Black Feminist Collective

By Teresa Younger •  To me, motherhood is a critical aspect of Black feminism. A critical understanding of our experiences allows Black women to contribute to each other, and the liberation movements in significant ways. My mother comes from a family that gatekeeps painful memories, but reflecting on a key experience that changed our family … Continue reading Reflections on Black Motherhood

"Reviewing the way in which Black bodies were commodified and medicalized helps us to better analyze the systemic racism that remains structural in medical institutions today," - Elvira Swartch Lorenzo By Elvira Swartch Lorenzo •  Originally published on Afroféminas Magazine • There is an untold story between slavery and medicine and the decisive role that … Continue reading Slavery and Medical Advances

"For a long time, colorism has been considered a 'dirty little secret...Our research shows the need to unmask the wounds of colorism and promote healing for individuals, families, and communities who experience skin tone trauma," - Antoinette Landor Originally published on Afroféminas Magazine •  A University of Missouri professor named Antoinette Landor has conducted research … Continue reading 4 Ways to Support People who Experience Colorism

"I wondered about that subjugation. How many other times had any of us subjugated and dominated patients simply for our learning? How many times had we wasted someone’s time in a medical appointment just for our learning? How much extra anesthesia had to be given so we had extra time to close the patient’s skin? … Continue reading Medical Education’s Colonialist Nature

"Is it really that these are IVF pregnancies and not that they are commonly white women who carry these pregnancies? Given the maternal mortality rate which disproportionally impacts Black women regardless of socioeconomic status, that is unlikely," - Micaela Stevenson By Micaela Stevenson • This was re-published on Afroféminas Magazine on November 7, 2021• “Stratified … Continue reading Stratified Reproduction in Medicine

Alex Scribner/VPM News Alex Scribner/VPM News By Teresa Younger and Stephanie Younger • We are grateful to have a conversation with Taylor Scott for a conversation that was centered on the RVA Community Fridges, which she founded in 2020. The community fridge is a concept and a place where communities are given access to share … Continue reading A Conversation with Taylor Scott, Founder of RVA Community Fridge

Anonymous • Originally written in January 2020 Alice Walker defines colorism as a "prejudicial or preferential treatment of same-race people based solely on their color." SImilarly, texturism is prejudice of people based on the texture of their hair, which mainly impacts Black folks, especially Black women and girls with type for natural hair. Throughout elementary … Continue reading Thoughts on Texturism

Thank you to everyone who participated in last week's Black August commemoration teach-in! Facilitated by Micaela Stevenson and Stephanie Younger, we were joined by Ruby Sales to discuss her involvement in the Southern Freedom Movement, and attendees to share what Black August what we've been doing to honor Black resistance, freedom fighters and political prisoners. … Continue reading Teach-In: In Commemoration of Black August

Black August Resource List 2021 As part of our commemoration of Black August, we compiled a list of books authored by Black freedom fighters and political education resources. At the end of the month, we will hold a teach-in to commemorate Black August. Assata: An Autobiography by Assata Shakur (1987) Soledad Brother: The Prison Letters … Continue reading Black August 2021 Resource List

Photo courtesy unknown; seen on Afroféminas Magazine By Elvira Swartch Lorenzo •  Originally published on Afroféminas Magazine • When I made the decision to seek therapy, I initially had two opposite reactions. The first was an initial enthusiasm to take care of myself and hopefully become a better person. That feeling was quickly replaced by panic: I knew immediately that … Continue reading Stereotypes Make it Difficult for Black Women to Get Adequate Mental Heath Care

Columbus statue in Barcelona taken by Alan Ruiz Terol By Carlota Memba Aguado •  Originally published on Afroféminas Magazine • Germany recognizes the massacre of the Herrero and Nama in Namibia during German settlement as genocide and plans to apologize before Parliament as well as pay reparations. Although Germany's genocide reconciliation and reparations plan continues … Continue reading How Politics Should Reflect on the Colonial Past and Why it’s So Important

"In the concluding scene, Lai offers a return to the situated and subjugated knowledges that emerge from spaces of exclusion and oppression as she depicts previous Saltwater Flats resident Kora as a tree with new Grist sisters excitedly gathering under her branches to hear stories of a time before. This moment, a recovery of obscured … Continue reading A Review of “The Tiger Flu” by Larissa Lai

Francis Miller/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images By Teresa Younger •  At Black Feminist Collective, we are celebrating Imani House, an organization that allows Black people to empower themselves through the provision of education, information and support services in the United States and Liberia, West Africa. Imani House is a good example of work in action. IHI … Continue reading Bisi Ideraabdullah of the Imani House On Community Care

Nikki Kahn/Getty Images By Stephanie Younger • At the Katie Geneva Cannon Center for Womanist Leadership (KGCCWL) Virtual Spring Conference, I had the unforgettable experience of interviewing Ruby Sales, a freedom fighter, theologian, and founder of the SpiritHouse Project, an inner-city mission dedicated to Jonathan Daniels, who was murdered, while shielding her from a deputy … Continue reading A Conversation with Ruby Sales

Art by Dawn Okoro, Roshi Tecnica Mixta By Mariana Álvarez Castillo •  Originally published on Afroféminas Magazine • Regarding the feminist commemoration dates, it is important to think about some of the discussions that have historically taken place within the movement, but that in the context of the recent 8M are shaken, deepened, and resumed. … Continue reading Dispute the Questions: Reflections on non-hegemonic feminism in Latin America

Art by Delphine Desane By Mariana Álvarez Castillo •  Originally published on Afroféminas Magazine • Delphine Desane (B. 1988) places moments of her world in limbos of colors: from her experience as a Black woman in Europe, she brings situations, outfits, faces and hair to the canvas. With flat colored backgrounds and penetrating gazes, Delphine … Continue reading Bodies and Forcefulness: The experience of blackness in the work of Delphine Desane

"Black Mommas," by Tanya Barnett By Tanya Barnett •  I lie awake at night. Slowly dying on the inside. I am a Black momma. I am supposed to be strong. I am afraid. I am weak.  I cannot breathe. I feel the world’s hate. I cannot protect my kids. I call on the ancestors for … Continue reading Black Mommas

Ludovic Berton By Stephanie Younger • Last week, we spoke with Fatima Derby, a Ghanaian feminist thinker, writer and organizer, who stands for freedom, justice and equality. During our conversation via Instagram Live, we discussed the violence LGBTQ+ people in Ghana are experiencing, what influences homophobic and transphobic violence against queer and trans Ghanaians, and … Continue reading The Movement Fighting for LGBTQ+ Liberation in Ghana

