So Black People Aren’t Sex-Crazed, Baby-Making Machines?
Much has already been discussed about single African Americans’ dating desires based on findings from a poll released earlier this month that showed how black people feel about various aspects of their lives. So enough about the romantic relationship numbers. Let’s look at another shocker: 69% percent of respondents have no children under 18, and this number accounts both for children living with them [...]
Is Segregated Literature a Good Thing?
***Update 6/11/2013: If writers of color need a space to gather, their books need a place to be sold, and their readers a space to discuss their work. That’s one of many reasons black bookstores are important, and the oldest one in the country is under threat of foreclosure. Sign the petition to keep them [...]
Am I a (Proud) Southerner?
Am I a “Southerner?” Yesterday’s Talk of the Nation made me want to say, “Yes!” I was in the car with my mom when the segment, “What Does It Mean to Be a Southerner?” aired, and nearly every time someone called in, they said something I had either just said to my mom or that [...]
How Every Christian Can Relate to Homosexuals in the Church
Last Thursday, Jeff Chu, author of the new book, “Does Jesus Really Love Me? A Gay Christian’s Pilgrimage in Search of God in America,” appeared on the Diane Rehm Show. It was the kind of interview that made me talk back to the radio and that spurned discussions with other people in the car. I [...]
Problematic Prison Panel – lessons from AWP13
I’m at the 2013 AWP Conference in Boston this week, and yesterday, I attended a session about teaching creative writing in the prison system–juvenile detention centers included. The main takeaway from the panel: a creative outlet allows people to stay in touch with their humanity even in the most seemingly hopeless of conditions. Their stories [...]
Rules for Colorblind Casting
I swear, the things I find in weekend reading. I saw a headline in my daily e-blast from The Root about a high school doing a stage production of “The Wiz” with no African Americans in the cast. (Maybe some members of the cast are another “other?” School officials claim here that there’s diversity in [...]
And It’s Still Not Funny
I wish the Academy Awards had segregated seating. They already sort of do; actors, producers and directors sit in the front, grouped by their film and/or how powerful they are in Hollywood, while screenwriters and tech designers sit in the back and get less time for their acceptance speeches. But I wish seating were segregated [...]
Feminism and the Future of Whiteness
Last week, I went to a talk entitled, “The Future of Whiteness.” Philosopher Linda Alcoff talked about how white people see themselves as they become the minority in the U.S. Unfortunately, I didn’t process all the information fast enough, and I missed the opportunity to ask Alcoff what I now think is an important question: [...]
Bringing Black Churches into Reproductive Justice
(For the first Faith & Feminism Friday of 2013, I’m a guest contributor on the “Feminism and Religion” blog. The post starts below and continues there.) I don’t expect to hear anything in church about the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade during the month of January, the month marking 40 years since the U.S. [...]
Why Race Should Matter to Pro-Choice Activists
As I progress with subsequent drafts of my book, I’ve been meeting with another writer for accountability and feedback. In a recent session, we talked—in hushed tones in a coffee shop—about my book being full of themes and situations black women don’t talk about within their own families. They may discuss these topics with [...]
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