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Drag Performance and Black Lives Matter
Black drag queens have been at the forefront of social justice movements since Stonewall, and this past decade has only seen this trend continue. Popular reality competition show RuPaul’s Drag Race has given several drag queens, both Black and not, a platform to use their voice and their drag to advocate for change. One being […]
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The Crack Epidemic: How the US Government Failed Black Americans
Ricochet was born into an unstable home with a verbally abusive mother in 196`1. She quickly became involved with drugs, alcohol and both abusive and drug-addicted men. Ricochet eventually moved out of her childhood home, and into a low income Harlem housing project with her two children. She soon developed an addiction to crack, which […]
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The Push Against Anti-Racist Education
The Black Lives Matter Movement of this past summer forced several educational institutions to push for changes in both their curricula and culture that should have occurred long ago. Several primarily white institutions, or PWIS, have released statements committing to diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism. Among these institutions is Dalton, an elite New York City […]
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Black Life In The Spotlight Of Literature
The Black experience has often been not diverse in media and literature. We have been portrayed as drug dealers, drug addicts, criminals, or impoverished athletes who find miraculous success at the hands of a generous white coach. Black characters, when included, have been one-dimensional figures within white narratives. However, increasing numbers of Black literary minds […]
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Mental Health Should Not Be a Silent Struggle
The world is not particularly friendly to Black mental health. The constant reminders of Black oppression, the pandemic, and now, remote learning, have taken an exhausting toll on the mental health of Black teens. Black teens across the country are facing burnout, a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged […]
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How Gentrification is Stripping Harlem of Its Culture
A Black mecca. This is what I knew of where I lived as a child. Harlem was the breeding ground for African-American culture. It was the home of the Harlem Renaissance where several Black artists, writers, and visionaries expressed their artistic genius in unprecedented ways during the early 20th century. It has served influential residents, […]
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body inclusivity is not a trend, it’s a movement for change.
Rihanna’s 2020 Savage X Fenty show featured one of the most diverse casts of models the modeling world has ever seen. The show displayed Savage X Fenty’s capsule collection and featured a range of models and performers of different ethnicities, gender identities and body types. The show challenged former lingerie giant Victoria’s Secret’s outdated notions […]
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A Love Letter To Black Single Moms
Single Motherhood. It is something that is often regarded as a reflection of a broken home, that produces broken children. It is treated as something shameful, something that needs to be repaired within the Black community. The truth is that single motherhood is a reflection of the exact opposite, it is a role that demonstrates […]
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How Covid-19 is Emphasizing the Racial Divide in U.S. Schools
On May 17, 1954, the United States Supreme Court determined that segregated schools infringed upon the privileges and liberties of United States citizens. The Brown v. Board ruling meant that segregated schooling was not allowed within the United States. Yet 66 years later, more than half of the nation’s students attend segregated schools. Segregated schools […]
Dear Dark Skinned Girl 