point in witnessing mutual aid in practice. She became a widow before the age of 21, followed by a long bout of alcoholism and depression. She experienced her share of heartbreak. She and my maternal grandfather were […]