For Harriet | Celebrating the Fullness of Black Womanhood

I’m a Grown Woman: Beyonce and Feminist Discourse

2013-05-21T15:17:00.000-04:00

by Evan Seymour

It is nothing out of the ordinary for superstar entertainer Beyonce to grace the cover of a magazine, but rarely do these appearances spark conversations around feminism. Ms. magazine, one of the oldest, most widely recognized feminist publications in existence, has selected Mrs. Carter as their spring 2013 cover girl, but not all of the magazine’s readership agree with Bey’s selection, or with her being labeled a feminist.

While looking at a few of my favorite websites, I came across Jessica Wakeman’s article for The Frisky -- Beyonce On The Cover Of Ms. Causes Controversy. After reading Wakeman’s post, I started thinking about the politics of feminism. I’m not going to spend a lot of time speaking directly about Beyonce as a feminist, because I think Wakeman, along with Tamara Winfrey Harris in a separate article for Bitch Magazine (http://bitchmagazine.org/article/all-hail-the-queen-beyonce-feminism), do a more than sufficient job of exploring the issue.

What I do, however, want to take a moment to ponder is the longstanding and unfortunate schism along racial lines that is too often a part of feminist discourse. In order to set up my commentary, I want to borrow a snippet from Wakeman’s article. The first paragraph comes directly from the story teaser posted on the Ms. Facebook page:

Hobson [the article’s author], an associate professor of women’s studies at the University of Albany, sparks a discussion among other pop culture critics about female empowerment, combining feminism and ‘traditional’ roles, and the ‘politics of respectability’ for black women. At the end of the piece, it’s up to the reader to decide: Has Beyonce ‘earned’ her feminist credentials? Why do we even question her feminism at all?

In an attempt to gain a better understanding of the debate, I took a moment to research ‘respectability politics’. The term “politics of respectability” is credited to a chapter title in Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham’s book Righteous Discontent: The Women's Movement in the Black Baptist Church, 1880-1920 . The term is derivative of the idea of “politics of responsibility”, a commonly used part of the vernacular and ideology of the Civil Rights Movement.

According to Wakeman, “In the use of the term ‘respectability politics’, Hobson is referring to the concept that to be taken seriously in white supremacist society, black people – in this case, black women – need to adopt the behaviors and values of the dominant culture.”

The intersectionality of race and gender are nothing new to the black woman or black feminist thought. Black women understand the matrix of domination, regardless of whether or not they are familiar with Patricia Hill Collins and her work. The debate around whether or not Beyonce has ‘earned’ the title of feminist is just another chapter in an ongoing conversation.

Alice Walker, who was a contributor to Ms. from 1974-1986, popularized the term womanism, a “theoretical perspective based upon the experiences and knowledge bases of Black women [which] recognizes and interrogates the social realities of slavery, segregation, sexism, and economic exploitation this group has experienced in its history in the United States. Furthermore, womanism examines these realities and Black women’s responses without viewing them as a variation on or derivation of Black male or White female behavior and social circumstances.” (437 Beauboeuf-Lafontant).

Walker actually left Ms. in 1986. In her resignation letter, Walker wrote:

“I am writing to let you know of the swift alienation from the magazine my daughter and I feel each time it arrives with its determinedly (and to us grim) white cover…It was nice to be a Ms. cover myself once. But a people of color cover once or twice a year is not enough. In real life, people of color occur with much more frequency. I do not feel welcome in the world you are projecting.”

Walker could not have imagined at the time she wrote those words that Beyonce, aka Sasha Fierce, would one day grace the cover of the magazine.

While there are some black feminists who will undoubtedly argue against Beyonce’s selection as cover girl by Ms. magazine, there are others who laud her selection. Based upon Walker’s definition, and my own personal understanding of feminism, I am able to view Beyonce as a feminist, but I see arguments on the other side of debate and enjoy reading the thoughts of other scholarly African-Americans on the issue.

Is Beyonce being looked at through a different lens because she is a black woman? Would you want your daughter or younger sister looking at Bey as a role model for what it means to be a woman? Does her decision to wear provocative attire and flaunt her sexuality for patriarchal mainstream media negate her right to call herself a feminist? Isn’t Beyonce the same artist who made, “Bills, Bills, Bills”?

Love her or hate her, Beyonce is a part of the womanist discourse. I think it’s wonderful she considers herself a “modern feminist”, but even more importantly, I’m glad to see the conversations about feminism and popular culture, and feminism’s historical treatment of African-American women. Hopefully, this pop-culture conversation can lead to continued, meaningful dialogue around images of women in mainstream media, feminism, womanism, and the unproductive divide between these two valuable theoretical lenses.

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We’re Listening to Ourselves: Black Women Rebuild and Reclaim the South

2013-05-21T14:25:00.000-04:00

reposted with permission from Strong Families Blog

By Bianca Campbell

The South is often seen as a threat to the rights of our chosen families, but Southern Black women, in alignment with African American views on reproductive access, have been taking this opportunity to uplift the values of our communities.

While it may be true that reproductive health policies and practices established in the South reverberate across the country, The Guttmacher Institute recently reported that 24 of the 43 anti-choice laws that sprung up in 2012 were in just 6 states: Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wisconsin. This suggests that the battle for rights isn’t just in the conservative South, though a large part of the war is here: the rest of America has policies just as oppressive. This is not to placate the unique struggles of the South. Instead, it is to highlight that it is not the South that needs saving, but that our wins in the South can help women across the country obtain autonomy.

In recent years, anti-choice groups have attempted to use claims of racial genocide to divide the Black community on abortion. Despite an elaborate billboard campaign to “save the race,” anti-choice groups are losing ground as women of color in the South have been laying heavy groundwork: organizing those most impacted by the policy or practice and cultivating the leadership of Black women in the South. Across the nation, 82 percent of African Americans believe that abortion should be legal in at least some cases while a majority (57 percent) also believe abortion services should be available in all communities. Even the right wing’s religious claims are fruitless as 76 percent of African Americans who attend religious service at least once per week believe that women should have the right to an abortion and more than 8 in 10 religious African Americans who went to church less frequently also believe in letting women choose--facts that stand in the face of anti-choice rhetoric that claims Black women are being overwhelmed by “unwanted” abortion services. This strong support lives here in the South, where many of our big cities are predominantly Black.

With our effective strategies in response to these campaigns, women at SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW took down racist anti-choice billboards plastered in communities of color and stopped Georgia legislation that banned abortions based on the race or sex of the fetus in 2010. Sistersong, Planned Parenthood Southeast, and others defeated the Mississippi Personhood amendment in 2011. In 2012, Women With A Vision (WWAV) in New Orleans, Louisiana reversed legislation that required sex workers to register as sex offenders. After a retaliatory arson attack, WWAV is rebuilding their office as all of us stack the South back together brick by brick.

We know why our campaigns have resonated in the South: our communities support Black women having justice and authority in how we choose our families.

We find support when we fight to end the shackling of pregnant women in prison; when we empower youth and families with accurate information on sex, and access to health care; when we advocate healthcare for all families, including trans, queer, and formerly incarcerated families. We find that Black families want and actively strive for reproductive justice in the South.

Black communities are not listening to hostile conservatives. We're listening to ourselves. Black women's lived experiences are winning this public opinion battle. Now, let's continue to leverage opinion into policy.

How an Entrepreneur Can Use Momentum to Achieve Their Goals

2013-05-20T12:54:00.001-04:00

by Denise J. Hart

Mindset Mojo - preoccupation with perfectionism is the pathway to experience shame, while embracing process is a full time journey to building courage and confidence.

Momentum is one of my most favorite words. Back in high school, when I played basketball and ran track, my coaches would frequently weave the word momentum into their strategy talks with the team. It's true, that momentum means to be in motion and to have the strength of forward movement, but my former coaches also helped me to understand that momentum also has the connotation of being an advantage. Once you gain momentum, and this powerful energy is flowing in your direction, many people believe that the person that has momentum has an advantage that others do not.

This is especially true for entrepreneurs. Being an entrepreneur is all about taking calculated strategic risks to build momentum that grow your business exponentially. That's what I want to help you with today, getting intimate with momentum and understanding how to maintain it and use it to your advantage once you've got it.

The biggest inhibitor to maintaining momentum is what I call preoccupation with perfectionism. Many business owners are immobilized by perfectionist thinking which causes them to believe that there's only one way to do something or to "get it right," when what any entrepreneur should be focusing their energy on is to perpetually practice "process thinking." For 14 years I've taught a course at Howard University called Creativity in Life and Theatre. The method I'm sharing with you here in this article has helped many people to shift from the immobilization of perfectionist thinking to the power, fluidity and profits at the heart of process thinking.

It has been my experience in both the classroom and working with coaching clients that many people avoid process thinking because it's the 20 pound weight that gets you the real results you desire, while perfectionist thinking is the 2 pound weight that fools you into believing that you're doing something of value but there's really no chance for high benefit return.

Here's a secret to help you maintain the advantage of momentum that's found in process thinking,

The 6 P's of Process Thinking:

Possibility-minded - believe that something (whatever you want to do) is possible
Populate - to provide a multitude of ideas through your thoughts or the thoughts of others
Probe - to explore and investigate the ideas for connection, resolution, or moving you forward to refine and explore more ideas
Patience - remain steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity
Passion - have/maintain/re-connect to a strong liking or desire for or devotion to your activity, object, or concept
Plan - gathering information from the process, define your method to achieve your end goal

(REPEAT OFTEN!)

Process thinking is a gift every entrepreneur should be giving themselves on a daily basis. It's this kind of thinking that gives you the power and the permission to explore and create strategic self talk that says: stay open, let's do, let's see, let's figure it out. It's this kind of shift in your thinking that will open the doors of creativity and innovation and quite possibly you'll find that you no longer leave money on the table and begin to use your momentum to attract and to achieve your goals.

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A Discussion on Business and Brown Girl Beauty with the Creator of My BrownBox

Denise J. Hart, The Motivated Mindset Coach, is committed to helping women design their “Don’t Quit” attitude and KICK fear to the curb. She’s a member of world renowned speaker and transformation coach, Lisa Nichols’ Global Leaders team and author of the forthcoming book, “Your Daily Mindset Mojo – 365 power thoughts to help you change your mindset and transform your life!” Get your free daily mindset mojo inspiration at http://www.365daysofmindsetmojo.com

Zoe Saldana Wasn’t the Right Pick to Play Nina Simone. Period.

2013-05-20T10:35:00.004-04:00

by Evan Seymour

Let me start off by saying this – I absolutely adore Zoe Saldana. She’s one of the hottest stars in Hollywood and sistah girl’s sense of style is absolutely fierce. I am for sure a Zoe fan. However, what I do not, not even one bit, appreciate is the casting of the actress as legendary jazz, soul, and folk singer Nina Simone in an upcoming biopic.

The controversy surrounding the film is not new, but Saldana’s comments during several recent interviews have me all fired up again about her selection for the part.

During an interview for the June issue of Allure magazine, Zoe Saldana made this statement:

“…to be an American or black or Latina, it's arbitrary compared to our battles as women.”

The struggles of African-Americans are “arbitrary”? Really? First of all, this is a statement which Nina Simone would have completely disagreed with; and secondly, why does Saldana feel the need to categorize struggle in some sort of hierarchy?

In another recent interview, the starlet spoke with BET as part of the publicity circuit for her latest film, Star Trek Into Darkness, which opens in theaters this Friday. In addition to talking about Star Trek, Saldana answered questions about race and the hoopla surrounding her portrayal of Simone.

