By Chloe • Opportunity, social mobility and economic success is determined by one’s ability to fulfill the linguistic expectations of a white British society. Living in London, I often witness the ways in which English speakers are favored, seen as the norm and given access to linguistic capital. Continue Reading
5 Years of Black Feminist Collective
Yesterday—May 5, 2022—marks 5 years since Black Feminist Collective was created. We are an intergenerational collective of Black feminists and womanists across the diaspora who stand for Black liberation in … Continue reading 5 Years of Black Feminist Collective
Colorism vs. Blackfishing: Two Opposing Ideas that Co-exist in Parallel
By Yadiara Gonzalez • Originally published on Afroféminas • Continue Reading
Social Movements and Neoliberalism
By Alejandra Pretel • Originally published on Afroféminas • Continue Reading
How Dreadlocks Healed my Hair Trauma
By Yasmeen Jaaber • Originally published on Medium • In March 2020, when my Junior year ended, there was little I had control over. I thought of the future and saw either fire and dying or nothing at all. I struggled with feeling any difference in the days and I needed something to give the calendar on my wall meaning. Continue Reading
Black Futurity in the Aftermath of Ahmaud Arbery Case
By Kevin A. Blanks • Finally, in the aftermath of Ahmaud Arbery’s trial, I am able to exhale. I didn’t even realize I was holding my breath until the verdict came in and the jury declared Arbery’s killers guilty for his murder. It should feel like a victory, but it doesn’t. Continue Reading
Reflections on Black Motherhood
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 … Continue reading Reflections on Black Motherhood
Slavery and Medical Advances
By Elvira Swartch Lorenzo • Originally published on Afroféminas • There is an untold story between slavery and medicine and the decisive role that enslaved Africans, both living and dead, play in the development of medical advances. Continue Reading
To Better Understand Racial Trauma, MU Expert says We must Also Acknowledge Skin Tone
Originally published on MIZZOU Magazine • Continue Reading
Medical Education’s Colonialist Nature
By Micaela Stevenson • Colonialism has been defined by scholar activists as the process in which a group of people is dominated or subjugated by another group of people. This most commonly occurs between two ethnic groups or tribes, but may also occur between different genders or sexuality.
Continue Reading
Stratified Reproduction in Medicine
By Micaela Stevenson • “Stratified reproduction” as defined by Shellee Cohen is the practice in which a society assigns value to offspring and therefore reproductive capacity of different groups of people. While commonly race or socioeconomically based, this can be based on any category into which we can divide people. Continue Reading
A Conversation with Taylor Scott, Founder of RVA Community Fridge
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 and collect food. Continue Reading
Thoughts on Texturism
Anonymous • Originally written in January 2020 • Continue Reading
Teach-In: In Commemoration of Black August
Thank you to everyone who participated in our Black August commemoration teach-in!
Black August 2021 Resource List
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. Continue Reading
Stereotypes Make it Difficult for Black Women to Get Adequate Mental Heath Care
By Elvira Swartch Lorenzo • Originally published on Afroféminas • 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 I would feel more comfortable working with a Black therapist, and I also knew that where I lived would make it difficult, if not impossible. Continue Reading
How Politics Should Reflect on the Colonial Past and Why it’s So Important
By Carlota Memba Aguado • Originally published on Afroféminas • 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. Continue Reading
A Review of “The Tiger Flu” by Larissa Lai
By Chloe Dunston • The Tiger Flu is set in the year 2145, which author Larissa Lai depicts as a “time after oil” divided by factions, gender, disease and technology. After years of greedy leadership, environmental degradation, and the exhaustion of fossil fuels, Saltwater City and its outskirts stand alone in what was formerly Vancouver, Canada. Continue Reading
Bisi Ideraabdullah of the Imani House On Community Care
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. Continue Reading
A Conversation with Ruby Sales
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 ... Continue Reading
Dispute the Questions: Reflections on Non-Hegemonic Feminism in Latin America
By Mariana Álvarez Castillo • Originally published on Afroféminas • 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
Bodies and Forcefulness: The Experience of Blackness in the work of Delphine Desane
By Mariana Álvarez Castillo • Originally published on Afroféminas • 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 makes visible the Black corporality that surrounds her, from a place that involves the intimate, the meditative and the forceful. Continue Reading
Black Mommas
"Black Mommas," by Tanya Barnett Continue Reading
The Movement Fighting for LGBTQ+ Liberation in Ghana
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 the fight for their liberation. Continue Reading
Abused Womb of the Margin
Anonymous • Trigger warning: Language of abuse Continue Reading
To My Relative Who Called The Police
