True Stories

Passing, A Review

Passing, A Review

“When I was a little girl, around the age of three, I held my hand up to my mother’s and said “I don’t match you.” I then did the same thing to my father and said “I don’t match you either.” This is not going to be a piece about a mixed girl “trapped between two worlds” or anything like that. This is a review of the film Passing. However, this film, along with many other moments and elements of my life, made my head swirl around the concept of race, the complexity of it, and my place in it. In addition, it is an incredibly somber vignette about repression, and light skinned privilege.”

Nope... but Maybe?, a Review

Nope... but Maybe?, a Review

“This summer, the highly anticipated Jordan Peele film Nope premiered in theaters. Months before the movie premiered, fan theories spread all over the internet. Many suspected that the film would be an allegory for COVID and hold themes surrounding a plague as in the trailer, OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) asks his sister, Emerald (Keke Palmer) “What’s a bad miracle? They got a word for that?” Some predicted a message along the lines of people are the real monsters and the aliens are coming to save us from ourselves. Others believed the film was simply playing with casadastraphobia, the fear of being sucked into the sky, to thrill and terrorize audiences.”

A Look into Lauren | Woman of Rivers

A Look into Lauren | Woman of Rivers

“I think I grew up close to spirit, spiritualism, and prayer—around a lot of women and men I would consider prayer warriors, pastors, and teachers. All those elders and mentors influenced my work, specifically in the way they led by example. My commitment to sharing my weekly collective readings is specifically rooted in that practice. Even if I wasn't filming it, I was doing it. And sometimes, I do that practice without sharing.”

Meditations for Healing, Hope, and Revolution

Meditations for Healing, Hope, and Revolution

“I am writing to share with you a meditation/refection & resource project that aims to offer a little peace, comfort, and hope during this moment that is filled with oh-so-much injustice and suffering. Our hearts are full as we witness folks all over the world demanding justice. I hope that these meditations will offer you, your loved ones, and your community network an opportunity to recharge and reflect during the intensity and passion of this moment.”

How Danzy Senna's Forward of "Oreo" by Fran Ross Contributes to a Legacy of Anti-Blackness

How Danzy Senna's Forward of "Oreo" by Fran Ross Contributes to a Legacy of Anti-Blackness

“So what is to be done? We must refuse to accept insecure, anti-Black readings of Black literature when we see them. In addition we must, going forward, let go of the idea that our duty as scholars is to establish a canon of Black literature. If this is something that is going to happen, it will happen over time as we continue to revisit and respond to work from our past and our present.”

A Conjurer at the Crossroads

A Conjurer at the Crossroads

“She was more than a brave woman who stole away hundreds to freedom and safety. She was a diviner and a conjurer. They called her Mama Moses for the prime magician himself. When the road to freedom became muddled or disappeared, she’d fall asleep and awaken with the knowing. Suddenly, the road ahead would become clear and she knew just how to lead her caravan to safety…”

What’s Wrong with Malcolm and Marie: A Two-Part Review

What’s Wrong with Malcolm and Marie: A Two-Part Review

“The gravitational pull of their relationship is not one of love, but hate — a toxic desire to wound the other, and then twist the knife.”

—Louisa Johnson

“Despite the writer of the film being a white man, Malcolm and Marie ventures into the waters of race and privilege and sinks.”

—Tyia Burnett

The Five “Don’ts” of Social Media for BLM Allies

The Five “Don’ts” of Social Media for BLM Allies

“Unfortunately, efforts to achieve social justice are too easily warped by social media. In an attempt to appear ‘woke’, BLM and social justice causes in general have become a tick-box form of activism, with many hastily circulating infographics, phrases and videos without first considering their deeper meaning. While it is crucial to remain vocal about social issues across our platforms, it is also necessary to examine the implications behind every post prior to sharing.”

“Your Body Is a Masterpiece” and Other Artsy Thoughts About Nudes

“Your Body Is a Masterpiece” and Other Artsy Thoughts About Nudes

“…close friends and internet strangers alike have expressed the obligation to perform while sending nudes and sexting. Intimacy is condensed to a buzzing notification in a jean pocket, and even then, the sender and receiver aren’t seeing the other’s reaction in real time. The anxiety can become daunting and suck the empowering fun out of sexting. What was meant to be inconsequential sexy time turns into a mindwarp about how someone else will respond to your vulnerable state. Boo.”

Conscious Sighs

Conscious Sighs

“Her entire being forever blazes through my mind. She smells like Tide, and the last swipe of creme in the travel size Nivea tin jar found only when you desperately need it. Like the bottom of her overcrowded purse that holds Wrigley’s gum, bills, and glasses on a hot day in a parking lot while my aunt runs into the bank. Her smile has one stained tooth that sits and fits in with the other porcelain ones as a confirmation of her earthly existence. Until she bites fearlessly into ice without a shiver or a shake, and you’re left questioning how angels hide in plain sight.”