Since I was a little girl, Sundays were my hair days. Starting at the age of four, I have shared locs with the many members of my extended family- from my 70 year old step-grandmother […]
Author: Naima Autumn Rose
What are “Diaspora Wars”?
On August 30th, it started with British singer Adele. She posted an Instagram photo wearing Bantu knots and a Jamaican-flag patterned top. Of course, reactions poured in. Adele trended on Twitter, while the notorious drama […]
Your Guide to How Your Activism Can Uplift– and Not Silence– Black Women
When Eva Longoria dismissed the large role Black female voters played in the 2020 presidential election in a television interview with MSNBC, Black women everywhere were not surprised. Due to the efforts of Black women […]
Microaggressions, BIPOC solidarity, and Affirmative Action in College Admissions
Let me start by recounting a scenario I always see play out on social media. A Black student posts an ecstatic reaction to their admittance to a selective college. Alongside a flood of comments expressing […]
The Policing of Black Women’s Hair in America Needs to End
Black hair is beautiful. It defies gravity. Black women have discovered an endless amount of ways to style it. And despite how much criticism Black people face because of it, non-Black people continue to imitate […]
Let’s Talk About The Stigma Around Mental Health for Women in the Black Community
CW: mentions of suicide Amidst a national call for police officers to be held accountable for the murder of innocent Black people, police officers shot another unarmed Black man named Jacob Blake on Sunday in […]
Dark-Skinned Black Girls Deserve Diverse Representation
In elementary school, I wanted an American Girl Doll, one like all my classmates had. The doll’s stories are based on important historical events and eras, such as colonial America or World War II. There […]
How the Healthcare System Fails Black Women
To put it simply, being a Black woman in America is hard. We experience misogynoir that leaves us feeling like no one has our back. The world ignores our struggles because we’re meant to be […]
Unpacking Common Excuses for Colorism
Colorism– defined as the discriminatin against people with darker skin tones– has always been a difficult topic to discuss within the Black community. People with lighter skin often deny the existence of any preferential treatment. […]
AAVE Is More Than Just Your Internet Slang
If you aren’t familiar with the acronym, AAVE stands for African American Vernacular English. As a Black child growing up in a suburban neighborhood, I was often told I was articulate because it surprised people […]
