When I think of Black women’s relationship to the military, to war, and to soldier narratives more generally, I’m reminded that our motivations are often times fundamentally different and that our stories, like our lives, are unfairly ephemeral,  fading quickly into the background. Black feminism would not be the same without one Black female war hero in particular: General Harriet Tubman. During the Civil War, Tubman planned and executed the only military campaign in U.S. History to be led by a woman. The result of her action at the Combahee River freed 750 slaves.  It was Harriet’s heroics at Combahee …Read more »

Dear Janelle Monáe, Wow. Your album reminds me of something Mdot always says: Black girls are from the future. I’ve been a fan since forever, like since before you and I existed in present forms. The dorm tour, Dark Tower days, a jam session at Chuck Lightning’s… for real a magical night that is the stuff of grandparent “when I was in college…” lore. Its been amazing to see you come into yourself, like the magnificent sculpture that emerges from a lustrous wood and the work of a fine crafter. You were/are before your time. With ArchAndroid, I’ve been transported …Read more »

Does anybody see the black women Bound and gagged In dirtied white gowns Hair disheveled and feet bare Climbing over one another Trying to get your attention Does anybody hear the black women Moaning muffled cries Kicking and wiggling Banging their heads against the floor Trying to get your attention I see them. I hear them. They must be wondering… Why is there a statue Of Henrietta Lacks In the middle of this room Littered with our bodies– Some injured, some sore, many dead? Why is it these “brilliant” people Keep looking up at this Black women’s statue Feeling the …Read more »

Have y’all ever had one of those “Damn, I shoulda said. . .” moments? Generally this happens after someone has told you something totally unreasonable as though it were the most reasonable ish in the world. I had one of these conversations with my cousin recently. He told me he had been reading the blog and keeping up with what I was doing. Woohoo!  “You know,” he said,  “I think you’re a man-basher.” Huh? Immediately, I began  to mentally sift through the pieces I’ve written for the blog, searching for the day when I or any other CF had declared …Read more »

There are a few episodes of The Cosby Show that make me cry.  Probably as much for their unrealistic portrayals of black life that looked nothing like my real-life experiences as for the happily-ever-after endings that concluded every 30 minute segment.  The things I found most believable and desirable, however, were not necessarily the brownstone in Brooklyn, discretionary funds, or inevitable success of five children…ironically, for me, the thing that made me cry was the “daddy-is-in-the-house-and-gives-a-damn” storyline (which was the most un-real and the most tear inspiring). Nevermind the fact that daddy was a doctor, mama was a lawyer, and …Read more »

(A Performance Excerpt by Caitlin O’Connor) She just wants to dance. He just wants to groove In his fly dancin’ shoes. Seconds lapse between his favorite steps, Doin’ tha Ass tap, dip back, hip thrust, she like that. She dances because she can’t fight the rhythm. He grinds, he grins at the lyrics that he’s hearin’. He thinks he’s got his certified ho and she’s deafly dancing so she don’t even know. She just wants to dance. He just wants to groove. But the lyrics, they spit bullets Into the faces of dancing girls Who hope to exist meaningfully in …Read more »

Yes, this is a post about Twilight. Well, sort of. If you break out into hives at the mere mention of the series (ahem, “saga”) that has tweens, some of their older sisters, and a lot of their mamas enthralled, keep it moving.  I understand your pain. I was anti-Twilight from the jump. I remember seeing the cover and thinking it was interesting.  (Whoever designed the eye-catching covers for the series is brilliant). Then I read the jacket flap and saw that it was pure crap. In fact, this happened to me a couple of times; I’d see the cover …Read more »

Two weeks ago the flu colonized my immune system. I lay in bed for what seemed like an eternity. I cried for my mami each and every one of those days. I am nearly 30 years old and I’m not kidding. I cried for my mami…sometimes for hours. This recent incident and the many hours of subsequent heavily-medicated-induced hallucinations forced me to think of all of the women who, along with my mother, cared for me as a child, as an adolescent and as a young adult. With Mother’s Day around the corner, I’m reflecting on all of the amazing …Read more »