You Pierced What?

When I asked to get my nose pierced for my 17th birthday, I shouldn’t have been surprised when my mom said no. My dad took me instead. My mom wasn’t terribly opposed but went on to explain that I shouldn’t get any more obvious piercings if I want to look employable. Now, with 13 piercings and […]

You Listen to Music? #MeToo

Art is an often overlooked medium for social activism. Historically, women have used music to raise awareness of sexual violence. The seemingly personal troubles of sexual assault, expressed in song, expose and publicize the societal issue of sexual brutality. Attempts to address this threat eventually led to the creation of the #MeToo Movement. Tarana Burke, […]

“What Happens to a Dream Deferred?”

The opening line of Langston Hughes’ poem Harlem asks, “What happens to a Dream Deferred?” The poem speaks about the pain of not realizing one’s dreams amid the racial inequalities Black Americans faced in the 1960s. Likewise, people impacted by the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAMers) currently face the pain of […]

Professors of colors’ experiences in predominantly white institutions (PWIs)

Predominantly white colleges and universities tend to overrepresent people of color (POC) on their official websites in their efforts to portray a welcoming environment for POC on campus. The websites show professors of color excitedly giving speeches to the campus community, talking happily with other colleagues, or working collaboratively with students in labs. Universities’ official […]

Anti-Black and Patriarchal Realities of School Discipline

Black children are disproportionately subject to school discipline in the United States (Crenshaw 2015; Entwisle 2007; Farkas 1990; Onyeka-Crawford 2017; Owens 2016; Skiba 2014). Although the disproportionate discipline of Black boys has generated much scholarship (Losen 2010; Raffaele Mendez 2003; Owens 2016), less attention has been paid to the disproportionate discipline of Black girls (Crenshaw […]