My fifth-grade teacher steered me wrong. She taught us that when we vote, we should vote for what’s best for society and not what’s best for the individual. I remember her making a face afterward, a face that revealed that she was betraying her own beliefs by teaching us an ideal versus the reality of politics–that it is seldom for the betterment of the whole and often, solely used for the benefit of the individual. For the individual without real power, it convinces them that they have a semblance of it. For the individual with systemic power, it perpetuates their ability to operate under the guise of justice.
Read MoreFollowing my recent piece, “Gringo, Go Home”, where I explain why I reclaim the term “gringophobic” based on my experience as a Black woman from Colombia, and the deep distrust I feel, particularly towards white people from the Global North, I'm writing now to digg deeper into toxic, deadly masculinity and global disparity. Some white men cross the border into countries of the Global South countless times, committing crimes each time, without ever being prosecuted. Meanwhile, there is the injustice of undocumented people being deported from Gringolandia without having committed any crime. In short, impunity has everything to do with masculinity and white privilege.
Read MoreOn April 27, 1860, Harriet Tubman, with a group of activist abolitionists, coordinated the rescue of Charles Nalle. A fugitive of slavery, Nalle made way from Virginia to Troy, New York, where federal marshals and police captured him. Tubman disguised herself as an elderly woman, and the back and forth between slave catchers and the Troy community included a gun battle and an escape by riverway. At the end of the events, Tubman and the community helped raise the funds to purchase and ensure Nalle’s freedom.
Read MoreBlack masculinity has been distorted, stereotyped, weaponized, and reduced to a toxic caricature. For much of my life, it wasn’t even a topic of open discussion. When it did surface, it was often used to justify harmful behavior, thinly veiled as tradition or survival.
Read MoreIn a world where action is touted as virtuous and where idleness is considered the devil’s playground, it may seem counterproductive to do nothing, but sometimes it’s the best option. No action is better than uninformed action. Because, while good intentions may be a motivation for helping others, they cannot exist as the sole engine for “doing good”.
Read MoreI didn’t come from a “humble beginning,” nor do I consider my childhood privileged. Maybe a two-parent household holds weight in a Black family, but that leverage dissolves quickly when you factor in resentment, dissatisfaction, and emotional abuse. Still, one thing rings true across many Black households when it comes to passing down “gems” about success: You need to go to school to make something of yourself.
Read MoreWe are not out-organized. And they are desperate, deprived, and doing the most diabolically evil.
We are experiencing and bearing witness to kidnapping, human trafficking, incarceration, detainment, “black sites”, concentration camps, and enforced statelessness. The most disturbing part of this nation’s history, coupled with the everyday realities of the US-Israel genocide of Gaza, is reverberating domestically throughout the United States. The “shame”, secrecy, and gaslighting of the US’s contemporary foreign policy and immigration policy of years ago no longer exist. From the United States to occupied Palestine, there are no secrets:
Read MoreThis piece will name many predators in power (whether politically or through money and fame). While I do not go into details of the crimes, I know just naming the person and what they were accused of can be triggering enough. Just gathering the pieces for this article was rough for me as a survivor of rape and sexual assaults so I wanted to name this for all of us. If you can, rage through this one with me and try not to skim—let us bear witness and think critically about the impacts of these very public atrocities on our legislation and our societies.
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