by Ashley Elizabeth

“We younger Negro artists who create now intend to express our individual dark-skinned selves without fear or shame. If white people are pleased, we are glad. If they are not, it doesn't matter. We know we are beautiful. And ugly too. […] If colored people are pleased, we are glad. If they are not, their displeasure doesn't matter either. We build our temples for tomorrow, strong as we know how, and we stand on top of the mountain, free within ourselves.” -Langston Hughes, “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain”

By Shahid Abdul-Karim, New Englad Register


Of the 38 full-time New Haven Free Public Library employees, Diane Brown is the only professional librarian who is African-American, said Director Martha Brogran.

Brown, 57, who is the branch manager at Stetson library on Dixwell Avenue, said more blacks should consider librarianship as a career option.

by Bee Quammie


"What was your biggest heartbreak?"

Spelman College will have a new president this summer.

The Board of Trustees announced Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell will take over the reins as the college's 10th's president on August 1.

Last year, I was asked to be featured in a documentary about catcalling. I had no idea that within moments of responding to the question, "When was the first time you were catcalled?" I would completely break down in tears. I was overwhelmed by the shame, guilt, and anger that accompanied the memories. Recalling them was very difficult for me, especially on camera. Still, I detailed an encounter with a group of Black men in their 30’s and 40’s, as an 11-year-old girl.

by Felice León


By now you’ve heard of the fight involving seven teenage Black girls (six suspects and one victim) that took place in a Brooklyn McDonald’s. The video was uploaded online and went viral, making national headlines—not only for the fight itself, but the media’s frenzied obsession with the teen girls involved.

by Candace Simpson


I attended a conference in February that gathered pastors, seminarians, professors, and lay people. The yearly conference is meant to provide resources for people of faith as we seek to make sense of the task of social justice.

by Michelle Y. Talbert


According to a report by the Center for American Progress, women of color “are a principal force behind one of the most important components of America’s current marketplace and our nation’s future economy: entrepreneurship.” Specifically, from 1997 to 2013 women-owned firms grew by 59 percent overall and African American women-owned firms grew by 258 percent! Sisters are definitely doing it for themselves.

by Matt Pearce for the LA Times

One of the Oklahoma fraternity members expelled earlier this month for leading a racist chant is expected to hold a news conference Wednesday with one of the state's top African American lawmakers.

by Oni J. Blackstock, MD, MHS and Kimberleigh J. Smith, MPA

"It's frustrating that the movies I want to make I haven't been able to make… Orlando Bloom was given 15 opportunities after Lord of the Rings. Black men are given no opportunities… They say there's not an audience for black stars, but that's because you're not feeding [audiences] them." —Anthony Mackie to Los Angeles Times, 2011

by Marissa Nelson

28-year-old Kay Hafford was shot in the back of the head during a morning road rage incident in Houston.

According to ABC News, Hafford was driving on I-45 this morning when another driver shot her from his vehicle. Hafford got onto the interstate and honked her horn at a driver in a white SUV when the altercation occurred, police said.

by Nancy Laws

by Kimberly Foster

Last week, Starbucks Chairman and CEO Howard Schultz announced the company's Race Together campaign to open a national dialogue on race relations. In partnership with USA Today, the coffeemaker is encouraging baristas to facilitate these conversations within their shops "in an effort to create more empathy and understanding."

by Brittany Dawson


Oklahoma’s flagship university is suffering from a self-inflicted media hailstorm after a racist video went viral  showing a fraternity chant conducted by members of the University of Oklahoma’ Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter.

by Kenya Carlton

by Ariel C. Williams


For the women who’ve been kidnapped, abused, or killed due to gender-based violence: We speak to honor you.

