Kenyetta
Hometown: Silver Spring, Maryland
Favorite writer: For the 20 years I've been alive I've had an issue with choosing favorites. I'd have to say my favorites of the moment are poets Warsan Shire and Rupi Kaur.
Favorite sex scene from a movie/TV/book: I've always had a deep love for the first sex scene in Love and Basketball between Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan's character. Not only is it always exciting to see black love on the big screen but I do have a sore spot for the Maxwell playing in the background.
Hidden Talent: I've always been really good at making parody versions of songs. Very Weird Al-esque.
Posts By: Kenyetta Whitfield
Friend or Foe: Believe Survivors
The Department of Justice defines sexual assault as, “any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient.” What that definition fails to encompass is what comes with sexual assault and the complexities of survivor stories. No, sexual assault is not a new topic and though it has been receiving much more attention due to sexual assult accusations coming up in the presidential election, it is still a highly stigmatized and taboo topic of discussion. I was reminded of this after hanging out with a friend and having her reveal that her assaulter attended a party in her own home. When she told me who he was and what happened I found myself feeling cold and confused. Anger washed over me and I felt… Read more »
Sooner Rather than Later: Your Guide to Early Voting
The horse is dead. It has not only been beaten to death but rather beaten, revived, and then beaten again. And that horse is people telling you to vote. Yet, even though the horse no longer exists it leaves in its afterlife a new horse, early voting. While the feeling of voting on the ever-exciting Election Day can perhaps never be replicated it is important to acknowledge the many downfalls to waiting until November 8th to vote. There are always the possible accidental flat tires or sick days which could prevent you from voting but there are also the possible restrictions imposed by nasty voter id laws that could impact you on the big day. Nothing would be more annoying and possibly devastating than standing in the huge lines at… Read more »
Shaving, Waxing, and Squeezing: The Horrors of Sex Prep
When I was in 10th grade I found myself in a particularly peculiar conversation with my grandmother. I was on my way upstairs to take a shower and I had my essentials in hand. Of those essentials one in particular stood out to her – a razor. She stared at me and said, “I’ve never shaved down there in my life and I don’t see why you need to.” Pause. Was my grandmother starting a conversation with me about her pubic hair when all I wanted to do was take a shower? Yes, yes she was. Being the angst-ridden teenager I was and still regret to this day, I scowled at her and retorted with some angry response about having hairy armpits and not caring at all about her pubic… Read more »
Turner Test: How Long is Long Enough?
Earlier this month articles started circulating about the devil himself – Brock Turner (but don’t worry this article isn’t about him). News had broken that Turner, who raped an unconscious woman, was released from jail after serving just three months of his ridiculously short six-month jail sentence. After Turner’s release, a familiar series of Facebook posts and tweets found themselves populating just about everyone’s news feed. Posts with captions like: “Brock Turner served 3 months, this black man is serving 15 years for the same crime,” hinted at the social media and cultural storm that would soon follow Brock Turner and his post-conviction life. People were, and still are, rightfully upset with the blatant racial inequality and discrimination in the criminal justice system. But this article isn’t about that either, though it is an… Read more »
Chubby Not Chastity: Guess What? I’m Fat and Want Plan B
During finals week this past April, I found myself slumped over a frequently dying PC, empty Starbucks double shots and a series of text messages about Plan B. My sole sexual partner at the time was trying to convince me that sex with condoms is lame and that au-naturale was the way to go. Now, of course the break from studying piqued my interest so I listened to his various arguments for why latex-less sex was what all the kids were doing. After a few misguided attempts to convince me, he offered up what I’m sure he saw as the winning argument: “how about I buy you Plan B afterwards.” There it was, the end all, be all of preventative methods. Except there was one flaw with this holy… Read more »