Anonymous • Content Warning: Mentions of suicide and self-harm, and descriptions of ableism and anti-Blackness. Continue Reading
10 Readings Authored by Black Feminists and Abolitionists
10 Readings Authored by Black Feminists and Abolitionists Continue Reading
Prioritizing Promises over Pennies: The Exploitation of Black Trauma for Profit
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
No One Should ‘Enjoy Things’ at the Expense of Black Lives
By Stephanie Younger • During an uprising in defense of Black life calling for the abolition of the police state and the carceral state, it seemed that liberals who were saying "listen to Black women," were solely speaking in reference to Black women who do the labor of "saving our Democracy." Continue Reading
Remembering Martin Luther King Jr. as a Radical Dreamer
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. Continue Reading
Demonizing Human Movement: Criminalizing Immigrants in the United States
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. Continue Reading
New York City School Integration, An Urban Legend
By Kayla Alexandria Dorancy • If I were to ask you when New York City schools were integrated, what would you tell me? 1954 right? Continue Reading
On the Ancestral Blessing of a Union
"On the Ancestral Blessing of a Union," by Yemi Miller-Tonnet Continue Reading
Black Women and Girls Must Be Protected When We Are Alive
By Teresa Younger • Content warning: Mentions of sexual violence and murder • Continue Reading
Reflections on Activism in 2020
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?" Continue Reading
A Tale of Two Schools: Brooklyn College Edition
By Marissa Mann • "A Tale of Two Schools: Brooklyn College Edition" Continue Reading
SSD: A Timeline of Dealing with Single Sided Deafness
By Riss • 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) Continue Reading
Slipping into My Pre-Pandemic Pants
By Riss • Riss reflects on her body’s change during the pandemic. (Sep. 2020) Continue Reading
What Alice Walker’s Definition of Womanism Taught Me in 2020
By Stephanie Younger •
Review: Little Fires Everywhere
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 … Continue Reading
A Hummingbird in the Palm: The Impact of Racism on Black Women’s Mental Health
By Joyce Hounkanrin • I hate mornings, yet I make a promise to myself to be up early. This … Continue Reading
How America Believed the Coronavirus Proved the Existence of Educational Inequity
By Kayla Alexandria Dorancy • "How America Believed the Coronavirus Proved the Existence of Educational Inequity." Continue Reading
Call-to-Action Update: Making Classrooms Equitable for Black and Brown Students in Virginia
By Skyla Bailey • A Message to Virginia Department of Education (VDOE): Continue Reading
Black People Can’t Wait Every Four Years for Our Liberation
By Stephanie Younger • 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." Continue Reading
Colleges Pretend to Care about Black People
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, equity, and justice. In their quest for absolution, these sentiments have increasingly become cliché and disingenuous. Continue Reading
Call-to-Action: Making Classrooms Equitable for Black and Brown Students In Virginia
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. Continue Reading
How I Found My Own Garden
By Shontrice 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… Continue Reading
Who is Solidarity For: Intra-Racial Solidarity for True Black Liberation
By Kahlia Phillips • “Who is solidarity for?” was a question posed by Ebony Donnley, the partner of Ericka Hart, in an IG live show and I’ve been pondering this question ever since. Our priorities around who we, as Black people, engage in solidarity with are not in order and it’s time that we change that. Continue Reading
Pain Poem
"Pain Poem," by Alexandra Brown Continue Reading
Reflections on Black Suffering, Grief and Re-imagining Freedom
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 the Excavation of Freedom Now’. Continue Reading
A Letter of Urgency
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 was like trauma to the soul. I fell silent, as I screamed. I am filled, consumed and embroidered with rage. Continue Reading
Sista, Be Free
"Sista, Be Free," by Tanya Barnett Continue Reading
Giving Birth While Black
By Joyce Hounkanrin • "Do you want her?" The white nurse’s name was Millie and she proposed this question with regard to the impending birth of my daughter. I had voiced one fear. Continue Reading
The Secret Language of Black Women
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 our tears. Our language is revealed in our loving; our food; and our mothering. Continue Reading
Reconciliation
"Reconciliation," by Tanya Barnett Continue Reading
My Blackness
"My Blackness," Tanya Barnett Continue Reading
Church Sestina
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. Continue Reading
An Open Letter to the “What About”s
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. Continue Reading
A Black Feminist Resource List
In light of the uprisings in defense of Black life, Black Feminist Collective has created a list of resources, including books, media, and organizations to support in the fight for Black liberation. Continue Reading
The Pain Of Anger
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 space. My friend, who is of Afro-Latinx descent, is married to a Black man who is also a very good friend. Continue Reading