Here’s an excerpt of what Zoe had to say about race:

I find it uncomfortable to have to speak about my identity all of the time, when in reality it’s not something that drives me or wakes me up out of bed every day. I didn’t grow up in a household where I was categorized by my mother. I was just Zoe and I could have and be anything that I ever wanted to do…and every human being is the same as you. So to all of a sudden leave your household and have people always ask you, “What are you? What are you?” is the most uncomfortable question and it’s literally the most repetitive question. I can’t wait to be in a world where people are sized by their soul and how much they contribute as individuals and not what they look like.

Now, one might argue that Saldana’s comments are an indicator of how far our world has come in terms of ideas around race and identity, but really, her sentiments just make her seem naïve and idealistic. It is understandable that Saldana tires of questions surrounding her identity, and yes, she should be able to be judged based upon merit and merit alone. That, however, is not reality – especially for black folks. And I, as an African American female, understand that having my identity questioned is going to be a part of my experience, whether I want it to be or not.

Saldana says her identity is not something that drives her or wakes her up out of bed. Once again, I must part with Saldana on this point. My identity is inextricably a part of who I am. I must answer questions about my identity on a daily basis. More often than not, those questions do not come directly, but in the form of sideways glances, preconceived notions and misconceptions, closed doors and glass ceilings, and benign, but stinging slips of the tongue made out of ignorance by my non-African-American counterparts. This is just part of what it means to be black in America. Though it is heavy at times, it is not a burden. I love being a black woman.

But enough about me.

Nina Simone, the singer Saldana is portraying, was a passionate voice in the battle for equality during the Civil Rights Movement. Simone penned songs including “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black”, “Backlash Blues”, Four Women”, and “Why (The Love of King is Dead)”, a song she wrote in the wake of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Simone was an active member of the Civil Rights Movement who was vocal about the struggles associated with her blackness and her womanhood.

In the acknowledgements section of her 1993 book ,I Put A Spell On You: The Autobiography Of Nina Simone, Simone salutes the work of such people as Malcolm X, Langston Hughes, Amiri Baraka, Maya Angelou and Alex Haley. She spends a good deal of time in the book detailing her experiences as an African American, and her work in the Civil Rights Movement. Nothing of what we know of Simone suggests she would have been a proponent of blackface.

You can hear Simone talking in her own words about the importance of fighting for the rights of African Americans. Saldana is annoyed by questions regarding her identity, but Simone, who’s mahogany skin and wide nose made her identity unmistakable, fielded such questionscourageously.

In order to highlight the naivety of Saldana’s statement, I want to take a moment to focus in on the last sentence of the BET interview excerpt I previously cited --

I can’t wait to be in a world where people are sized by their soul and how much they contribute as individuals and not what they look like.

We do not, nor will we ever, live in a post-racial society, and all of the “isms” are alive and well – colorism included. And let’s just say, for the sake of argument, that one day the world does take a giant leap towards Utopianism and reach a state of post-racial identity – one’s phenotype will still be used as a filter through which people see each other. That’s just human nature. Saldana, who is considered one of the sexiest actresses in Hollywood, should understand that better than anyone. Also, just because people are not judged based upon what they look like does not mean that difference should not be acknowledged, and really, celebrated. And here’s my last point on this matter – If Saldana believes that people should not be judged based upon what they look like, then why did she deem it necessary to darken her skin and widen her nose in order to capture the essence of Nina Simone?

Saldana is not the first black actor to portray someone of a different complexion in a biopic. In the classic Spike Lee film X, Denzel Washington plays activist Malcolm X, who was of a much lighter complexion, without lightening his skin. Despite the difference in pigmentation, Washington was still believable in the role. Why? Because people were able to look past the differences in the men’s complexions based upon Washington’s high-caliber performance.

More recently, actress and comedian Maya Rudolph portrayed Michelle Obama repeatedly on Saturday Night Live. Never did the light-complexioned actress, who is the biracial daughter of late singer Minnie Riperton, don make-up to darken her skin to look more like the First Lady. Rudolph has also impersonated poet Maya Angelou, and probably most famously, the late Whitney Houston. All of these performances were done without make-up to darken Rudolph’s skin. The writers at SNL and Rudolph understood that to put the comedian in blackface would be offensive, and would no doubt cause a backlash from the public. Why couldn’t Saldana and the makers of the new Nina Simone biopic understand this concept as well?

For me, this dialogue is about more than whether or not Zoe is “dark enough”, or “black enough” to play Nina Simone. If Saldana looked like the late, great Celia Cruz, I don’t think there would be an issue. The more pressing issue is the use of – well, essentially blackface – to get Saldana to more closely resemble Simone.

This excerpt from a statement released by India.Arie pretty much says it all:

Yes there should be a movie made, and YES they should have chosen someone who LOOKS like Nina Simone, ESPECIALLY since her RACE played such a PIVOTAL role in WHO, WHAT, and WHY, she was.

THAT ASIDE for a second, this just looks WEIRD, it looks like a person in Black(er) face with a fake nose…REALLY?!!!

DOES NOT THE ONE NINA SIMONE’S LEGACY DESERVE BETTER THAN THIS?

Well said, India.Arie!

In case I haven’t made my opinion clear – blackface is offensive and should never be used. I don’t give a damn if you’re black or not. I don’t care if you’re a celebrity or not. No blackface. Especially not in a film about a real-life person who fought for racial equality and justice. Blackface is a hurtful reminder of minstrel shows and the bitter racial history of our nation. It does not belong in the portrayal of a person who is no longer with us to say whether or not she supports the use of skin darkening agents and prosthetics to try and capture her likeness. Why not instead, cast an actress like, say, Viola Davis? Or India.Arie, who has been for years asked about playing Simone. It was a bad decision morally, and it was a bad artistic decision because let’s face it, Saldana looks ridiculous, and the make-up is distracting.

Saldana told BET she “most closely identifies with” the black community, so she should understand why so many of us are upset. Shame on Saldana, and shame on the filmmakers. This is one movie I will definitely not be going to support.

Read an open letter in protest of the film written by the creator of the official Nina Simone website.

An Open Letter To Zoe Saldana: On The Hollywood Machine and Artist Responsibility

“Scandal,” Olivia Pope and the Privilege of Being an Anti-Hero

2013-05-20T08:44:00.000-04:00

by Keidra Chaney

I realized a couple of weeks ago that between Revenge, Scandal, and Nashville, ABC single-handedly brought new life to the nighttime soap opera, and I am not mad at that at all. Never a huge fan of crime procedurals, reality TV, or medical shows, I’ve watched more TV in the past season than in the past six or so years. I don’t want to sound completely shallow; I do watch and appreciate TV shows that illuminate the stories of hard-working, marginalized people, but I will not deny that I have a special place in my heart for the tales of the powerful and amoral. Blame it on a childhood of watching ABC daytime soaps with my grandmother, but there’s something about well-dressed people having sex with and/or killing each other that makes for great drama.

Which of course, brings me to Scandal. Just wrapping up its second season, the show went from a somewhat over-the-top political drama to a completely off-the-rails crazy nighttime soap for a generation of TV fans used to shows like 24 and Breaking Bad. The crazier the show has gotten, the more fascinated I’ve become. Impeccable, white-clad crisis management specialist Olivia Pope has horrible taste in men, drinks from her fishbowl-sized glasses of wine every night, and is to a certain extent, a Mary Sue. (I am pretty sure she is the first black Mary Sue I’ve ever seen in mainstream media – I’ll let you decide if that’s a good thing or not.) She besots nearly every straight man in her vicinity.

And let’s not forget the president (who Liv is having an affair with) killed a woman who was already on her deathbed, and the openly gay republican Chief of Staff puts hits on his best friend and his husband like he’s calling for takeout. Seriously, what the hell is this show on?!

But it’s compelling because it’s so unapologetically insane. This not being my first time at the Shonda Rhimes rodeo, I don’t expect it to last but it’s fun for now. Meanwhile, and not unexpectedly, this show in particular is not without its critics. I do feel sorry for the people who were expecting a House of Cards style political thriller. This show ain’t it. But the morality police really come out of the woodwork with this show in a particular, pointed way. I get it. Scandal is the first show with a black female lead in 30 years. 30, yo. That is a long time to wait for representation, and we get it in the form of a beautiful but messed up individual who is hard to root for at times because she’s nuts. Seriously, there was a point in the season finale where she went on and on about becoming the First Lady and she reminded me of Boromir flipping out in Fellowship of The Ring. (If you get that reference, then you get a sense for how thirsty for power she actually is. Also, you’re a big old geek.)

I get the criticism, and I get why some people had a problem with Scandal being nominated for an NAACP Image Award. The one black female in a prominent position on mainstream TV is at her core, power hungry, manipulative, and amoral, which is far from a positive portrayal, if that’s what one is looking for.

But maybe, just maybe we aren’t looking for positive. Maybe we are looking for over-the-top, morally gray, complicated, nutty. The kind of things we enjoy in shows like Mad Men or The Sopranos. Maybe some viewers enjoy having that room to be the anti-hero, the privilege granted to characters like Don Draper or Tony Soprano or Walter White. In pop culture, women and people of color (and women of color in particular) have the extra burden of not just being a character, but being a symbol. Because there are so few of us portrayed, we as viewers get protective about what’s being shown, and rightfully so.

Characters of color can so quickly devolve into racialized stereotypes when you combine the sometimes lazy character development that seems to happen too often on TV to the dearth of diversity in Hollywood’s writers rooms. But I would argue it’s not Shonda Rhimes responsibility to create “positive” characters, and that it’s a move forward that she can write characters who don’t have to bear the burden of being role models for their marginalized communities.

Think about it, it’s a conversation about a gay couple on TV that’s not “yay, so awesome it’s a gay couple on TV aren’t they a great example” but a conversation about how crazy and messed up their relationship is, the way you would about any other TV drama that features people in crazy relationships.

Now, there have been instances where race has been injected into the conversation of Scandal that have been clunky and problematic to me, like Olivia Pope’s WTF “Sally Hemmings” comment earlier in the season, and the insane speech by Fitz (but penned by Olivia) in the 2nd season finale that positioned their extramarital affair as a win for race relations in America. That’s … crazy.

But the wrongness of those moments (and visceral and varied reaction that they engendered) illuminates something more to me, that this is the first time a mainstream TV show has created an entry point where we can have many of these conversations about a black female character, even indirectly, and that’s incredibly frustrating. Because there are so few opportunities for a woman or a person of color to be put at the center of any mainstream TV narrative, the showrunners who do so, like Shonda Rhimes, or Mindy Kaling, and yes, even the loathed Lena Dunham, bear the extra burden of having to represent the varied and conflicting views of entire groups of people, rather than create the characters and stories they wish to – warts, missteps, and all.

Whatever you think of Shonda Rhimes as a writer and showrunner, Scandal is a fascinating show and pop culture phenomenon – and somewhat of a breakthrough – in that it allows a segment of viewers (women, POC, gay) the unusual opportunity of seeing a version of themselves reflected in the role of an anti-hero. These stories may not be “positive” but they are certainly compelling, and the popularity of Scandal could possibly crack open the door for more TV writers and showrunners to write for women, gay, and POC lead characters in a more nuanced way, without feeling the burden of having to create “role models” every time.

(A side note, I once watched a DVD of Jem and the Holograms with a writer’s commentary and apparently, there was a plan to make one of the Misfits (the villian characters) a person of color, but Mattel didn’t want to potentially lend to any stereotypes. Of course, as someone with a long history of rooting for villains, this annoyed me, but it gets to my point. Villains are fun. Anti-heroes are fun, but women and POC characters are often written into a creative corner because of the fear of being stereotyped, which is why we get so many boring, one-note characters, which become stereotypes in themselves.)

