I was a little late to the game when Beyoncé’s self-titled album first dropped. I am not an Apple user so I had to wait a week before I had access to the visual album “seen” around the world. Except for Flawless, which has since become somewhat of a personal feminist “girl, get […]
Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing: A Review of Janet Mock’s Redefining Realness
Anyone who knows me knows that I stan for Janet Mock. So, I couldn’t wait to get my hot little hands on her book, Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love and So Much More. What took a minute was finding the time to read it—and I’m so glad I finally did! Talk about […]
Angels and Ghosts
Every day I walk or drive through historic Black neighborhoods in Atlanta, Georgia where upwards of 50% of residential properties are vacant, abandoned and sometimes burned down (but not demolished). I see empty buildings that used to be schools, recreation centers, community centers, and businesses. I see extraordinary flooding each time it rains; rushing water […]
Who Will Keep Our Sisters? A Rant About the Incredibly Bad Arguments in Defense of My Brother’s Keeper
It’s Saturday Morning. It’s International Women’s Day. And I have a rant. A rant that I need to share in this community of like-minded folks. A rant so that I don’t lose my shit with some educated Black men, who need to be hemmed up by the cufflinks. On Thursday, in my weekly column at […]
CFC Talks Love with Author Kiese Laymon
Hey Crunk Family, We are incredibly excited about the next installment in our annual love series. In this video, CF Crunktastic interviews author and professor Kiese Laymon. Kiese has written beautifully about the politics of love among Black men and women, not just romantically, but in rough political times like these. Below, we are […]
Self Love Is the Best Love
After a long while she spoke very softly. “Is it true that I can have a baby now?” “Sure,” said Frieda drowsily. “Sure you can.” “But . . . how?” Her voice was hollow with wonder. “Oh,” said Frieda, “somebody has to love you.” “Oh.” There was a long pause in which Pecola and I […]
Love Praxis and Sticky Fingers
Each year the CFC spends the month of February doing some love talk and this year I want to set it off by sharing a few of my thoughts on love praxis. A little background: I have been in a committed relationship for nearly 14 years, married for 9 years. I am still close to […]
The Viability of Visibility: Love Letters for ShaMichael
You may have heard about the viral video popularized on World Star Hip Hop and commonly known as the “Sharkeisha video.” The video is a disturbing depiction of a young blackgirl being ambushed and brutally beaten by another blackgirl, identified as Sharkeisha, while a third accomplice videotaped the incident on her phone (it was later […]
Crunk Feminist Dreams: What 2014 May Bring
December is the month of the top ten lists, reflections on the past 12 months, and critical assessments of the year and its goings on. There are even top-ten lists that curate the top ten best top ten lists. Then January comes. We recover from our exertions over the holiday season, return to our schedules, […]
Dear Gabby
Dear Gabby, Hey, girl! It’s me, Crunkadelic. I’ve been a fan for a long time, but I just wanted to drop you a line and send you a bit of love. Things seem to be going really well for you, but I see that you’ve experienced a fair bit of shade this past weekend […]