Photo courtesy unknown Anonymous •  Trigger warning: Language of abuse the tireless calls from an institution disguised as a safe haven  claiming to nurse and aid the winded, bewildered, and aimless  claiming to heal and protect the ignored, silenced, and hurt  he calls out to me endlessly  he wants me to pour my soul into … Continue reading Abused Womb of the Margin

Art by Stephanie Younger. Flowers grown in Teresa Younger's Garden. 10 readings authored by Black feminists and abolitionists. Black Feminism Offers a Path to Abolition, by Elizabeth Jordie Davies for Bitch Media Black Trans Thought Can Set Us Free, by George Yancy for Truthout The Case for Abolition, by Ruth Wilson Gilmore and James Kilgore … Continue reading 10 Readings Authored by Black Feminists and Abolitionists

"You instilled a sense of fear within your kin, and chose to continue the cycle of criminalizing, and humiliating Black children. I will disrupt that cycle, and I stand by those words." Anonymous • Content Warning: Mentions of suicide and self-harm, and descriptions of ableism and anti-Blackness. To my relative who called the police, When … Continue reading To My Relative Who Called The Police

Jazz Thompson/The Bristol Cable By Kayla Alexandria Dorancy •  In an effort to achieve what some may call “the American Dream”, “reparations”, or just “getting theirs” — far too often do we see the main perpetrators and victims sharing the skin color and experiences. While the Black experience is not a monolithic one, the obstacles … Continue reading Prioritizing Promises over Pennies: The Exploitation of Black Trauma for Profit

"We said abolish the prison industrial complex, and abolish the police, not "representation" of Black women who maintain those systems. Liberals have shown that Black women & girls only matter to them when they are oppressing other Black women." By Stephanie Younger • During an uprising in defense of Black life calling for the abolition … Continue reading No One Should ‘Enjoy Things’ at the Expense of Black Lives

Francis Miller/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images By Teresa Younger •  In the future what will we name the period of history that we are currently living in? Every aspect of life feels so volatile as we are thrown from one crisis to another. No matter how urgent, it is easy to fall out of the news … Continue reading Remembering Martin Luther King Jr. as a Radical Dreamer

ClayToonz By Kayla Alexandria Dorancy •  Immigration is a universal practice by people that’s survived countless generations. The United States is known universally as a “melting pot” of culture and nationality. The inclusion and diversity of America is often embraced and is her most remarkable feature yet, internationally. Racial and ethnic variety is claimed to … Continue reading Demonizing Human Movement: Criminalizing Immigrants in the United States

Frank Hurley/NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images By Kayla Alexandria Dorancy •  If I were to ask you when New York City schools were integrated, what would you tell me?  1954 right? In fact, most people reference Brown versus The Board of Education and 1954 as when schools were integrated.  You're not wrong that in 1954 … Continue reading New York City School Integration, An Urban Legend

Jeff Grigg By Yemi Miller-Tonnet •   During the Civil War,Harriet Tubman spent some monthsin South Carolina’s low countryworking as a nurse for the Union armyand a laundress in a local wash house.Harriett mended wounds,changed gauze, scrubbed linens,and hung shirts on clothespins.She worked and waiteduntil orders from the north camefor her to form a spy ring.She … Continue reading On the Ancestral Blessing of a Union

Alina Amador By Teresa Younger •  Content warning: Mentions of sexual violence and murder According to PEW Research Center, 235 Black people were shot to death by the police in 2019. The social movement against systemic racism and police violence continued in 2020, when believers around the world turned out following the May 25th Police … Continue reading Black Women and Girls Must Be Protected When We Are Alive

Kent Eanes By Teresa Younger •  During a conversation about the Virginia Museum of History and Culture’s Agents of Change: Female Activism in Virginia From Women’s Suffrage to Today, which featured a panel about my daughter, I was asked, “Is your child happy doing this work?” I wondered if I should respond by stating that … Continue reading Reflections on Activism in 2020

Photo courtesy of Marissa Mann By Marissa Mann • Refresh this page if the document doesn't load. Marissa Mann is a graduate student studying Speech-Language Pathology, who loves advocating and helping those who are in need and feel that they do not have a voice. Marissa's project highlighted their college experience during the COVID-19 pandemic … Continue reading A Tale of Two Schools: Brooklyn College Edition

Riss reflects on her experiences as from a child perspective to an adult perspective living with Single- Sided Deafness. She wants the reader to understand that there are so many incidents and not enough time. (October 2020)  By Riss • Age 11 My mom places the phone to my left ear. I hear nothing. It … Continue reading SSD: A Timeline of Dealing with Single Sided Deafness

Riss By Riss • Riss reflects on her body’s change during the pandemic. (Sep. 2020) I can’t look in the mirror anymore  because I don’t want to see myself. My face is tired.  My eyes are weary and  my bags tell a sad story at 23.  My smile? Nonexistent.  My cheeks are so round,  my … Continue reading Slipping into My Pre-Pandemic Pants

Eze Amos/Getty Images By Stephanie Younger • This article was re-published on Afroféminas Magazine on March 9, 2021 • 1. "From womanish.  (Opp. of “girlish,” i.e. frivolous, irresponsible, not serious.)  A black feminist or feminist of color.  From the black folk expression of mothers to female children, “you acting womanish,” i.e., like a woman.  Usually referring … Continue reading What Alice Walker’s Definition of Womanism Taught Me in 2020

Erin Simkin/Hulu By Stephanie Younger • Little Fires Everywhere is a limited series on Hulu, based on the book authored and published in 2017 by Celeste Ng, that aired from March 2020 to April 2020. The series takes place in 1997, and begins when Mia Warren (Kerry Washington), an itinerant artist and her daughter Pearl … Continue reading Review: Little Fires Everywhere

Art by Stephanie Younger By Joyce Hounkanrin • This article was re-published on Afroféminas Magazine on June 29, 2021 • I hate mornings, yet I make a promise to myself to be up early. This morning I have no choice in the matter; someone is incessant in their attempts to reach me. The phone, which I keep … Continue reading A Hummingbird in the Palm: The Impact of Racism on Black Women’s Mental Health

Kayla Dorancy, Dr. Shawn Rux (The Real Pandemic) By Kayla Alexandria Dorancy •  Refresh this page if the document doesn't load.   Kayla Alexandria Dorancy is a recent graduate from Brooklyn College with a dual major BA in Philosophy and Political Science. Her focus study and researching consists of Black feminist theory, Black queer theory, … Continue reading How America Believed the Coronavirus Proved the Existence of Educational Inequity