Lights Out: Olivia Pope and the Outsourcing of Black Male Power
In Praise of the Messiness of Scandal's Olivia Pope
Shifting Roles: The Depiction of Black Womanhood in 'Scandal' and 'Deception'

The Trials of a Skinny Black Girl

2013-05-14T16:07:00.002-04:00

originally posted at Faces of Black Fashion

I come from a legacy of small women, but I did not always accept and embrace that legacy. It’s one of those things that you don’t talk about openly. These kind of conversations are reserved for trusted girlfriends or family members, until someone disrupts your security blanket with the all too sarcastic “oh shut up” or “cry me a river.” What right do you have to complain when mainstream society says your body type is the ideal? Are your feelings valid when well-meaning folks around you tell you that you’re so lucky that clothes fit you easily and that they “wish they had your figure.”

The truth is none of those niceties mean a thing if you’re a skinny black girl. Supposedly you have the ideal body – thin. Yet countless people in your community admonish you to “get some meat on those bones, ” because “men want a little something to hold on to,” just in case you were wondering. Sometimes your community consists of the people in your own home, so the messages are inescapable. It’s also not uncommon for some brother to loudly voice his displeasure about your lack of ASSets. Oh, and don’t forget the false but in your face concerns about a possible eating disorder. How else do you eat so much yet stay so small? You are to shoulder these and other criticisms with nary a complaint, because it’s the norm to unload such venom on the “skinny b**ch.”

So when you develop body issues, you stay quiet and silently consume Ensure, protein shakes and anything else that promises weight gain. No one knows that you’re displeased with the body you see in the mirror, they don’t know that deep down you wish for curves and that you are hypersensitive to comments about thin celebrities looking “sickly,” “like little kids” or like “crack heads.” Deep down you wonder if those are the things they think about you. Later on you may recover through weight gain or self-acceptance, but you might not recover at all.

Today 53% of American girls are unhappy with their bodies. We live in a world where globally women face media onslaughts on their body and self-image, often comparing themselves to unrealistic and unattainable standards of beauty. This is further compounded by other cultural standards at play. Now more than ever, women need each other to develop and maintain positive self and body images. So the next time you are tempted to make a disparaging remark about another woman’s weight, think again. Choose instead to celebrate her unique beauty.

-Nika (@iriechic1)

Community Seeks Healing in the Wake of New Orleans Mother’s Day Mass Shooting

2013-05-14T10:03:00.000-04:00

by Evan Seymour

NEW ORLEANS --This year, Mother’s Day in New Orleans served as a brutal reminder of the violence that plagues this city, and many neighborhoods across America. 19 people were injured Sunday afternoon when shooting erupted during a local Mother’s Day parade in a community known as the 7th Ward. Among the victims were 10 men, seven women, and a girl and a boy, both 10 years old.

In order to start the healing process and bring the community together, the office of New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu called a community rally. It was held at the intersection of Frenchmen and North Villere – the location where the shooting occurred.

A Mother Remembers Her Son
Yvette Holden is among the crowd gathered for the rally. She is no stranger to gun violence. Holden’s 23 year-old son, Elijah Grant, was murdered less than two years ago.

She came out to support the community and in order to encourage people to speak out against the violence.

As she stands listening to the mayor, city council members, local activists, and others speak, Holden is taken back to the moment she learned her son had been shot.

“His sister called me and I was sitting at home. She said, ‘Ma, Ellijah got shot.’”

Holden had just gotten off the phone with her son minutes before he was shot with the bullet that would end his life. Grant was around the corner watching a Saints game at a friend’s house when the shooting occurred.

According to Holden, a car drove by her son’s friend’s house and opened fire. Grant, a father of three, was shot in the stomach while trying to protect several children who were at the gathering. He died hours later at the hospital as a result of his injuries. He was not the intended target of the shooters, who still have not been caught.

Mrs. Holden recalls some of her grandson’s words on Mother’s Day -- “‘We should call up Daddy’ he said, and it just broke my heart.” Her pain is still palpable; her eyes looking into the distance as she speaks.

“It’s a hurting feeling, and I can never get over it, but by faith and prayer, by having a forgiving heart. That’s the only way I can heal,” says Holden.

“He was a good kid,” Holden says of Elijah, who had never been in trouble with the police, and was a manager at a local Wendy’s restaurant.

Mrs. Holden and her husband live in the 8th Ward, about a mile and a half away from this latest act of violence.

When she heard about Monday’s community rally on the news, she felt compelled to come out.

The Community Comes Together
Approximately 100 members of the community showed up in order to show their support for the victims of the Mother’s Day shooting and to call for a stop to the violence.

“Ain’t nobody out here at fault, but everybody is responsible. It’s our responsibility to do what is necessary,” said Mayor Mitch Landrieu to the crowd.

“There are lots of examples of too many young people that have been taken from us,” said Landrieu. He then proceeded to speak the names of several victims of gun violence, including those of 5 year-old Briana Allen, who was gunned down last year, and James Darby, who was fatally shot on Mother’s Day in 1994.

“Apparently, there is no day that is sacred. Not Mother’s Day. Not on Martin Luther King Day when the president of the United States was sworn in for the second time.” Ironically enough, the shooting on Martin Luther King Day occurred at a parade being held on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard in order to celebrate the holiday that honors a man who preached non-violence, peace, and love.

“Let’s put our heads together. Let’s put our issues aside…This is a big issue …this is as deep as the Mississippi is deep and it’s as murky as the Mississippi is murky,” community member Frank Johnson told the crowd. “This is a gumbo, so let’s pick one of the ingredients of the gumbo and use it.”

“We have to be responsible for telling what we see…We have to see and say,” New Orleans City Council Vice President Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarckson encouraged the crowd.

Holly Barnett was also among the group gathered to rally against violence. She is a member of the Original Big 7 Social Aid and Pleasure Club, the group that hosted the parade.

“The scene was very horrific. I mean, just seeing kids crying for their mothers and mothers screaming for their babies. It’s just something that you just don’t want to see.”

Barnett was actually recording video of the 10-year-old female victim less than 5 minutes before the first shots rang out. She is a friend of the girl’s mother.

“Right when we made the corner and she got right here, they swarmed the block, and that’s when all hell broke loose.”

According to the New Orleans Times Picayune, approximately 300 people in attendance at the traditional New Orleans-style parade known as a second line. There were approximately 200 people crowded into the vicinity where the shooting broke out. Of the 29 victims, one remains in critical condition, and two are still in serious condition. Both of the 10-year-old victims sustained minor injuries including bullet grazes and are no longer in the hospital.

“Everybody was running for their lives,” Barnett says as she describes the mayhem.

“I actually saw [the little girl] fall and then two people, a white couple who were in front of us, fell right in front of us by this bush right here. My aunt was behind the bush with her granddaughter and it was like, what do you do? Who do you save?”

Barnett, who is a 31 year-old mother of three, lives just a block from where the shooting occurred, but she says she never walks down this street because it’s too dangerous.

“I don’t come this way, not even to catch the bus, because I know about the violence. It’s sad when we can’t even walk in broad daylight just to go to work to make a living for your kids because you’re afraid. When your kids stand by the bus stop, you don’t know who’s going to shoot who. It’s sad.”

“Your mother gave birth to you. That’s why you’re here on Mother’s Day. For you to just go and shoot up a crowd with kids and mothers and everything, I just don’t respect to that,” said Jacolb Tolver, a community member in the crowd of supporters. Tolver, the president of another social aid and pleasure club, says he always come to community events like this when he has the chance. Unfortunately, there are so many of them because violence is such a prevalent problem in the city of New Orleans.

Continuing the Fight Against Violence
Yvette Holden, the woman who lost her son to gun violence in November of 2011 chokes back tears, obviously emotional. The fact that the shooting occurred on Mother’s Day intensified the pain of what was already an incredibly difficult day for her.

“Sometimes, it’s hard to get out of bed,” said Holden. “You just have to keep fighting.”

She plans to start a non-profit in order to stop the violence in the community and name it in honor of her son. She and neighbors held an event last year on the November 13th anniversary of Elijah’s murder. She says the event may become an annual one once she gets her organization up and running.

“I’m not going to let his death be in vain. He stood up for what was right. He saved the lives of three kids who are going to have a future,” says Holden. “He’s with God now. He’s getting his reward.”

note: At the time this article was published, police had identified the suspect, 19 year-old Akein Scott. According to a statement released by the office of Mayor Landrieu, a warrant has been issued for Scott’s arrest and police SWAT members have already been to two locations in search of the suspect. Though there are reports there may have been more than one shooter, Scott is the only person for whom a search warrant has been issued so far.

Janelle Monae's Sexual Revolution

2013-05-13T13:30:00.000-04:00

I recently spent an afternoon on YouTube watching pop and r&b music videos from the 80s. I shooped and snaked along with two of my favorite female artists of all time: Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson, I made my debut in time to catch only a few months of the 80s, so the unfamiliarity of the 80s aesthetics caught my eye. I studied the big hair, bright makeup, and the fashions. Both of these incredibly successful black women performers wore, essentially, street clothes in their videos and performances. And when they opted for flashier attire, their costumes were downright demure. Strikingly, both ascended to international superstardom without sartorial references to their sexuality.

Much has changed in the 30 or so years since Whitney and Janet became household names as solo performers. Though Whitney tried to maintain her performance persona of Dignified Diva, Janet evolved from baby-faced little sister to Ms. Jackson (if you're nasty) to bondage queen. I, personally, came to know and love Janet Jackson well after she made her final transition. At 12, I witnessed a male dancer simulate oral sex on Ms. Jackson live during the All For You tour. Though I was too young to completely process the scene, I recognized that Janet unrepentantly indulged in sexual taboos in public. Janet was a free woman.

In liberating herself, Ms. Jackson chose to shake off centuries old restraints -- many of which black women imposed upon ourselves to counter a long history of bodily and sexual exploitation. It it that history that too often compels the female descendants of enslaved Africans to adopt conservative sexual mores. I needed Janet to tell me that open expression and exploration of my sexuality wasn't just for white girls. Black women love sex too -- the nasty kind.

During her era, Janet provided a revolutionary figure in the pop culture imagination. Janet's sexuality (not to mention her open armed embrace of gays and lesbians) subverted societal expectations in a way we haven't seen from a black woman cultural icon in some time.

Currently the two biggest pop stars in the world are Black women, but their aesthetics reaffirm societal expectations. There's nothing liberatory in the ways Beyonce or Rihanna present themselves or their sex in public. Both women are more products of the commercialization of hypersexuality than trail blazers.

That's not to say that I don't enjoy what they do. As a grown woman myself, I love their work. But I do wish that the little black girls coming of age right now could see that wildly successful and revolutionary can go hand in hand.

In 2013, could a black woman become a major celebrity without invoking her sex appeal in familiar ways?

If there's any hope, it lies in the hands of Janelle Monae. Though her style has been termed androgynous, she, in her tuxedo uniform, embodies a soft, almost girlish, femininity. Wide eyed and well manicured, Monae radiates womanhood. A striking beauty, but her wardrobe and demeanor enable her to avoid entrapment in cages set for young, women musicians marked "Sex Kitten" and "Bombshell." Instead she crafted her own form of sexual expression -- one that did not rely on validation by the male gaze.

According to Monae, her self-presentation is a deliberate rebellion of expectations placed on women artists. In the May 2013 issue of ESSENCE, she explains that she wants to "redefine what it means to be sexy and what it means to be a woman. Showing my skin is not what makes me sexy. I like skirts and dresses just like everyone else, but I had a message I needed to put out there. It was up to me to show people and young girls there was another way."

