At For Harriet, we work to elevate the voices of Black women online and off.  So as much as we love our contributors it's essential for us to highlight the work of women around the blogosphere. Check out these great posts.

Black Folks, Class, and the Truth: Notes From A Mixed-Class Breed
A few days ago, a friend of mine hipped me to the Jalen Rose-Grant Hill beef. For those of you who haven’t read about it, Rose was interviewed for a documentary and said that back when he was playing for Michigan, he’d always thought of Hill and the Black Duke basketball players as “Uncle Toms.”
Continue Reading at Phillis Remastered

Infrastructure Building! Ava DuVernay Builds Her Own Movie Distribution System
We are going to pause from our coverage of the atrocities in Cleveland, TX to get back on track with our commitment to push Black women to take their destinies and images into their own hands.
Continue Reading at What About Our Daughters

Inconceivable: Black Infertility
There have been no fish dreams for me. There is a stork-less stark reality that my 2-hour treks to an expensive specialist to be jacked open, probed, and drugged, and my regimented record keeping about peek ovulation, period flow, body temperature, and patterned intercourse over the course of two years might still result in the inconceivable: infertility.
Continue Reading at Crunk Feminist Collective

On Being Feminism’s “Ms. Nigga”
Recently, I was invited to speak at a major feminist event.

It was for a cause I cared deeply about, and I would share the stage with some of the best recognized figures in feminism.

And yet…I hesitated.
Continue Reading at Racialious

On Abortion and Humanness
My girl DeeDee was to most, including her older sister and mother, too young to care for a child. They, as women, had traveled the road of being young mothers and saw promise and redemption in DeeDee, who shared my gifted and talented classes in high school.
Continue Reading at Jo Nubian

11,12,13: Fast Ass Little Girls
I am 11 years old and my Dad just got me exactly what I asked for as my birthday gift. I carry my Mongoose dirt bike through our railroad apartment, past my sleeping mother, down creaky stairs and out of the heavy self slamming front door that leads to Monticello Ave.
Continue Reading at The Intersection of Madness and Reality

Rude Awakening
Have you ever woken up from an amazing dream to a reality not so amazing? You know one where your deepest desires were playing out; you could feel, smell and taste it in your dream?
Continue Reading at Freedom Love Justice

Pornography: A Change in Position
When I consider that pornography is simply the depiction of sexual acts as a means to an end – sexual arousal – I see no wrong in consenting adults engaging in sex acts which are recorded and disseminated for consumption and enjoyment by adults.
Continue Reading at Kay Renee

Grown's Gone And Got Me
I’ve never been the serial monogamist type who hops from relationship to relationship. If you ask my friends and family what I was doing romantically prior to my current boyfriend, you’d probably get a few variations of the same answer: “playing around.”
Continue Reading at The Beautiful Struggler

Daughter of The Great Migration
Reading The Warmth of Other Suns, I am reminded again that I am a member of a soon-to-disappear group--children and grandchildren of The Great Migration.
Continue Reading at What Tami Said



Have you read a great piece of writing by a Black woman recently? Leave a link and tell us about it.

There was a time when I didn’t think I was beautiful. It wasn’t so long ago.

To put these thoughts in perspective, I lost my contact last night -- my long awaited eye doctor appointment hath been sped up, warp speed bitches! Because of it, I’m currently wearing my old glasses, like from highschool. Epic Failure in both the Beauty and Vision Departments.

But back to beauty…I used to hate the way I looked. The gap between my front two teeth was too wide; fix it! My lips were too thick; must use lip liner tricks and thin them out. My hair was too long, everyone else’s hair was short -- I just want to blend in, I don’t want to attract attention, for goddssakes! My legs are way too muscular, too long! Why can’t I be long-waisted with short legs? My belly is too round! Why aren’t I long-waisted AND have a flat belly!? My boobs are too flat, why can’t I have big boobies like that girl in my junior highschool P.E. Class? (we all know how that turned out-reduction NOW, puhleeze?!).

RELATED: You Are Perfect

My skin’s too dark…why can’t I have the “good” kind of long hair vs. The nappy kind that has to be pressed once a month? Better yet, why can’t I wash my hair more often? Oh yah! Those unsightly natural kinks, can’t be seen with those! PORSHA, Shut UP!