Stephanie Younger By Skyla Bailey •  A Message to Virginia Department of Education (VDOE): Our history classes constantly teach students to think of European History when they think of “American” History. However, African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Latinx Americans are all part of America. Students of Color in Virginia want to learn more … Continue reading Call-to-Action Update: Making Classrooms Equitable for Black and Brown Students in Virginia

"During a global uprising in defense of Black life calling for the abolition of the police, liberals set the timetable for Black liberation by advising Black youth to "save it for after the election" When Black youth criticize Joe Biden for being an obstacle in the fight for our liberation, liberals silence us by telling … Continue reading Black People Can’t Wait Every Four Years for Our Liberation

Students celebrate the resignation of University of Missouri System President Tim Wolfe amid allegations of racism. Photo courtesy of Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images. By James A. Perry Jr. •  The presence of elitism, capitalism, racism, and sexism are still ubiquitous within the apparatus of higher education. Higher education leaders need to move beyond rhetoric involving diversity, … Continue reading Colleges Pretend to Care about Black People

Stephanie Younger By Skyla Bailey •  As Black and Brown youth, we are tired of being considered second place, tired of having the education system fail us, and tired of being behind. We want to have all schools in Virginia to become equitable sanctuaries where every student can flourish. This petition is an essential call-to-action. … Continue reading Call-to-Action: Making Classrooms Equitable for Black and Brown Students In Virginia

Shontrice Carin Barnes By Shontrice Carin Barnes •  Ever since I could remember, writing has been a huge part of my life.  All throughout my childhood, I had kept journals of random things that I would write. Stories, poems, songs, random thoughts… words were some of the only ways I knew how to express myself.  … Continue reading How I Found My Own Garden

"Co-opting #SayHerName by sharing #SayHisName, pushing Black women (cis and trans) out of the conversation, ignoring the experiences of Black trans sex workers, and disregarding the voices of Black youth among other erasures stifle our ability to fully articulate the holistic violence of police and policing. Intra-racial solidarity building is extremely critical in articulating the facts … Continue reading Who is Solidarity For: Intra-Racial Solidarity for True Black Liberation

Marisa Mack By Alexandra Brown •  Originally published on Magical Women •  What is the difference between absence and loss? How would you articulate the ‘loss of loss’ and the ‘absence of absence’? What if, in your attempt to articulate, they both become synonymous? What if, you are in a state of sorrow and lament … Continue reading Pain Poem

Photo courtesy Unknown By Alexandra Brown • Originally published on Conversations With •  This reflective piece is a summary and critical analysis of a conversation between author, activist, and Afro-Pessimist philosopher, Professor Frank B. Wilderson III and Chairman of ‘Before Columbus Foundation’, Justin Desmangles. The discussion was entitled, ‘Re-Imagining the Black Body: Race, Memory, and … Continue reading Reflections on Black Suffering, Grief and Re-imagining Freedom

Conversations With By Alexandra Brown •  Originally published on Conversations With • I wish to begin by sharing a prose I wrote in response to the murder of George Floyd. Institutional, systematic and structural racism, feels like I am dying a slow and painful death. When I learnt of the murder of George Floyd, it … Continue reading A Letter of Urgency

"Sista, Be Free," by Tanya Barnett By Tanya Barnett •  Come close so you can hear me.You’ve endured for too long. The time has finally come to shed the shackles. No more shrinking.No more hiding.No more playing safe.No more accepting abuse.No more lying to ourselves.No more ignoring the pain. It’s time for you to be … Continue reading Sista, Be Free

"Black women have been interwoven into the fabric of this country prior to formalization of the medical profession, therefore we must consider indigenous practices as imperative to our well being as these practice and spaces have held us before and beyond colonization." - Joyce Hounkanrin By Joyce Hounkanrin • "Do you want her?" The white … Continue reading Giving Birth While Black

NejroN/Shutterstock By Joyce Hounkanrin • What is embedded in the language of Black women? What belongs exclusively within our mouths? Briefly translated, there are secrets we have transported from the Middle Passage and kept secreted beneath our tongues; in the folds of our spirits; in the curves of our smiles; and in the salt of … Continue reading The Secret Language of Black Women

"I will not compromise my blackness to make others comfortable. I will confront them and make them face their own biases whether they are offended or not. White? Black? It don’t matter. What matters is that I live authentically and command respect from those around me," - Tanya Barnett By Tanya Barnett •  This poem … Continue reading Reconciliation

Alex John Beck By Tanya Barnett •  Dear world, no longer will I shrink away from my blackness in an attempt to make you finally love me. Oh you had me fooled. Hoodwinked. Bamboozled. You made me think if I permed my hair you would love me. You made me think if I wore a … Continue reading My Blackness

Frederick D. Nichols By Addison Walton • CW: This content contains descriptions of murder and white supremacy. Come to church in your Sunday best!Let your mama press your hair.Your daddy polished your good shoes.New and black and shiny.He did it with love. Your mama kisses your head and puts in a pink ribbon.Your tiny arms … Continue reading Church Sestina

The Graphics Fairy By Tani Washington • It seems that every year, when Black activists speak up against large-scale inequity and systemic brutality against people of color, there are those who attempt to qualify this suffering through questions that point to the sufferings of other, usually non-marginalized, groups. This kind of response is a tactic … Continue reading An Open Letter to the “What About”s

Art by Stephanie Younger. Flowers grown in Teresa Younger's Garden. In light of the uprisings in defense of Black life, Black Feminist Collective has created a list of resources, including books, media platforms, and organizations to support in the fight for Black liberation. Books Ain’t I a Woman? by bell hooks (1981) Are Prisons Obsolete? … Continue reading A Black Feminist Resource List

Andrew Burton/Getty Images By Ryan Edward Perry • Originally published on The Backlight Blog •   I was talking with one of my best friends today. She has recently, to my delightful surprise, become quite outspoken and engaging regarding social justice and the current state of American culture and the movements that have risen in that … Continue reading The Pain Of Anger

Teresa Younger By Stephanie Younger • 10 days ago, I climbed up the Robert E. Lee Statue at a protest in Richmond, Virginia - the former capital of the Confederacy - and I was asked to speak in front of a large crowd of protestors. This was unplanned, and I have been grieving so heavily … Continue reading The Fight For Black Lives will not be Palatable: On Liberal Co-Optation of Anti-Racism

