By Malaika Jabali

As they have in the past, the conservative truth spinners behind the online media outlet Breitbart News Network have initiated an attack against yet another person of color fighting for civil and human rights. The target this time is activist Shaun King, who has been vocal about the police abuse that has permeated our consciousness for over a year. In likening Shaun King to Rachel Dolezal, the network accused King of lying about being half black in order to receive a “Sons of Oprah” scholarship to attend Morehouse College, a historically Black college and university.

by Jaimee A. Swift

During a recent diversity training, the discussion about race and racism emerged and the question was posed to the group about allyship in the Black Lives Matter movement.

by Thea Monyee´ 

This conversation is long overdue. If I could sit down with black and white culture, I’d tell them, “Black culture, white culture does not want you, does not love you, and will not change for you. If and when white culture makes changes, it will be rooted in a movement from within its own culture, not yours.”

by Quanisha Smith


During a conference I attended recently, I had an interesting interracial dialogue with a White woman. A conference participant mentioned that the presence of a White staff member during the event and more intimate group meetings bothered her and a few other people. She discussed the importance of having spaces sans White folks. While the event attendees were predominately Black, the conference was not a space dedicated solely for Black women. I shared the participant’s concern with my White colleague, to which she replied, “It sounds like insecurity to me.” My colleague is an ally and fully supports the event’s mission but in this instance her thinking showed otherwise. She unintentionally perpetuated racism, while consciously thinking she was helping to uplift Black women.

In January, I received an invitation to a GALentine’s party from a Facebook friend from high school. When I first got the Evite, I was admittedly a little shocked. While we keep up via social media, I hadn’t actually spoken to the host since she was pregnant the year before. How had I made it onto the list? Was it an oversight on her part due to using the list from the previous year? I was both confused and intrigued. I checked my calendar, replied “yes,” and waited to see if there would be an “Oh, dear, my bad…” sort of response.

From the margin to the center, from the streets to our homes, the personal is always political. But how deep does that connection go? 2014 was a traumatic year for many of us—as we lost Yvette Smith, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tanisha Anderson, and several others due to state and police violence. 2014 was also a year of resistance and resilience, as we saw the rise of black activists of all narratives and identities rallying for their communities. Alicia Garza, Patrisse Marie Cullors-Brignac and Opal Tometi of Black Lives Matter have laid down a powerful foundation for sustained activism.

Today, as we reflect upon Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy and ultimate sacrifice in his quest for equal rights and freedom for all, I am reminded of a video snippet from an episode of “Oprah’s Master Class,” that was recently heavily circulated. In the clip, Jay-Z lays out why he believes hip hop has done more for “race relations” than any other cultural movement. He also states that Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “dream” was realized when Obama was elected President.

by Zahida Sherman Ewoodzie

Let’s be honest. Black people have asserted that they aren’t “Black” long before Raven Symone’s sit-down with Oprah. Issues of racial identity often come to the fore in environments where Black folks from all over the world meet. Places like college.

I have always been good at making people feel uncomfortable by being extremely vocal about my views on political and social issues. This has also led to quite a few misunderstandings, especially with people not familiar with social justice praxis.

"In our field it’s typically called Mommy and me, but we like to be a bit more inclusive,” my boss told me as we sat in his lush office. The business of babies pays well, I thought to myself admiring his shiny modern digs. At least for him anyway, and he was right of course. Mothers are not the only ones that can act as a partner for tiny tots; Dads, Aunts, and Grandparents can also be in attendance. In my experience as an Instructor, the people I listed are hardly ever in attendance. These classes should be retitled: Nanny and Me.

I honestly feel like I'm beating a dead horse. We've heard countless times about the overwhelmingly high percentage of Black women that are single. The suggestion that Black women date other races in order to find love indicates that Black women need to stop being so close-minded and venture out just as Black men have. I've heard that Black women need to change their perspective on dating and not be so picky. These suggestions each require that Black women do something different.

This past weekend, my friend Andrea and I started a YouTube account and recorded a few videos. The main topic of discussion was wealthy Black men and their decision to date non-Black women. Allow me to first state that I have no problem with interracial dating, but this trend is beginning to annoy me. Wealthy, or shall I say financially stable, Black men seem to keep settling down or developing romantic relationships with women that look nothing like their mothers. White and "exotic" looking women are all the rave and I am beginning to wonder why. In an effort to keep the length of this post down, I'll just state that many Black men in the entertainment industry choose to date outside their race and as a Black woman, I am offended. When I post the video you'll be able to get more details and our opinions on this issue.

This post is not meant to focus on the famous Black men that date outside their race, I want to highlight a young man that I know who just recently graduated from high school. For the purpose of confidentiality, I will refer to him as "R" for the duration of this post. I was chatting with R on skype and I mentioned the aforementioned topic. He instantly replied "Well, we want women with natural beauty." I was immediately confused as to what he meant so I asked him to elaborate and he continued "When they wake up in the morning, they are ready to go. They don't need no 24 inch weave..." He also went on to mention that Black women have too much attitude and are too controlling. I then asked if he preferred a submissive woman or someone that he could control and he replied "No, I just don't want someone that thinks she can control me."

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