SwirlGirl

Getting to the Elm (a preview)

More spirit than body, the dead leaves barely crinkled under the weight of her mocassined feet, and the rain drops fell more through her than onto her outstretched arms. A small tan rabbit peeked up from its burrow, perking up a single ear to find the source of the steady hum of her melodious voice.Continue reading “Getting to the Elm (a preview)”

Confessions of a Former Republican

Welcome to Repost Sundays. Original Post found on TomDispatch Here, to my mind, was one strange aspect of the political convention season just past: since the great meltdown of 2008, brilliantly engineered by various giant financial institutions gone wild, we’ve seen a collapse in the wealth of middle-class African Americans and Hispanics, and a significantContinue reading “Confessions of a Former Republican”

Announcements!

In lieu of a post today, I would like to make two announcements. Firstly, I have posted the Glossary page. It’s in its infancy stages, so comment here (or using the box on the page itself) on what other terms you’d like to see defined. I’m excited to build this page to help us allContinue reading “Announcements!”

Hard conversations

Have you ever noticed that on Facebook and other message boards, conversations get started about one topic, and then all of a sudden, talking points about “reverse racism” and “Al Sharpton” and “white privilege” and “fox news” and other such things get brought up and all of a sudden, the thread goes from what itContinue reading “Hard conversations”

Why I’m DONE Tolerating Microaggressions

This past week, my family attended a food conference. Overall, it was an incredibly enjoyable experience. The sponsoring organization is full of passionate, dedicated, intellectual and action-oriented people who believe in the power of collective activism. The retreat center at which it was held is nearby to mountains, has a farm and lake on-site, and hasContinue reading “Why I’m DONE Tolerating Microaggressions”

Need some help building empathy? Here, let Buzzfeed help you!

Some of the comments on the post (the comments section is the devil!) are very, very critical and non-empathetic of the author. While I do agree that it can seem like a bit of a stretch that it took some of these things to build empathy in a person, sometimes, a person really just hasContinue reading “Need some help building empathy? Here, let Buzzfeed help you!”

A Response to Repossession: Reclaimed Slurs and Lexicography

I have always found words to carry great power. The pen is mightier than the sword, they say, and I believe it to be true. As an avid reader in my youth, words built worlds and tore them down; a good book could quiet me from any crying spell, and I’d lose myself in myContinue reading “A Response to Repossession: Reclaimed Slurs and Lexicography”

The Unbearable Solitude of Being an African Fan Girl

Originally posted on omenana:
By Chinelo Onwualu Being an African fan girl is a strange, liminal thing. You’re never quite sure that you exist, you see. A part of you is rooted in your culture and its expectations for how a woman ought to behave – church, family, school – but another is flying off…

all we do is pin

When biracial Buzzfeeder Rachel W. Miller decided to live by the “Most Popular Pins” page for a week, this was her experience: http://www.buzzfeed.com/rachelwmiller/all-we-do-is-pin It’s interesting how not only does she find the ability to comment on the way it makes women overall feel somewhat incompetent, but as a biracial (although lighter, and straighter-haired) working woman,Continue reading “all we do is pin”

Whole Foods, Detroit, and Englewood, Chicago.

If you haven’t ever read about the food options available in lower-economic neighborhoods, and how there’s usually one small, not well stocked, dimly lit, poorly serviced supermarket (if even that) and the rest of the options are corner stores, combined with the options presented often being calorie-heavy and nutritionally-light, this is not the place toContinue reading “Whole Foods, Detroit, and Englewood, Chicago.”