12 Search results for "frantz fanon"

Van Jones, language and the psuedo memory of national identity
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 […]
Mental health treatment is a Black tradition, white people just took credit for it
by Imade Nibokun Black people invented mental health treatment before the “pray it away” stigma and the white supremacy that produced it. While Black folks continue to address the stigmas attached to mental illness, we must also acknowledge that Black mental health practitioners existed first. The first known physician in history is an Egyptian architect […]
Steve McQueen’s ‘Western Deep’ is a counter memory for Black miners during South African Apartheid
by Donnie Moreland Steve McQueen’s Western Deep is a horror film. Though McQueen’s 2002 dual video installation (presented with Carib’s Leap) is, in form, video art, I feel it is possible to understand Western Deep as genre cinema. An exploration into the TauTona Mine Shaft No.3 of South Africa—also known as Western Deep—it is a […]
The question of Blackness: How conversations about Bruno Mars and Cardi B miss the mark
by Briana L. Ureña-Ravelo There has been much conversation regarding Blackness as of late. What it is, when and how it matters, and who can and cannot claim it. At times the conversation has been very illuminating and compelling, but more and more it has become overwhelmingly caustic and mired in elitist, ahistorical, and colonial […]
Black History Month 2014: Some Thoughts
By: Kai M. Green Black History month is intimately connected to the lives and stories of everyday Black people. The goal of Black History month is to validate the knowledges and stories of Black people, stories which are often erased and/or invalidated by Eurocentric accounts of history. It was a month to reeducate the country and the world […]
5 Books Every ‘Black Shamer’ Should Read
There is a growing group of misinformed, conservative black public figures that are increasingly demonizing and blaming black youth for systemic issues facing the Black community. Invoking an empty “politics of personal responsibility” rhetoric, these black public figures essentially say: “ I made it, and so can you!” Most recently, CNN news anchor Don Lemon […]
America’s Drama of the Race Game: Finding Hatred For Blacks Outside the Post-Racial Hype
It surprises me how much of the city builds a fantasy in a larger reality of racism. Outside of downtown and the “hood” there’s an intense atmosphere of hatred and disregard for people-of-color. Maybe people-of-color provokes the idealistic bubble of a city person; in places like Buffalo, New York the black person is breathing scum […]
The Times of Body-Eating Racism: the return of black cannibals
All of a sudden cannibals are back and I’m worried what this means for Black people–folks that have historically been associated with ancient African cannibalism. A wave of cannibalism stories have surfaced in the last couple of weeks—two of them feature perpetrators of African descent. Although mainstream coverage has not spoken about these cases with […]
Wanna Be Startin Something: The Spirit of the Night
Here, on the pages of the Black Youth Project, us bloggers engage in a tradition of writing opinion pieces that may interest other Black youth. Often we comment on popular culture, racism (naturally), and politics; and most of the time we criticize heavilly, at least I do. Something feels incomplete, though, about the meditations I […]
The Cotton-Deep Rebel Era
The black hipster: a sneaker pimp wearing nothing other than Levi skinnies below the waist and a vintage Public Enemy snap back above the forehead, selects weapons of change from an arsenal of flannels and graphic tees. In the local boutique shelves, such as Leaders 1354 in Chicago, lie images of Huey P. Newton, Rosa […]
Three ways Black veganism challenges white supremacy (unlike conventional veganism)
By Sincere Kirabo There are certain things Black folk refer to as White People Shit. You know, activities predominantly enjoyed by white people. This often includes things like storm chasing, BASE jumping, hot yoga, brunch, Burning Man, and trusting the police. Many would say veganism also belongs on this list. That’s what I used to […]
Interview With Hari Ziyad: Finding Visibility and De-centering Whiteness
We are lucky to have people that walk through life challenging the world around them with each step. Writer and artist Hari Ziyad is one of those people, challenging the norms that whiteness has established for how we identify ourselves. Hari’s work has been featured in various publications, including Black Youth Project, where they are a […]