If You're Not About Justice I Want Nothing To Do With You

If you're not outraged about police brutality against Black Americans then I want nothing to do with you.

Maybe that's blunt. But let me go further.

If you're not in recognition that Black people--and Black people in particular-- are being targeted by law enforcement then I want nothing to do with you.

If the word "thug" or "hoodlum" is in your vocabulary then I want nothing to do with you. If you believe there's ever a reason why lethal force needs to be used against an unarmed person then I want nothing to do with you. If you aren't about the chant "Black lives matter" then I want nothing to do with you.

I have no time to coddle people. And I'm certainly not going to debate my right to life in the United States. It's sick and disgusting that many people think I am willing or even emotionally capable of debating whether people who look like me should or should not be shot down by cops.

This is a civil rights issue. It's a human rights issue. And if you don't recognize that then I want nothing to do with you.

Circa 2012 I dealt with folks who wanted to argue with me about if Trayvon Martin deserved to die, if he deserved to be stalked and subsequently murdered in his own neighborhood. But no more.

We're not arguing over Mike Brown, Darrien Hunt, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Akai Gurley, Tanesha Anderson, Rumain Brisbon... I don't need to continue.

It's a free country (at least for some of us). And a person has the right to be a racist. As I have the right to not deal with racists as an elective decision.

As it is the United States has sent a strong message that I have no right to my life and liberty if I'm at the mercy of a cop seeking blood. And after my death, I have no right to justice.

I charge genocide. And if you don't then I want nothing to do with you.

The Hollaback Video is Racist, But That Doesn't Mean Street Harassment Isn't an Issue

I've noticed a trend: white women use white feminism to let white men off the hook for their sexism and Black men use white feminism (or the excuse: well what white women did was racist!) to let themselves off the hook for their sexism.

Viola Davis Is Classically Beautiful Although It's Not Her Job to Be

I was very offended by the New York Times' article that insisted (among many other racist assertions) that Viola Davis isn't "classically beautiful." The author, a white female veteran journalist, said this along with calling Shonda Rhimes and the Black female protagonists she's created "angry Black women."

I think the root of my great offense came from the knowledge that beauty, or rather the need to be beautiful, is held over the heads of girls and women from birth.

"He Was No Angel": There is No Such Thing as Black Innocence

There is absolutely no regard for Black life. I say that without further qualification.

I continue to be astounded by the way Mike Brown's death has been disrespected. He is continually victim blamed for his own death despite the overwhelming amount of evidence (both testimonial and biological in the form of an autopsy) proving that he was executed by a Ferguson PD cop.

And yet, people continue to suggest that the true victim is the murderer. The continual narrative is that Mike Brown somehow deserved to be executed.

Solidarity with Ferguson, Missouri Protesters!

We all need to be paying careful attention to Ferguson, Missouri. This is where the revolution is beginning.

My Best Friend is White: On the Joys and Perils of Interracial Friendship

One of my best friends is white. We met in fourth grade and have remained generally present in each other's lives ever since. It's going on thirteen years of friendship. And yet, it wasn't until last night that we had our first real conversation about race.

Book Recommendations for Black Women!

Hello Readers!

I'd like to share with you some of my favorite books that I own. 

They cover broad genres such as historical or sociological scholarship, romantic fiction, classic literature, Black feminist theory, non-fiction and they're American and non-American. But what they all have in common is that they are by and about Black women. 

Leave a comment below if you've read any of these and enjoyed them! Or leave your own book recommendations!

- Danielle