It’s that time of year again when those Black Lives Matter signs get dusted out from the archives once more, and a handful of feel-good MLK quotes get into rotation across these Beyonce’s ‘innanets’ powered by Blue-Ivy’s high-speed Wi-Fi! The charades of performative diversity begin once again and Black people […]
The Communal Trauma of Systemic Oppression via Policing Practices
By this point, the Harrisburg Police are no stranger to embarrassment during court proceedings for blatantly lying on allegations that can be easily debunked via their own recordings. Police officers accused and charged a local judge, Sonya McKnight, with tampering with a crime scene and abuse of her powers when […]
The Hypocrisy of Racist and Classist Olympics Policies
The situation Sha’Carri finds herself in wreaks of hypocrisy and privilege and racism. Today, there are only 5 states in which marijuana usage is fully illegal. In total, 27 states have either legalized it or decriminalized it – not accounting for medical usage. States which have legalized it have reported […]
The PIT Maneuver: Not As Safe As You thought.
On July 9, Nicole Harper -an expecting mother, had been driving on a highway in Jacksonville, Arkansas with her four-month old child in the vehicle. She was caught driving over the speed limit -going 84 mph in a 70 mph zone. Police officer Rodney Dunn turned on his sirens and […]
The Power of True Advocacy
I’ve had a lot of friends who are women in my life. Most of them have felt comfortable enough to share with me, their daily experiences with sexism and misogyny. A stare. A catcall. A comment. An expectation. An assault. A rape. I’ve written here how I’ve witnessed it. I’ve […]
How To Get Sex: The Consensual Way!
“Be careful of the men over there, they pinch your butt” my grandma said matter of factly. I looked at her, horrified, unsure if she was joking or not. My grandma was quite mischievous. It was the early aughts and I was taking a school trip to Italy. I can’t […]
Black Joy: Please Don’t Kill My Vibe
When I think of Black joy, I envision sons and daughters getting to live out their childhoods without being forced to grow up too soon. I think of mothers and fathers welcoming new life without fear for their safety in the hands of the police…even before that first breath hits […]
Elder Abuse: A Growing Trend
With an increasing population of vulnerable people, many of whom are living with physical or mental impairments, nursing homes are easy targets for potential abusers. Residents can be subject to sexual abuse from staff, fellow residents, family members, and even lawful and unlawful visitors. Yes, it’s uncomfortable to think about, […]
Communal Trauma: Dear America, Your Pants Are On Fire!
Over the past few weeks, communal trauma has been on the forefront as a homegrown terrorizer committed hate-crimes against Asian women because of his own warped ideologies. As expected, given that the perpetrator had a particular look, the police were quick to humanize his targeted assault against these women. Similarly, […]
Transit Harassment: Rideshare Apps and Women’s Safety
When we talk about Harassment or assault, one of the first images that come to mind is usually that of typical street Harassment; this includes but is not limited to catcalling, unwelcomes touching, groping, pulling, whistling, following, retaliation from the embarrassment of rejection, and so on. As common as street […]