Dear White Women: Why We Need To Stop Crying When POC Call Us Out October 19, 2018 by Louisa Leontiades 1 Comment 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 October 18, 2018 by Jon Greenberg 1 Comment 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...]
Hair Apparent: Being Brown, Femme, and Loving My Body Hair September 28, 2018 by Scherezade Siobhan Leave a Comment There is a tumbr post making the rounds on my dash. The first picture in the series is of an Iranian princess Zahra Khanom Tadj es-Saltaneh from the Qajar dynasty. The legend goes - she was considered so beautiful that about a dozen or so men died after she rejected them. The photograph stands in stark contrast to the usual “exotic” representation of Middle astern princesses … [Read more...]
How Do We Create Consent Culture With Our Children? September 14, 2018 by Louisa Leontiades Leave a Comment As many cis het white women know right now, it is a time for us to learn everything we have been doing wrong and make amends. But whilst many claim to love learning, discussions of race are hampered because it means confronting our own failings and actively choosing to be vulnerable to the rage of those we have unwittingly oppressed or abused, even if our crime has 'simply' … [Read more...]
What Is the Responsibility of People With Privilege in the Face of Fascism? August 25, 2018 by Shannon Weber Leave a Comment If you can possibly stand it, don’t run away. I’ll say it again: don’t run. If your life’s not in danger, if you’re not the one who will be stolen away from your family and locked in a cage next, don’t run away. As much as you can, don’t look away, don’t make concessions to power, don’t excuse, don’t downplay to make yourself or others feel better. I understand that you, … [Read more...]
Asian Eyes: Westernized Beauty Standards and Asian Identity August 14, 2018 by Julie Feng 3 Comments 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...]
5 Ways to Respond to Racism While Online Dating July 19, 2018 by Taylor Steele 1 Comment 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...]
My Biracial Identity: Figuring Out Where Is Home July 16, 2018 by Maya Gittelman Leave a Comment 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...]
From Brandy and Ballet to Black Studies: How I Arrived at Black Feminism July 15, 2018 by Kristin Denise Rowe Leave a Comment As a child, Brandy Rayana Norwood — simply known as “Brandy” to most people — was my favorite entertainer. I saw bits of myself in her, and in her headstrong, smart, but sometimes overzealous TV character counterpart, Moesha Mitchell. Brandy was everything a young girl is raised to want to be: beautiful, an actress, a singer, and a model. She was even Cinderella, for crying … [Read more...]
5 Things I Learned as a White Person After Visiting a Southern Plantation Dedicated to Slavery July 11, 2018 by Shannon Weber Leave a Comment 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? July 7, 2018 by Rachael Edwards, Guest Author Leave a Comment 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...]
Queer Eye: Inviting Social Change, One Makeover at a Time July 5, 2018 by Gillian Brown Leave a Comment When I first saw an ad for the new Queer Eye television show, my primary reaction was one of bemusement. I remembered the original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, and I liked it a lot at the time. I liked how the show would delve into the lives and backgrounds of the weekly "straight guys" more than other makeover shows. I also cannot deny the original show’s importance in … [Read more...]
Stop Using Mixed-Race People as Symbols of Interracial Unity To Ease Your White Guilt June 17, 2018 by Sophie Buzak-Achiam, Guest Author Leave a Comment Editor's Note: This piece was first published in Danish magazine Friktion and is republished with permission. Dutch beer company Heineken has recently faced backlash for its “lighter is better” ad, where a light-skinned Brown bartender slides a beer past three dark-skinned Black people towards a Eurasian woman. The bartender shares a wink with her before the slogan “Sometimes … [Read more...]
Are You Culturally Appreciating or Culturally Appropriating? 3 Ways for White Folks to Self-Reflect April 30, 2018 by Lin Kaatz Chary Leave a Comment Not long ago I had lunch with an 82-year-old friend of mine who has been a social justice activist all her life. We are both white. My friend is a poet who has been published in several small literary journals. She listens to a broad range of podcasts regularly, reads widely, and continues to take a keen interest in the world around her. Her poetry focuses on the lives of … [Read more...]
7 Ways For White-Passing Jewish Folk to Engage Anti-Racism April 21, 2018 by Gabe Moses Leave a Comment I have a clear memory of the time when I was a kid and my classmates defaced my desk with carved swastikas and a mocking version of my very Hebrew name. As one of very few Jewish kids in a rural town that could be brutally intolerant, this was neither the first act of anti-Semitism launched in my direction, nor the last. Yet it stands out in my memory for the historical … [Read more...]
At the Intersection of White Privilege and Disability November 29, 2017 by Cara Liebowitz 2 Comments Despite being a white, female, disabled activist, rapidly approaching her mid-twenties, I am well aware that to most people, I look like a defenseless little white disabled girl. I am also keenly aware that I inhabit both privilege and dis-privilege in this body. On occasion, I use that image to my advantage. People don’t perceive me as a threat or someone trying to scam the … [Read more...]
