By Anna Gibson

According to the United States Census Bureau, 39 percent of custodial parents fail to receive child support in the United States. Even more disturbing, it would seem that even if parents provide child support, it’s too little to support the family. The amount of child support given monthly is estimated to be an underwhelming $280 a month.

By Altheria Gaston

CNN Money recently featured the story of Safiyyah Cotton to shed light on the economic strain experienced by individuals who work low-wage jobs and the resulting burden on the federal government. Safiyyah is a 22-year-old single mother of a one-year-old son living in Philadelphia. She is employed part-time at McDonald’s, earning an hourly wage of $7.50. Her son’s father is incarcerated. In order to support herself and her son, she receives government assistance in the form of a housing supplement, food stamps, medical assistance, and child care assistance. Working an average of 20 hours a week, her annual salary is $6,240. The 2014 poverty threshold for a single parent and one child is $16,317, more than twice what she earns by working.

By Jaimee Swift

Last week, First Lady Michelle Obama generated media attention with her appearance at the Apollo Theater as part of the Let Girls Learn initiative. During her appearance, Mrs. Obama discussed the #62MillionGirls campaign, which brings to the forefront the international lack of access to education for girls. In a message to the White House email list, she highlights the tenets of the girl-centered education campaign, and how many girls face barriers to their education and how cultural norms and traditions also play a role in affecting their academic livelihoods.

By Tracey M. Lewis-Giggetts

I could tell she felt awkward. Concern was written all over her face. Her pale skin had turned slightly pink. Her eyebrows were furrowed. Her words were clear but filled with emotion.

By Kel Daroe

“How much does this cost?” the middle-aged white woman asked as I was standing on the main floor of a luxury brand clothier in Midtown Manhattan. I looked around, thinking I would find one of the nice sales associates who was supposed to be nearby. Only half of the store was on sale, and the signs didn’t clarify if 40% off actually applied to clearance. I needed it to apply to clearance; I had a hot date. I took a step, literally bumping into the same woman, who was just a little too close for comfort. This time she got more insistent. “HOW MUCH DOES THIS COST?” I recognized the tone instantly. It was the same tone my mother used with the infamous “DO YOU HEAR ME TALKING TO YOU?” of my adolescence. I was being chastised for not doing my job.

by LaVonya Bennett

I have always tried to share my perspective of growing up as one of the first black families in my neighborhood, being removed from private school because of the negative experiences around race, and living with the loss of a brother at the hands of cops. In sharing these experiences, whether solicited or not, I often received the quick response of being a race baiter, focusing too much on my differences, or giving too much power to my experiences. I don’t understand how I am race baiting or perpetuating hate by sharing insights of my life on a daily basis. These systems of oppression have never been addressed systematically so we’re allowed to live and thrive behind a mask of religion, politics, work ethic, education, and access. I challenge that.

By Torie Weiston-Serdan

While the Ferguson's, Baltimore's, Cleveland's, New York's, Charleston's and Houston’s continue to capture our attention, let's not forget that the issues plaguing these communities have an impact on the youth living there even after all of the media attention goes away. Educational researchers have long been sharing important information about the demographic makeup of Ferguson schools and schools like them, as well as the trauma associated with such dramatic events for the youth who have had to live at the center of abundant state violence, on several fronts. Furthermore, it is strikingly clear that standard indicators of racial segregation, poverty and negative interactions with the law have been plaguing these communities long before America’s gaze, and the young people growing up in these communities have been exposed to these issues for their entire lives.

by Agunda Okeyo 

I am a huge admirer of Robert F. Kennedy. In learning American history as a youth, I was struck my RFK’s profound humanist transformation from a righteously conservative politician (dare I say, racist) to a truly revolutionary equal-rights activist. Undoubtedly the death of his brother and the racial complexity of the time motivated this change--and likely cost him his life. In an unprecedented visit to apartheid South Africa in 1966 he said the following to a rapt audience at the University of Cape Town, South Africa:

by Marena Bridges

One of my favorite moments in The Simpsons comes when Lisa is forced to join a cult by her dad and attend school at their headquarters. She becomes so fed up with the propaganda she endures that she stands up and declares, “The whole damn system is wrong!” as she kicks over her desk with a scream. Why am I talking about The Simpsons in an article about anti-Black police brutality? Because, lately, I’ve often felt like Lisa Simpson must have in that moment; fed up knowing that every day it’s different actors following the same script. A police officer brutalizes and/or murders one of us. That specific officer faces backlash. And we either feel we’ve been denied justice if they get off scot-free or served justice if they’re indicted.

by Janette Robinson Flint

I am deeply hurt, enraged, and gravely concerned by the onslaught of violence against Black women and girls. The latest offense happened on Monday, July 13th, when Sandra Bland, a 28 year-old woman who was pulled over for a minor traffic violation, was found dead in her Texas jail cell. The following day, 18 year-old Kindra Chapman was also found dead in an Alabama jail cell. In June, a police officer tackled and handcuffed a 14-year-old girl in a bikini at pool party in McKinney, Texas. In June, nine people—six of whom were Black women—were murdered at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Cynthia Hurd, Rev. Sharonda Singleton, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lance, Myra Thompson, Hon. Rev. Clementa Pinckney, Tywanza Sanders, Rev. Daniel Simmons Sr., and Rev. DePayne Middleton-Doctor lost their lives because of the deep-seated anti-Black hatred cultivated against African Americans in this country. And this is only in the last few months. There are scores of Black women who did not get a hashtag. There were no marches or protests for them. Their deaths have gone unnoticed by most of the nation and grieved by only the ones who knew them.