The Fight For Black Lives will not be Palatable: On Liberal Co-Optation of Anti-Racism
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 these past few weeks and I had no idea what to speak about. Continue Reading
The President Called My People “Thugs”
The President Called My People "Thugs," by Lux Aghomo Continue Reading
Maintaining Solidarity in the Black Community in the Face of COVID-19
By Giovanna Adams • We’ve all heard the sentiment, "we're all in this together" 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. Continue Reading
The Movement that Cancelled R. Kelly
By Stephanie Younger • Content warning: This article has mentions of sexual violence. By Stephanie Younger • Could a hashtag topple the career of a popular artist? Continue Reading
6 Ways I Have Faced Anti-Blackness By White Liberals in Organizing Spaces
By Stephanie Younger • Each time white liberals convinced me to work amongst them in organizing spaces, it never took me too long to realize that I was being exploited. Continue Reading
Remembering my Father
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 Summer Olympics, a world event that draws spectators by the million. Continue Reading
The Backlash Against “Karen” Memes is Peak White Feminism
By Stephanie Younger • In late January, I was scrolling through my Facebook news feed during my break in between college lectures when I came across a blog post, in which the author claims that referring to a white woman as a "Karen" is "misogynistic," make white women feel "invisible" ... Continue Reading
Equity Beyond COVID-19: Why we Shouldn’t go Back to the Beginning
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
The Long Legacy of Anti-Blackness within the Feminist Movement
By Stephanie Younger • This year, a Black Lives Matter chapter in Los Angeles, California was excluded by the Women’s March in LA. In an article for LA Progressive, Melina Abdullah, the co-founder of Black Lives Matter LA, wrote an article detailing the harm caused by the Women’s March. Continue Reading
Gone.
"Gone," by Raina Cornish Continue Reading
Why I am not “Voting Blue No Matter Who”
By Stephanie Younger • When I learned that 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden won 10 states on Super Tuesday on March 3rd, I couldn't help but think of his political legacy of fighting for segregation, and the criminalization of Black youth. Continue Reading
Hermosos Tontos
"Hermosos Tontos," by Raina Cornish Continue Reading
What I Want to See for the Future
"What I Want to See for the Future," by Amaya Madarang Continue Reading
The Mataculebra: The Ultimate Expression of Slavery in the Carnival of Tenerife
The Mataculebra: The Ultimate Expression of Slavery in the Carnival of Tenerife • Originally published on Afroféminas Continue Reading
Be Silence
"Be Silence," by Nchedochukwu Ezeokoli Continue Reading
Token
"Token," by Summar McGee Continue Reading
Water
"Water" by Sahana Kapumba Continue Reading
How Gender Stereotypes Intersect with Anti-Black Racism
By Stephanie Younger • Do the ways we talk about gender stereotypes represent the struggles we all go through? Continue Reading
Is it Open Season on Natural Hair?
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 … Continue Reading
4 Reasons Why the Pages of Alcoy are Violent
By Elvira Swartch Lorenzo • Originally published on Afroféminas • It doesn't matter what you think you are trying to represent, or that you may think you're entertaining children. It doesn't matter if it's a tradition; if you paint yourself in a color that is not your's, it's racist. Continue Reading
How the Mental Health Stigma Harms Black Youth
Anonymous • Content Warning: Mentions of self-harm Continue Reading
The Terrifying Future of Autonomy
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. Continue Reading
Riding Rising Waters
"Riding Rising Waters" by Jourdan Lobban Continue Reading
Book Review: “Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future” by A.S King
"Glory O'Brien's History of the Future" by A.S King, reviewed by Jourdan Lobban Continue Reading
Why We Skip the Middle
By Jourdan Lobban • 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... Continue Reading
Analysis: The Impact of Policing on Black and Brown Mothers and Children
By Stephanie Younger • Are all people in America served and protected by the law? Continue Reading
Queer Windows in Dembow Music
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 people and trans women, who have become huge stars in their own right. Continue Reading
An Excerpt from the E-Book, “The Therapeutic Alliance Handbook”
"The Therapeutic Alliance Handbook," by TrayCee Truth Continue Reading
Broken Tree
"Broken Tree," by Kiarran T. L. Diaz Continue Reading
Song of Harvest
By Shelby Moring • She’s so relaxed. That hazy daydream of myself that I conjure, praying on her to materialize any day now... Continue Reading
Nine Phases: Black Women Crying in the Bathroom
By Krystal Tang • Take initiative - Okay here I go! I did it. Oh I did it slightly wrong...a different way? I didn’t do it right? Oops. Let me learn. Give me another chance? Teach me so I can grow.... “No”. Continue Reading
Spots on the Rug
"Spots on the Rug," by Joshua Redd Continue Reading
How The School System is Failing Black Students
By Sharayah Alkire • Throughout American History systems have been built up to bring down Black people in many ways. Some of these systems have been legal and widespread, being used across the nation. One of these being the school's systems. Continue Reading