Janelle possesses an alluring sexuality. Her confidence draws in men and women, but it also confounds. Shortly after the release of her first album, speculation began. While doing press for the brilliant work "The ArchAndroid," Monae refused to assume a defensive position about her sexual attractions. She told Rolling Stone, “The lesbian community has tried to claim me, but I only date androids." The remark is neither a condemnation of lesbians nor is it an acquiescence to an inquiry that is, frankly, irrelevant to her artistry. While Monae refuses to paint herself as asexual, she creates an undefinable expression.

The first single from her upcoming project offers similarly cryptic insights into Janelle as a sexual being. In "Q.U.E.E.N." she hints at homosexuality.

Hey brother can you save my soul from the devil?
Say is it weird to like the way she wear her tights?
And is it rude to wear my shades?
Am I a freak because I love watching Mary? (Maybe)

Hey sister am I good enough for your heaven?
Say will your God accept me in my black and white?
Will he approve the way I'm made?
Or should I reprogram the programming
Get down?

And while she chooses not to dress provocatively, she presents her aesthetic without judgements. In the video, we see Janelle in her typical pantsuit flanked by women two-stepping in black and white mini-dresses. She even dons one for a few shots (though we only see her from the waist up.) You see women can be many things. And the artist embraces duality. It's in her lyrics as well. How often are private twerk sessions ("Is it peculiar that she twerks in the mirror?") mentioned alongside capitalist critiques ("They keep us underground working hard for the greedy.") The two exist together and Monae presents neither as right or good.

This is why there's no need to pit the Rihannas against the Janelles. Both can represent a healthy sexuality. While Janet, Rihanna, and Beyonce show us that black women can choose to employ their desires. Janelle demonstrates how black women can also opt out -- that our actions and work need not be governed by the overt sexualization that has become the norm. Janelle critiques the dialogue that often surrounds a woman's choice to bare all. Her statement: increased sexualization does not necessarily accompany an increase in sexual agency. In fact, stripping down in a culture in which women are valued by their sexual desirability often reinscribes their marginalization.

Janelle Monae may never become a mass cultural icon. There's something about her defiance I can't see catching on. She will, however, be a pivotal figure for young, black women. We flock to her. While Beyonce and Rihanna are fantasies, Janelle is your home girl; a reflection of your fly best friend; a young woman who sets her own rules in a way few of us have seen before. That's Janelle Monae's revolution.

Kimberly Foster is the founder and editor of For Harriet. Email or Follow @KimberlyNFoster

7 Money Management Tips for New Graduates

2013-05-12T13:33:00.000-04:00

Young adults across the country are ending their college years and beginning a new phase. The transition from student to bill-paying grown up can be a rocky one for for those who've never had to manage their own finances. Now that there's no more Work-Study and refund checks, the real financial work begins. Here are a few tips for new grads who want to get serious about staying on top of their money.

Pay in Cash - Debit/credit cards make purchases deceptively easy. A few simple swipes can have your bank account depleted. When you can, make purchases in cash. Physically handling the funds and seeing them leave your possession might inspire you to think twice about unnecessary purchases.
Give Yourself An Online Shopping Allowance - Of course in the digital age, cash isn't always an option. Set up a separate account for your online purchases. Many banks have e-banking only accounts. Set one up, and give yourself an allowance by transferring money into that account monthly.
Know Your Debt - This sounds like a given, but with student loans, credit cards, car loans, and mortgages it's easy to lose track of how much debt you're in. Ignorance is certainly not bliss when you're trying to better your financial position. Break out your calculator and tally up your debt.
Get A Money Management App - Most of us are already attached to our smartphone and tablets. Use some of the time you spend staring at those small screens to make sure you're headed to your financial goals. Mobile banking apps and service like Mint send notifications when you overspend and when your bank balance dips below a certain amount.
Take Time To Distinguish Needs From Wants - Before you buy, decide if your purchases are important and necessary. You don't have to skimp on what you need, but first make a decision about whether or not you really need it. Choose quality over quantity, and when you get the urge to make a purchase, wait 24 hours. Train yourself to subvert those impulse. This will save you from buyer's remorse.
Check Your Bank Account Daily - When you know you're spending money frivolously, you might be tempted to avoid checking your bank balance in order to avoid your financial reality. Staying on top of your purchases, will help curb unnecessary spending. Staring at painfully low bank balance is a quick wake up call. Make an appointment to take a look each day.
Get An Accountability Partner - Give someone you trust access to your banking information. Tell them your financial goals and your budget. Allow them to check up on your spending habits and guide you back on track when you fall off the wagon.

Girl, Get Your Money Straight
Be SMART Not Strong: Tips for Black Women's Financial Management
Financial Literacy and Wealth Building Advice for Black Women

Kimberly Foster is the founder and editor of For Harriet. Email or Follow @KimberlyNFoster

Alice Walker Speaks on the Cruelty Shown to Assata Shakur by the US Government

2013-05-10T13:44:00.003-04:00

When Alice Walker speaks, we listen. The Pulitzer Prize winning author offered her thoughts on the renewed hunt for Assata Shakur. In a brief article, Walker laments a lack of empathy in US governmental policy. She writes:

What is most distressing about the times we live in, in my view, is our ever accelerating tolerance for cruelty. Prisoners held indefinitely in orange suits, chained and on their knees. Like the hunger strikers of Guantanamo, I would certainly prefer death to this. People shot and bombed from planes they never see until it is too late to get up from the table or place the baby under the bed. Poor people terrorized daily, driven insane really, from fear. People on the streets with no food and no place to sleep. People under bridges everywhere you go, holding out their desperate signs: a recent one held by a very young man, perhaps a veteran, under my local bridge: I Want To Live. But nothing seems as cruel to me as this: that our big, muscular, macho country would go after so tiny a woman as Assata who is given sanctuary in a country smaller than many of our states.

Walker goes on to recount her first meeting with Shakur.

The first time I met Assata Shakur we talked for a long time. We were in Havana,where I had gone with a delegation to offer humanitarian aid during Cuba’s “special period” of hunger and despair, and I’d wanted to hear her side of the story from her. She described the incident with the New Jersey Highway Patrol, and assured me she was shot up so badly that even if she’d wanted to, she would not have been able to fire a gun. Though shot in the back, and elsewhere, she managed to live through two years of solitary confinement, in a men’s prison, chained to her bed. Then, in what must surely have been a miraculous coming together of people of great compassion, she was helped to escape and to find refuge in Cuba. One of the women who helped Assata escape, a white woman named Marilyn Buck, was kept in prison for thirty years and released only one month before her death from uterine cancer. She was a poet, and I have been reading her last book, Inside/Out, Selected Poems. There is also a remarkable video of her, shot in prison, that I highly recommend.

Many who are familiar with Assata's story feel that her inclusion as a "Most Wanted Terrorist" is unjust; however, reading the recollections of her confidants reminds us of her humanity. Assata Shakur is more than a political figure. She is a woman in her 60s exiled from her country of origin.

Read the rest of Alice Walker's tribute to Assata.

Assata Shakur In Her Own Words
In Search of Assata: Former Black Panther First Woman Named to FBI’s Top Terrorist List

The Core Principle to Achieve your Dreams: The Law of Attraction is Universal Action

2013-05-10T12:57:00.002-04:00

by Denise Hart

Everything you want to achieve, everything you desire to be or do, depends entirely on you. You are always your point of attraction. Which means, wherever you are in your vibration will impact and determine what you receive into your life. If you are predominately feeling negative about the situations you encounter it will be very difficult to attract or create something that does not reflect that core negative outlook.

To achieve your goals and dreams, your job is to get into complete vibrational alignment with what you desire. This is the core principle of the Law of Attraction which is Universal Action. That just means, the Law of Attraction is always operating in our lives, attracting positive or negative things based on where we are in our thinking or vibration. Perhaps you're asking, "How do I get into alignment with what I desire?" The solution is, you have to train yourself to consistently think the thoughts that reflect your belief that you can receive what you desire.

I am fascinated by the Law of Attraction. I was first introduced to this Universal Law almost ten years ago, through the classic book, The Science of Getting Rich and then through another classic, The Master Key System. The principle of the Law of Attraction is also reflected in the Bible in the scriptures that speak of asking, believing and receiving.

The Law of Attraction is really very simple, we're all magnets. What we give our thought focus to is what we attract back to us. Whatever you focus on intently is going to become your magnetic field or your "vibe," because like is drawn to like.

How could something so simple as thinking the right thoughts support us in receiving what we desire? Well, it's true. Whether we are conscious of it or not, we are always attracting or calling forth what we desire no matter if it's something positive or negative.

I really learned the value of the Law of Attraction when I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in 2005. Needless to say, I was going through a very difficult time but to compile things, my mother had transitioned 18 months prior, my relationship had ended and I was meeting with a lot of resistance in my role as a college professor. Although all of these things were happening on the outside I instinctively knew that the right response was to look within. I'd been studying the law of attraction for a number of years but had been in resistance to its teachings.

I thought it that it was too simplistic and it couldn't really be as easy as the principle sounded. That our dominate way of thinking becomes our beliefs and that's what we attract back into our lives. At that time, some of my dominate limiting thoughts were: Relationships are difficult, men just don't get it, people are supposed to struggle to get through the tenure process and there will always be people against you when you're doing well in your life - just to name a few. I finally decided that I was going to give this law of Attraction stuff an honest try. I didn't know then, how much it would transform my life.

To turn things around, I started to affirm a few quotes I'd read and also created - "When your life no longer fits, change it" and "Practice the law of love" and "I'm important, I count." I started taking responsibility for how I responded to whatever happened in my life. I stopped resisting whatever was happening and started accepting things. However, I didn't stop there. If I also wanted things to change, then I took responsibility for creating the change I desired. I started to liberate myself through my thoughts and responses and my whole life transformed. Things began to fall into place with more ease than I could have ever imagined. I realized that you may not be able to control life's situations but you can always control your response to them.

I recognized that I was worthy, I am loved and I am called to be a conscious conduit of love towards myself and others.

Because most of us are programmed to think in a way that does a poor job of supporting what we desire to do or be, you're going to have to lift some daily mind weights. I recommend that you start a daily practice of focusing on the Truth. Not the truth of the drama that may be happening in your life at the present moment, but focus on the Truth that is eternal. Begin to connect to thoughts like:

I know and trust that the Universe supports me in achieving what I desire.
I expect good things to come to me.
All things work together for good.
I am deserving of all the good that is coming my way.
I am an action taker and I complete my goals.

Remember, you are your point of attraction. You will attract both positive and negative things into your life based on where your vibration is. You cannot control life's situations but you can always control how you respond. Your best gift to yourself lies in creating a response system that is grounded in Truth which will pave the way for you to attract and create all that you truly desire.

Life Lessons and the Law of Attraction
5 Ways to Diversify Your Career and become a Jill of All Trades
Life is Too Short to Pretend

Celebrating Mother's Day While Working Toward Forgiveness

2013-05-10T08:01:00.000-04:00

by Brandi M. Green (@b_mariegreen)

Two years ago, I sent my mother a mother’s day gift after years of sending her a card out of obligation. It was a first step in reconciling after many years of being estranged. We’d began talking every few months – albeit forced and about superficial topics – but still it was a start in moving our relationship in a better direction. I had no idea that that would be the last Mother’s Day gift that I would give her. My attempts of rebuilding our relationship were thwarted when she unexpectantly passed away that summer.