Stephanie Younger By Lux Aghomo • The president called my people “thugs.” They riot, loot, run through the streets for justice, really just tired. The Hate You Give Makes us Wanna set this country on fire. In 2014, people came together to chant “I can’t breathe,” in 2020 we’re still suffocating. George Floyd called out … Continue reading The President Called My People “Thugs”

Inclusion Solution By Giovanna Adams • We’ve all heard the sentiment over and over again. It feels good to hear and it feels good to say, doesn’t it? Those words are comforting and encouraging during a time when we are all facing uncertainty and insurmountable burdens. It really is a nice sentiment, but it’s difficult … Continue reading Maintaining Solidarity in the Black Community in the Face of COVID-19

Jufu Han/Detroit Free Press By Stephanie Younger • Content warning: This article has mentions of sexual violence. Could a hashtag topple the career of a popular artist? Hashtags have the power to raise social consciousness about the exploitation of marginalized communities, to give them a platform that influences public discourse, and to ultimately change the … Continue reading The Movement that Cancelled R. Kelly

"White liberals who claim to be anti-racist, while forcing Black women into the same spaces as white supremacists, policing how we respond to oppression, and speaking over us to center their own voices, are part of the same problem. As long as they continue to do so, they will never see the significance in doing … Continue reading 6 Ways I Have Faced Anti-Blackness By White Liberals

Teresa Younger with her father Robert "Bob" Leon Wilmer. Robert "Bob" Leon Wilmer By Teresa Younger •  Given the deep divides apparent in society today, it is refreshing to re-read Poet Laurent Maya Angelou’s “Human Family” poem as a reminder of our endless similarities. “Human Family” was featured in an Apple ad during the 2016 … Continue reading Remembering my Father

""Karen" represents white women who direct their violence towards Black people while weaponizing their womanhood to mitigate their actions, but we should be referring to this as white violence. While white women have the privilege of simply being called a "Karen" for enforcing oppression against marginalized people, Black women and girls are dismissed as "angry," … Continue reading The Backlash Against “Karen” Memes is Peak White Feminism

iStock/RuslanDashinsky By Giovanna Adams • Originally published on HB4 Diversity's Newsletter •  As a global health crisis has entered all of our lives, we’ve seen the impact on equity in education, challenges to our daily economics, and have only begun to see the ramifications on our psyches from social distancing and for some, social isolation. … Continue reading Equity Beyond COVID-19: Why we Shouldn’t go Back to the Beginning

"Instead of looking to our oppressors for "a seat at the table," we have to recognize the impact in organizing our own movements; not movements that replicate the liberalism of the mainstream feminist movement, but movements that prioritize the abolition of the white supremacist capitalist system, and the liberation of all Black folks," - Stephanie … Continue reading The Long Legacy of Anti-Blackness within the Feminist Movement

Raina Cornish By Raina Cornish •  Gone.You left.I stayed.I waited.But you, you left. I was ready to give up my name for you But you left. You came back.I let you in. Let your words poison my mind.“I love you.”“I need you.”“Only you.” I let you do what you wanted to me because I was … Continue reading Gone.

"Regardless of the outcome, I can only imagine that white moderates will continue to blame Black people, especially Black youth, for the division in this country, and other oppressive systems that we didn't create. Although I don't expect things to get much better for us, I am determined to remain committed to fighting for Black … Continue reading Why I am not “Voting Blue No Matter Who”

Raina Cornish By Raina Cornish •  Woman- noun ; an adult human female.  Human. But to man we are property. Coware. What women do when a man raises a fist to her.. If a woman is too strong, she wants to be a MAN.  If a woman doesn’t listen to her husband or boyfriend she is trying to drive … Continue reading Hermosos Tontos

"Because I’m just a sixteen-year-old, African and Asian American girl from a small town. But, even I, with my glasses and all, cannot ignore the problems of today.  So why do others still look for flying cars? We should be looking for shooting stars, because right now the world needs a miracle. Right now is … Continue reading What I Want to See for the Future

https://youtu.be/_VJPMGDLCwo Originally published on Afroféminas Magazine •  The capacity of Spain to normalize brutal acts with racist content, disguised as alleged anti-racist content never ceases to surprise us. This is the case of the Mataculebra perpetrated in Puerto de la Cruz de Tenerife. This video speaks for itself and we will not say more than … Continue reading The Mataculebra: The Ultimate Expression of Slavery in the Carnival of Tenerife

"Be Silence," by Nchedochukwu Ezeokoli By Nchedochukwu Ezeokoli •  undisturbed the air rang clearly with the loudness of nothingness lingering ever so gently  filling the empty spaces between the spaces filled solely with atoms of life she spoke to me disrupting the stillness mind raced in fetching images of trauma past lived repressing images of … Continue reading Be Silence

Deun Ivory/LLC By Summar McGee • I am a Black girl at a PWI.  So I get a lot of kudos.  The people congratulate me for “making it” out of poverty Through an “education”  and to as close to whiteness as I’ll ever be.  Summar McGee is a Black woman, student & writer from Mississippi.

Ray Collins By Sahana Kapumba • Water H20 A transparent liquid that is drunk and swam in for recreational purposes Water 60% percent of my black body Water If we already have so much why do we need more? Why do I need to overfill myself with this colorless liquid If its been in my … Continue reading Water

Teresa Younger By Stephanie Younger •  This article was re-published on Afroféminas Magazine on March 9, 2020 •  Do the ways we talk about gender stereotypes represent the struggles we all go through? In Katherine Toland Frith and Barbara Mueller’s article entitled, “Advertisements Stereotype Women” written for the book, “Advertising and Societies: Global Issues,” they … Continue reading How Gender Stereotypes Intersect with Anti-Black Racism

Teresa Younger By Teresa Younger •  Complete with unsolicited comments, touching attempts from strangers, and pressure to do away with your coils right now, or you risk the shame of being prevented from attending your graduation or losing gainful employment? Is natural hair controversy a real thing? How have generations dealt with this constant problem?  … Continue reading Is it Open Season on Natural Hair?