The Role of Black Women in the Fight to Ratify the Equal Rights Amendment
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 often overlooked. Continue Reading
Birmingham Burning
By Ayana Graham • A Poem Inspired by John Coltrane’s “Alabama.” Continue Reading
Oppression Expression: Answering Zora Neale and Mother Lorde
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. Continue Reading
Botham Jean: When Your Politics Present a Challenge
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 own home. Continue Reading
To All the Men Who Have Fetishized Me Before
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 at all just my preference" ... Continue Reading
Crown Her With Many Crowns
By Ryan Edward Perry • Originally published on The Backlight Blog • Continue Reading
An Excerpt From the Upcoming Novel “Of Cats and Women”
"Of Cats and Women," by Brittany Jeter Continue Reading
Fire and Mud
"Fire and Mud," by Kiarran T.L Diaz Continue Reading
Black Music
"Black Music," by Baletica Genous Continue Reading
Stage 2
"Stage 2" – Nelle Jones Continue Reading
Two Poets
"Two Poets," by Quincy Evans Continue Reading
Mightier
"Mightier," by Tene'sha Crews Continue Reading
Mother Nature Does Not Discriminate. America Does
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. Continue Reading
We Safeguard the Peace the Enslaved Africans Dared Only Dream About
Collaboration with the Richmond Peace Education Center's annual essay contest, "Remembering 1619 and Restoring Justice." • By Sarah Mathew Continue Reading
I am the Reality of my Ancestors’ Dreams for the Future
Collaboration with the Richmond Peace Education Center's annual essay contest, "Remembering 1619 and Restoring Justice." • By Gloria Amado Continue Reading
My Name is Pronounced ‘Revolution’
"My Name is Pronounced 'Revolution,'" by Simonne Elease Willis • Continue Reading
Beauty is A State of Mind
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 in regards to body image and especially during puberty, a confusing time of uncertainty and change. Continue Reading
Perpetual Home
"Perpetual Home," by Tene'sha Crews Continue Reading
Uterus Support: A Letter to Some of My Dudes
"Uterus Support: A Letter to Some of My Dudes," by Mia Birdsong By Mia Birdsong • Originally published on Medium • I sent this to many of the cis-het men I … Continue reading Uterus Support: A Letter to Some of My Dudes
My Raw Thoughts On Depression
"My Raw Thoughts on Depression," by Kenidra R. Woods Continue Reading
You are Never Too Little to Make a Difference
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 isn’t taking my future seriously. Continue Reading
Trigger Warning
"Trigger Warning," by Quincy Evans Continue Reading
An Affirmation to Black Girls
"An Affirmation to Black Girls," by NaVosha Copeland Continue Reading
Black Mama’s Bail Out Day Is Freeing Incarcerated Black Women In Richmond, Virginia For Mother’s Day
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 women will spend this day in cages, just because they don't have enough money to pay bail. Continue Reading
Our Liberation Must Be Centered In the Climate Justice Movement
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. Continue Reading
The Mandate for Black Men
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. Continue Reading
It Has Happened Again
"It Has Happened Again," by Tene'sha Crews Continue Reading
Review: MTV’s Documentary “White People”
Review: MTV's Documentary "White People" • By Raina Cornish Continue Reading
Don’t Forget
"Don't Forget," by Tene'sha Crews Continue Reading
A Poem About Hair
"A Poem About Hair," by Tene'sha Crews Continue Reading
Reflecting on Intersectionality in the Gun Violence Prevention Movement
By Mei-Ling Ho-Shing • According to the Oxford Dictionaries, Intersectionality means, “the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage." Continue Reading
Living at the Intersections of Anti-Black Racism and Queerphobia
Anonymous • In the third grade, I remember standing in the lunch line waiting for cheap spaghetti and old milk. I would look at the other girls in line and think about how pretty they were. And then I’d tell myself to stop being gay. "Stop it, stop it, stop it." Continue Reading
Black Youth Have Been Combating Gun Violence for Generations
By Stephanie Younger • March 24th marks the first anniversary of the March For Our Lives movement, whose mission is to “end gun violence, elect morally just leaders into office and remind the world that young people have the power to drive real change.” Continue Reading
A Love Letter to Black Girls
By Jourdan Lobban • 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 History Month. Continue Reading
For Black Girls Who Are Tired, but Rest Isn’t Enough
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 to the gym I’m passionate about. However seems like the work keeps stacking and stacking. I step back and scale it back then feel guilty. Continue Reading
An Open Essay About My Experiences with the White Moderate
By Stephanie Younger • The most crushing racism I experienced was by the white moderate, who claims to be an ally, or an accomplice, until proven otherwise. Continue Reading
Reconstruction Over Reformation: The Argument Against Liberal Feminism’s Relevance
By Roshaé M. Lowe • Liberal feminism (often interchangeable with humanist feminism has very little relevance today. Times have changed and gender is no longer regarded as the lone oppressive factor for women. Continue Reading