Why do we behave this why? Why is normal better? Why is homogenized the way to be? Why do we have to start fixing things from birth to death, why can’t we embrace what is ours by birth?

I took a long look in the mirror today, after wearing my glasses most of the day and picking myself to pieces. I looked at my red-brown, earth colored skin. Colored red and brown like the earth of Mississippi where some of my people come from. I see the almond shaped “snake eyes” that I gained from my father, and his mother before him, and her Native American father before her.

I run my finger through my ‘au naturale’ kinky hair, that was once nearly down to my waist at it’s longest…I recalled hair the same texture, from my Granny Fern, whom every now and again would let my touch hers when she took it down from it’s bun, and brushed it 100 times each hand, both sides of her head individually. I weep at the thought of that hair, and how beautiful it was, and how I’d ask her when I stayed nights with her…”Granny, will I ever have hair as beautiful as yours?”— and she would smirk slowly, but look at me lovingly and nod, and tell me as long as I took care of it, so would it be. How I miss her so, it’s excruciatingly painful at the most inconvenient times!


I look at my long legs, the legacy of my father—and my round belly due to an overly curved spine, also his legacy. I think of all the lessons this life has taught me through him, and the lessons I had to learn that I know he’d rather I did not. I think of his loneliness now, but the pure joy that my child brings him, that gives him a reason to smile daily when his own begotten do not.

I think of that perfect mouth, bestowed on me by my mother…her dimples, *her* smile, her lips. She doesn’t smile this smile anymore, so I do it for her.

Lastly, I think of my searing HOT temper, which shows itself in my jaw locked tighter than a pit bull’s in the middle of attack! I think of my superstitions and beliefs that make most laugh at me, but I know are true. I think of my lazy right eye, and my love of rock and roll, all which come from my Grandpa Will-Will through his father, Charley Patton. My dreams of playing guitar have been lifelong; my ghosts and demons ever surrounding me just as his must have. My love to write about the darkness I carry inside and have seen MUST be a true testament to the talent that was great-grandpa Charley Patton.

*sighs* I came out of the trance and focused back on my face in the mirror, and smiled.
No, I’m beautiful. I wear my battle scars from life out in the open, for all to see. I AM Beautiful. This is what I know. This is what black history month means to me--remembering my honored dead. Remembering *why* I’m so very beautiful, because I carry them all inside --and out.

My name is Porsha A. Williams. I'm a single mom (sort-of) who never let go of her dreams of letting the world know me, the way I want to know it! When I'm not working for a very busy, NEW division of a worldwide Used Textbook Wholesaler, I'm raising my four-year old son and researching my slow but gradual change from Christianity to Paganism. Side hobbies include being this generation's family genealogist, writing poetry, writing for my blog --attempting to knit something that can actually be used or WORN, and starting to listen to that voice in my head who is almost always right. My blog http://thefirstdark.tumblr.com/

The recent defeat of same-sex marriage legislation in Maryland, which was largely due to the black church’s opposition, further illuminates the chasm that exists between the black community and the gay community. This disconnect leads me to believe that the black community is afflicted with some form of acute tone-deafness or a neurological disorder that contributes to memory loss. That is the only explanation that makes sense to me when I hear the vitriol that is often directed at gay and lesbians by many blacks.

RELATED: The Black Queer Factor: Why Can't Black and Gay Coexist?

We must have forgotten that we were once vilified, maligned, and degraded. We must have forgotten the lies and stereotypes that were spread throughout history in order to further subjugate us. We must have lost the ability to hear the cries for acceptance and equality from gays and lesbians. And we must lack the ability to hear how the cries of the GLBT community echo our cries as African-Americans. This lack of empathy and solidarity is glaring and I wonder how the history books will treat the black community and black church's wholesale suppression of the gay rights movement.

A recent study revealed that 64 percent of black people find homosexuality to be immoral. That statistic is not surprising when we consider the fact that most black Americans consider themselves to be Christians and the black church's stance against homosexuality is well-documented. Black folks point to the Bible as being their moral guide and compass and consistently quote the Bible when discussing GLBT issues. But many of us have forgotten that the very same Bible that we often use to justify our prejudice against gay people, was once used to justify OUR ENSLAVEMENT. Where is our sense of history? And why are we so disproportionately expressive and open about our opposition to homosexuality on moral grounds, when we have so many other moral dilemmas that are far more pressing and damaging to the black community?