After her death I felt a range of emotions. As I cycled through the grief stages, I wondered if I even loved her, I was angry and I was sad about her death. I wondered if I could have done more to salvage the relationship even though I was tired of being the “bigger person.” However, I knew it would be easier for me to say: “My mother is deceased” as opposed to “My mother and I are estranged.”

As I navigated through my early 20s without her in my life, I quickly learned that being estranged from one’s mother is not acceptable in society. It’s more common for people to have “daddy issues” and be estranged from a father. The idea of the unbreakable mother’s bond with a child is perpetuated throughout society. Motherhood is often synonymous with [good] mothering and that is simply not always the case.

Just as a father can be unhealthy for the well being for a child, so can the mother and it is difficult for people to reconcile that fact. I eventually stopped telling people that I was estranged from my mother because besides looking at me like I had two heads they also unknowingly blamed me for the demise of our relationship. I could feel their stares and pending questions but they had no idea about the things I endured, but it was easier to blame me for “forfeiting” my mother’s love. I just stopped mentioning it altogether because it was easier that way.

Society views a mother’s love as constant, safe, unconditional, etc. I think those are wonderful words to describe motherhood that but what happens when that doesn’t necessarily match up with your reality? As long as I can remember, I’ve had “mommy issues.” I just never felt the unconditional love from my mother that some say is biologically innate and definitely not the kind that society demands. I could never be my “authentic self” around her and that felt odd even as a child. It was never a safe space, even in the times we would hang out together—I would be on guard. I question her love but I do believe she loved me in less of a conventional way and more in her own practical way that I explored in a recent blog post.

Since her death, I’ve struggled with forgiveness and how to memorialize the wonderful woman that she was with the same women who caused me a great deal of pain. I explored this in a poem that I wrote about the woman who caused these invisible scars that I carry is the same woman who played a huge role in the person I am today. Obviously, I’m still on my journey of forgiveness but I think celebrating the positive and seeing what she did do “right” is helpful in this process.

I remember her always saying that motherhood doesn’t come with instructions and she was doing the best she could. Perhaps, that was the case—she was doing the best she could in her capacity to love and nurture me. I don’t think I’ll get answers to a lot of questions that I have. That’s life and I get it but for right now I’m just deciding to focus on more of her positive aspects. I don’t absolve her of the responsibility for the pain she caused me, but I’m working on taking the lessons from it all and moving forward. That’s all I can do at this point since she is no longer here

I’ll always be her daughter: I light up a room like her, I dress to impress like her, I’m sassy like her, I received my values from her, etc. A lot of what makes me “me” are from her. Those are the things I’m choosing to celebrate.

Lessons Learned from My Mother's Kitchen
Cool Moms Tie Ties: Unexpected Lessons Learned From a Single Mother of a Teenage Son
A New Model For Black Motherhood: Why We Need More Jada Pinkett Smiths

Brandi M. Green is a communications professional by day, writer by night.Her articles have appeared in Madame Noire, The Root and Clutch Magazine. When she isn’t busy writing, planning events, daydreaming, taking exercise classes or focusing on albinism outreach she is probably catching up on episodes from her favorite reality T.V. shows (her guilty pleasure.)

The Case of Brittney Griner: Homophobia is Not Just an Issue for Male Athletes

2013-05-10T07:40:00.000-04:00

by Evan Seymour

Brittney Griner is a beast. Yes, I called a woman a beast. As a fellow black female, I feel I am at liberty to do so. The 6’8 center towers above most of her competition. She is a force to be reckoned with. Griner is the first player in NCAA history, male or female, to score 2000 points and block 500 shots. She’s the hottest new player in the WNBA and a breath of fresh air in women’s sports. Griner also happens to be gay.

The three-time All American is the second professional athlete to come out as gay in the last several weeks. Well, really, she’s the first, but her story didn’t make big headlines like the story of Jason Collins.

Collins is the 34-year-old Boston Celtics player whose picture graced the cover of Sports Illustrated along with its history-making headline – The Gay Athlete. Griner’s revelation came in response to a Sport’s Illustrated writer’s question about sexuality and sports. The interview occurred several weeks prior to Collins’ cover story. Though Griner’s announcement didn’t get as much attention, it’s a significant moment nonetheless.

In an editorial published in The New York Times, Griner wrote about some of the difficulties of growing up gay.

“I never wanted to deny who I was, but dealing with the sadness and the anger that came from people constantly making fun of me wore me down at times,” Griner wrote.

The Phoenix Mercury player discusses Jason Collins, being bullied in middle school, and her efforts to encourage other people in the LGBT community.

Griner’s article includes a link to a spot she recorded for an organization called the “It Gets Better Project”.

In the video, she details being teased for things like her deep voice and the size of her hands. I’ve just finished reading her piece for the Times, so it’s easy for me to look past her statuesque build and see Griner’s hurt and fragility. Basketball is only a part of who she is.

“Be yourself, be different, be beautiful,” she says in her bass-filled voice. That is her message to others in her situation. Really, it’s an affirmation that anyone would benefit from embracing.

The editorial is a touching testimonial, and Griner should be lauded for her bravery and her commitment to being a role model. Only her story isn’t getting the attention it deserves.

Unfortunately, our society still marginalizes female athletes. Inherent in that marginalization is the misconception that sexuality isn’t as big of a deal for women as men, especially in the world of sports. The title of an April NYT article by Sam Borden pretty much sums it up – Brittney Griner Comes Out, and Sports World Shrugs.

Griner briefly addresses the issue in her NYT article. She says she has been asked about her feelings on the topic, and that she is “not at all bothered” that news of her “announcement” didn’t make a big public splash like the Jason Collins story.

Griner’s editorial and her work with the It Gets Better Project provide a vivid testimonial that it is important for America and the world to hear. Kudos to the NYT for providing her with the platform to tell her story! I hope it now gains more traction in the sports world.

Not spreading Griner’s story would be a disservice to our society. A terrible missed opportunity. Griner is an inspiration model to female athletes, the LGBT community, and anyone who has ever been uncomfortable in his or her own skin. She is a role-model to LGBT teens, a group with higher than average rates of bullying and mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. The only problem is Griner cannot be a role model if people do not know her narrative.

As a sports fan, I am critical of this “coming out” coverage because really, Griner is the more high profile athlete. I’m not minimizing Jason Collins, his career, or his spot in the history books as the first openly gay player in the NBA. But the truth is, only die-hard basketball fans knew of Collins before his Sports Illustrated cover story. Griner, on the other hand, is a record-breaking, No. 1 draft pick who was offered a coveted spot on the 2012 London Olympics women’s basketball team. Prior to the April 15 WNBA draft, Griner Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban hinted that he may try and draft her to play for his team in the NBA.

The first female player in the NBA? I hope I live to see it happen.

Brittney Griner is one hell of an athlete and a champion for LGBT rights. I just hope the mainstream media and the world of sports journalism will let her get her shine on.

What's Really Good?: The Obsession With Policing Brittney Griner's Womanhood
The Problem With Our So-Called Allies

An Open Letter to Mister Cee

2013-05-10T07:31:00.000-04:00

A Response from ‘The Ignant Intellectual’

Dear Mister Cee,

I won’t pretend to ‘feel where you’re coming from’. I won’t pretend to ‘get it’ as both would be lies, but I am writing in hopes of translating to you the message of love—more specifically, self-love—more specific than that, radical self-love. I, like you, am a black person living in America. Those two identities alone send many to an early grave. But something I am not is a black male-bodied person living in America so I won’t pretend to ‘understand’.

I won’t belabor you with in depth recaps about your recent media involvement or even about this most recent incident when you were reportedly arrested in an attempt to solicit a male prostitute—as you, unlike the rest of us, were present for it all. I would like to focus less on your actions and more on the things that it seems you are not doing—or perhaps unable to fathom.

I’m not here to place a label on your or your sexuality. I’m certainly not here to judge your actions. Enough people have those jobs on lock. I would, however, like you to know that who you are is amazing. Whoever your authentic self is. He’s amazing. If he loves men. If he loves women. If he loves men and women. If he loves neither men nor women, but a blend of the two. You’re amazing. Far too seldom does the world tell us that. And given the larger social think regarding black male (non-hetero) sexuality, I doubt many people have affirmed you in possibly having a non-hetero sexuality—especially given your profession; one that is hyper-masculine, male-dominated, and straight.

Overall this letter isn’t about your sexuality, per se. It’s more so about what seems to be an inability to be your authentic self (which is partially manifesting as a battle with your sexuality) versus your fictional self. Whether or not you’re gay isn’t what truly matters, but it’s clear to me and the rest of the world that you deeply struggle with being ALL of who Calvin LeBrun truly is; the ways in which you skirt around questions in your interviews, the ways that you choose to answer questions when you do answer them, that your ability to pick up gay/trans-gender men is ‘dumb luck’, and the fact that you have been found engaging in sexual acts with males thrice, yet you deny having a fluid sexuality. It is those things coupled with the ever-present questions, “In what other areas is he choosing to let his fictional self be seen as opposed to his authentic self?” and “How does this lack of access granted to his authentic self, impact his spirit man and psyche?” that have inspired me to pen this letter.

I’ve listened to various interviews you have done post being “caught” and, quite honestly, they all seem to share two common themes: denial and internalized struggles. It seems that not only are you denying things to others, you’re denying them to yourself resulting in deep seeded melees. It appears that you are trying to convince, not your listeners, of your sexuality, but yourself. I don’t listen to you through my physical ear, I allow myself to hear you with my spiritual ear.

Mr. Cee, I don’t wish for you to come running out of a closet as an out and proud queer black man. But I do wish for you to consider these two quotes:

The authentic self is soul made visible. - Sarah Ban Breathnach

and

No legacy is so rich as honesty. - Shakespeare

Given your profound impact on music as one of the country’s most well-known and skillful hip-hop DJs and radio personality at one of the country’s most famous radio stations, it’s safe to say that you desire to leave a rich legacy. I also believe that given your response to the allegations, it’s safe to say that you may benefit from giving thought to what I like to call ‘the other side of fear’. Everything you want is on the other side of fear. Affirmation, success, love, amazing sex with those who you are truly attracted, wealth, etc. But you must choose the rich legacy of honesty to experience it. I argue that (aside from messages around masculinity, sexuality, patriarchy, etc.) you choose fear because you cannot fathom any good coming from acknowledging all of who you are. All you imagine is the negative backlash, possibly losing your job, messing up existing relationships, etc. so you choose fear. But I assure you, standing in your truth will provide you with more amazingness than your current situation ever could. Accepting who you are ALL OF WHO YOU ARE, will bring you a life beyond anything you could have dreamed of. Additionally, the world needs you. But it needs you as the authentic Calvin LeBrun. He needs to come through in order for us to ‘Cee’ your greatness. (You see what I did there?)

I applaud you for attempting to uphold what you know because it has served us, but I challenge you to explore your truth because it will serve YOU.

In solidarity & Love,

Just a Brown Queer Boi Tryna Live an Authentic Life

a/k/a ‘The Ignant Intellectual’

A Message to Black Folks: Don't Get Mad, Get GLAAD
The Search For Sage Smith: Black Victims and Media Neglect

Military Sexual Assault Cases on the Rise

2013-05-09T09:01:00.000-04:00

by Evan Seymour

According to a Pentagon study released Tuesday, a staggering 26,000 members of the military were sexually assaulted last year – a 35% increase since 2010. That amounts to 70 sex crimes in the military per day.

The worsening statistics are a slap in the face to the Pentagon’s recent efforts to curb military sexual abuse.

“Sexual assault is a despicable crime and one of the most serious challenges facing this department,” Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said to reporters during a briefing in response to the study.

