Posts Categorized: Civic Engagement
The Border, The Wall, and Reproductive Rights
I hear them say ‘go home’; I hear them say ‘fucking immigrants, fucking refugees’. Are they really this arrogant? Do they not know that stability is like a lover with a sweet mouth upon your body one second; the next you are a tremor lying on the floor covered in rubble and old currency waiting for its return. All I can say is, I was once like you, the apathy, the pity, the ungrateful placement and now my home is the mouth of a shark, now my home is the barrel of a gun. I’ll see you on the other side.” ― Warsan Shire, Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth Immigrants and refugees. Two communities that face disenfranchisement and discrimination due to factors they couldn’t control. Whether it be… Read more »
“Stranger Fruit” and the Quest to Prove Black Innocence
Two and a half years following the murder of unarmed eighteen-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, “new” case details have surfaced. Three new potential pieces of evidence have emerged: that Wilson used the N-word, that Brown may not have attacked Wilson or reached for the gun, and most notably, that Brown didn’t rob the Ferguson Market. The dominant, public understanding of the case is one of a demonic, Hulk Hogan-esque Brown committing a strong-armed robbery and assaulting a police officer whom then purportedly shot and killed Brown to save his own life. In video footage released by documentarian Jason Pollock; however, he argues that the video challenges the police (and public) narrative by dispelling the myth of the corner store robbery. The video, part of Pollock’s documentary “Stranger Fruit” shows… Read more »
Where Do We Go
Since my acceptance into graduate schools, I’ve been vocalizing my excitement about moving out of the South and into a liberal metropolitan area (which are still problematic and implicit in racial and economic segregationist practices), where I’ll be in community with like-minded individuals and not be seen as the odd person out because I believe in gender neutral restrooms. Which, if you are from the South or spend time here, you know exactly what I’m talking about. While daydreaming of being in queer women of color-dominated spaces and not constantly having to fight individuals and committees about equality and equity for traditionally oppressed groups, I was brought back to reality with one question. Who is going to fight for vulnerable communities if everyone leaves? My social work professor has been… Read more »
A Day Without a Woman and the Politics of Feminist Protest
Following the highly publicized and widely controversial Women’s Marches across America, the next event from the same organization had been announced as A Day without Women. The premise is very simple; what would happen if women did nothing? Literally — a day with none of the labor, emotional support, or aid from women. It is meant to serve as a wake up call, saying “Hey, we’re here too” and pushing everyone to be inconvenienced in just a fraction of the way that women are being inconvenienced by multiple policies. During the day, women are encouraged to wear red, avoid labor of any kind, and avoid buying anything but local products. We won’t be able to tell until the day after to see how much of a disrupt this will cause… Read more »
Women’s History Month
I’m a black woman, and I love my blackness and womanhood. This self-love allows me to have yet another month of celebrating the characteristics that make me me. This past February, aka Black History Month, was 30 days of witnessing Beyoncé glorify black motherhood, black love overcome white mediocrity at the Oscars, black women legislators clapping back at the Trump Administration’s policies, and expressions of the multifaceted experiences of being black in America. Just yesterday, I transitioned into a month where predominantly white women’s accomplishments are celebrated, like the suffrage movement securing the right to vote (even though they excluded black women for their efforts due to white supremacy), feminism (that did not include black women, despite y’all’s fave saying she learned it from black women), and reproductive rights (which led… Read more »
#SorryNotSorry: Bush Doesn’t Get a Pass
As outrage and protests surrounding abortion access, race relations and trans bathroom laws continue one month into Trump’s presidency, we are reminded how his administration resembles a dictatorship. Just days after rejecting ties to Russia, and claiming “all media is fake because so much of the media is fake,” Trump refused to allow CNN, the New York Times, and other news outlets to have access to press briefings. Not only does this limit the amount of opinions on the press briefings, it is harmful to our civil liberties and undermines the 1st Amendment. As the first conservative president we’ve had in eight years, it’s inevitable that people have already made uninformed comparisons of Trump to former president, George W. Bush. Memes that mocked Bush’s battle with a poncho at Trump’s inauguration and TV… Read more »
Black Women & Black History: Say Her Name
It’s that time of the year again: Black History Month. It may be 2017, but it’s obvious that the nation is still divided on the reason why we have a month set aside to honor the accomplishments and resilience of African Americans and other people of color in white spaces. Black history empowers the black community, since the descendants of slaves wear the mental chains of slavery and the descendants of slave owners continue to reap the benefits. In many history classes, educators, professors and social justice scholars work to educate the masses about the ongoing struggle for civil rights. However, some fail to mention the legacy of black women. Throughout history, black women have been told to take the backseat to the accomplishments of black men, and that they… Read more »
“Diet Activism”: Why Subtle Celebrity Politics Gotta Go
The date is February 10th, 2017 and subtle celebrity politics are. Officially. Dead. At least they are for me. There is no way in hell I will force myself to go through the slew of articles and “think pieces” about why Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl halftime show was “so political omg.” Or why a television show’s cast gave a moving speech at a ritzy awards show that is somehow suppose to touch even the most grizzly of us. It’s tired, trivial, and often overshadows the work of those who are actively putting their lives on the line to make concrete change. Don’t get me wrong, I love celebrities. Pop culture flows through my veins, pumping straight from my superficial heart just like plenty of young adults. I spend countless hours each… Read more »
The 10 Best Things About the Women’s March on Washington
Like most college women, I voted in my first presidential election this cycle. When I completed my ballot, filling the empty circle next to “Hillary Rodham Clinton” with a wish, I thought, “I couldn’t be more blessed — my first presidential vote could help elect the first female president of the United States.” My four female housemates shared my feeling of privilege. Fast forward to Jan. 21, 2017. Day 1 of Trump’s America. Alongside hundreds of thousands of women, my housemates and I marched on Washington to demonstrate our refusal to “go gentle into that [not-so] good night.” 1. The energy When my friend Elena suggested we bring cough drops to the march, I thought she was being a little extra. But surrounded by hundreds of thousands of impassioned, inspired… Read more »
The Pussy March, or the Women’s March?
This year has really shown me the power of the white woman. In a matter of months, they have accomplished some very… interesting things: 1. 53% elected a white supremacist for president 2. cute, nifty DIY safety pins to “show solidarity” (thanks Pinterest!) 3. an endless supply of Tomi Lahren look alikes Unfortunately, in spite of all of this burgeoning creativity, they have been unable to part with their trans-exclusionary (TERF) ways. As demonstrated by the Women’s March, if you want white women to show up and show out, the issue must be malleable enough to make it about them. If it can’t be made about white women’s genitals (and believe me, they will try), they won’t care about it. Following Trump’s well-populated inauguration, thousands of people took to the… Read more »