Nearly 80 percent of black children (mostly born to heterosexual parents) are born out of wedlock. The overwhelming majority of black children (products of heterosexual parents) are raised in one-parent households. Nearly 30 percent of black men (predominately heterosexual) are at some stage of the criminal justice system. Black men (predominately heterosexual) are shooting and killing each other left and right on street corners in urban America. Black women (mostly heterosexual) have more abortions than any other race of women. The average black 12th grader performs on an 8th grade level. We are the unhealthiest race and are afflicted with almost every single disease at disproportionate rates. And let us put this in perspective: Blacks account for nearly 40 percent of the national prison population, while only about 2-3 percent of the black population is gay. But, if you want to get a significant number of black churches galvanized, tell them that a marriage equality law is being proposed. Want to get a lot of black people riled up, tell them that a gay person is doing....anything. There is something wrong with this picture. Where are our priorities?

We have turned the gay rights issue in to an “us” vs. “them” issue. Gay people are not our adversaries. Many of us are participating in the discrimination and suppression of people who are members of our families, churches, sororities, and communities. How do we rationalize this discrimination? I often hear black people take umbrage to the comparisons that are made between the gay civil rights movement and the black civil rights movement. The parallels are obvious. Why did so many whites oppose interracial marriage? Because they thought it was disgusting and unnatural for a black person to marry a white person. Those who opposed interracial marriage believed that it would lead to the unraveling of society. They thought that it went against what God intended. Does any of this sound familiar?

The Black community must realize that gay and lesbian people are not aliens that should be scorned and vilified; they are members of our families, our friends, our sorority sisters, our fraternity brothers, our churches, and leaders in our communities. Some of the greatest heroes and heroines in the black community have been gay or bisexual: Barbara Jordan, Audre Lorde, James Baldwin, Alvin Ailey, Octavia Butler, Angela Davis, Bayard Rustin, Bill T. Jones, and Lorraine Hansberry. Are their contributions to the black community any less significant because of their orientation? Should they have or have had many of their rights circumscribed because of their orientation?

Civil rights icon and congressional representative Jon Lewis (D-GA) put it best, “I have fought too hard and for too long against discrimination based on race and color not to stand up against discrimination based on sexual orientation. I’ve heard the reasons for opposing civil marriage for same-sex couples. Cut through the distractions, and they stink of the same fear, hatred and intolerance I have known in racism and in bigotry.” It is time for black people to stand up for what we spent centuries fighting for, equality.

Rochee Jeffrey is a pop culture addict, new media consultant, and screenwriter/filmmaker. She is an avid blogger and shares her opinions about everything from pop culture, fashion, relationships, sexuality and life on her personal blog www.ithastobesaid.com. Hailing originally from Jamaica, she balances and navigates two distinct cultures through her writing and life. As a devout feminist, she strives to empower women through her writing and advocacy. Feel free to follow her on twitter @ithas2besaid.

I don't watch Good Morning America, so last week when my Twitter timeline exploded with mentions of Chris Brown, I was entirely confused. What had this man done now? Within minutes, someone directed me to video of the most uncomfortable interview I've seen in years and images of a smashed window on a skyscraper and the shirtless singer on the streets of New York. Chris Brown had once again made himself the center of attention for behaving badly, and everyone had something to say about it.

Brown's behavior was indefensible but of course there was a chorus of sycophants on blogs and social networking sites who could not wait to bow before the altar of Chris Brown martyrdom. Repeating refrains of "Shame on Robin Roberts" and "Can't a Black man move on?" They willfully ignored the fact that this incident was not simply a result of Brown's beleaguered racial caste but his unresolved inner turmoil. In America --or anywhere in the world for that matter-- the issue of race cannot be entirely extracted from any situation, but it can be used to obscure other deeper. less-convenient issues. Thankfully, we have impassioned, well-reasoned voices in our community who were willing to not only call out Chris Brown but his cadre of enablers.

The day of the incident, BET.com published a piece by noted journalist and filmmaker dream hampton called The Trouble with Chris Brown. Hampton's writing was characteristically stirring. Heartfelt yet stern it embodied a radical love that is our only hope to expel the demons that continue to torment Black America's youth. And 72 hours later, the piece was removed from the website without explanation.