Sandra Bland was pulled over by Officer Brian Encinia in Waller County, TX on Friday, July 10th. Her offense? Failing to signal when switching lanes. In video captured by an unidentified bystander, Bland is shown being held down on the ground by two white male police officers.

Eyewitness Malcolm Jackson told a local news station of the roadside incident, “[The police officer] pulled her out of the car forcibly and threw her, tossed her to the ground, knee to the neck, and arrested her.” Not shockingly, this eyewitness account has been all but neglected by the mainstream media coverage of Bland’s arrest and subsequent death.


Bland spent the weekend in Waller County Jail. By Monday morning, she was dead.

On Thursday, July 16th—three days after her death—police claimed the Prairie View A&M graduate had used a trash bag in her cell to hang herself.

The police were quick to point out that Bland posted a video back in March in which she discussed dealing with depression and PTSD. “I am suffering from something that some of you all may be dealing with right now,” Bland said in the video. “It’s a little depression, as well as PTSD. I’ve been real stressed over these last few weeks.”

Those are pretty much Bland’s only words getting any attention in the mainstream media, despite the fact that she posted several videos. The majority of the content in her other posts are about race relations in America.

Sandra was dedicated to discussing the problems of police brutality and racism in this country. Starting in January of this year, Bland began making a series of videos called, "Sandy Speaks." They can be described as a publicly shared video diary. They are not edited. They are not scripted. They are more of a stream of consciousness commentary. They are a call to action to her viewers, whom she referred to as kings and queens. Prior to Sandra Bland’s death, her videos were not widely seen by the public, though they are posted on her Facebook page.

In an effort to keep Sandra voice alive, I have found some of the most powerful quotes from the "Sandy Speaks" series.

Sandra Bland on being Black in America:

“Being a black person in America is very, very hard.”

“We can’t help but get pissed off when we see situations where it’s clear that black life didn’t matter.”

Sandra Bland on the Walter Scott case:

Scott was a black man gunned down on April 4th, shot 8 times in the back by then South Carolina police officer Michael Slager. “For those of you questioning [Walter Scott] running away, well goddamn, because in the news as we’ve seen of late…you can stand there, surrender to the cops, and still be killed.”

Sandra Bland on systemic racism:

“Our legal system and the way our country is run is based upon discrimination.”

Some of her commentary about the #AllLivesMatter social media trend that was created in response to #BlackLivesMatter:

“White people, if all lives mattered, would there need to be a hashtag for black lives mattering? Think about that.”

“Show me in American history where all lives mattered. Show me where there has been liberty and justice for all.”

“White people, yes, black people know all lives matter. But what I need you guys to understand is that being a black person in America is very, very hard.”

“Black lives matter. They really do.”

Her encouragement of non-blacks to join in the protest and be vocal about police violence against black people:

So, for y’all that can sit around and say all lives matter, I want you to go, put it on a poster, and stand out on a corner somewhere. If we can get enough white people to show that all lives matter, maybe they’ll stop killing our black brothers. Cuz obviously, that’s what it’s going to take; for the white people to get up and get tired of black people [alone] saying black lives matter. So if y’all want it to stop, you get out there and do something about it.

Bland said some people accused her of being a racist because of her videos, even going so far as to call her "bitch" and other names. Here are a few of her words in response to being labeled a racist:

"I am not racist. I don’t think all white people are racist."

She also spoke on the power of social media:

“This thing that I’m holding in my hand, this telephone, this camera. It is quite powerful. Social media is powerful. We can do something with this. If we want a change, we can really, truly make it happen.”

Sandra Bland ended most of her videos with words of inspiration. She shared this message in the closing of a video she posted on April 3th, which was Good Friday: “Do what you can to be a positive light in someone’s life. I hope that I’ve done that for you. Know that somebody loves you. Somebody is out there praying for you, and hoping the best for you." She always closed her videos with the same two words: "Sandy speaks.”

Sandy, we will not let your voice be silenced, Queen. We are listening. We will continue to carry the torch and be a collective positive light. #BlackLivesMatter. Your life mattered.

Photo: Facebook

Evan Seymour is a Southern California based freelance journalist whose daytime job is in entertainment news. She is also a professional daydreamer.