"I have the right not to give up in my efforts to put an end to this racist and hateful manifestation against Black people. The Pages are your privilege. My fight is my right," - Elvira Swartch Lorenzo By Elvira Swartch Lorenzo •  Originally published on Afroféminas Magazine • It doesn't matter what you think … Continue reading 4 Reasons Why the Pages of Alcoy are Violent

"Believe Black youth when we open up about our mental health, and accept us for who we are." Anonymous • Content Warning: Mentions of self-harm • In the Black community, talking down to, speaking poorly of, publicly humiliating and criminalizing Black youth as a whole is acceptable. In the Black community, body shaming, and devaluing … Continue reading How the Mental Health Stigma Harms Black Youth

By Jourdan Lobban • “Defiant!” “Fresh!” “Rude!” Those titles followed me all through my childhood and into my teen years. Anytime I did something bad, I knew what was coming. Lectures in yelling style, laced with fury, and if I didn’t shape up in time, the belt would make an appearance. It was a routine … Continue reading The Terrifying Future of Autonomy

Photo Courtesy of Tom Swinnen By Jourdan Lobban • It was endless  The sea of self-doubt Rejection Beating me  With its ruthless water  Every chance it got  It was brutal How it told me  Over and Over “You’re bad, Worthless.  Rude, Evil,  A sinner who needs saving.” All the while  I hung my head low … Continue reading Riding Rising Waters

David Alberto Carmona Coto By Jourdan Lobban • https://blackfeministcollective.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/glory-obriens-history-of-the-future-book-review-audio-file.wav Jourdan Lobban aims to live life in all of its rising tides and calm waters, with some books, and writing journals.

After becoming frustratingly bored reading my latest book, my commitment was no more. Instead of powering through the dry spell, my fingers practiced the ultimate sin, which skipping through the book.  And instead of reading for the plot, I was fishing for the romance sections that matched my expectations for the novel. My brain only … Continue reading Why We Skip the Middle

Kathleen Foster By Stephanie Younger •  Are all people in America served and protected by the law? In the documentary, “Profiled - The Mothers of Murdered Black and Latino Youth,” director Kathleen Foster utilizes the power of art, amplifies the voices of Black and Latin American women and youth, and directs attention to protest and … Continue reading Analysis: The Impact of Policing on Black and Brown Mothers and Children

Portrait of La Shakata Astoa courtesy of Carlos Rodriguez By Princess Jiménez •  Originally published on Kultwatch • In the Dominican Republic, where supposedly moral society and the Church often espouse virulent homophobia and transphobia, an unusual alliance has appeared among the very poorest: singers and producers of popular music genre Dembow are working with queer … Continue reading Queer Windows in Dembow Music

Traycee Truth By Traycee Truth • The following excerpt is from Traycee Truth’s e-book, The Therapeutic Alliance Handbook. Refresh this page if the document doesn't load. TrayCee Truth is a holistic civil servant, who holds a degree in social work and is currently working towards her master’s degree in advanced clinical social work. She has had … Continue reading An Excerpt from the E-Book, “The Therapeutic Alliance Handbook”

"I will never know your happiness History only saved your pain Sleeping Ancestor, When we meet Will I represent your dreams, Or your shame?" - Kiarran T.L. Diaz By Kiarran T. L. Diaz •  I will never know your happinessHistory only saved your painSleeping Ancestor,When we meetWill I represent your dreams,Or your shame? Ancestors tell … Continue reading Broken Tree

"Because I have spent generations equating my worth to money, neglecting my heart’s desire in the name of stability, battling every single desire we harbored to create a livelihood on the basis of providing," - Shelby Moring By Shelby Moring •  She’s so relaxed. That hazy daydream of myself that I conjure, praying on her … Continue reading Song of Harvest

"Even with skids still on our backs, we rise. Even through the torments of class systems that everyone else struggles with, through our atrocious world, with the torments of racism and sexism, we rise. Even from other people, from our own, from ourselves, we rise, and we are expected to rise, - Krystal Tang By … Continue reading Nine Phases: Black Women Crying in the Bathroom

"The assault on Black bodies is not always by police officers and campus security; it can be done by the ones that are trusted with your love and support," - Joshua Redd By Joshua Redd •  The House. The Red One. Right there on Macdonough. You can leave me on the corner, I’m fine. I … Continue reading Spots on the Rug

"When a certain race and class of students gets funneled into a school system that is poorly funded, poorly staffed and poorly executed these children have a smaller chance of succeeding in life," - Sharayah Alkire By Sharayah Alkire •  Throughout American History systems have been built up to bring down Black people in many … Continue reading How The School System is Failing Black Students

Steve Helber/AP By Belan Yeshigeta •  Women have often been given the short end of the stick when it comes to equal rights, and it is no secret that African Americans are still prejudiced against to this day. The unique experience of being apart of both of these marginalized communities is one that is too … Continue reading The Role of Black Women in the Fight to Ratify the Equal Rights Amendment

Chuck Stewart By Ayana Graham •  A Poem Inspired by John Coltrane’s “Alabama.” I’ve foreseen spirits, visitations of death, fire eating off sheeted breath, Sometimes I see the outline of God’s back turned to me Wretched hands stroke the lynch knot and bear the karma of the lost little girls There was no good outcome, … Continue reading Birmingham Burning

Carl Van Vechten Jack Mitchell/Getty Images By Kristin Couch •  Reading Zora Neale Hurston and Audre Lorde led me to question myself about the stance I take on activism. These writers represent two polar ideals of being that I have struggled to find identification with. Zora Neale, my humanist hero who finds that everyone should … Continue reading Oppression Expression: Answering Zora Neale and Mother Lorde

Joshua Redd By Joshua Redd •  Amber Guyger was sentenced to 10 years in prison on October 1st, 2019 for the murder of Botham Jean on September 6th, 2018. The murder of Black folks by the hands of officers is nothing new. What made this case extremely peculiar was that he was murdered in his … Continue reading Botham Jean: When Your Politics Present a Challenge

"To All the Men Who Have Fetishized Me Before," by Kimberly Davis By Kimberly Davis •  “I’m a gentleman lives in _____________ looking for a long term relationship dating also hanging out. I believe in treating a woman with respect and honor I am 5”11 prefer African American and Hispanic types of women no offense … Continue reading To All the Men Who Have Fetishized Me Before

Iesha Evans being arrested peacefully protesting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on July 9th 2016. Photo courtesy of Jonathan Bachman/Reuters. By Ryan Edward Perry •  I did not always appreciate my Blackness. I used to be one of those “I’m not Black, I’m O.J.” types that purposefully eschewed the culture in favor of a more centrist … Continue reading Crown Her With Many Crowns

Brittany Jeter By Brittany Jeter • The following excerpt is from Brittany Jeter's upcoming novel, "Of Cats and Women." Refresh this page if the document doesn't load.   Brittany Jeter is a millennial Black American writer and educator from Southwest Philly. Her vision for the world is one in which everyone experiences sustained love, joy and … Continue reading An Excerpt From the Upcoming Novel “Of Cats and Women”