The Defense Secretary went on to outline a new 8-point strategy for addressing the issue of sexual assault in the armed forces. The initiative will be carried out by the Department of Defense’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO), the same office that produced the study.

President Obama is demanding a “no tolerance” stance towards perpetrators, regardless of rank. Obama told reporters he has already spoken to Defense Secretary Hagel about the report’s findings.

“I expect consequences,” Obama told reporters at the White House. “If we find out someone is engaging in this stuff, they’ve got to be held accountable, prosecuted, stripped of their positions, court-martialed.”

The release of the report comes on the heels of high profile assault allegations against Lt. Col. Jeff Krusinski , the Air Force’s Sexual Assault Response and Prevention chief. In effect, the person in charge of protecting men and women in uniform from assault is himself accused of a sex-related crime. Col. Krusinski is accused of groping the breasts and behind of a civilian woman in a bar parking lot in Arlington, VA, not far from the Pentagon. He has been suspended from his duties in the wake of the investigation.

Despite the high rate of sexual assault. The numbers of women in the armed services continues to increase. More than 200,000 women are in the active duty military according to Pentagon statistics. A Pew Research study found 1/3 of those women are African-American. Those servicewomen who find themselves the victims of assault often face lifelong challenges associated with their trauma. The Service Woman’s Action Network (servicewoemen.org/military-sexual-violence) reports:

While rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment … are the leading cause of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among women veterans. Sexual violence is often a risk factor for homelessness among women veterans. Stress, depression, and other mental health issues associated with surviving military sexual violence make it more likely that survivors will of experience high rates of substance abuse and will have difficulty finding work after discharge from the military.

Often, these women do not want to come forward out of fear of being ostracized, threated or ignored. Of last year’s 26,000 alleged incidents of sexual assault, only 1,100 resulted in action against the suspected perpetrators.

There are several members of Congress looking to change these numbers. Supporters of reform include Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Kelly Ayotte (MR-NH), who have introduced the Combat Military Sexual Assault (MSA) Act of 2013.

“It’s inexcusable for us to wait any longer to address this issue and I’m glad this bipartisan legislation is taking meaningful steps to do right by our nation’s heroes,” Murray said in a statement.

The bill’s provisions include increased jurisdiction for the DoD’s Sexual Abuse Response and Prevention Office and the allotment of Special Victims Council to assist the victim throughout the military’s proceedings.

During a recent appearance on Democracy Now, Anu Bhagwati, executive director and co-founder of Service Women’s Action Network, spoke with optimism about the proposed changes:

The military can’t hide this issue anymore, and therefore victims inside the military feel a little bit safer that there’s a community out there that is going to support them and that finally believes them. I mean, this has been happening for decades. But finally there’s a sense that, "OK, I’m not alone.”

A Reminder of Our Reality: Rape Allegations Made Against Morehouse College Students
5 Things We Learned from the Victory Over Rick Ross and Rape Rap
I Blame Myself: The Consequences of Enjoying Rick Ross, Rap, and Rape Culture

Minority Report: The Only (Black) Girl in a Private Sector World

2013-05-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

by Veronica Hilbring (@Veronicolumn)

I’ve worked in various corporate environments since I finished college in 2007. Each of the experiences was very different but there was always a constant theme: I should expect to be if not the only but one of the few black women there.

I live in Chicago, better known as the most segregated city in the north. The majority of black folks live on the south and west sides of the city where poverty, food desserts and unemployment has continued for decades. The only sense of diversity I had were the white and Hispanic teachers at school.

Until I reached college, I had always been surrounded by black folks. That soon changed. I headed to college in small town IL, not too far from another small town ANNA, whose acronym Ain’t No Niggas Allowed had been passed down to most of the black student population.

It was also in this small town where I had my first face-to-face encounter with racism. It was actually like face-to-back from a speeding pickup truck where the occupants yelled “Shut Up Niggas” to my two homegirls and I after eating dinner at the local Ponderosa. It’s also in college where I first learned what it felt like to actually be the only black person in a classroom.

Those experiences prepared me for the workplace. Or at least I thought they did.

Now that I’m three years into my current gig, my job does finally feel like a work family. But it didn’t always feel that way. The web series the Unwritten Rules has shown many of the same experiences I’ve personally encountered. When I first started there was only one other black person there and he literally sat on the other side of the office. While everyone was incredibly nice and sincere, I still kept my distance from them. I didn’t feel as if there was anyone there who I could truly be myself with. So for the first few months, I primarily stayed to myself. I went to lunch solo and really didn’t have many deep conversations with other co-workers.

Then on a glorious day in May, three months after I started, I learned that we had a new coworker. When the door opened, a short brown sister with curly hair strolled in. I literally almost ran to hug her. If you’re like me then you know it ain’t nothing like a homegirl. After a few months, she and I were thick as thieves. Turns out we both went to the same college at the same time and knew the same people.

After she got there, I was able to relax and open up more to my other coworkers. It wasn’t that I needed another person of color to flourish at doing my job. But I felt the need to have another sister there who understood everything I felt. Like when coworkers spoke of buying condos and vacationing in the Galapagos Islands, we were both barely living paycheck to paycheck. After she was hired, my company eventually hired two more black people. We were invading the place.

It was truly then that I felt like I was in a real family. It wasn’t like anyone tried to make me feel like I didn’t belong. I just simply felt that way. I know that I’m not the only black woman to work in this environment. But I know that my experiences have made me appreciate those who have faced similar situations even more.

Are you the only black girl in your private sector world?

A Black Woman's Perspective on Being In The Workplace
The Unwritten Rules: What it Means to be a Black Woman in Corporate America
Nappy Professional Negroes Need Not Apply

An Open letter to Charles Ramsey: An American Hero Turned National Joke

2013-05-08T07:12:00.000-04:00

By Eris Zion Venia Dyson

Dear Mr. Charles Ramsey,

First and foremost thank you. Thank you for being an up-stander versus a bystander. All too often we are quick to flee from the things that could land us in imminent danger, but you in your heart of hearts knew that the right thing to do was to come to the aid of someone who was crying out. We as the members of this great City of Cleveland are forever beholden to you for finding three of our daughters who we thought we’d never see again. But through the grace of the Most High they are now safe.

In plain speak, you said something so profound, and I want to unpack the statement that you made: “When a young, pretty white woman runs into the arms of a Black man you know something wrong.”

What does this statement mean in 2013? For me, it spoke volumes. It says: In America, we are taught to fear Black Men. They are assumed to be violent, angry, and completely & utterly untrustworthy. This statement also says what we have always known to be true for this country: White women, specifically pretty white women have no business in the same space as Black men. For as long as we can remember American society has been the sustainer of white women and the slayer of Black men.

We have seen it with the all too familiar story of Emmitt Till. We have seen it with the less familiar story of George Stinney; the youngest person in the United States ever executed. At 14 years old he was charged with the murder of two white girls in Alcolu, South Carolina. He was charged with this murder after being the last to see these two girls alive and even helped to search for them. With no evidence and no concrete witnesses he was sent to the electric chair, with a booster seat for his 90lb body, his case never reopened even after the culprit admitted he committed the crime.

I write this letter with extreme gratefulness, because I know how this country has historically made a mockery of, and torn down men like you: Black men who have been the fall guy, Black men who are assumed guilty for wearing hoodies and having wallets that somehow get mistaken for guns. So we all know that you could have easily decided that you would not put yourself in harm’s way.

And for your act of heroism you are met with extreme scrutiny couched in jest. Joke after joke for telling your truth, as plain as you knew how. You, Mr. Ramsey, were made fun of for flinching when the sounds of police sirens struck an innate reaction of terror in you. We all know that the police weren’t made for the protection of Black men. The 911 operator who engaged you with disdain, disbelief, and sheer aggravation reaffirmed that “you don’t have to be white to support white supremacy.” So if you don’t “look” like a hero, “speak” like a hero, “dress” like a hero, or wear your “hair” like a hero, then you’re just another person used to build the comedic chops of aspiring YouTube/Twitter/Facebook/Instagram sensations.

Thank you Mr. Ramsey for your discernment. Words can’t express what you have done for the families that finally have answers. As for the court jesters, there’s not much we can do for the cowards who don’t see that you did what the Cleveland Police department and the FBI could NOT do for an entire decade. As James Baldwin said, “When a man asks himself what is meant by action he proves that he isn’t a man of action. Action is a lack of balance. In order to act you must be somewhat insane. A reasonably sensible man is satisfied with thinking."

Thank you for being “somewhat insane” enough to act.

With Love,
eZv

Republished with permission from an ezv truth

I Could Not Care Less About What Lil Wayne or Rick Ross Mean To Hip Hop

2013-05-07T19:48:00.001-04:00

Last week, PepsiCo dropped Lil Wayne's endorsement deal after the family of Emmett Till expressed outrage over lyrics in a Lil Wayne song. This happened just weeks after sustained protests prompted Reebok to drop Rick Ross because of his lyrics that implied date rape followed by inadequate apologies. Rap enthusiasts have expressed concern that hip hop is a target. A blogger at Necole Bitchie writes, "Corporate companies are going to be more afraid to give Hip Hop a chance, moving forward, in fear that something like this will happen again."

I, quite frankly, could not care less. I enjoy hip hop music, though I have successfully cut down my listening since the Rick Ross situation erupted. And I worry about the portrayal of black cultural products as exceptionally dysfunctional, but I can't say that mainstream rap contributes more to the lives of African-Americans, particularly for Black women, than it detracts. The uneven labeling of black men as dangerous dismays; however, I do believe artists who promote offensive ideas and acts in their content should be held accountable. Artistic freedom doesn't equate to a complete evasion of consequences.

One wonders why Mountain Dew waited so long to pull the plug on the rapper's deal. The Emmett Till lyric dropped months ago, but, perhaps, corporations will exercise more prudence when picking their spokespeople. If that means fewer rappers get endorsement deals, so be it. I, as a black woman, do not feel invested in that fight. If you choose to make your living degrading, debasing, shocking and offending, expect push back that cannot be waved away with assertions of free speech. Commercial rap cares about money above all else. Hopefully new and seasoned rappers see the sanctions leveled against the offenders and choose to exercise restraint in their lyrical content or actions.

I, personally, choose not to judge the character of Lil Wayne or Rick Ross based on these mistakes. They are huge, influential voices with the important the ability to reach young hearts and minds. But we often must withstand correction to learn and grow. It is my hope that they will reassess their situations and use their platforms responsibly, but if they're unwilling then the protests and boycotts can and should continue.

I Blame Myself: The Consequences of Enjoying Rick Ross, Rap, and Rape Culture
The Appeal to Black Men: Don’t Get Lost in the Crowd When Fighting Rape Culture
5 Things We Learned from the Victory Over Rick Ross and Rape Rap

Kimberly Foster is the founder and editor of For Harriet. Email or Follow @KimberlyNFoster

Obama Administration Appeals Lowering Plan B Age Limit

2013-05-06T11:25:00.001-04:00

Last week a federal judge ordered that the emergency contraception pill Plan B should be available over-the-counter to young women as young as 15 years old. While reproductive rights advocates and women's health groups praised the decision, but on Wednesday the Department of Justice filed notice that it will challenge the ruling in court.

The Federal Drug Administration (F.D.A.) recommended lowering the age limit on purchase of Plan B One-Step from 17 with valid ID to 15. FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg said in an agency news release, "Research has shown that access to emergency contraceptive products has the potential to further decrease the rate of unintended pregnancies in the United States."

She went on to explain, "The data reviewed by the agency demonstrated that women 15 years of age and older were able to understand how Plan B One-Step works, how to use it properly and that it does not prevent the transmission of a sexually transmitted disease."

