Black Panther’s weekend premiere was spectacular. Everyone has been talking about the movie and it’s cast of characters since the first nationwide showing. All kinds of opinions are flying around, good and bad, but there seems to be one thing we can all agree on. M’Baku, leader of the Jabari tribe is fine as all…… Continue reading Black Panther’s Jabari Tribe and Black Men
Alex Tizon was a disgusting human being and deserves no praise for writing about the atrocities he and his family committed against Eudocia Pulido. We do not need to understand Filipino culture to determine that. We do not need to consider his twisted “love” for her. We do not need to see things from his…… Continue reading A Story of Modern Slavery Receives Archaic Praise
Recently I’ve gotten into a lot of “arguments” that could have been easily avoided if people understood different forms of identity. So in an attempt to spread knowledge and avoid these kinds of “arguments” in the first place, I thought I’d help out a little bit. Disclaimer: This is my opinion based on experience and…… Continue reading Race, Culture, Nationality, and Ethnicity: Knowing the Difference
The Pacific Northwest is really white. How white? Well….. Having lived in this sea of whiteness the majority of my life, I’ve had to face many battles with white supremacy. Being called “nigger” by a white relative, people avoiding elevator rides or sitting next to me on the bus, hair touching, work place discrimination, and…… Continue reading Friendly Allies vs. Unchecked Foes
On this first Wednesday of Black History Month I wanted to write about the amazing Black women who came before me. This is dedicated to: Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Gwendolyn Brooks, Sonia Sanchez, Nikki Giovanni, Ida B. Wells, Phillis Wheatly, Alice Walker, Zora Neale Hurston, Audre Lorde, Octavia Butler, my mother, Wendy Battles And the thousands of others who put pen to paper and paved…… Continue reading A Black History Month #WCW Dedication
Portland Public Schools is currently examining issues of inequity, looking to re-balance schools across the city. An advisory committee was formed and with community input, plan to guide the school board toward a solution. When I went to Harriet Tubman Middle School we had a marine biology program. I took zoology. We dissected animals. We had…… Continue reading Enough is Enough
It has been so long since I’ve been inspired to write a full blog post. So much has gone on this year and there’s so much I could have written about, but I managed to keep it to truncated Facebook posts and brief Twitter rants. But the one thing that has a way of inspiring…… Continue reading What The Wiz Taught My Children
Hey y’all! It’s been a long while. I decided to repost this blog I wrote back in 2012 in light of conversations about limiting those who receive food stamps. This time around, the controversy is whether or not they should be able to buy steak and seafood and I just wanted to share this in…… Continue reading Throwback Thursday: Oh SNAP!
“It’s time for women. Equal means equal. The truth is the older women get, the less money they make. The highest percentage of children living in poverty are in female-headed households. It’s inexcusable that we go around the world and we talk about equal rights for women in other countries and we don’t…..It’s time for…… Continue reading So, About That Wage Gap…..
Why are you so bothered by my existence? Why The more I love me The more you hate me for it The more I succeed The more you want to see me fail My kinky hair My broad nose My thick lips My beautiful Amazing Enchanting Melanin-rich skin Pisses You Off Why Must every statement…… Continue reading Black Dopeness: A Poetic Piece of Prose
Shardé Said What? 