On my feed I was excited to see a post called the 7 Stages of White People Getting Woke. Great--someone outlining the emotions and actions white folks go through when we first open our eyes to the truth of systemic racism in this country. I was all on board for recognizing white privilege, researching the pervasiveness of racism, feeling the feelings, connecting to others, … [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...]
How Being a Black Child of Immigrants Complicates Your Relationship With America
I’m not Black. I remember being very young and my mother telling me this. She wasn’t defensive or upset that I had asked her the question. She was simply stating a fact. I’m not Black. I’m Jamaican. She had never even considered herself Black until moving to this country as a teenager and encountering the term on immigration papers and then soon after, encountering the reality … [Read more...]
This Is Not a Beyonce Diss or Black Girl Magic Pt. 2
I want us all to remember who is actually making the magic here. Who among us are the ghetto mermaids shopping at corner stores for lunches made of honey buns and cheese curls through thick ass bullet proof glass. I want us all to remember that the magic Beyonce just made isn’t possible without the girl who’s trying to figure out if she has enough money to make it to her job … [Read more...]
Black Women’s Sexuality: Let’s Stop Trying to Reclaim the Past
[Trigger warning: This article mentions sexual abuse, verbal sexual harassment, attempted sexual assault, and threats of sexual assault.] I find most discussions about black female sexuality strange. On the one hand, there seems to be little discussion of male sexuality. Men are not called upon to feel empowered by “embracing” their sexuality. On the other hand, so much of … [Read more...]
Dear White Women: Why We Need To Stop Crying When POC Call Us Out
I was once in an abusive relationship. Few people agree that it was abusive, because I left him after he'd hit me a couple of times. But they weren't there everyday for a period of years when he cajoled me into having sex by saying, 'your body wants me.' I'd often reply, 'but my mind doesn't...' I felt that this was somehow important even if I wasn't 100% convinced. Not that … [Read more...]
10 Examples That Prove White Privilege Protects White People in Every Aspect Imaginable
A couple of weeks ago, Governor Rick Snyder, finally announced a state of emergency for Flint, Michigan in response to the lead-contaminated tap water that residents of Flint have been drinking for nearly two years. Flint is a poor, predominantly Black city, whose residents have been demanding the government for months to clean up the water supply. Structural, environmental … [Read more...]
A Lot To Be Mad About: Unapologetic Black Anger Can Change the World for the Better
This article first appeared on AlterNet and is reprinted by permission. In it's republishing we hope to empower and discuss many valid emotions in the aftermath regarding the latest news on the "mistrial" of the police murder of Walter Scott. While Scott's specific case is not discussed, the anger, upset and processing is a place we find ourselves. At the Socialism 2015 … [Read more...]
Asian Eyes: Westernized Beauty Standards and Asian Identity
When I set forth to write something on Westernized beauty standards and Asian identity, my ideas kept circling back to the one topic I was the most hesitant to write about. For myriads of reasons, that topic is a complex issue. It has defined my life in deep-rooted ways. It has a multifaceted history in the world, as well as in my own life. It has always been my greatest source … [Read more...]
Maybe There Are No Good Cops?
This article was originally published on TheRoot.com and is republished with permission. In the wake of the police-shooting deaths of Terence Crutcher, Tyre King, Keith Lamont Scott and (insert the name of the next victim here), there will undoubtedly be quickly assembled news panels with ex-cops and former police officials regurgitating the same stale arguments. As they … [Read more...]
In Solidarity: How Non-Black Women of Color Stand Upon the Shoulders of Black Women
I am a woman of color, and I am an intersectional feminist. These terms of identity were both coined by black women. “Intersectionality theory” is a concept named by scholar and professor Kimberlé Crenshaw, first discussed in her 1989 treatise “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and … [Read more...]
5 Ways to Respond to Racism While Online Dating
Online dating has become less of a taboo in recent years. With society’s rising dependence on technology and social media, it was only a matter of time before we collectively became more comfortable with the idea of meeting our potential soulmates and "friends with benefits" online. For some of us, it’s even become fun. There are bars that dedicate nights for people to come in … [Read more...]
Afro-Latina: 6 Women Open Up About Being Black and Latina
Editor's Note: This article was originally published by Vibe.com and is republished with permission. “We got a little bit of Black in us!” This is what the Puerto Ricans I grew up around in the South Bronx used to joke. The idea that Blackness was something beyond skin color never made much sense back then. But the older I got, the more I realized how prevalent those African … [Read more...]
My Biracial Identity: Figuring Out Where Is Home
My ancestry manifests in me as the aftermath of an ongoing battle. My body is the convergence of bloodlines that span continents. My heritage is layered, textured with palimpsest and patina. I am dual, simultaneous. I encompass the oppressor and oppressed, the privileged and the disenfranchised. I am mixed. Specifically, I am mixed Filipinx and white. This identity is a … [Read more...]
5 Things I Learned as a White Person After Visiting a Southern Plantation Dedicated to Slavery
Content warning: description of life under enslavement In February, my partner and I took our first-ever trip to New Orleans, Louisiana during the city’s festive Mardi Gras season. It was an incredible experience, but the most impactful part of our visit by far was our day trip to the Whitney Plantation. Located about an hour’s drive outside New Orleans in the heart of … [Read more...]
When Is It #TimesUp for White Women Who Don’t Recognize Black Women’s Boundaries?
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on BlackYouthProject.com and is reposted with permission. I’m not a touchy-feely person. Like most humans, I appreciate having a say in whose fingers touch me, if I can help it. On New York City subways this seems almost impossible. But even when subways are crowded, it’s easy to notice people moving their bodies awkwardly … [Read more...]
The Body Is Not an Apology
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