There are many conflicting views about the N-Word, and by N-Word, I mean both the words “nigga” and “nigger.” Although the word is rooted in history and originally only meant the color black, it quickly became a very derogative term for those of African descent living in the Americas through slavery and discrimination. Even more quickly, the…
Toya Graham, the woman all over the media for slapping her 16 year old son on camera in order to stop him from rioting in Baltimore, is not your hero. She was not trying to embarrass him. She was trying to save his life; she didn’t want him to be another hashtag, another Freddie Gray.…
I’m not pretty for a black girl; I am simply pretty. When approached with the line “You’re pretty for a black girl,” what I actually hear is, “You are too pretty to be black,” especially when followed with the question, “What are you mixed with?” Whether or not I have multiple races that make up…
Recently Kylie Jenner, half-sister to Kim Kardashian, was spotted on Instagram with darker skin. She captioned the image, “What I wish I looked like all the time.” While some people have claimed that she looked more like an avatar with metallic looking skin, I interpreted the picture as a wanting to be black. When I think of Kylie,…
I have a “white” name. When it is put on an application without any other background information, many people would assume that I am white. I am not white. My white name does not define me just as culturally sounding names do not define anyone else. When you stereotype someone because of their name from…
In 2004, Bill Cosby remarked “Are you waiting for Jesus to pull his pants up” to supplement his point that black men are not good fathers or role models for their children because of how they appear. Telling someone to “pull their pants up” does not do as much good as you think it does.…
During the Grammy Awards, President Obama appeared in a video in which he prompts musicians to end the violence against women because they have the power to set an example and change others’ viewpoints. He says more than one in five American women have been a victim of rape or attempted rape, and more than one…
Quvenzhané Wallis, the star of Annie, is an absolute powerhouse. Her acting skills are undeniable, and she is absolutely adorable on screen and in interviews. Wallis is the youngest actress to receive a nomination for the Academy Awards for Best Actress, and has worked alongside countless other great actors and actresses including Jamie Foxx and Cameron…
Whitewashing is the practice where a director, producer, or fan takes a character who is originally of color and replaces them with a white actor or a white FC claim. Whitewashing makes a character look more “white” or European in order to appeal to the white masses. People of a minority descent (i.e: everyone but white…
Upon the decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson who shot unarmed teenager Mike Brown, the hashtag #blacklivesmatter has reappeared all over social networking sites. The hashtag originally started with the unjust killing of teen Trayvon Martin, and with each new black life unfairly lost, it comes up again. The hashtag is a call to…