"Dirt in my mouth  As I listen to them speak  About those that look just like me  A pat on my shoulder  Reiterating that I’m "not like the others"" - Kiarran T.L Diaz By Kiarran T.L Diaz • Dirt on my tongue  Each time I swallow my protests  It travels past my throat  And down … Continue reading Fire and Mud

"Black Music," by Baletica Genous By Baletica Genous •  The nerve of white men To read my email To read my email To read my email And still misspell my name He giggles and shrugs and says “its just so different” He’s never heard it before “Just where does that name come from?” “How does … Continue reading Black Music

“Anger is also Grief,” – Nelle Jones By Nelle Jones •  angry black girls clenching desks with tight fists holding their breath a breeze passing through their hair the pale hand of yet another ghost angry black girls the blacker the berry, sweet blood from biting lips holding one’s tongue angry black girls sitting on … Continue reading Stage 2

"Two Poets," by Quincy Evans By Quincy Evans •  Excuse me, I’d like to re-introduce myself. I’m a good time. A misunderstanding. A plea and a red flag all at once. I’ll forever be that boy who gets really excited when the sky is in pretty colors. You slip into my mind so quietly, –like … Continue reading Two Poets

Victoria N. McGovern. By Tene'sha Crews •  “The pen is mightier than the sword” A sword that has grown from hate and drawn blood, Blood spilled onto books and the hearts of families Has sunk deeper into human veins than into a land’s mud. The girl is mightier than the hate, The hate that they … Continue reading Mightier

Huffington Post By Kayla Austin •  The aftermath of the natural disaster that was Hurricane Katrina is a display of the effects of environmental racism, redlining, and the neglection of people of color and those facing poverty. Katrina is one of the worst natural disasters to occur in the history of the United States. This … Continue reading Mother Nature Does Not Discriminate. America Does

"We Safeguard the Peace the Enslaved Africans Dared Only Dream About." - Sarah Mathew In partnership with the Richmond Peace Education Center's annual essay contest 2019, "Remembering 1619 and Restoring Justice." By Sarah Mathew •  In 1619, my second great grandfather was kidnapped from his home in Angola and forced onto a Portuguese slave ship, … Continue reading We Safeguard the Peace the Enslaved Africans Dared Only Dream About

"I am the reality of their dreams for the future." - Gloria Amado In partnership with the Richmond Peace Education Center's annual essay contest 2019, "Remembering 1619 and Restoring Justice." By Gloria Amado •  400 years ago, my ancestors were kidnapped from their homes. Not only was there fear from their original captors, the Spanish, … Continue reading I am the Reality of my Ancestors’ Dreams for the Future

Robert Alexander/Getty Images By Simonne Elease Willis •  i trace america’s outline on a map, flinch when i reach the thirteen. a single prick on my fingertip. a single drop of blood falls. (the shape of a dog bares its teeth) another drop of blood falls. (the shape of a crow tilting its head) america … Continue reading My Name is Pronounced ‘Revolution’

“Beauty is a State of Mind,” - Graciela Barada By Graciela Barada •  Originally published on Cuatro Meses en Barbados •   When I was about ten or eleven years old, I became overly conscious of my body and the lens through which the world saw it. Arguably, everyone deals with fluctuations in their self-esteem, particularly … Continue reading Beauty is A State of Mind

"Having the option is freedom in which we should rejoice. In my home, I perceive everything perpetually my own Embellished in what I want, what I need, and what I choose." - Tene'sha Crews By Tene’sha Crews •  I was once told, that my body is my only perpetual home One that I rightfully and … Continue reading Perpetual Home

National Network of Abortion Funds Sister Song Sister Reach The Afiya Center Black Women for Wellness Spark ARC Southeast Feminist Women’s Health Center The Yellowhammer Fund  By Mia Birdsong •  Originally published on Medium • I sent this to many of the cis-het men I know. One of them (thanks, Mordecai!) asked me to make … Continue reading Uterus Support: A Letter to Some of My Dudes

"I was filling everybody else's cup, and not my own cup, and that's where I messed up," - Kenidra R. Woods By Kenidra R. Woods •  Depression. You and I were once close. And it’s so ironic that you were the one who hurt me the most. And I don’t mean to boast, but I’m … Continue reading My Raw Thoughts On Depression

Leigh Vogel and Bethany Edwards (Dress: TheMaddyCo) By Havana Chapman-Edwards •  Speech at the Global Climate Strike on May 24, 2019 • My name is Havana Chapman-Edwards and I am 8 years old. I am here today because sometimes democracy looks like disagreement. I can’t sit in my classroom learning about our government when the government … Continue reading You are Never Too Little to Make a Difference

“When he does terrible things, another man shrugs his shoulders, I’m one of the good ones though, not all of us are like this. And he can say that because men is such a big broad term and it’s unfair to use a brush under which a whole gender might be painted,” – Quincy Evans By Quincy Evans … Continue reading Trigger Warning

Peathegee Inc/Getty Images By NaVosha Copeland •  Hello, mother, Hello, friend, Hello, sister, How you been? I love you so much. You’re so strong and so kind and so sweet. Your melanin mixes so well with your bright white teeth. Your high cheekbones And chocolate brown skin Greets me, warms me, and welcomes me To … Continue reading An Affirmation to Black Girls

Photo courtesy of S.O.N.G By Taneasha White, Brooke Taylor, Sarmistha Talukdar and Rebecca Wooden Keel of Southerners on New Ground •  Mother’s Day inspires images of family, bonding and care. May 12 is right around the corner, and many of us will be spending the day with our family. However, we forget that many Black … Continue reading Black Mama’s Bail Out Day Is Freeing Incarcerated Black Women In Richmond, Virginia For Mother’s Day

Art by Stephanie Younger By Stephanie Younger •  Even though Black youth and youth of color - especially Indigenous youth - are the most affected communities by climate change, and have been combating this issue for a very long time, our voices are always excluded and left out of the conversation and action surrounding climate change. Similar to the fight against gun violence, … Continue reading Our Liberation Must Be Centered In the Climate Justice Movement

"A community that prioritizes racial solidarity at the expense of the safety of young girls and women is an unstable and unsafe one." Anonymous • Peace and love, how y'all feel? Sisters, how y'all feel? Brothers, y'all alright?-Erykah Badu Black men have to grow a politic around gender based violence. Y'all need to know how … Continue reading The Mandate for Black Men

"It’s happening in the streets, it’s happening in war. And then It bleeds into schools, and into churches and what for? I don’t know. But I do know that hate is at the roots. Poisoning the branches and rotting the fruit. It is not okay." - Tene'sha Crews By Tene'sha Crews •  “It has happened … Continue reading It Has Happened Again