It's reasonable to infer that the performer's management had a hand in the article's removal since Brown and his music have been a staple on the network for the past 18 months. BET, like any cable outlet traffics in ratings and ad dollars, and many of the young men and women who tune into the network's second longest running show 106th and Park when Chris Brown premieres a video or promotes his album are the same members of #teambreezy who on blogs and social networks claim he's been provoked or scapegoated. The network formerly known as Black Entertainment Television once again valued the economically expedient over the socially responsible.

As a business first and foremost, BET is required to do nothing but stay Black (ownership excepted, obviously) and generate profit. I'm under no delusions that the company was ever meant to be "movement media," and no one would ever imagine that its top execs would put the larger interests of African Americans before revenue. But the most widely distributed cable network for Blacks in America had an opportunity to promote a candid discussion about issues which run much deeper than Chris Brown. They balked at the chance, and used a minor scandal and a poignant piece of writing for page views.

In this situation he is not a victim, but the tragedy of Chris Brown is one of pain and exploitation. In that way, he is not much different from the tens of thousands of 20-something Black men in America. His record label, manager, publicist, et al have failed him. Now BET has taken its place among the enablers to which dream refers. The status quo will not be changed without a fight. It is time to demand more of the media that supposedly caters to us.

Kimberly Foster (@kimberlynfoster) is the Editor-in-Chief of For Harriet. Email her at kimberly@forharriet.com

It’s a shame that in 2011 race is still an issue in the United States. What’s even more of a shame is that Black people are still finding ways to tear each other down, ridicule each other, and find ways to separate us, based on skin color, our neighborhoods, and our familial backgrounds. I’ve come across multiple articles within the past week that discuss race within the Black community. A few weeks ago, my book club read “Disintegration: The Splintering of Black America” by Eugene Robinson. I’m sure we’re all familiar with the comments Jalen Rose made regarding Grant Hill and other Duke University basketball players during the documentary “Fab Five”. “Clutch” magazine had an article titled “What Kind of Black are You?“. And lastly, “Coco and Creme“, another on-line magazine, had an article titled “Do Mixed Chicks Hair Care Products Make Light Seem Right?”. Because I have a lot to say, this will be (at least) a two-parter.

Related Reading: Authentically Relating: Building Strong Bonds in Black America

First, let’s discuss what is Black. Black is beautiful, successful, strong, educated, resilient, historic, amazing, wonderful, insightful…I could go on. What I don’t understand is why we, Black folk, continue to find ways to divide ourselves. Some think you’re not Black enough if you use proper English. Others think you’re not Black enough if you do well in school. You might be too Black if you wear your pants hanging from your tail. Too Black may include having locs or being natural. All of these things are ridiculous. Growing up, most of my friends in school were white, and I got ridiculed by some of the Black kids; I got told things like “You talk like a white girl”, “Is everything all white?”, and my personal favorite (a message in my middle school yearbook) “Oreo, I hope you unlock the magic this summer.” Yes, kids are cruel, and we hope they don’t grow up to be cruel adults. Having an education has always been synomous with being an “Uncle Tom” or acting white or not being Black enough. Why is that? Why is it cool to not do well in school? Although Southern parents divorced when I was young, both parents were, and still are, involved in my life and made sure I did well in school. Both parents are college educated so going to college wasn’t a question for me-the question was, “Where are you going?” But I digress…

Why must we separate ourselves? The author of “What Kind of Black Are You” and Robinson address the various “sub-groups” in Black America, those Blacks who are from the Carribean or Africa. I strongly believe in embracing your culture and your country of origin if you’re not American, but why must we belittle others who aren’t like us, which happens at times? Black people come in all hues, shapes, sizes, cultures, and the like, so we should embrace our differences, but not go so far as to demean someone who’s not EXACTLY like us. I love my Southern heritage, but embrace those Blacks who are African, Caribbean, Northern, and wherever else they may be from.

What do you guys think? Why are we still finding ways to separate ourselves as Black people? Is this all this still relevant in 2011 or should we find ways to bring ourselves together as one race?

LaToya Grant is a Government contractor, beauty artist, and freelance writer that currently resides in Washington, DC. She is a true Southern Belle that shares her life experiences on her blog Southern Girl in the City (www.evolvingelle.wordpress.com). She is an optimist, reality TV junkie, beach lover, Black History buff, daughter, friend, and appreciator of life. LaToya can be found on Twitter as Evolving Elle at www.twitter.com/evolvingelle.