Statistics show that every nine seconds in the U.S., a woman is assaulted or beaten. Even more horrifying, more than three women are murdered by their partners every day in the U.S. More times than not, children of victims are present when their mothers are abused and stand a greater chance at abusing others or becoming victims themselves in adulthood. Carrying the memories of watching their mothers being verbally, mentally, emotionally and physically abused is a heavy toll that no child should have to endure, yet it happens every day in this country.

by Altheria Gaston


We’ve all seen them. We might even be them. Women who constantly post selfies on social media. Not only do they incessantly take selfies, they create selfie collages with multiple photos taken at different angles, in various poses, and with numerous facial expressions. I call it the selfie craze!

by Diana Veiga

by Nicole Moore for Huffington Post

On the recent cable broadcast of Book Of Negroes when Aminata Diallo says to her former slave owner, "I love that slave man... freely," she was not only claiming her love for her African husband, she was committing an act of resistance. Manifesting their love was a radical expression of freedom for slaves that even chains couldn't suppress. That kind of freedom was a threat to the entire institution of slavery and, seemingly, is one that still leaves Hollywood green-lighters mad shook. A century and a half after the abolishment of slavery and the idea of seeing a Black couple fully in the throws of love is still an intimidating premise, at least cinematically speaking. Even with an African-American First Lady and POTUS whose 2012 victory photo captured them in a sweet embrace and became one of the most retweeted images ever, for many -- if not most -- studio execs, there's still nothing iller on screen than the image of a Black man and a Black woman enjoying a long, deep kiss or God forbid, sweating out their edges doing the wild thing. The fear that a love story featuring two Black actors is not engaging, believable or desirable is very real and one that still defines the mindset of many studio execs, casting agents and producers. They may not own our bodies, but by controlling and limiting our narratives around love and sex, Hollywood, like so many of those pre-Civil War plantation owners, is actively extinguishing the freedom and pleasure of Black folk.

by Kwanzaa Imani


If you were on social media on or around Friday, March 6th, you probably saw the hashtag #BlackOutDay. Between Tumblr, Twitter, and Facebook, Black people on social media made such overwhelming use of the tag that it not only trended on all three websites, but gained mainstream media’s attention as well. And I have to admit, as a person who was there for the original conception of #BlackOutDay, I am beyond proud of my black online family.

There is something about turning 30 years old that thins the hair and increases stress levels. More and more women I know find themselves crying in the car after work, battling with their parents, struggling to find a mate that “gets it,” and frustrated about their slow economic progression as full-time employees as we approach ten years since the glorious days of undergrad ended.

Associated Press - A Phoenix woman who left her two young sons alone in a hot car during a job interview has pleaded guilty to felony child abuse.

by Deaweh Benson


My mirror is broken. Rather than purchasing a full-length mirror, I chose the more creative route and lined up four small mirror panels instead (OK…I was just being flat out cheap). So I easily dismissed it when my disjointed panels began reflecting more curves than usual. It wasn’t until a strained pants button told me the truth—the mirror wasn’t lying.

by Karen Crouse

Serena Williams was conspicuously absent from the BNP Paribas Open for 13 years, so she could be forgiven for lingering in her return. Making her first appearance at the tournament since the 2001 final, Williams, the world No. 1, defeated Monica Niculescu, 7-5, 7-5, in 2 hours 3 minutes in front of fans so firmly behind her, their cheers were like a wind at her back.

“What you’ve described to me, what I’ve observed from our time together, and what I believe in my professional opinion, is that you have PTSD.”

This has been a transformative and groundbreaking season for for Black women on TV, as they showed their brilliance and prowess on screens almost nightly. Lighting up primetime slots were Viola Davis on How to Get Away With Murder, Kerry Washington on Scandal, Taraji P. Henson on Empire, Gina Torres on Suits, and Tracee Ellis Ross on Black-ish.

Sometimes we have to make a quick choice. It can make the difference between exiting a hostile situation peacefully, or losing it and showing out. We like to think that as educated women who are no doubt on the journey to reaching and maintaining Queen status, that we simply refuse to “go there”—myself included. I really try. I know now that I still have work to do.

by Brittany Dawson


“The American Negro really is a part of this country, and on the day we face this fact, and not before that day, we will become a nation and possibly a great one.” —James Baldwin, The Amen Corner (1954)

Chyemil Pierce, 30, was struck and killed by a stray bullet after a shootout broke out in front of her home in Oakland, CA, at around 4:45pm on Monday evening. Pierce, who was a human resources specialist at Kaiser Permanente, one of California's largest healthcare providers, leaves behind three children: a nine-year-old daughter, seven-year-old son, and a one-year-old infant.

by Bee Quammie

In 8th grade, I was part of a teen panel that traveled across the state promoting abstinence. If this group had any value, it began my understanding of the differences between gender and sexuality. During this time, I was taught that gender is how a person identifies as male or female; and sexuality is how a person identifies as a sexual being, either heterosexual or homosexual. While this helped me understand the difference between gender and sexuality at a young age, I came to see that this is a woefully inadequate and incomplete look at gender and sexuality.