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zjj1PmJcRM By Raina Cornish •  Racial profiling, “color blindness”, racist crimes, hatred. These are all issues that are making the world more divided than ever. People always say that we need to stop history from repeating itself, but how can we stop it if we continue to add fuel to the fire of racism and … Continue reading Review: MTV’s Documentary “White People”

"I realize that even though I want to hold strong American pride The more things that I see pulled out of the dark, the more that I want to hide Then I think about the news, and that long list, how in my brain burned their name How the pictures that they broadcasted seemed to … Continue reading Don’t Forget

"A Poem About Hair," by Tene'sha Crews By Tene'sha Crews •  Had Her Hate for Her Hair been cultivated or passed down? Passed through words like “nappy” and “needing of a perm Ignoring the monthly visits of that scalp stinging burn Like first it was grandmother, then mother, now it’s your turn To gradually detest … Continue reading A Poem About Hair

"I strongly believe that “a seat at the table” isn’t enough. If you are not “eating,” then it is pointless. At the end of the day, a Black boy from Chicago and a white girl from Parkland need to be able to sit at a decision-making table and bounce back ideas on how to end … Continue reading Reflecting on Intersectionality in the Gun Violence Prevention Movement

"Few spaces exist where I feel I belong, and it is an exhaustive way to live. That being said, I still love being Black and queer and I am very proud to have made it this far." Anonymous • In the third grade, I remember standing in the lunch line waiting for cheap spaghetti and … Continue reading Living at the Intersections of Anti-Black Racism and Queerphobia

Erin Edgerton/VCU Capital News Service By Stephanie Younger •  This article was edited and re-published on Reforming America on April 2, 2019 •  Nearly a year ago, I was given the opportunity to deliver a speech at the March For Our Lives in Richmond, Virginia, which led to being quoted in multiple local news outlets, … Continue reading Black Youth Have Been Combating Gun Violence for Generations

Rachel Stewart Jewelry By Jourdan Lobban •  This article was re-published on Afroféminas Magazine on October 18, 2019. •  February 2nd was Groundhog Day, although one little critter can’t possibly change the swirling halo of frigid cold we must all endure (insert sad face). It’s also one of the few precious days making up Black … Continue reading A Love Letter to Black Girls

"Black Womanhood is only exalted if it’s in servitude for someone else. Why are almost all popular depictions have Black women having to be super-humans?" - Atari Gems By Atari Gems •  I'm exhausted. My mother tells me to slow down. Drink more water. Cut back on the things. Limit time on social media. Go … Continue reading For Black Girls Who Are Tired, but Rest Isn’t Enough

Howard Sochurek/Getty Images By Stephanie Younger •  In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King wrote in his "Letter From a Birmingham Jail," "I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride towards freedom is not the White Citizens Counciler, or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who … Continue reading An Open Essay About My Experiences with the White Moderate

"Where liberal feminism is shallow, intersectional feminism is deep; where liberal feminism lacks, intersectional feminism compensates; where liberal feminism seeks to reform, intersectional feminism seeks to reconstruct," - Roshaé M. Lowe By Roshaé M. Lowe •  Liberal feminism (often interchangeable with humanist feminism 1According to feministhumanists.org, a feminist humanist (or humanist feminist) “aggressively challenges the … Continue reading Reconstruction Over Reformation: The Argument Against Liberal Feminism’s Relevance

"My Confessions," by Kolby Whack By Kolby Whack •  I am a nonconformist. Semi conservative liberalist, Broken binary Gender role hating, Masculinity equals femininity generalist non institutionalized Institutionalized soldier 2 + 2 = 5 if you give me the paper Time is an illusion, and atoms create evens But Eve is Adam, her rib is … Continue reading My Confessions

Erin Edgerton By Chelsea Higgs Wise •  It’s been a few days since the Women’s March RVA, and as motivated as I am to build; my passion is to amplify narratives of persistence for Black women. I understand that dismantling the patriarchy will take bulldozers of disruption as well as barriers of sustainable resistance. With … Continue reading Masculinity Over Everything

Olympic Swimmer Simone Manuel. Photo by NBC Universal Media/LLC By Zakkiyya Anderson •  Teach our Black children to swim Take them to the ocean and show them life has no bounds Teach Black children to read and to explore more than the outside of their broken door Give them tangible hope Dreams that aren’t just riddled in fables Show them they are … Continue reading Teach Black Children to Swim

Art by Mary Syloria By Fallen Matthew •  Life just keeps getting better and better for me. I have been afflicted with inexplicable symptoms and anxiety surrounding them for the past decade—all of which were either downplayed or dismissed by my MD, an upper-middle class white man generations removed from mine, despite a CT scan … Continue reading What You Need: My Experience Being Dismissed by my Doctor

Victoria N. McGovern By Stephanie Younger • Speech at Women's March RVA + Expo 2019 • At an age where I was extremely self-conscious about the way I looked as a Black girl, people would rather comment on my body than my intellect. At age 14, people attempted to stop me from pursuing my dreams … Continue reading Creating our Own Tables: Why I am More Included in the Womanist Movement

"Protect My Olive: How Policies Around Gender Binaries Affect the Portrayal of Black Womxns' Olives Within Family Planning Commercials," by Jameelah Lewis By Jameelah Lewis •  "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me," these are just a few that every person bullied to stay strong, but the question in … Continue reading Protect My Olive: How Policies Around Gender Binaries Affect the Representation of The Black Women’s Olive Within Family Planning Commercials

Photo courtesy of John Hamilton/Visual Editor By Daylisha Reid •  I grew up in a family with liberal viewpoints. As a child I had a basic, uninformed understanding of politics: Republicans are racist and influenced policies that benefited the wealthy, and kept the poor stagnant; Democrats are not racist, they are progressive human rights influencers … Continue reading 5 Ways “Nice” Racism Shows Up in Progressive Communities

Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America By Mei-Ling Ho-Shing •  On February 14, 2018, my school, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, came face-to-face with gun violence. On that day I was on the 2nd floor of the Freshman building, the same building we lost 17 of our MSD Eagles. I hid behind my teacher’s desk holding my classmate's … Continue reading What Armed Teachers and Police Presence Mean for Black Youth

“We as Black women have been a group that has been portrayed in so many forms we must struggle to be seen in any other way. In the terms of feminism, the Black mothers who helped give life to a movement are scattered throughout our literature being what is seen as “minor characters,” while supporting … Continue reading A Look into the Women Behind Intersectional Feminism

