Michael T. Young: Two Poems
When you’re not the target
you can ignore the gun.
Video: While I Yet Live
A trip to Gee’s Bend, Alabama, where masterpieces hang from clotheslines.
Myisha Cherry: From the erotic to the political – the legacy of Audre Lorde
The feminist poet and scholar Audre Lorde left a legacy that my generation, women, people of colour and members of the LGBTQ community have widely and wisely embraced. And we still … Continue reading
Derrick Z. Jackson: Roe v. Wade Draft Bodes Ill for Air, Wetlands and EPA
If Alito’s draft remains the foundation of the court’s final ruling, then he is also likely prepared to let white-run industry off the hook for fouling the land, air, rivers, and lakes, poisoning communities, which today are disproportionately of color.
Anita Gonzalez: A white librettist wrote an opera about Emmett Till – and some critics are calling for its cancellation
To me, the backlash against the white librettist is ultimately a waste of time. Not only is there room for works done in collaboration with Black artists, but cross-cultural, interethnic collaborations also add to the richness and versatility of performed storytelling.
Abby Zimet: Freedom Reads. Books Are a Lifeline To a Still-Flawed World
On Feb. 21, 1965, Malcolm X – former inmate, fierce civil rights warrior, “one of the greatest leaders this country has ever seen” and for what he proudly deemed Afro-Americans “our own … Continue reading
George Yancy: bell hooks, We Will Always Rage On With You
You see, bell, who left us on December 15, 2021, wasn’t just a public intellectual to me, a prominent writer; she was a friend.
Abby Zimet: Justice, Justice Shall You Pursue
“Justice, justice shall you pursue.” – Deuteronomy 16:18-17:13, as Moses directs the Israelites to appoint officials who will govern justly.
Countee Cullen: Heritage
Africa? A book one thumbs
Listlessly, till slumber comes.
Unremembered are her bats
Circling through the night, her cats
Crouching in the river reeds
Isabella Garcia: Re-Visionary Artists
These creators are reclaiming their pasts and futures through transformative art.
Derrick Z. Jackson: The Environmental Justice Movement Moves Front and Center in the Biden Administration
The influence of the environmental justice movement in the Biden administration is already visible.
Richard Levine: One Night in America
The first time I noticed my hands
trembling, I was still a young man,
just returned from a war…
Jessica Corbett: Progressives Back Rep. Cori Bush’s Resolution to Expel Lawmakers Who Incited Violent Siege of Capitol
The siege of the Capitol came after an inflammatory speech by the president and as over 100 Republicans in Congress were in the process of contesting the Electoral College victory of President-elect Joe Biden.
Olivia Pace: Policing keeps us safe? It’s a myth. Here’s why.
When you peel back the facade, police and military perpetuate violence on a personal and professional level.
Vox Populi 