I have since come to understand the there is a lot more to sexuality than binary gender identity and sexual orientation. Many cisgender, heterosexual (definitions below) people do not realize that both gender and sexuality fall on a spectrum and are often fluid. Accepting this is crucial to being a better ally to LGBTQ (or QUILTBAG) sisters who face unique experiences, oppressions, and issues due to how they identify in regards to their gender and sexual identities.

Below, I have included a few terms to describe orientation, attraction, identity, and relationship status. This is not an exhaustive list, as there are subcultures within many identities—and still, many people reject formal labels altogether—but it may work as a primer for those unfamiliar with the various types of sexual and gender identities throughout the spectrum. Also, please know that I welcome any corrections, clarifications and additions.

First, it is important to give more comprehensive definitions of gender and sexuality, than what many of us were taught in sex-ed classes:

Gender is how a person identifies and expresses themselves as male or female, or—for many—somewhere in-between. This relates to social and cultural norms, expectations, values, attitudes, and behaviors. Gender is not the same as biological sex, but many conflate the two.

Biological sex describes the kind of sex organs, chromosomes, and hormones a person has, and thus how they are often described: male, female, or intersex. Gender and biological sex are separate from each other.

Intersex refers to someone born with genitalia or sex characteristics not classified as male or female. It may also refer to someone born with genitalia or characteristics classified as both male and female. An intersex person may identify with any gender on the spectrum as well as intersex.

According to the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS), sexuality is defined as:

encompass[ing] the sexual knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, values, and behaviors of individuals. Its various dimensions involve the anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry of the sexual response system; identity, orientation, roles, and personality; and thoughts, feelings, and relationships. Sexuality is influenced by ethical, spiritual, cultural, and moral concerns. All persons are sexual, in the broadest sense of the word.

Queer refers to when a person identifies as non-heteronormative. This can be gender or sexual identity, so I include it as a standalone term as an identity here.

Types of Attraction

An aesthetic attraction means a person has an impersonal attraction based on an appreciation of someone’s physical attributes or demeanor.




A romantic attraction means a person has an attraction based on a desire to experience a romantic relationship with someone.

A sensual attraction means a person has an attraction based on the desire to touch someone, but not necessarily in a sexual way.

A sexual attraction means a person has an attraction based on a desire to participate in sexual acts with someone.

Sexual Orientation and Romantic Attraction

(Note: Some people use the "-sexual" term to indicate both romantic and sexual attractions.)

Aromantic means a person does not experience romantic attraction.

Asexual means a person does not experience sexual attraction.

Autosexual means a person experiences self-gratification rather than other types of sexual activities.

Biromantic means a person experiences romantic attraction to their own gender and a different gender(s).

Bisexual means a person experiences sexual attraction to their own gender and a different gender(s).

Gray-romantic means a person rarely experiences romantic attraction. It is sometimes used as an umbrella term for demi- and lithromantic.

Gray-sexual means a person rarely experiences sexual attraction. This means a person identifies in the gray area between asexuality and sexuality. It is also called semisexual, asexual-ish and sexual-ish. It is also sometimes used as an umbrella term for demi- and lithsexual.

Demiromantic means a person experiences a romantic attraction after developing a strong bond. This type of attraction usually occurs more often in romantic than sexual relationships but it occurs in both.

Demisexual means a person experiences a sexual attraction after developing a strong bond.

Heteroromantic means a person experiences romantic attraction to gender(s) different than their own.

Heterosexual means a person experiences sexual attraction to gender(s) different than their own.