A few weeks ago, I watched a film that I ordered from Netflix called “The Killer Inside Me,” which (like most things in our world) left me highly disturbed and ultimately pissed off!

From the synopsis of the film, it seemed as though it would be a psychological, edgy film with mystery about a local sheriff of a small town set in the 1950s who maintains a secret life as a serial killer. Being a lifelong film aficionada and hearing all of the hype surrounding this movie, I decided to check it out.

While watching this film, I discovered that it was anything but impressive as the “critics” initially asserted and I was once again reminded of the stark unquestionable oppression of women, specifically through contemporary modalities.

The ENTIRE film was solely dedicated to the severe torture, sexual objectification, and humiliation of women from the hands of the town sheriff, played by Casey Affleck, as this was the only manner in which he could “express” his true nature!

Every single interaction he had with the two female characters in the film, played by Kate Hudson and Jessica Alba, consisted of chauvinist and depraved acts of violence where Casey Affleck was the perpetrator. Because he was the individual subjugating others, this film is yet another mechanism of the reinforcement and perpetuation of the tyranny of women and the uplifting of men.

Moreover, the stereotypes regarding gender roles of men and women only heightened the oppressive and depraved nature of this film; Kate’s character exemplified the overly “feminine” qualities of a woman: as his girlfriend, she was completely devoted to Casey’s character, waiting on him hand and foot lingering in his shadow until he decided it was time to “walk down the proverbial isle!”

His mistress, the local prostitute played by Jessica Alba (of course she received raved reviews for her “edgy” portrayal of this character with several nude scenes), allowed herself to be subjected to constant brutal sexual encounters including strangulation, forceful pushing, slapping on the face and bottom, etc.

I suppose this is an accurate portrayal of women, given that the universal ideology regarding women places them in two demeaning categories: virginal and pure young maiden or a scandalous temptress and harlot who exists solely for the pleasure of men!

Many people are under the impression that given the “modernity” of our global society and the undeniable accomplishments in the sphere of civil rights for women, that oppression and sexism among women simply does not exist. However, when films such as this and other vessels of bigotry and sexism exist, like the recent rise and disturbing popularity of in-home stripper poles and pole dancing/stripping “exercise classes” offered at nationally recognized fitness centers, while offered to anyone, are primarily marketed towards women, they serve their ultimate purpose in advancing the patriarchal ideologies of our world.

Women are incessantly on the receiving end of sexist brutality and oppression; people have to understand that this inhumane subjugation comes in many forms…most often in very subtle and obscure ways as to tread the delicate line between artistic expression and overt sexism motivated by capitalist hedonism.

Contemporary cinema is an irrefutable instrument of the dehumanization of woman, furthering the antediluvian ideologies of gender roles to suppress women. But what happens when the perceptions of race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status are added to the equation?

Last Thursday, I attended an event at the Smithsonian for African Art where a film from Morocco, entitled "Raja," was being presented with thoughtful discussion afterwards. The premise of the film explored the strenuous “relationship” between a local Moroccan girl and her wealthy French employer. Raja, a 19 year old former prostitute from very socioeconomically deprived means, works as a domestic assistant/maid among several other women at the lavish estate of Frederique, a 40 year old wealthy Frenchman.

From the moment he sees Raja, he makes overt sexual advances towards her despite being married. What’s more insulting is how he uses money and material objects to gain her “affection;” this may have something to do with the fact that Raja’s character is undeniably portrayed as a money-hungry seductive temptress who uses sex as a commodity to acquire the things that she wants. Moreover, with the way Europeans have historically exoticized and sexually objectified people of color, it comes as no surprise that the remains of that xenophobic and oppressive ideology still highly influences diverse spaces of expression, as in the case of this film.

These intersections of race, class, and gender underscore the universal consensus that people of color, women, and those of very low socioeconomic means are merely objects to be utilized for servitude in all forms, in addition to being oversexed, materialistic, duplicitous beings.

In our society, the only way that we recognize injustice is when we are hit in the face with unquestionably conspicuous images signifying oppression, like the KKK or people in bondage. However, the collective mission among our global society should be to unveil the hidden and surreptitious manner in which oppression and dehumanization flies under the radar, as it allows for more poisonous Eurocentric patriarchy to infiltrate the minds of people everywhere and disseminate into the smallest fabrics and dimensions of our world. Once this clandestine mission is exposed, the insidious oppression of women [and other groups] can be exterminated and the restoration of humanity will arise!

