It was after three years of struggling with my mental health when I came to terms with needing to see a therapist. I was coping with regular anxiety attacks, situational depression, and untreated trauma. My reluctance to seek out professional help was due to a number of reasons that could be narrowed down to one thing: the stigma that comes with admitting to mental … [Read more...]
5 Ways ‘Asian Woman Fetishes’ Put Asian Women in Serious Danger
Republished from Everyday Feminism Recently, a friend and I were talking about growing up Asian American in predominantly white neighborhoods and schools, and she told me that when she was in fifth grade, boys teased her on the playground by saying that she had a “sideways vagina.” This has happened to me, too – and I’m sure to so many other Asian girls. From … [Read more...]
7 Ways ‘Honoring’ Other Cultures Is Really Cultural Appropriation
This article was originally published on EverydayFeminsim.com and is republished with permission. If someone was trying to help you, but they were unintentionally doing more harm than good, you’d want to tell them, right? And you’d hope they’d be open to your feedback – after all, you’re not saying they’re a bad person or accusing them of deliberate sabotage. If they really … [Read more...]
Never Enough: Growing Up Mixed-Race with a Mix of Friends
I identify as mixed-race. My father is white, and my mother was black and Native American. I have medium-light-toned skin, I have curly hair when it’s not buzzed, and I do not really look like either of my parents. When I was growing up, it was always hard to explain my background to people. Plenty of people, kids and adults alike, would ask me, “What are you?” as though I were … [Read more...]
Why Black History Needs To Matter To Everyone Else, Every Month
Let me start by saying that I have Attention Deficit Disorder. It's hard for me retain anything at all without a lot of repetition. Unless I’m continually reminded of something, I inevitably forget it. It’s for this reason that I have come to value Black History Month on a personal level. Totally by accident, it provides for my disability. But, as is often the case, my … [Read more...]
4 Ways White People Can Process Their Emotions Without Bringing the White Tears
This article originally appeared in EverydayFeminism.com and is reprinted by permission. If you’re a white person who has been in many activist spaces, then you’ve probably experienced a specific, often unspoken ground rule: There’s no room for white tears in this space. This sort of rule is instilled because oftentimes, in other spaces, your emotions, and the emotions … [Read more...]
7 Radical Filipina Women You Should Know
Trigger warnings: mention of violence against trans women The Philippines encompasses over 7,600 islands, over 180 ethnic groups, and over 19 dialects. Philippine-Americans make up the second largest demographic of Asian peoples in the United States, and our diaspora of overseas Pilipinx (a gender neutral term for those of Philippine descent) is up to around ten million -- … [Read more...]
We Been Here: Black Muslims in America
The Body Is Not an Apology’s goal is to share the myriad ways human bodies unshackle the box of “beauty” and fling it wide open for all of us to access. Our goal is to redefine the unapologetic, radically amazing magnificence of EVERY BODY on this planet. When we do, we change the world! Join the movement and become a subscriber today! bit.ly/NoBodiesInvisible. When I … [Read more...]
The Immigration Olympics? Immigrants Don’t Have to Be Superheroes to Deserve Your Respect Or Justify Access
In mainstream liberal media, there’s no shortage of stories about heroic immigrants who rescue people from burning buildings or save their classmates during a school shooting. We applaud these people for their acts of bravery and compassion, and more often than not, we put forth their stories as examples of why immigrants are great for our community. Coming from an immigrant … [Read more...]
6 Ways White Folks Can Support Black Lives Matter, Even If You Can’t Leave Your House
The Body Is Not an Apology’s goal is to share the myriad ways human bodies unshackle the box of “beauty” and fling it wide open for all of us to access. Our goal is to redefine the unapologetic, radically amazing magnificence of EVERY BODY on this planet. When we do, we change the world! Join the movement and become a subscriber today! bit.ly/NoBodiesInvisible. As someone … [Read more...]
7 Ways Non-Black POC Perpetuate Anti-Blackness in their Communities
It is well known that the common enemy amongst communities of color is that of white supremacy and the institutions that fall under this umbrella system. Many groups of people of color fail to examine their own problematic behavior in regards to one another, especially towards the Black community. “It’s just a preference”: intolerance and … [Read more...]
7 Cosas ridículas que no deberías decirle a personas de raza mixta
¿Qué significa ser de raza mixta? Soy de raza mixta. Hay muchas formas de ser de raza mixta, el diccionario lo define como una persona cuyos padres o ancestros son de distintas etnias, pero la definición puede variar según el contexto. En la mayoría de los casos, las personas de raza mixta tienen el derecho a definir su propia identidad y su relación con sus variados … [Read more...]
A 1-On-1 With BLM: Is Black Lives Matter a Radical Self love Movement?
By: Jaime Grant Jaime M. Grant, a white lesbian organizer who grew up in Boston in the 60s, interviews Daunasia Yancey a Black queer, femme leader of Black Lives Matter Boston as their conversion reveals the unapologetic work we all strive to do within ourselves and our community. Jaime: One of the things that’s striking about BLM is the emphasis on love and the body and … [Read more...]
10 Ways White Supremacy Shows Up In My Black Body & How I Exorcise It
A friend of mine recently asked me to close my eyes and imagine what Black liberation looked/smelled/tasted/sounded like to me. I told her - It smells floral; because I want Black folks to have flower gardens. It taste like home cook meals; because I want Black people to have the time to cook if that’s what they in to. It sounds like babies laughing; because I want … [Read more...]