Homoromantic means a person experiences romantic attraction to the same gender as their own.

Homosexual (most commonly referred to as gay or lesbian) means a person experiences sexual attraction to the same gender as their own.

Lithromantic means a person experiences romantic attraction to others but does not desire reciprocation.

Lithsexual means a person experiences sexual attraction to others but does not desire reciprocation.

Panromantic means a person experiences romantic attraction to all genders or regardless of gender.

Pansexual means a person experiences sexual attraction to all genders or regardless of gender.

Polyromantic means a person experiences romantic attraction to multiple genders but not necessarily all genders.

Polysexual means a person experiences sexual attraction to multiple genders but not necessarily all genders.

Skolioromantic means a person experiences romantic attraction to non-binary gender individuals.

Skoliosexual means a person experiences sexual attraction to non-binary gender individuals.

Relationship

Monogamous means a person desires or seeks having an intimate and/or sexual partnership with one person.

Polyamorous means a person accepts, desires, or seeks having more than one intimate and/or sexual partnership with the consent of all individuals involved in the relationship.

Gender Identity

Agender refers to a person who does not identify with any gender.

Androgyny means a person has characteristics and/or a gender identity regarded as both masculine and feminine.

Bigender refers to a person who identifies as a combination of both binary genders.

Cisgender refers to a person who identifies with the gender assigned to them at birth.




Genderqueer refers to a person who identifies outside the gender binary and may include different genders like agender, bigender, pangender, and third gender.

Gender non-binary refers to a person who does not identify within a gender binary.

Neutrois refers to a person who does not identify with gender and falls neutrally between male and female.

Pangender refers to a person who identifies as all genders including non-binary genders.

Third Gender refers to someone who identifies as a gender part of a ternary gender system.

Transgender refers to a person who identifies as a different gender than the one assigned at birth.

Trigender refers to a person whose gender changes among female, male, and third gender.

Two Spirit refers to someone in an Aboriginal or indigenous culture who takes on multiple gender roles within that specific culture. Non-Aboriginal people may not identify as Two Spirit.

We should never assume a gender identity or sexual orientation for anyone and definitely should not use being cisgender or heterosexual as a default identity. It is important to respect the identities of non-heteronormative people and refer to them by the names and pronouns with which they identify. We must also accept and respect that gender identities and sexual orientations may change over time as they are fluid, but remain valid.

Photo: Shutterstock

Inda Lauryn has previously been published in Blackberry, A Magazine, Interfictions, The Toast, and Callaloo, as well as had her work featured on blogs such as Black Girl Nerds, Bitch Flicks, and AfroPunk. She is currently working on a novel and countless other unfinished writing projects, occasionally blogs at Corner Store Press and shares music playlists at MixCloud.

by Anonymous


I am getting married soon. My fiancé and I decided to write personalized vows instead of using the traditional ones. As I began writing my vows, I reflected on my journey to love and marriage. Being a first-time bride at this stage in my life (early 40’s), my motivations and hopes for marriage are quite different than they were twenty years ago when my dream was to be married by 26 and to have 2 children by 30. Back then, I was wanted all the things that society had taught me are necessary for women to be happy and complete—for me to be an acceptable woman.

A few weeks ago, I attended Take Root 2015 in Norman, Oklahoma, a conference designed to address reproductive justice issues in Republican states. As part of the conference, attendees were able to attend a variety of workshops, some of which included “Reproductive Justice and Faith Communities,” “Native American Women Addressing Injustice,” “Pregnancy & Prison in Appalachia,” and “Trans* Health Matters.” A workshop that I found to be particularly interesting was one about storytelling and the importance of women sharing our stories. The women who organized and led the workshop had been working on a variety of projects that were all centered on transforming the culture of stigma around abortion and other stigmatized reproductive experiences through storytelling. They believed that if individuals shared their stories about their reproductive experiences, then this could not only help others who possess negative attitudes have a better sense of understanding, but also lead to societal change. This change would include an elimination of the extreme judgment surrounding a variety of reproductive experiences, especially abortion.

At first glance Esther Okade seems like a normal 10-year-old. She loves dressing up as Elsa from "Frozen," playing with Barbie dolls and going to the park or shopping.

