Sanctuary

Azealia Banks

2012-01-27T12:27:00.001-08:00

I love 212 way more than I should.. That is all.

White Feminists & Race

2011-12-06T09:13:00.000-08:00

White Feminists: It's Time to Put Up or Shut Up On Race "We need to accept that when a person of color tells us we’ve fucked up, the answer is not to get defensive. When we get that instinct to say “geez, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way at all,” it’s time to stop right now. It doesn’t matter how you meant it. It really doesn’t. Someone doesn’t have to have racism in their heart to do

Me, the Muslim Next Door

2011-12-04T16:19:00.000-08:00

Awesome project I found through Racialicious, Me, the Muslim Next Door uses audio, video and photos to portray the experiences and opinions of various Muslims (and couples) in a way that TLC's All American Muslim doesn't. I have often felt out of place as a Muslim: often, you are not allowed to refer to yourself as that in Western culture unless you fit the stereotype of what a Muslim woman is.

Tambien La Lluvia

2011-11-25T18:03:00.000-08:00

"How long will you remember that water is yuka?" I saw this movie last year at the Toronto International Film Festival, and was completely blown away by it. My sister is a film major and she usually volunteers for TIFF (she is now an intern with Reel World Film Festival, also in Toronto). She carefully selects the movies we will see (and pay for with her volunteer vouchers!) - and this was one of

POCs in Hunger Games: Stereotypes 101.

2011-11-16T17:36:00.000-08:00

Race!fail in The Hunger Games is another excellent post about race in THG. It's a very concise but telling read that goes throw the characteristics of the (undeniable/unambiguous) POCs in the book: Rue, Thresh and Chaff. I admit, even I didn't remember Chaff having devoured the three books in a week. This article is interesting for two reasons: 1) It is the best argument I have seen, BY FAR,

The Hunger Games: Rue & Cinna

2011-11-14T11:59:00.000-08:00

Yes, There Are Black People In Your Hunger Games, writes one blogger at Nerdgasm Noire Network. The writer (Roxie Moxie) takes a look at the racialization of Rue and Cinna in the book, and juxtaposes it with reactions from fans after they were cast. When reading the books, I loved that Rue and Thresh were black. In line with my own post about how I read Katniss, there is an obvious connection

Wuthering Heights - The Enemy

2011-11-14T08:22:00.000-08:00

Mumford & Sons wrote "The Enemy" for Andrea Arnold's Wuthering Heights (which I wrote about previously as being the first to star a black Heathcliff). The video is gorgeous, and the song is perfect for this amazing, amazing film. Having seen a movie adaptation or two in my youth and read the book, this version was the telling of the tale that finally, FINALLY endeared Heathcliff to me. Why did

Hunger Games trailer

2011-11-14T08:17:00.000-08:00

The trailer for the Hunger Games has been released, and I have two things to say. One, Jennifer Lawrence is not olive in the most generous of terms. So the debate about whether or not Katniss was a white woman with olive skin or a WOC with olive skin seems pretty silly since they cast a white woman without an olive complexion. Seriously! I admit, I wouldn't have been happy if they brown-ed her

Wuthering Heights

2011-09-05T11:12:00.000-07:00

So excited to see the new Wuthering Heights film at TIFF. Heathcliff is a man of color! As he should be :) I have said for years how excited I would be to see a film representing him as a man of color. You're fit for a prince in disguise. Who knows but your father was Emperor of China, and your mother an Indian queen, each of them able to buy up, with one week's income, Wuthering Heights and

Being loud in the libs

2011-04-06T18:37:00.000-07:00

Yes, I was definitely the loud girl on the fourth floor of the library at 2am during exam period. I've been told even my typing is loud. I'm awful, I know: I admit it. And yes, if you told me to be quiet, I would really really try, but I probably would not succeed. And yet, Stauff booth "dancing" and library marathons with my girl friends are some of the best memories I made as an undergrad.

"Olive complexion" = "Illegal"

2011-04-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

I saw this, and thought it was interesting in light of the "what is olive?" debate. For the record, I don't think anyone is "illegal", and I hate that term; and think this Congresswoman is racist.

Why Katniss Everdeen is a Woman of Color

2011-03-15T16:09:00.000-07:00

Why The Hunger Games' Katniss Everdeen is a Woman of Color The Casting Controversy I loved The Hunger Games when I devoured the trilogy in a week (the first book, in a day). As a woman of color (brown, not olive skinned) who grew up in a third world country, the idea of being a revolutionary hero in the world of YA seemed to speak to my childish self. When I found out it was going to be made

Starbucks double shot coffee

2010-12-07T11:52:00.000-08:00

This is a magical energy drink elixir with a double shot of delicious coffee. For some reason, I keep calling them "Shakespeares". Sigh. I won't try to justify my strangeness. Just let me have this one.

