Opinion
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We’ve always known the terrorists were among us. Now everyone else knows too.
As the horrid details of January 6, 2021, come into clear view, there is one thing we should all know for certain: These White domestic terrorists did not act alone. They were aided and abetted by an entire political party steeped in White supremacy and utter contempt for the Constitution of the United States. What else can be said of a party that has made it their sole mission over the last few months to disregard the results of an election because historic numbers of Black people voted? …
I enjoy it but have mixed feelings about the hit Netflix show
Spoiler alert: This essay contains spoilers.
I’ve been into period drama films since I was a kid. Classics like Amadeus and Pride and Prejudice were in hot rotation in my house because they were something we could all enjoy. The sweeping cinematography in European locales fed my creativity and wanderlust. My mom, a sewist, loved the exquisite costumes while my screenwriter dad enjoyed the rich dialogue. They both also liked the way most period dramas affirmed “Christian” virtues like chastity and traditional gender roles. Eventually, I came to realize how much they also virtuized Whiteness.
With its racy sex scenes…
This coup isn’t just about Trump supporters—it’s about all of us
Two main ideas stand out in the aftermath of the White anxiety–fueled attempted coup of the U.S. government on January 6, 2021. One is that, as Joy Ann Reid stated, “White Americans are not afraid of the cops.” That much is clear, as it is also clear via video (and subsequent interviews with at least one leader of a big city police union) that some police were on the side of the terrorists. …
Opinion
Her tactic is to carry water for the president at any cost
Back during her CNN commentator days, I was once on the air with White House press secretary and Trump defender in chief Kayleigh McEnany. It was 2016, and we were both invited to be on a special CNN segment about women and politics.
Although I had seen McEnany on TV before, our real-life encounter stunned me. …
Although director Bong Joon-ho wants to expose naivete toward Native American history, the representation is unevenly handled
Editor’s Note: This piece contains movie spoilers.
Everyone is talking about Parasite. For weeks, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances who know I’m into movies would excitedly ask, “Have you seen Parasite?” then give a disappointed sigh when I answered with a polite, “No.” It wasn’t until a few pals asked how I felt about the use of Native American imagery that the film really caught my interest. The first time this occurred, I paused. …
Perhaps it’s because they may have to own up to insidious U.S. interventionist actions over the decades
Jeanine Añez, Bolivia’s interim president, assumed the role of head of state last month carrying a large Bible into the presidential home saying, “The Bible returns to the Palace.” With a history of making disturbing anti-Indigenous remarks, she has tweeted that the Aymara New Year holiday was “satanic” and that “nobody can replace God.” The Aymara constitute 41% of the country’s population. She has also invoked a Christian God as a source of political power.
President Trump has praised the ouster of Morales, a native Bolivian of Aymara ancestry, but the field of Democratic presidential candidates has not been consistent…
Her rejection continues a long tradition in academia of ignoring the brilliance of Afro Latinx scholars and educators
When the news broke that Dr. Lorgia García Peña, Roy G. Clouse associate professor of romance languages and literatures and of history and literature at Harvard University, was denied tenure, scholars and students rallied in an outpouring of support. One such letter of support, which details her many accomplishments, has more than 4,400 signatures from fellow faculty members, undergraduate, and graduate students.
Dr. García Peña’s teaching is highly regarded; her book, The Borders of Dominicanidad: Race, Nations, and Archives of Contradictions (Duke University Press, 2016) won the 2017 National Women’s Studies Association’s Gloria E. …
The NCAA’s new compensation rule could give female athletes of color a boost — but will it?
The conversation regarding the difference between the millions of dollars that college athletes make for their universities versus their payment (or lack thereof) for those services has been a hot topic for decades. Last year, the college sports industry made a whopping $14 billion and yet the star athletes responsible for a large chunk of that money saw none of it. …
I escaped the practice, but my sisters were not so fortunate
I was born in Somalia and lived there for a few years before my family and I migrated to the U.K. There was one particular day in Somalia that I will never forget. It was a Sunday like no other Sunday before. I was about six or seven years old, and everyone was talking about a lady who was coming to circumcise the girls in my neighborhood.
The girls who were going to get circumcised that day were being constantly reassured by their mums that the circumcision would probably be painful and hurt for a long time, but also that…
Our government has a history of colonizing our land and erasing our history, so I have my doubts
This election cycle, we are seeing an unprecedented push by Democratic presidential candidates to appeal to Native American voters, whose votes have proved crucial in some predominantly red states like Iowa, North Dakota, Alaska, and Montana, and have won congressional elections for Dems. Bernie Sanders, Julian Castro, and Elizabeth Warren all announced their plans for tribes before the first Native American Presidential Forum that took place in August. Amy Klobuchar has a list of policy priorities for Indian country on her website and Cory Booker included Indigenous people in his climate and economic justice plan. …