But what makes the British-Nigerian youngster stand out is the fact that she's also a university undergraduate.

Recently major news sources reported that Nigerian entrepreneur Taofick Okoya's Queens of Africa Dolls, which have been in the market for eight years, have outsold Barbie® in Nigeria. There was an overwhelmingly positive response from many people on social media, but I was torn. I questioned whether I would get my future daughters such a doll, and unfortunately couldn’t come up with a firm “yes.”

by Nancy Laws


I never expected to be the mother to three girls, and I have been told often how sorry people are for me, because it will be a long, arduous journey. There are moments when I have been terrified about having to raise three daughters — if you don't understand this yet, you will one day. What worries me most of all, though, is raising three lost girls.

One year after the disappearance of a then-eight-year-old girl from a Washington, D.C. homeless shelter, supporters believe the girl may still be alive.

Relisha Rudd was last seen alive on March 1, 2014 in the company of 51-year-old Khalil Tatum, a janitor at D.C.General, the homeless shelter at which Rudd and her family lived. Tatum and Rudd were spotted on surveillance video at a motel in Northeast D.C.

Jewel Allison is one of the lastest women to come forward with allegations of sexual assault against Bill Cosby. Like dozens of others, Allison says the famed comedian and television personality drugged and raped her in the 80s.

by Saaraa Bailey


There is perhaps no greater time to consider the intersectionality of blackness and womanhood, than the transition from Black History Month to Women’s History Month.

Two men have been found guilty of murdering a 2-year-old girl. Raphael Hearn and Raymone Jackson were accused of killing the Inkster girl as part of a revenge plot.

Cuba will not cooperate in the extradition of Assata Shakur.

A representative of the Cuban government, Gustavo Machin, told Yahoo news that Shakur's return was “off the table.”

An arrest has been made in the beating death of a transgender woman, according to the victim's mother.

Delores Nettles told DNA Info on Tuesday that prosecutors have informed her of an arrest in the 2013 killing of her daughter, 21-year-old Islan Nettles.

by Leah C.K. Lewis


It is official: Cleveland’s descent into moral decay has been solidified with its proclamation that a twelve-year-old boy playing with a toy gun caused his own death.

Charmayne Maxwell,  vocalist of the 90s R&B group Brownstone, was found dead last week.

Black women doctoral students who have children and are enrolled full-time often suffer in the dark while committing their talents to the academy. We are some of the brightest, yet we can also be some of the most financially struggling.

by Gina Loring

It’s been almost fifty years since Muhammad Ali single-handedly shifted the public conversation surrounding the Vietnam War by openly refusing to be drafted. A year later at a White House luncheon, Eartha Kitt also spoke out against the war and its systemic connection to poverty and racism, prompting backlash that kept her from working in this country for over a decade. Lena Horne, Harry Belafonte, Bob Dylan, Nina Simone, John Lennon and many other celebrities of the day were unapologetically vocal about their political views.

It was an era that changed the paradigm of American history and served as a catalyst for many artists to use their celebrity status as a platform for activism.

Artists marched, wrote, sang, performed and spoke out with a commitment that was more a way of life than a passing trend — something clearly illustrated three decades after the civil rights movement when Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis were arrested while protesting the 1999 police murder of Amadou Diallo.
We are indeed indebted to these pioneers whose sacrifices included career advancement, personal safety, and in some cases, their lives. It could be argued that it is their hard work upon which the present generation has been resting our laurels, more consumed with counting Facebook likes and following Twitter hashtag trends than fighting for tangible social causes. It’s not nearly as common today for artistry to be synonymous with activism — in fact many public figures take an alternate approach, per Charles Barkley’s controversial “I am not a role model” Nike commercial. People on the public stage don’t necessarily have to use their voices for the greater good. There is no obligation, but there is an opportunity.

