Another week, another hashtag. There was a time when I eagerly latched on to any narrative that dominated my timelines, particularly those which related to race relations in my country. But when news of the latest outrage erupts online I now caution myself to stop, breathe and take some time to think. I don’t see […]
Category Archives: Race
April
22
Against The Grain: Edward Ball
posted by ExiledMind
The fallout from the hacking of Sony Entertainment Group’s emails continues to make news. The most recent story revealed that actor Ben Affleck requested to have a remote slaveowning ancestor removed from the PBS documentary “Finding Your Roots”. Affleck and PBS have both faced criticism for the decision. Personally I do not feel that Affleck […]
GOP Dreams: On Stephen A. Smith and The Allegiance of AA Voters
posted by ExiledMind
Last week popular ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith made interesting comments regarding the allegiance African-Americans have to the Democratic Party and his wish that they would switch to the GOP. Though he’s not the first to state this, he engages in some of the same historical amnesia that others display on this issue. In this […]
Exile, Part I
posted by ExiledMind
“Am I wrong for thinking out the box from where I stay? Am I wrong for saying that I choose another way?”- Nico & Vinz I spent Easter in church this year. Yes, you read that right. The former quintessential BAP Baptist girl turned muslimah turned nonbeliever set foot in the house of the Lawd. April […]
Black and Brown, Part III
posted by ExiledMind
“Hola Daniella, please come in”, Wendy, Raquel’s Mom, said as I stepped through the door. It was spring 1995, the end of my freshman year in high school. A few months earlier Raquel’s family moved from the South End and bought a house in West Seattle. I was sad when Raquel first told me of the […]
Black and Brown, Part II
posted by ExiledMind
Our story resumes in the fall of 1991. When I began the sixth grade I’d lived in Seattle for less than a year. I’d adjusted to the idea that we would not return to my beloved Southern California but still struggled to fit in. Seattle was so cold and Anglo compared to Cali. Soon after […]
Black and Brown, Part I
posted by ExiledMind
The legacy of White Supremacy and institutionalized racism are subjects which I’ve written about and discussed extensively. I’ve addressed them so often and so unrelentingly that it has caused certain individuals to accuse me of being ‘racist’ and hating White Americans. It would probably come as a surprise to said individuals to learn that the […]
Stay Winning
posted by ExiledMind
White Supremacy STAYS winning. The words echoed through my mind as I stood in the checkout line at a local grocery story this morning. Mighty Mango smoothie by Naked in hand, I glanced at the magazine racks to my right. PEOPLE magazine’s latest cover made me suck my teeth in disgust. Oh poor Paula Deen! I […]