Increased access could be most beneficial for teen African-American girls who continue to have rates of documented abortions in the United States that are double the national average.

The new FDA ruling brings up other important concerns. At the time of sale, pharmacists will be required to check for valid government issued ID which many 15 year-olds may not have. As we learned from the last election cycle, government ID is often unattainable for lower income men and women. Moreover, the importance of condoms to prevent the transmission of STIs is just as (if not more) important as the prevention of pregnancy.

President Obama spoke at Planned Parenthood's national conference this year, but the Administration's decision has drawn ire from women's health groups who believe access to the pill should be extended.

Do you agree with the Obama Administration's decision?

African-American Women Remain More Likely to Die From Childbirth
Yes, Pregnancies Really Can Be Unplanned
Birth Control is More than Just My Responsibility

Kimberly Foster is the founder and editor of For Harriet. Email or Follow @KimberlyNFoster

In Search of Assata: Former Black Panther First Woman Named to FBI’s Top Terrorist List

2013-05-06T08:49:00.001-04:00

by Evan Seymour

After three decades of exile in Cuba, 65-year-old Assata Shakur is once again a wanted woman in the United States. In a joint news conference last week, the FBI and New Jersey state troopers announced Shakur’s addition to the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted Terrorists List. Shakur, formerly known as Joanne Chesimard, is the first woman ever named to the list. Officials made their announcement on the 40th anniversary of the murder of Werner Foerster, the state trooper Shakur is accused of killing in 1973.

During the press conference, FBI Special Agent Aaron Ford described Chesimard as “a domestic terrorist who murdered a law enforcement officer execution-style”. Authorities also announced they are doubling the reward for the capture of the escaped convict from $1 million to $2 million.

Shakur, who was shot twice during the incident, has always maintained her innocence.

State Police Superintendent Col. Rick Fuentes, who also spoke at the press conference, described the case as "an open wound" for troopers in New Jersey and around the country.

So, why seek to mend that wound now?

One has to wonder why less than a month after the Boston Marathon bombings, the 40 year-old case against Shakur has once again been brought to the forefront of conversations of national security. Is the timing coincidental or a deliberate attempt to capitalize upon the unease left in the wake of the first major terrorist attack in the U.S. Since 9/11?

Who is Assata?

Shakur’s involvement in the black liberation movement began during her college days at Borough of Manhattan Community College. In her brief time with the Black Panther Party, Shakur was primarily responsible for the group’s free breakfast program. She left the BPP in 1970, concerned with the Party’s lack of focus on black history. Shakur was also displeased with what she viewed as patriarchy within the organization’s structure and practices. She continued her work as an activist, joining the Black Liberation Army in 1971, the same year she changed her name from Joanne Chesimard to Assata Shakur.

In the years since her escape, Shakur has become an iconic figure in the Black Power Movement. Her 1987 book, Assata: A Biography, is a staple in black studies courses throughout the country.

Legal Problems

In 1971, Shakur was arrested and charged with armed robbery, but the charges were later dismissed. The next year, she was again acquitted on charges of armed robbery, and charges she kidnapped a drug dealer in an unrelated incident. Shakur had been indicted six times before her 1973 arrest for the shooting of State Trooper Werner Foerster. With the exception of the charges associated with Foerster’s murder, all previous indictments against Shakur were dismissed, thrown out, or concluded with her acquittal.

The state trooper was killed in a shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike in East Brunswick. State troopers initially pulled over the two-door vehicle for a broken headlight and ‘slightly’ speeding. The initiating officer, State Trooper James Harper, ordered Zayd Shakur, the driver, out of the car. Assata Shakur was in the front passenger seat. Law enforcement officials and Shakur tell very different versions of the incidents beyond this point in the story.

At the conclusion of the shootout, State Trooper Werner Foerster and BLA member Zayd Shakur were dead. Foerster had been shot twice in the head with bullets from his own service pistol. Shakur was shot twice in the incident. State Trooper James Harper was also injured.

Shakur was convicted in 1977 by an all-white jury for Foerster’s murder and sentenced to life, plus 33 years. She and her attorney both described the trial as a “legal lynching”.

The conviction came despite testimony by a neurosurgeon who claimed Shakur would’ve been unable to commit the crime due to her injuries. According to Dr. Arthur Turner Davidson, the former Panther was shot while her hands were raised above her head. The second bullet severed the median nerve in Shakur’s right arm, making it impossible for her to pull the trigger on the weapon. In addition, Shakur’s fingerprints were not found on any of the weapons at the scene, and there was there was no gunpowder residue found on her hands, according to the Trenton Jersey crime lab and the FBI crime lab in Washington, D.C.

For two years following her conviction, Shakur was placed in solitary confinement, primarily in a men’s prison. She was often kept in conditions she has described as subpar. On November 2, 1979, Shakur escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility for Women with the aid of three members of the Black Liberation Army. Two guards were taken hostage in the incident, and the group stole a prison van as their getaway car.

The former Black Panther stayed underground until her move to Cuba in 1984. Fidel Castro granted Shakur political asylum, and she has been on the island ever since.

Public Enemy

Last week’s addition of Shakur to the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted Terrorists List introduces Shakur as a national villain to a new generation. Of course, it was not mentioned during the press conference that Shakur, and other members of the Black Panther Party, Black Liberation Army, and other leftist black organizations were under attack by the FBI in the 1960s and 70s. In an open letter written to Pope John Paul II during his 1998 visit to the island, Shakur claims she and her comrades were targeted by COINTELPRO, which was set up by the FBI to “destroy the black liberation movement in the United States, to discredit activism, and to eliminate potential leaders [in the movement].”

Much is now known about J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI’s targeting of the Panthers, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), Dr. Martin Luther King and other prominent African-American activists and organizations.

While the intelligence community claims Shakur remains a threat to national security, advocates of the radical maintain she is being wrongly accused. According to Lennox Hines, who has been Shakur’s attorney since 1979, she is being protected by the Cuban government because they consider her a political refugee. No extradition policy currently exists between Cuba and the U.S.

Activist and scholar Angela Davis told Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman she was “shocked” by the addition of Davis to the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted Terrorists List. Davis voiced concern that the increased reward would encourage vigilantes to try to sneak into Cuba in order to capture, or even kill, Shakur.

As noted in an AP story on the FBI’s announcement regarding Shakur, "This week, the State Department said it has no plans to remove Cuba from a list of state sponsors of terrorism that also includes Iran, Syria and Sudan." The activist’s government-approved immunity is one of the reasons Cuba remains on the list.

“40 years later people really don’t know the details of the case and are not aware of the extent to which she was targeted by the FBI [and] the COINTELPRO program,” Davis said on the show.

Davis warned the FBI’s most recent efforts to find Shakur are “designed to frighten people who are involved in struggles today.” She is of the opinion that the FBI’s latest efforts are not about justice, but about settling a vendetta. In Davis’ opinion, the FBI’s targeting of Shakur “reflects [the] very nature of terrorism.”

Is it fair to say that at least, the FBI’s announcement was strategically planned?

Shakur’s supporters see her as a warrior woman; a public enemy in her ancestral homeland who is being hunted by the government for speaking out against oppression and racist national policies. To authorities, she is an escaped convicted felon, a murderer, and one of America’s most wanted criminals.

Oh yes, and apparently, a terrorist.

Assata Shakur In Her Own Words
Angela Davis Discusses US Domestic Terrorism in "The Black Power Mixtape"
We Forget Dr. King Had a Political Ministry

Jamaica Kincaid Refuses to be Labeled an "Angry Black Woman"

2013-05-06T07:37:00.001-04:00

Jamaica Kincaid is one of the preeminent literary voices of our time. That's why her work is featured on our list of 100 Books by Black Women everyone must read. But many Black women know that exceptional brilliance or achievement will not shield you from the closely-held misconceptions many hold about our womanhood. In a recent interview with The American Reader, Kincaid explains why critics so often call her "angry."

People only say I’m angry because I’m black and I’m a woman. But all sorts of people write with strong feeling, the way I do. But if they’re white, they won’t say it. I used to just pretend I didn’t notice it, and now I just think I don’t care.

There are all sorts of reasons not to like my writing. But that’s not one of them. Saying something is angry is not a criticism. It’s not valid. It’s not a valid observation in terms of criticism. You can list it as something that’s true. But it’s not critical.

You may not like it because it makes you uneasy—and you can say that. But to damn it because it’s angry…. They always say that about black people: “those angry black people.” And why? You’re afraid that there might be some truth to their anger. It might be justified.

I promise you, if I had blonde hair and blue eyes this wouldn’t be an issue. No one ever says, “That angry Judith Krantz…” or whatever.

Kincaid's words are familiar for those of us who've hesitated to show emotion in mixed company for fear of the stereotype. Somehow Black women must navigate these landmines while retaining our integrity and confidence. However, Kincaid's life and work reveals that, perhaps, self-censorship isn't the answer.

Later on in the interview, the author gives another incisive take on how those who find her success unbelievable questioned her accomplishments, particularly early on in her career.

I have no credentials. I have no money. I literally come from a poor place. I was a servant. I dropped out of college. The next thing you know I’m writing for the New Yorker, I have this sort of life, and it must seem annoying to people.

I remember my friend, George—people used to say to me, other women, when I was young and at the New Yorker: “How did you get your job?” And I would say, “Well, I met George Trow, and he introduced me to the editor.”

And they’d say, “No, no, no. How did you get your job?”

And I said to George, “I don’t know why they ask me this.” And he said, “Oh, just tell them your father owned the magazine.”

And so the next time people said, “How did you get your job?” I said, “Oh, my father owned the magazine.” And it stopped.

I feel a great sense of relief whenever I hear a woman of Kincaid's stature utter thoughts like these -- the kind that many of us simply don't have the gravitas or opportunity to speak so plainly. Feeling like you must constantly prove yourself, your rationality, and your worth becomes exhausting. Kincaid's plain talk on the matter is refreshing.

Pick up Jamaica Kincaid's latest novel See Now Then: A Novel as well as another other one of our favorites Lucy: A Novel

Why I am OK with Being an Angry Black Woman
Dear America, Black People Have A Right To Be Angry

Kimberly Foster is the founder and editor of For Harriet. Email or Follow @KimberlyNFoster

17 Black Women Bloggers To Know in 2013

2013-05-05T21:13:00.000-04:00

Building a successful blog takes passion and dedication. The process doesn't happen overnight, and often great blogs undergo many transformations until they find their niche. We recognize the importance of women creating our own spaces online. These bloggers offer exceptional content in their respective niches.

Yoli of Yoli's Green Living - Going green doesn't have to be painful or expensive. Yoli provides helpful tips on healthy, environmentally-conscious living. She's a black woman working to dispel the myth that myth that green living is for white folks. It works for us too!

Alexandria and Whitney of Sporty Afros - Black women do work out, and we maintain healthy, manageable hair. The creators of Sporty Afros set out to tear down invisible barriers between Black women and great health. Their blog empowers women who wish to keep their bodies and their hair healthy at once.

Sherrell of Organic Beauty Vixen - Sherrell documents her journey to living an eco-friendly, chic lifestyle on her blog. With her guidance, women learn how to avoid toxic beauty products and rediscover their natural beauty.

CeCe of The Big Girl Blog - tackles life as plus-sized woman from all angles. No, this isn't a weight loss blog though CeCe leads her readers in fitness challenges. This is an honest account of woman who isn't hiding a thing.