My name is Jamekaa Flowers and while originally from Atlanta, Ga., I currently reside in Washington, DC where I work in education reform and community development for DC Public Schools. My lifelong passions include deconstructing the numerous "isms" (i.e. sexism, racism, classism, etc.) that plague our society and challenge people to think critically about how they are both affected by and affect others with these "isms." My mission to ignite the global mobilization of people of African descent through mental emancipatory "re-education" models reflecting core/authentic Pan-Africanist elements will be my legacy....I Am We! Visit Her Blog at http://imtyedsooverit.blogspot.com/.

I don't observe Kwanzaa, but I respect and appreciate its seven principles. I concede that in an age of antipathy, it is nice to see blacks in this country come together for such a celebration. Ujamaa, cooperative economics, strikes me as particularly powerful. Unfortunately, the idea that African Americans should contribute to our own economic uplift by supporting Black-owned businesses has not completely taken root.

In a recently published editorial on AOL's Black Voices, Alexis Stodghill asserts "Black Ownership Doesn't Matter in the Online Space: It's About Black Control Over Content." To illustrate her point, she details her experience working for two media companies which catered to the Black audiences but were not Black owned: BlackPlanet.com (now owned by Radio One) and AOL Black Voices.

She writes about the "horrible" negative stigma attached to her first employer:

Many people at the time compared the launch of BlackPlanet.com under a mostly-Asian management team to the stereotyped situation of "the Koreans who own the corner store in a black neighborhood." That kind of horrible statement makes you wonder: what group might also have some race issues?

With this statement, the author willfully ignores the continued exclusion of Blacks from media ownership on and offline and the historic commodification of Black culture. Yes, African-Americans do have some "race issues" because we've seen how rich our words, images, and music have made everyone but us. And promoting the same pattern of cultural appropriation in the digital space can do nothing but harm.

Most disconcerting is Stodghill's pointing to Media Takeout, World Star Hip Hop and BET as reasons why non-black ownership may be better for Black people.

I think we can have more black-owned Web sites, and I don't knock the black-run Internet entities that are a success like Bossip and Media Takeout. But when you look at the type of content produced by some of the top black sites (I'm looking at you World Star Hip-Hop) -- it almost makes you consider black ownership a bad thing.

That's interesting. I've yet to hear anyone cite Perez Hilton as a reason why Latinos or homosexuals shouldn't be media owners. Or heard the same racialized concerns of countless other repulsively misogynistic and hate-filled blogs or TV channels owned by White men.

It's unfortunate that the most trafficked Black blogs are entertainment/ignorance focused, but to ignore the hundreds (perhaps thousands) of quality Black-owned media outlets is an egregious oversight.

So Ms. Stodghill may be right to ask

Are we sometimes the first in line to sell our people out?

We are often the first to sell each other short in defense of the status quo. You may be happy with the way things have always been, but that does not make it best for "our people."

I'm most concerned that these types of statements embolden the conservatives who would have us do away completely with initiatives and legislation that provide support and funding for would be minority media owners.

In 2007, FCC Commissioner Michael Copps called the rapidly declining presence of minority media owners a "national disgrace." Even still we continue to backslide in the arena of broadcast media.

And now that consolidation has become standard practice in the digital realm, independent online publishers face a new crisis in trying to stay afloat.

Ownership matters. It matters in hiring. It matters in outreach, and it certainly matters in content.

There simply are not enough Black and Brown faces calling the shots, and this will not change until we abandon the labor mentality and adopt one of ownership.

Kimberly Foster (@kimberlynfoster) is the Editor-in-Chief of For Harriet.

Pick up the latest issue of American Vogue and you'll catch an unusual sight: A Black Woman. Rihanna covers the magazine's April Issue, but don't be too quick to laud the fashion Bible's inclusiveness. In a revealing gown, the pop star gives her best come hither face (or is that modeling?) to mark the magazine's 10th Annual Shape issue.

This is the same issue in which Beyonce was featured in 2009; Vogue's choice to stick the two biggest pop stars in the world on their body-centered releases contradicts their intended message of beauty diversity.

