What does it really mean to have the right to vote? And more importantly, do we truly understand what it means when that right is quietly chipped away in real time? Too many people fought, bled, and died for Black Americans to have the right to vote for us to treat it like it is …
Seen, Loud, and Still Here: A Love Letter for Lesbian Visibility Week
Letโs be clearโLesbian Visibility Week isnโt about suddenly showing up. Weโve been here. Weโve been loving, leading, building, resisting, nurturing, and creating space long before anyone thought to give it a hashtag. But visibility? Thatโs a different conversation. Visibility is about being seen accurately. Not watered down. Not misunderstood. Not erased. Not squeezed into narratives …
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Soโฆ How Does Local Government Really Work in Oakland & Alameda County? (And Why You Should Care)
Letโs be honest. Most of us learned something about government back in the dayโฆ and then life happened. Now weโre out here hearing about City Council, Board of Supervisors, OUSD, commissions, budgetsโand it all starts to sound like a whole lot of meetings that donโt have anything to do with us. But hereโs the truth: …
๐๐พ Less Aesthetic, More Action: What Revolution Really Looks Like
Letโs just go ahead and say it: The political climate right now?Outrageous. Stressful. Unpredictable. A lot. Rights are being debated like theyโre optional.Policies are shifting like someoneโs changing outfits.And entire communities are out here just trying to exist without being targeted. So naturally, people are asking: โHow do I even begin to be revolutionary in …
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Staying Politically Informed Without Losing Your Mind (or Your Joy)
Letโs be honest: trying to keep up with politics right now can feel like emotional CrossFit. Every headline is urgent, every social media thread is a debate stage, and somewhere between breakfast and lunch youโve read three things that make you want to scream into a pillow. Most of us want to stay informed. We …
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Black Lesbian & Bipoc Women Representation Matters
Why Representation Matters (Yes, Even When Weโre Tired ๐ ) Letโs start with the obvious: representation isnโt about checking a diversity box or adding a cute rainbow to the flyer. Itโs about survival. Itโs about visibility. Itโs about walking into a room and not feeling like you accidentally RSVPโd to the wrong century. Representation for Black …
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The Importance of Juneteenth- why it’s so vital that we know our history
As most of us know, when the Civil War came to a close in 1865, an extremely large number of folks remained enslaved, particularly in truly remote areas. The word of slaveryโs ending traveled very slowly- too slowly- and for those who were largely isolated from the Union armies, life continued as if freedom did …
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Why you should Vote
Here we are, at that time of the year when we have to start having the dialogue about why it's important that we all get out and take advantage of the right which many of our ancestors fought and died for...ย The Right to Vote. Of course I'm not suggesting that you go out and vote …
My thoughts on “Colorism”
It's sad that we're almost at the end of 2018, and yet this issue of "light-skinned" vs "dark-skinned" is still alive and thriving. So much so that the ridiculous concept has been given a name. "Colorism".ย Alice Walker first coined this phrase in her 1983 book, "In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens"ย , where she defined …
Should teachers be armed with guns?
The latest shooting has intensified the debate over what tactics to use to protect against imminent danger: whether teachers should carry guns or hide with their students; whether schools should invest in fancy security devices like door jammers or put more resources into crisis teams that could identify and intervene with troubled students. And thanks …
