Category Archives: Mourning in America
Black Women’s Lives Matter
Although the mantra ‘Black Lives Matter’ was developed by black women, I often worry that in the collective consciousness it carries with it an implicit masculine association, one that renders subordinate or even invisible the very real suffering of black women, one that assigns to these women a role of supporter and soother and withoutContinue reading “Black Women’s Lives Matter”
“Ballad of Birmingham”
“Mother dear, may I go downtown instead of out to play, and march the streets of Birmingham in a freedom march today?” “No, baby, no, you may not go, for the dogs are fierce and wild, and clubs and hoses, guns and jails ain’t good for a little child.” “But, mother, I won’t be alone.Continue reading ““Ballad of Birmingham””
Charleston Church Shooting
“My God! We aren’t even safe at church,” Anonymous black woman after the 16th Street Church Bombing; 1963-2015. The “clean-shaven white man about 21 years old who was wearing a gray sweatshirt, blue jeans and Timberland boots” who opened fire yesterday at Emanuel A.M.E. Church on June 17 marks a return to the past violenceContinue reading “Charleston Church Shooting”
Well Done Beau Biden, 1969-2015
Western Apologies
Originally posted on Media Diversified:
by Somayra Ismailjee By now, you may have heard of the Chapel Hill shooting of newlyweds Deah Barakat, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salhar and her sister Razan Mohammad Abu-Salhar. Say these names aloud. I won’t detail the event which ended their lives brutally short here. Though underreported, the information is out there.…
“When Sorrows Come” Spelman College Symposium
If you’re in the Atlanta area this weekend, here’s an event you don’t want to miss: The text reads as follows: 50 years since the day Malcolm X was assassinated, Spelman College will host a symposium addressing the contemptuous and deadly disregard for black life evident across the social, political, and cultural landscape in theContinue reading ““When Sorrows Come” Spelman College Symposium”
R.I.P. Stuart Scott
Stuart Scott was a phenomenal anchor at ESPN. One of Scott’s greatest traits as an anchor, to me, was the integrity he showed by embracing the man he wanted to be while working in the mainstream. Despite the many early critics who dismissed his cool, black vernacular style and those who remained disgruntled even whenContinue reading “R.I.P. Stuart Scott”
Are You Kidding Me?
Jennifer Schuessler, a movie reviewer for The New York Times, might consider reading Janet Maslin’s review of Ravi Howard’s latest novel, Driving the King, for its effectiveness in offering a close reading with keen understanding of the subject matter. Schuessler’s review of Selma addresses the grievances of some historians and those who worked closely with formerContinue reading “Are You Kidding Me?”
Officer Panteleo and the Afterlife of Wrestle-mania
When 29 year-old Police Officer Daniel Pantaleo used a banned chokehold maneuver that would kill Eric Garner, it was all good ’cause the Officer perceived himself as using a “wrestling move.” Officer Pantaleo didn’t “mean” to kill Garner, he was just trying to arrest the man for the horrendous crime of selling individual cigarettes. AsContinue reading “Officer Panteleo and the Afterlife of Wrestle-mania”
In Reverie Blog 