The glossy continually fails to embrace diverse standards of beauty choosing instead to fetishize Black women's bodies.

Related Article: How Do Our Bodies Become Trends?

But what else should we expect from a magazine that in it's more than 100 year history has featured only two Black women on it's storied September issue, and a total 7 women in the last decade.

We know that we cannot rely on mainstream media to provide self-affirming images; however, it's irksome to think of self-satisfied execs patting themselves on the back for their progressiveness.

It's also worth noting that as thin, light-skinned women, Beyonce and Rihanna represent the narrowest scope of celebrated black beauty.

So what can we do about it? Naomi Campbell once mentioned that she would like to open her own modeling agency in Africa in order to find more black models, but you and I have no option but to start smaller.

First, Let's stop getting so excited about seeing our images on publications that do not cater to us. One of the main reasons publications like Vogue can continues its racist practices is because we (minorities) act like starved dogs when they throw us a bone.

Second, fashion lovers should take every opportunity to support women of color focused Vogue alternatives like Jones Magazine, The Fashion Bomb, Ghubar Magazine, Arise Magazine, and FashIzBlack.

The fashion industry provides yet another example of an opportunity for men and women of The Diaspora to exert their influence in nontraditional ways. No, the online and independent publications we support won't have Vogue name recognition or financial backing, but at the very least we can be assured that the people behind the pages have our best interests at heart.

Kimberly Foster (@kimberlynfoster) is the Editor-in-Chief of For Harriet.

Abortion is one of the most controversial topics in this country and has been since Roe v. Wade legalized abortion in 1973. As of late, abortion has been placed in the forefront of people’s minds thanks to the appearance of billboards and advertisements likening the procedure to genocide and naming Black people, my people, as an endangered species.

Abortion is a touchy issue. It is also a divisive one and the battle lines are drawn: pro-life vs. pro-choice.

I am pro-choice.

Now, before you pick up pictures of bloody fetuses and pitchforks, let me explain myself.
One of my biggest fears, besides caterpillars and failure, is an unexpected pregnancy. The idea of having a baby at this point in my life scares the crap out of me. I know I am not ready for motherhood and I do what I can to ensure that my womb stays empty. I also know that life happens and people make mistakes. People tend to go against their better judgment and a consequence usually follows.

People have sex and sometimes that sex is unprotected. As you know, unprotected sex can lead to an unexpected pregnancy. After this happens, the mother is usually faced with a decision or at least she is supposed to be. In my opinion, it should be left up to the mother whether or not she want to raise the potential child, have an abortion or go through with an abortion. That is what I believe in. I do not advocate a woman using abortion as birth control or a plan B. I just believe a woman should not be told what she can and cannot do with her body. The “rights” of a fetus should not supersede those of a person that is already walking this Earth.

In December, MTV aired a Teen Mom spinoff titled, No Easy Decision. No Easy Decision followed 16 and Pregnant star Markai Durham as she struggled to decided whether or not she should terminate a pregnancy. Ultimately, she decided to go through with the procedure because she and her boyfriend could not afford another child and did not want to make life harder for their daughter Za’karia. That documentary helped to cement my pro-choice stance.

Further Reading: 'No Easy Decision': The Battle Over Abortion


That documentary showed the agony that comes with having to make such a hard decision. Markai did not get an abortion because she wanted to be free to run wild without having to worry about another baby. She did what she felt was best for her family. She did what many women have done. According to the Guttmacher Institute, approximately 61% of abortions are performed on women that are already mothers and three fourths of women that get abortions cite responsibility and concern for other people (i.e. existing children).

Getting an abortion is a hard decision. These women are not senseless baby killers. They just made mistake. I believe society should focus on preventing these pregnancies from happening. Comprehensive sexual education needs to be promoted. Simply telling people “don’t have sex!” is not working and it never works. People need to know how to put on condoms and the different forms of birth control. Markai got pregnant because she missed an appointment for her birth control shot and did not realize the contraceptive was out of her system. Perhaps, if people dedicated as much energy to promoting and teaching sexual education as they do to erecting billboards and printing out pictures of dead fetuses, abortion would not have to be such a hot topic.

Ashleigh A. is a 21 year old student living and learning in Atlanta, GA. She is a proud feminist and very opinionated woman. I can be found on Twitter at twitter.com/CoffeyBrowne.