“The responses reflect a spectrum of experience among the writers,” she explained. “But I did notice that several poems discussed discovery, social justice, and resistance through existence and survival.”–Tabia Alexine, a Los Angeles-based curator on “reaching out to young writers of color she admired” to share their favorite poems
“No matter how many people are trafficked around major sporting events, the fact remains that survivors, sex workers, and everyone in-between are thought to be voiceless on this topic…When people would rather hear the opinions of men who are completely uninvolved in the reality of sex work over the opinion of an actual sex worker or survivor, I’m going to go ahead and say that some of my assumptions about patriarchy, capitalism, violence and the status-quo are not so far off from reality.”–Kitten Karlyle on “Some Sportsball Feelings Before Super Bowl 50”
“Even in front of the largest audience in the world, it was a daring act of vulnerability, offering up a rendering of black protest and recognizing the historical and cultural agency of black folks on the biggest sports stage available…That transformation is reminiscent of the ‘colored me’ moment experienced by another black female artist: Zora Neale Hurston.”–From “Before Beyoncé made ‘Formation,’ Zora Neale Hurston laid out her roadmap”
Additionally, if you don’t want to hear your own Beyoncé opinions right now, go here to read, “Six Beyoncé Pieces By Women of Color That You Should Read Right Now.”
Meanwhile, Maris Jones at Black Girl Dangerous says, “Beyoncé, what you really needed at the beginning of ‘Formation’ was a trigger warning for all of your fans who survived Hurricane Katrina.” Go here to check out the amazing BGD podcast.
“In a diary entry written around 1962, the American artist Carolee Schneemann, then in her early twenties, considered which artworks maintain their attractions over time. ‘I have the sense that in learning, our best developments grow from works which initially strike us as “too much”,’ she proposed.”–From “Carolee Schneeman brings chaos, mess and erotic liberation to Salzburg”
“By cutting off any programs that provide abortions, the legislation also targets programs that screen for cancer, support mothers through pregnancy, and educate teens about domestic violence. Instead, the funds will be redirected to other providers, including general and esthetic dentistry offices and school nurses, which do not perform these vital services.”–From “Kasich Set To Sign Bill Defunding Planned Parenthood”
“I neglected to consider how most of my therapists were white, middle class or wealth, monosexual cis women with graduate school degrees from institutions covertly practicing principles steeped in white supremacist, capitalist, patriarchal, heteronormative, cisnormative, and other status-quo centered models of thought. Meanwhile, my partners were Black – like myself – sometimes mixed-race and intercultural, predominately poor or working-class, non-monogamous, AFAB queer and gender non-conforming, and politically radical as fuck artists and intellects. And, like me, they were trying to figure out how to love themselves and others when models of non-traditional, queer, Black love are still so limited.”–From “Why We Must Stop Believing Pain and Illness Are Punishments for Our Mistakes”
“I think that still, in 2016, smart, well grounded women, outspoken with their own lives and careers are still intimidating to heterosexual men…I knew that being a feminist and an outspoken woman wouldn’t endear me to many men, but those weren’t the kind of men I wanted to be with anyway. I don’t regret my choices and I certainly can’t and won’t change who I am. There’s no quick solution to the daily grind of loneliness, which sometimes feels so sharp it catches and pricks my lungs like inhaling icy air on a cold January day.”–Eleanor C. Whitney on spinsterhood and feminism
Check out Lizzie Harris’s “hyper-abridged list of women who aren’t just creating thoughtful and important work, but also sponsoring it” which features Morgan Parker and Emily Brandt.
What did we miss this week? Let us know in the comments! <3
