Dear Mr. Creekmur (& Similarly Distressed HipHop Daddies), I want to start by saying thank you for taking the time to put your thoughts about the Nicki Minaj poster down on paper. I know this may have been a difficult subject to discuss out in the open so I appreciate the risk you took by “going there.” As a parent it is clear that your words were at least partially … [Read more...]
Relax, Relate, Release…Repeat!
Focus on the Important Things Remember that episode of A Different World when Whitley Gilbert (played by Jasmine Guy), couldn't get over the fact that her rich, ex-boyfriend Julian had moved on? In this scene (which you can see in the clip below) Whitley (who always had a capacity for les dramatics) tries to get over him and sees a shrink who whips her into shape with a dose … [Read more...]
Natural Hair: Win, Lose, or Draw?
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The Win Like many of you I was thrilled when I saw Tamron Hall, the first Black woman to co-anchor the Today Show, make her natural hair debut on the air. #BlackTwitter collectively lost its mind as we ooh’d and ahh’d over Hall’s natural hairstyle. Even White folks got on board and supported her curly girl look. The Today show took the nerve-wrenching step of polling … [Read more...]
Sarah, Your Natural Hair Ain’t Like Mine. And That’s Ok.
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Black people are not brown skinned White people. The collective experiences that shape the broader Black community’s experiences are not brown versions of the collective experiences of White people. I’ve quoted this sentiment before but feel it requires repeating ever so often. Last week I stumbled upon an…uh…interesting article on Curly Nikki’s website. The article caught … [Read more...]
Uncle Sam Doesn’t Want the Real You
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(Unless He Can’t Get Anyone Else to Fight in His Wars) When creating a war ready military unit, the concept of “uniformity” is important. But concepts of uniformity do not exist in a vacuum. When military norms have their roots in a society that is permeated with a racist ideology (one that says Whiteness and all things associated with it are superior and that Blackness and … [Read more...]