In the wake of Ferguson and the overwhelming chain of tragic events that have flooded the news in recent months, there is no denying that many of the issues that past generations marched and fought for remain relevant today. We are light years away from racial or gender equality, yet many of pop culture’s most prominent figures steer clear of any cause alignment. This year’s Oscar win for the song “Glory” from the movie “Selma” is testimony that an appreciation for activism through art still exists. Further, John Legend's use of his acceptance speech airtime to state that there are more black men under correctional control today than there were under slavery in 1850, may be indicative of a changing tide in the mainstream artist community.

Fact check if you’d like; it’s true. The prison industrial complex is a thriving and well-oiled machine. The social and monetary repercussions of the African slave trade and the Native American genocide that this country was founded on continue to be the blueprint from which our society operates. The “ninety-nine percent” are largely made up of those who inherited wealth initially attributed from slave labor. They’re not rich because they are brilliant businessmen, but rather because their great-great-grandparents heavily benefited from the longest running crime against humanity and the most shameful chapter of American history. Conversely, the great-great-grandchildren of those who were enslaved are now being funneled into prisons at an alarming rate — and many as teenagers. The NAACP reports that in this country, African Americans constitute nearly 1 million of the total 2.3 million incarcerated population, and 58% of the youth admitted to state prisons. (http://www.naacp.org/pages/criminal-justice-fact-sheet). Most, if not all, are serving time for gang activity, drugs, robbery, prostitution, and other crimes derivative of poverty and the racism that begets it.

Several prominent white artists are publicly aligned with social causes, from Angelina Jolie’s advocation for Cambodian and Sudanese refugees, to Bono’s Product Red initiative for HIV/AIDS in Africa, to Sean Penn’s relief organization in Haiti. While these issues, along with police brutality, sex trafficking and the prison industrial complex directly affect black and brown people at an indisputably disproportionate rate, there are far less black mainstream artists at the forefront of such movements. On the contrary — with songs like Lil' Wayne’s chart topping “Money, Drugs, Bitches, Liquor”, it could be argued that whether intentionally or not, some black artists — specifically in mainstream hip hop — directly inform the mentality of sex, crime and materialism pervading our youth like a pied piper trailing a clear and steady path to prison. Of course, this is not always the case. One hip hop artist who has taken a notably different route is J. Cole, whose emotional performance on the Tonight Show made headlines in the aftermath of the murders of Mike Brown and Eric Garner. The Roc Nation artist has been vocal about his political stance in both his lyrics and his actions: he traveled to Ferguson to be in solidarity and participate in the peaceful protests. Others like Talib Kweli, Bahamadia, and Pharoahe Monch have long been outspoken about political issues, but such “conscious” rappers don’t get nearly as much airtime as their mainstream counterparts.
The bottom line is this: as black Americans, we didn’t come to this country voluntarily, but we’re here now and we’re in this together. In the vein of the proverb “It Takes a Village,” every lost black life belongs to us, from Trayvon Martin, to Mike Brown, to the thousands of black teenagers sitting in prison cells as I write this. We can’t afford for our artists to be politically neutral. It is not their responsibility to use their careers as a platform for activism, but choosing not to do so is the loss of a great opportunity. If you have the world’s attention, use it for something of value that reaches beyond yourself. We might still be riding in the back of the bus had so many artists not contributed to the struggle for our civil rights. It is because of them that today black artists don’t have to enter through the back door at performance venues. It is because of them that we have songs like “Mississippi Goddam” and others like it that give voice to the frustration, sorrow and anger of so many. It is because of them that the only black people in the White House aren’t those in a domestic capacity. I challenge the artists of today to seize their opportunity as cultural documentarians and utilize their positions of influence wisely. If you have the mic, use it to say something that matters; something Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis can smile down upon knowing the baton they handed us didn’t end up on the ground.


Gina Loring holds a BA from Spelman College and an MFA from Antioch University Los Angeles. She was featured on two seasons of HBO's Def Poetry, and has performed her music and poetry in over ten countries as guest artist of the American Embassy. Contact her at: www.ginaloring.com

by Hazel Cherry

I am still reflecting on the themes of the recent episode of How to Get Away With Murder- “Mama’s Here Now.” The vivid imagery of motherhood, daughterhood, and black womanhood invited us to see ourselves, our struggles and our sisters. The images and storyline were relevant and necessary.