This is a monologue/poem, I like to call it a “monopoem”. It’s mean to be recited by a woman speaking with a Jamaican accent. Imagine that she has bright colorful clothing, and is skipping through the streets (kinda like Beyonce’s Hold Up Video). Love is like a Julie mango. Rich with sweetness but not just any type ah sweetness. It distinct. It different. It taste … Continue reading This Love
My mind is colonized When I look in the mirror I see two women. The FIRST is a beautiful woman. The SECOND is a beautiful BLACK woman. The second woman holds less power. She is inferior. She is stigmatized. She is beautiful but not beautiful enough. She is desirable but not desirable enough. Her brown skin is dirty–a site of pain and insecurity Her hair is … Continue reading My Mind Is Colonized
Every now and then I come face to face with the notion of compassion. I fall in love with it. I do everything I can to live it. I write about it. I went back to UWC to do a workshop on it. Compassion led me to a profound transformation during my junior year of college when I decided to significantly alter the way I felt about people … Continue reading Empathy and Compassion in Black Rights Social Justice Movements
The stinging sensation of shame Addiction Reverberating through my pain Attachment The next fix could make me quit Helpless Or leave me lifeless Continue reading Thoughts of Shame Got Me On My Knees
Toxic Toxic Toxic Relationships Know your worth Believe your truth Find yourself Save yourself Eventually Someone will love you Continue reading The Toxicity I Bring
Last Friday, the Supreme Court ruled that the 14th amendment gives LGBTQ couples “the fundamental right to marry.” This decision affects all 50 states, ending marriage equality bans that existed in the following 14 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, most of Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas. The ruling also means that same-sex couples can now adopt children regardless … Continue reading A Quick History of the Movement to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage
A Dream Named Freedom is a fictional “monopoem” (monologue/poem) about dreams, freedom, and Fred Hampton. There’s this dream I once had named Freedom But I did not know that dreams sketched on composition books and etched into diaries would take on their own lives That I could not secure them around my subtle body or mold their path with my cries They live by their … Continue reading A Dream Named Freedom
On May 15th, 2010 Kalief Browder, a 16 year old high school sophomore was walking home from a party with his friends in the Bronx when he was stopped and detained by police under suspicion of stealing a backpack. 5 years later, Kalief Browder has committed suicide. After his arrest in 2010, Kalief spent 3 years in Rikers jail waiting for a trial that never happened. Throughout that time, … Continue reading Innocent Teenager Commits Suicide After Being Placed in Solitary Confinement For Almost 22 Months
Today’s featured story focuses on a speech delivered by Tom Hayden, leader of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), at a recent conference titled “Vietnam: The Power of Protest.” This conference celebrated the many people who risked their jobs, reputations, and lives to protest the war in Vietnam. These protests led to the largest mass movement in American history. Brief Backstory: The Vietnam war was essentially a war between … Continue reading Why we cannot forget the war in Vietnam
Five of the world’s top banks have pleaded guilty to manipulating the prices of world currencies and interest rates, the most serious financial crime one can possibly commit. Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Barclays have pleaded guilty to felony antitrust violations while UBS pleaded guilty to playing a role in manipulating the Libor benchmark interest rate. These banks will pay a total … Continue reading Big Banks Plead Guilty to Rigging World Currencies