The end

2010-04-04T18:20:00.000-07:00

Bear with me for this completely self serving uninformative non-entertaining, even more dull than usual post.Be strong.be Strong.be STRONG.Be Strong!BE STRONG!

Overheard in Law School

2009-11-03T10:36:00.000-08:00

So I'm in Torts class and we're discussing how courts assess damages, and the fact that they take race and gender into account in calculating damages (i.e. a boy and girl in the same accident with the same injuries; the boy will get higher damages for loss of future income - same for white people over people of color).And someone speaks up in class and uses Michelle Obama, stating if she had been

Racialized M&Ms

2009-10-11T19:48:00.001-07:00

So I was walking through Sobey's today, surrounded by lots of halloween candy and just noticed that M&Ms are white. Like, blaringly white. As in - how had I not noticed this before?There was an add featuring Green M&M with exaggerated human arms and legs (that is, longer legs and arms that are usually shown on Red and Yellow) that made me notice it. And I had to wonder... why are M&M's white? How

Law School

2009-09-09T19:07:00.000-07:00

Ok the commute is killing me.. it's not just the commute to law school; it's also the commute from there to my boyfriends and from his place back home etc etc.. it's just too much! I spent about 4 hours (probably more) on the subway, on the buses, or waiting for them to arrive (or watching them whiz past me while I waited).It's exhausting! The subway is cold, my eyes hurt from reading in the bad

Law Essay 1

2009-09-05T21:11:00.000-07:00

UGH it is 12:12 AM and I have been procrastinating this essay since circa 7:30 pm!! At least I got some good *creative* writing done.. but seriously, I need to start sticking to my work schedule.. cuz procrastination time = time not spent relaxing and recovering from the hectic week.I can't wait til my mom is here to kick my butt into action!Words of encouragement, please!

Hmm

2009-09-03T18:42:00.001-07:00

"How to explain the missing? How to tell this innocent boy that lately all she could think about was going home, being surrounded by her family, by her sisters? How could he understand what it meant to be in a place that didn't want her?"- Laila Halaby, "Once in a Promised Land"Sometimes other writes say it better than I do.

Type/Cast

2009-08-28T03:21:00.000-07:00

My sister's new blog featuring a very light hearted, dry humor (think Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead) screen play/script is up!It's called "A Medieval Romance", and is a play about a Knight who plots to kidnap a Princess because they are in love, and runs into a lot of hilarious trouble/characters along the way. My personal favorite is Rani <3 . Better yet - all of the characters are meant

Law School

2009-08-24T18:01:00.000-07:00

Law School starts next week and I am terrified. I'm very scared of ending up a BA with a JD who doesn't know what to do with her life. To be honest, I don't think I have it in me to article and become a lawyer. Heck, I don't even know if I can pass first year.Any lawyers or law students reading this - want to encourage me with information about alternative careers for lawyers? And by alternative

Wuthering Heights Twilight-style

2009-08-21T18:29:00.000-07:00

Quick post.. why do I always say that and then rant to 50000 words.. hmm.Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights is going to be marketed with a Twilight-esque cover, announcing the book as Bella's favorite. I found this particularly hilarious:"While I guess it's kind of sad that they're remarketing Wuthering Heights with a Twilight-esque cover and a sticker that announces the Bronte novel was Bella's

The Time Traveler's Wife, take 2

2009-08-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

So quick post!First: amazing blog Racialicious posted a version of my previous post on their website here.I saw The Time Traveler's Wife last night with le copain, and am glad to say that we watched it for free thanks to SCENE points (sweetness for frequent movie-goers), since the movie cut out pretty much all of the characters of color; at least all of the ones discussed in the previous post.I

Race & Racism in The Time Traveler's Wife

2009-08-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

(i will try to keep spoilers to a minimum)Besides what my sister saw as the author of The Time Traveler's Wife's unfortunate name (Audrey Niffenegger), there is a lot of subtle discussion of race and racism in The Time Traveler's Wife.When I started reading The Time Traveler's Wife, I was already aware that in the movie version of the book, Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams were cast to play Henry

new blog!

2009-08-13T18:30:00.000-07:00

Posting creative writing, following the story of Mariposa (soon Jose, Marcelo, Asha and Jibrael will join for those who know me and my neuroses).Please read here: http://crownedgoddess.blogspot.comThank you!XLex