Wagatwe of Fuckyeahfeminists - No, feminism isn't for white women. Wagatwe created a wildly popular space for feminists to converse. As a survivor of domestic and sexual violence she uses her past to contribute personal thoughts and experiences to different topics related to gender-based violence.

Folake of StylePantry - In the seemingly overcrowded world of fashion blogging, Folake is rising to the top. Style Pantry features interviews on industry folks, street style, lookbooks, campaigns and haute finds. In addition, Editor, Folake regularly updates her daily looks, sharing tips and secrets on where/how to shop bargains and vintage treasures.

Trudy of Gradient Lair- Writer and culture critic Trudy uses her incisive voice to explore sociopolitical issues from a firm womanist stance. In each blog post, Trudy forces her readers to reconsider their own views with her brilliant writing.

Mia of Black Girl Dangerous - Black Girl Dangerous seeks to, in as many ways possible, amplify the voices, experiences and expressions of queer and trans* people of color. Writer Mia McKenzie leads the endeavor with revealing and insightful cultural commentary.

Britni Danielle - Britni Danielle shares her road to a successful career as a freelancer. As a writer and educator, Britni is committed to helping others share their voices both on and offline, and has led writing and technology classes for both teenagers and adults. Her blog is a must-read for anyone who wants to pursue a career as a professional writer.

LC of Colored Girl Confidential - LC leads a self-development blog for Millennial women of color. She offers tips and guidance for young, ambitious women at the start of their careers. In addition to advice, she often offers her thoughts on varied issues of womanhood.

Rene of Good Enough Mother - Former TV Anchor and breast cancer ambassador Rene Syler offers practical, down-to-earth advice on motherhood and career.

Lauren of Crew of 42 - Crew of 42 follows the members of the Congressional Black Caucus and black politics across the country. Lauren writes about Congress and politics from Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. This blog was created to put attention on important issues that generally don’t get much press coverage.

Aprill of Glitter Gloss Garbage - Women come in all shapes and sizes, skin tones, personalities and walks of life. Glitter.Gloss.Garbage fulfills these needs by providing information on new beauty product releases, beauty product swatches, and beauty product reviews.

Chastity of GarnerStyle - Fabulous fashion can come in all sizes. Chastity offers inspiration and advice for women looking to achieve great style.

Spectra of Spectra Speaks - Spectra is an award-winning Nigerian writer, women’s rights activist, new media consultant, and philanthropist. She is the voice behind the afrofeminist media blog, Spectra Speaks publishes news, opinions, and personal stories about gender, media, and diversity as they pertain to Africa and the Diaspora.

Sanura of My Life Runs on Food - My Life Runs on Food is a blog demonstrating how to plan a well-balanced meal back into our lives. It offers tips on how to “brown bag” yesterday’s dinner for lunch, and the blog suggests which seasonal produce to use in recipes.

Kara of Fabulous and Frugal - Fabulous and Frugal is an online home for women interested in creating community around financial empowerment, girl power, and juicy living. Kara uses her personal experiences to help other women make smart money choices.

Kimberly Foster is the founder and editor of For Harriet. Email or Follow @KimberlyNFoster

"Brown Daughters Who are Not Our Own" Are No Less Our Own

2013-05-05T10:43:00.000-04:00

Liz A.’s poetic piece, “For Brown Daughters Who Are Not Our Own” comes from the most heartfelt of places with nothing but loving intent, but it is misguided in its approach.

The world is no doubt a hostile place for those born into black and brown bodies; no one can truthfully argue otherwise. Racism is the sickening and very real by-product of the social construct of race, and it is absolutely our duty as adults to warn the children who will inevitably face this ugly reality. We must equip them with information and give them a safe space to dialogue about their experiences so that they may flourish in spite of the cruelty.

We must love them and find ways to ensure they know this love enough to keep it ever-present at the forefront of their minds. We must teach them to love themselves as they are and instruct them on ways to honor the beautiful by-product of race: Culture. The elements of her piece that did not sit well with me can be summed up in the line: “I think of you as an embodied symbolism, a message to me, to other brown women.”

Children are people, not embodied symbols or messages. They do not exist to assuage or confirm our cultural hurts and historical traumas. They exist to carve out their own experiences and assign their own meanings to their lives. Their lives are our gifts to them. They are not our harvest.

Children are growing people who need care from loving adults who can be empathetic to their specific needs. With so many adults of every race or medley of races severely lacking in their capacity to care for our smallest, most vulnerable, citizens (let alone, themselves!), I believe it is best that we allow children to get that love and care from whoever will freely offer it to them.

What we can truly focus our energies on is arming ALL adults who are interested in raising these children with information about the best practices for doing so. Adults who raise children are not just parents, they also community leaders, teachers, and potential mentors. Children are reared by all adults and influences they encounter regularly. Of course, children of any historically oppressed group need to see people who look like them living full and happy lives in their chosen fields. But, in cases where these children are being raised by a parent or parents of divergent backgrounds, it is then the parent’s duty to find appropriate mentors.

But that’s just another task of parenting-- finding ways to fill in the gaps. To truly make the world a more hospitable place for black and brown children, we must continue to push forward with anti-racist work. We can continue fighting towards abolishing abusive legislative practices of which the list is exhausting: the discriminatory “stop and frisk” is only one of many I can think of. Let us continue to increase honest and constructive dialogue about race-- our efforts in doing so are already (frustratingly) slowly but surely shifting culture. Let’s continue to set up and support resources that will afford opportunity to children of black diasporic heritage in every domain they may choose.

We can heal our wounds without being so restrictive.

At the root of making such a claim that black women are the only ones who can effectively raise black children is a harmful essentialism—it’s an assumption that all black women have the same experiences and upbringings. The idea that there is a real or authentic blackness that is intrinsic and can be violated by outside influences. While there are many shared cultural ties, struggles, and accomplishments that bind us and should be revered, we are not a monolith.

We are a people amalgamated-- fused and formed from a variety of different locales, economic situations, family structures...the list of factors is endless. There are so many shades and expressions of global diasporic blackness that to attempt to live as a monolith would be a disservice. I want every imagination of blackness to be fair game. Black children with a white parent or parents can absolutely grow to have a strong sense of black identity and a complex understanding of their history if we are interested in helping to facilitate that.

In an idyllic world, we would be able to engage in true cultural diffusion without any kind of supremacy. We are eons away from that world, of course, but I do not think that discounting the experiences of children who are living a different kind of blackness is a productive stop on the path to achieving it. I think that the oftentimes stringent restrictions on what black identity is can be so alienating, and we can miss out on some truly novel contributions to social justice because of it. There is so much expanse of earth to experience, that to dwell on an “essence” which has never existed would result only in wasted time.

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Michelle Marie Charles is a New Media artist and writer based in New York. Her work examines gender, race, sexuality, and identity construction.

A Reminder of Our Reality: Rape Allegations Made Against Morehouse College Students

2013-05-05T09:57:00.001-04:00

by Evan Seymour

Saturday mornings are for sipping coffee and scouring my favorite websites. Randomly, I decided to Google the name of my alma mater, Spelman College. I was saddened as I read what popped up on the screen – three Morehouse basketball players and a fourth Morehouse student have been arrested and charged with the rape of an 18 year-old attendee of Spelman.

The unidentified 18-year-old went to police after she claims the four men assaulted her on the first day of the schools’ shared spring break. She told police that while she was unwittingly under the influence of an unknown substance – possibly the popular street drug Molly – the four men raped her in one of the dormitories on Morehouse’s campus.

I shook my head as I stared at the headline, disgusted and dismayed, but less surprised than one might expect. According to the National Institute of Justice and the Bureau of Justice Statistics, every two and a half minutes, a woman is sexually assaulted in the United States. If the allegations of the young lady are true, she is now part of the estimated one in six American women who is the victim of sexual assault at some point during her lifetime.

The incident reminded me of my time in the Atlanta University Center as an English major at Spelman. In September of my senior year, tensions between the two schools were high, to say the least, when a group of around 150 Spelman women marched onto the all-male campus to protest the alleged rape of one of our sisters by a man of Morehouse.

The decision to march on Morehouse was made by the leaders of a campus feminist organization known as FMLA (Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance). This was the second allegation of rape in just two weeks that Spelman’s Women’s Center had been made aware of, and the FMLA decided it was time to shine some light on the issue. Dressed in handmade t-shirts adorned with slogans like “No Means No”, and “I Am My Sister”, the group marched past campus security and descended on the campus. The Spelmanites determined to speak their peace and demanded the issue of assault be addressed by Morehouse’s administration.

There were definitely questions surrounding the 2006 allegations. In the case which sparked the demonstration, the Spelman student reported to police that she went back to the alleged perpetrator’s room voluntarily. She told police she at one point told the young man, “I am not doing this,” but she never actually said the word, ”no”. This caused some to question if she actually had been raped or not. Details about the other allegation of rape were never made public.

While a handful of young men did join the protest, the majority were furious. Many Morehouse students felt the protest had been disruptive, and premature, but the FMLA and their supporters argued that there was truth to the claims, and that the issue of sexual abuse had been a long-neglected one in the Atlanta University Center. Eventually, students on both sides decided to host a series of town-hall style forums to discourse around sexual assault. The conversation was a much-needed step in the healing process of our community.

This is another moment where healing is needed. Hopefully, the current students at Spelman and Morehouse use this as an opportunity to dialogue about the prevalence of abuse, prevention of abuse, and the need for mutual respect between black men and women. Conversations around gender relations need to be a more regular part of our dialogue in society, and the black community is no exception to this. The oppression of women is multi-faceted, and it is as important an issue in our world now as it ever has been. This is not a women’s issue, but a rights issue, and hopefully the students of both schools can come together to serve as an example of healthy, productive, and overdue conversation about gender relations.

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15 Free Ebooks By Black Women

2013-05-04T08:52:00.002-04:00

We're on an ongoing quest to spread the brilliance of Black women. That's why we suggest you read these books and watch these videos. Book hoarders know that constant purchases can add up, so here are a few to add to your collection.

Update: Many of these links have been disabled. We apologize and we will try to restore as many as possible.

The New Jim Crow - Michelle Alexander

or purchase The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness

Behind the Mask of the Strong Black Woman: Voice and the Embodiment of a Costly Performance - Tamara Beauboeuf-Lafontant

or purchase Behind the Mask of the Strong Black Woman: Voice and the Embodiment of a Costly Performance

Black Feminist Thought - Patricia Hill Collins

or purchase Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment (Routledge Classics)

Black Sexual Politics - Patricia Hill Collins

or purchase Black Sexual Politics: African Americans, Gender, and the New Racism

Angela Davis: An Autobiography - Angela Davis

or purchase Angela Davis: An Autobiography

Are Prisons Obsolete - Angela Davis

or purchase Angela Davis: An Autobiography

If They Come In The Morning - Angela Davis

Women, Race and Class - Angela Davis

All About Love - bell hooks

or purchase All About Love: New Visions

Feminism is for Everybody - bell hooks

I Am Your Sister: Collected and Unpublished Writings of Audre Lorde - Audre Lorde

or purchase I Am Your Sister: Collected and Unpublished Writings of Audre Lorde

Sula - Toni Morrison

or purchase Sula

Killing the Black Body: Race Reproduction and the Meaning of Liberty - Dorothy Roberts

or purchase Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty

Assata: An Autobiography - Assata Shakur

or purchase Assata: An Autobiography

Skin Deep Spirit Strong: The Black Female Body in American Culture - Kimberly Wallace-Sanders
or purchase Skin Deep, Spirit Strong: The Black Female Body in American Culture

Kimberly Foster is the founder and editor of For Harriet. Email or Follow @KimberlyNFoster

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