Yikes, it has been a while since I’ve posted anything, yeah? I’ve been busy *and* unmotivated so that’s fun. On the bright side, I became scrimmage eligible in roller derby recently and got to see the Deftones and Rise Against this past weekend! I’ve also done a bit of reading, so here are some articles and pieces I’ve read that I think are worth reading.
4:43
From the same woman who gave you the Lemonade Syllabus, Candace Benbow comes with a response to the recently released 4:44 album from Jay-Z. Jay-Z comes with the apologies, but what are the lasting effects that women have to deal with concerning men who continue to hurt and disappoint? This is definitely worth a read.
Moving Toward the Ugly: A Politic Beyond Desirability
I was on tumblr the other day and came across a quote from a keynote speech given by Mia Mingus, prominent disability activist, in 2011. This speech calls us to think about why (mainstream) desirability means so much to us through the lenses of queerness, disability, and being a woman of color. Mia wants us to embrace the ugly – check out the article to see why.
The Shrimpmonger’s House
“There she is – my beloved. Still in the pullover they’d call a chemise, its color a sweet red they’d call cyclamen, and the voices around us would cut out.”
This is the first fiction writing I have featured on this blog, and I really wanted to share this story I found looking through Guernica. It’s by Sait Faik Abasiyanik, a Turkish writer who is well known for his short stories. This particular part is from his 1951 novella A Cloud in the Sky. It’s beautifully written and I think you (you lovely reader, you) would enjoy it.
Racism is Everywhere, So Why Not Move South?
This opinion piece talks about why so many black millennials are deciding to move South in a type of “reverse Great Migration.” For some, they find it a way to reclaim Southern roots, to connect with a larger black community with opportunities, or to not be seen as just “the black person” in an area. I’ve recently moved from the South and I’m still observing what the differences are between being out West and down South. I’d love to hear what the experiences are of some of my friends who moved to the South from a different region of the country.
The Arts Don’t Need New Audiences. They Need Communities.
This is a feature from Zacolo Public Square on how people interact with each other through art. It’s not just one article, but several articles highlighting communities around the world and how art is brought to communities, how communities engage in art, and how art cannot exist without the people. There’s over a dozen articles in the feature – any one of them would be worth your time reading.
Amazon’s Purchase of Whole Foods: A Roundup
I’m sure that everyone is aware that Amazon recently announced its purchase of Whole Foods, since it’s a pretty big deal. In light of this new acquisition, Marion Nestle rounded up a few articles that explains how Amazon came about purchasing Whole Foods and the potential implications of this capitalistic venture. Personally, I’m on the fence about this purchase. On one hand, it could mean that Whole Food’s prices could come down, and healthy food could become more accessible to people who live in food deserts. On the other hand, corporations are prone to exploitation (Amazon has had several complaints about labor exploitation in the past) and who knows who this new deal with actually benefit. We’ll have to see.
This roundup is relatively short, but it’s something right? See you soon for some more original content!