30 Search results for "micro aggressions"

Make sure you affirm and support risk-takers in public, not in private with microappreciations
by Tynesha M. McCullers A few months back, I was in a training and I chose to speak up about the importance of understanding people’s varying identities in the workplace, and how those identities influence how they show up and how they are perceived as individuals. After I spoke, I was minimized by the presenter […]
Colleges sanitizing remnants of white supremacy on their campuses isn’t progress
By Gloria Oladipo My school, Cornell University, has tried very hard to help me forget that it once housed a plantation. My school, along with many other universities across the country, has continually tried to sanitize their campuses of overt references to American slavery while still allowing covert examples of anti-Blackness to flourish.
Anti-Black bullying in schools devastates children. We need to invest in their healing
By Gloria O. The recent death of McKenzie Adams, a nine-year-old from Alabama who endured months of racist bullying before dying via suicide, really hurt me. It immediately evoked memories of bullying in my own childhood, reminding me of the sad fact that the world can make such little progress in so much time. Anti-blackness, […]
Black/POC mixed race folks can reverse the anti-Blackness of mixed race narratives
By Tonya Pennington Every now and then, I’ll hear a news story about a mixed raced person that makes me sigh. This was the case recently with chef and entrepreneur Ayesha Curry, who discussed her experience with her heritage on The View. Since her mother is Jamaican-Chinese and her father is African-American and Polish, Curry […]
Used in a relentless pursuit of the elusive middle class, side hustle culture is killing Black folx
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 […]
Faced with commercialization, the Black Punk community turns to its past for a guide to keep resisting
By Monika Estrella Negra The majority of the Black punks I have talked to were drawn to (or got lost in) the Punk scene in order to escape the rigidity and heteronormative idealism of traditional Black political organizing. This is not to infer that all Black punks identify with far leftist views, nor does it […]
Medical Ableism is a Cultural and Institutional Issue, not an Individual Problem
by Marisa Kierra I was diagnosed with IBS at the age of fifteen, but in the last year my symptoms have rapidly gotten progressively worse. I went from having flare-ups every few months, to every few weeks and then eventually to everyday. The flare-ups and high levels of pain left me hopeless and constantly […]
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.
Tips, resources, and affirmations for Black students in higher education
by Jamara Wakefield Let’s keep it real, there are few radical resources available for Black students when experiencing oppression on campus. It manifests in a variety of forms: from explicit aggression to microaggressions to institutional policies to interactions that feel “off” but aren’t easily quantifiable, in part because the campus environment justifies these actions. The […]
Black women student leaders often feel unsupported in their roles
Editor’s Note: This month at BYP, we will be exploring Education & Schooling, and we are interested in publishing works that address these topics. What are the implications of charter and private schools in communities of color? How do we counteract anti-Black textbooks and teachers in our childrens’ education? How did you heal from bullying […]
Sexual assault programs must address racial power dynamics & acknowledge the history of racist lies about assault
Editor’s Note: April is Black Women’s History Month. Throughout this month, Black Youth Project is celebrating Black women. This month is also National Minority Health Month, Autism Awareness Month, Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Child Abuse Prevention Month. We are interested in publishing works that address these topics and the things surrounding them. We want to […]
I grew up thinking that my body was blemished by Blackness
Editor’s Note: April is Black Women’s History Month. Throughout this month, Black Youth Project is celebrating Black women. This month is also National Minority Health Month, Autism Awareness Month, Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Child Abuse Prevention Month. We are interested in publishing works that address these topics and the things surrounding them. By Gloria Oladipo […]