How does it feel to be a threat? How does it feel to know that your life is less valued? How does it feel to know that there are people in your midst who feel and are more privileged than you by the accident of phenotype?
As a mixed-raced family in a white space, the reality is that anytime we leave our house as a family, we risk incurring the wrath of the ignorant. To partake in the joys of the first treats of spring can turn ugly without notice and, sadly, a visit to Maine's most populous city yesterday was the day when the ugly became personal.
I couldn't stop feeling like Black Girls Rock! was doing more than entertaining us. It was bonding us. Halfway into the show, Michelle Obama walked onto the stage and for some reason, I had a visceral reaction. Suddenly, I started remembering moments from my childhood.
It turns out that there is a small but increasingly visible African American discussion about disbelief in God, about the narrow sexual and cultural politics of Black churches, and about major moral problems facing us today that may not be suited to solutions from the pulpit.
Contrary to popular belief, Black people are not responsible for carrying the burden of white remorse. We are no one's moral mules and neither are we anyone's ethical scapegoats. We are more than that. Much more.
Regardless of their hardest attempts they and their families were constantly caught in this cycle -- a cycle that our country is complicit in creating, supporting and allowing to continue even when it is not functioning correctly.
always believe that speaking engagements are not about me, but the people I encounter on the journey. This time I received a gift that I was not expecting.
Chantelle Brown-Young success as a model may come as a surprise since she is afflicted with vitiligo, an autoimmune disease in which the body attacks its own pigment-producing cells. Yet her mass appeal invites reflection upon the concepts of health, impairment and disability vis-à-vis perceptions of beauty. Her international success notwithstanding, Brown-Young finds it imperative to help others appreciate beauty in its various forms. During her first appearance on America's Next Top Model, she imploringly asks "How can I show you the beauty in differences?"
Though an unprecedented amount of American student are choosing to study abroad today, the number of minority students involved in study programs is not rising proportionately. Minority students make up a small percentage of people who decide to study abroad.
If nothing is done to address this disturbing development, just as Black men's unemployment finally dips into the single digits, Black women may very well eventually pierce the double digit unemployment mark themselves.
Sexual Assault Awareness Month remains an excellent opportunity for you to honestly listen to what is being said and to lend your own voice if you feel moved to do so.
In a society where we are hit with images that range from young girls beating on each other to assaulting our elders, one must wonder and question where is the love? Where is the love for self and those around us?
it's a bit of a red herring to go from a logoed sticker on a coffee cup meant to signify a company's support of racial dialogue, to publicizing that the Starbucks campaign was attempting to solve racism in America through its "ill-equipped" frontline service workers.
The toll of the incidents have caused Gardner to develop post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD). Gardner, the sole financial provider to a heavily autistic son, has since been placed on an involuntary un-paid medical leave.
These pictures reflect a small amount of the beautiful people that share selfies each #BlackOutDay, but I hope they inspire you the way they inspire me.
While visiting Titus Kaphar's exhibition Asphalt and Chalk at Jack Shainman Gallery in Chelsea, New York in early February, I was struck by the power, simplicity and deceptive ordinariness of two small panels, a diptych, near the entrance.
I am beyond disbelief that even though there is a glaring problem with the policies of policing in New York City, coupled with an inherently flawed justice system, not one new law has been passed since a father of four was choked out on a hot, summer day last July in Staten Island.
Video or no video, prompt investigation and appropriate action following a police shooting -- just as with any possible crime -- should be the rule nationwide, not the exception. But these incidents are more than just bad-apple cops: The problem of unjustified lethal force is endemic.