If you’ve been looking at my posts lately, I’ve clearly been on a kick of interviewing people who are creating work in the world that inspires me. The latest installment comes from multimedia maven Katina Parker about her project Truth. Be. Told. that highlights Queer Black Visionaries and their work in the world. Let’s take […]
On Being Called Out My Name
When I was working on my Ph.D., I swore that I would not be one of those people who tripped every time someone didn’t greet them with the proper title… As a first generation college student I was not aware, during my undergraduate years, that most of my professors had a Ph.D. (or even what […]
Five Ways Talib Kweli Can Become a Better Ally to Women in Hip Hop
After this latest week of utter shamtastery in Hip Hop, the words of the late great Aaliyah resonate now more than ever: We need a resolution; there is so much confusion. Rick Ross thinks that drugging a woman and raping her isn’t rape, but rather a case of misunderstanding. FOH Talib Kweli thinks that […]
Live Unchained: An Interview with Kathryn Buford
When I wrote my open letter to Quvenzhané Wallis, I began with a quote from Warsan Shire, a brilliant poet and writer who spoke the truth of giving your daughters difficult names. The equally amazing Jessica Solomon, a part of the Live Unchained organization, reached out with their intent to celebrate Warsan and other Black women creatives […]
Dear Universe: A Book Talk with Yolo Akili
One of the perks of writing for the CFC is I get to shed light on projects that excite me. Dear Universe is one such project and it comes from my dear friend Yolo Akili. We had the opportunity to talk about his unique book and how it pushes the boundaries of traditional self-help and […]
From the Margins to the Mainstream: In Defense of Henry Enuta & Other Intersex People Around the Globe
A Guest Post by Sean Saifa Wall On March 26th, 2013 in Sapele, the Delta State of Nigeria, Pastor Henry Enuta was physically stripped and humiliated in public because he is an intersex person. According to news reports, he was almost killed by a lynch mob before being taken into custody by police. Most of […]
I Been On (Ratchet): Conceptualizing a Sonic Ratchet Aesthetic in Beyonce’s “Bow Down”
Guest Post by Regina N. Bradley at Red Clay Scholar While listening to Beyonce’s latest single “Bow Down/I Been On” an eyebrow raised in amusement along with a low “woooooord?” I couldn’t believe that Beyonce, Mrs. “Girls-Run-the-World” was talking to bitches and – gasp! – demanding they bow down. But it wasn’t Bey’s emphatic […]
On Kimani Gray—Or To Be Young, Guilty, and Black
**Trigger warning for violence** I’ve been trying to wrap my mind around the situation with Kimani Gray, but it just doesn’t make sense. I mean, considering the unceasing frequency of U.S. American police brutality, the story is “simple” enough. Ten days ago, sixteen-year-old Kimani, known as KiKi to his loved ones, was out late, […]
Single, Saved, and Sexin: The Redux
One of the most controversial posts we’ve ever had here at the blog was called Single, Saved, and Sexin’: The Gospel of Getting Your Freak On. In that piece, over two years ago, I argued: Sex is a form of creative power. And it is in the literal fact of its creative aspects that we […]
thank you: a women’s history month mix
“You are magnificent.” So read the final line of an email I received from the CFC’s Moya Bailey the first Friday of 2012. The subject line was, “Love for you in the new year!” It recalled the summer we became friends and its consequence on her journey. She offered thanks and called me by a […]