Lacy Atkins/The Tennessean By Stephanie Younger • When she was 16, Cyntoia Brown lived in a hotel with an adult who sexually enslaved her, assaulted her, and threatened her. In 2004, another white man who sexually enslaved and abused Brown, and often intimidated her with guns. Out of fear, she shot him, was arrested, tried … Continue reading #FreeCyntoiaBrown: Black Women Must be Centered in Conversations and Actions to End Slavery

George Kraychyk/Hulu By Kiarran T.L. Diaz •  In the age of "wokeness," TV shows, and media alike are rushing to find a way to sell their ideas to people who are tired of the nonsense. Different shows, movies, and books try to align themselves with diversity by trying to take shortcuts left and right. Producers … Continue reading Why ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ is Problematic

Stephanie Webb By Stephanie Webb •  Fight for you Fight against the indifference and the determination to assimilate Fight against your self-intolerance and the rage against your individuality No, you don’t want to I understand You feel trapped in this existence Lost in the mindset of normalization Yes, your efforts mean something to you but … Continue reading Fight for You

Jessica Holmes and Megan Landmeier Photography/Teen Vogue By Stephanie Younger •  This article was re-published on The Melanin Diary • 7-year-old student activist Havana Chapman-Edwards was the only student at her school to participate in the national school walkout to honor the victims of the 1999 Columbine school shooting. Her story went viral and captured … Continue reading Havana Chapman-Edwards on Student Activism and Black Girl Magic

"School is not a place for Black girls to be silenced, overpoliced and criminalized; we should not be oppressed anywhere. When Black girls are criminalized by their schools, excluded by their peers, profiled by teachers, and criminalized by police, they are robbed of their self worth. Neglecting and severely punishing Black girls for “having an … Continue reading Black Girls Must Matter at School

Mark Strandquist/Performing Statistics By Stephanie Younger •  On Saturday, November 3, the Richmond community joined RISE For Youth, Art 180, and Performing Statistics, to "honor the voices, dreams and demands of youth affected by the school-to-prison pipeline." The protestors, many composed of speakers, dancers, singers, poets and other performers gathered outside of Hotchkiss Community Center … Continue reading Black Youth Standing for the Closure of Youth Prisons in Virginia

Erika Doss/20th Century Fox Erika Doss/20th Century Fox By Stephanie Younger •  The Hate U Give is a film based on the acclaimed YA novel authored by Angie Thomas. Directed by George Tillman Jr., this film begins with a then 9-year-old Starr Carter (Amandla Stenberg), her younger brother, Sekani (TJ Wright), who was one year … Continue reading Film Review: The Hate U Give

Stephanie Younger By Stephanie Younger •  Art 180 is an RVA-based organization that gives marginalized young people the opportunity to create change by expressing themselves through music, poetry, dance, and more. On Friday, October 5th, they opened "Lift Us Up! Don't Push Us Out!" a mixed-reality exhibit that raises awareness about the school-to-prison pipeline, the … Continue reading “Lift Us Up, Don’t Push Us Out:” Art 180 Opens Exhibition About School Push-Out

Stephanie Younger By Stephanie Younger •  Last week, I met Princess Blanding at an art build for the upcoming National March For Justice and Reformation for Marcus-David Peters. I recently had a conversation with Blanding about demanding justice for her brother, Marcus-David Peters, who was murdered by the Richmond Police Department. Stephanie Younger: What is … Continue reading The Movement Demanding Justice For Marcus-David Peters

Dana Washington By Stephanie Younger •  On June 11, I met Patrisse Cullors briefly after she accepted the "Next Generation Award" at the ACLU National Membership Conference. Cullors is an organizer, writer and artist who co-founded Black Lives Matter Global Network and founded Dignity and Power Now. I recently interviewed the freedom fighter to reflect … Continue reading Patrisse Cullors on Art, Intersectionality, and Her Memoir

Art by Stephanie Younger By Stephanie Younger •  My painting in Art 180's gallery called "Everything is Connected" is about both the racism I experienced within the gun violence prevention community. The different colors represent the emotions I felt throughout the time I faced online harassment, and this piece has allowed me to express my … Continue reading When Black Girls are Robbed of their Innocence

Agaton Strom Photography By Stephanie Younger •  The murder of Trayvon Martin ignited a fire within a then 12-year-old Nupol Kiazolu "that [she's] never felt before." "I couldn’t fully articulate how I felt at the time, but I knew I was angry," she wrote in a post on Instagram. "A few days after your murder, … Continue reading Nupol Kiazolu on Womanism and Empowering Black Youth in the Fight for Black Lives

By Stephanie Younger •  This article was edited and re-published on the ACLU of Virginia on July 24, 2018 •  Virginia, we have a problem. We need to come to terms with our state’s history of the marginalization of the Black community. Virginia is where the first enslaved Africans were brought against their will. We … Continue reading Richmond Protestors Demand Justice for Marcus-David Peters

Teresa Younger By Stephanie Younger •  I am writing this as a young Black person who was excluded from speaking at the Virginia National School Walkout Protest at Brown's Island in Richmond, Virginia. Weeks ago, the organizers guaranteed that I could speak about police brutality, and the significance of centering Black youth who are impacted … Continue reading Why I Walked Out on My Own

"20 Things Black Girls Should Never Have to Hear or Experience" by Stephanie Younger By Stephanie Younger •  The following list is based on my real experiences with misogyny, ableism and anti-Black racism, that I’ve written on a mixed-media piece I created in a VCU Future Studio program at the VCU Arts’ Department of Sculpture … Continue reading 20 Things Black Girls Should Never Have to Hear or Experience

Church Hill People's News By Stephanie Younger •  This article was edited and re-published on the ACLU of Virginia on April 5, 2018 •  Today, I spoke at a March For Our Lives demonstration in Richmond addressing the fatal school shooting at Majory Stoneman Douglas High school in Parkland, Florida. My speech shed some light … Continue reading It’s Important to Listen to Black Girls in the Fight Against Gun Violence

Mark Strandquist/Performing Statistics By Stephanie Younger •  On the evening of Friday, November 3, hundreds in Richmond, Virginia attended the Juvenile Justice Parade, organized by RISE For Youth, Art 180 and Performing Statistics calling for the closure of youth prisons in Virginia. People began marching at City Hall, wearing silk-screen t-shirts that read, "Guide Us, … Continue reading Marching For Juvenile Justice with Art 180, Rise For Youth and Performing Statistics