My Confessions
“My Confessions,” by Kolby Whack Continue Reading
Masculinity Over Everything
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. Continue Reading
Teach Black Children to Swim
"Teach Black Children to Swim," by Zakkiyya Anderson Continue Reading
What You Need: My Experience Being Dismissed by my Doctor
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... Continue Reading
Creating our Own Tables: Why I am More Included in the Womanist Movement
By Stephanie Younger • Speech at Women's March RVA + Expo 2019 Continue Reading
Protect My Olive: How Policies Around Gender Binaries Affect the Representation of The Black Women’s Olive Within Family Planning Commercials
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 play here is, how do you stop a bully? It seems that African-Americans are picked on through the media more than any other ethnicity group or marginalized community. Continue Reading
5 Ways “Nice” Racism Shows Up in Progressive Communities
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 that create social and economic opportunities that are accessible for everyone, regardless of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. Continue Reading
What Armed Teachers and Police Presence Mean for Black Youth
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 hand, in prayer and in fright. Continue Reading
A Look into the Women Behind Intersectional Feminism
By Sharayah Alkire • By Black mothers, in many forms, are a large part of our literature, movies and society in general. They are the women standing at the forefront of the civil rights movement ... Continue Reading
#FreeCyntoiaBrown: Black Women Must be Centered in Conversations and Actions to End Slavery
By Stephanie Younger • When she was 16, Cyntoia Brown lived in a hotel with an adult ... Continue Reading
Why ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ is Problematic
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. Continue Reading
Fight for You
"Fight for You," by Stephanie Webb Continue Reading
Havana Chapman-Edwards on Student Activism
By Stephanie Younger • 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. Continue Reading
Black Girls Must Matter at School
By Stephanie Younger • In 2006, my family moved out of Charlottesville to attend school in Henrico, county outside of Richmond, Virginia. Throughout the past 12 years that I've lived here, I spent most of elementary school in HCPS, spent 3 years in private school, and returned to HCPS for part of middle school. Continue Reading
Black Youth Standing for the Closure of Youth Prisons in Virginia
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." Continue Reading
Film Review: The Hate U Give
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) ... Continue Reading
“Lift Us Up, Don’t Push Us Out:” Art 180 Opens Exhibition About School Push-Out
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. Continue Reading
The Movement Demanding Justice For Marcus-David Peters
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. Continue Reading
Patrisse Cullors on Art, Intersectionality, and Her Memoir
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. Continue Reading
When Black Girls are Robbed of their Innocence
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 ... Continue Reading
Nupol Kiazolu on Womanism and Empowering Black Youth in the Fight for Black Lives
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 in February. Continue Reading
Richmond Protestors Demand Justice for Marcus-David Peters
By Stephanie Younger • 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 … Continue reading Richmond Protestors Demand Justice for Marcus-David Peters
Why I Walked Out on My Own
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, led by the same students who organized the local March For Our Lives rally. Continue Reading
20 Things Black Girls Should Never Have to Hear or Experience
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 + Extended Media. Continue Reading
It’s Important to Listen to Black Girls in the Fight Against Gun Violence
By Stephanie Younger • 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 onto how gun violence disproportionately affects women, queer and trans people, and Black communities. Continue Reading
Marching For Juvenile Justice with Art 180, Rise For Youth and 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. Continue Reading
Richmond Marches for Racial Justice
By Stephanie Younger • On August 11-12, Klansmen, and Neo-Nazis attended the Unite the Right Rally, a demonstration against the removal of the Confederate monument. Continue Reading
Book Review: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
By Stephanie Younger • Originally published on HCPL TeenScene's Read & Review • A 16-year-old Black teen who has witnessed the two fatal shootings of her childhood best friends, tries to make sense of the world. Starr Carter witnessed the first shooting when she was ten. Continue Reading
14 Black Girls, Women & Non-binary People Every Intersectional Feminist Should Know About
By Stephanie Younger • Many institutions fail to educate people about Black liberation and the feminist movement from the narratives Black women, Black girls and Black non-binary people, who are often discredited for their work on the frontlines of Black liberation ... Continue Reading