The Double Consciousness Theory

I understood what double consciousness was. I sat in my dorm room trying to understand White privilege in relation to it. It was easy to blind yourself and say it doesn’t exist. They even try to guilt trip you by saying we are making excuses and looking for pity. They can’t see it so they try to tell us it doesn’t exist. “The …

Is Your Hair the Reason You Don’t Exercise?

Afrikan-American women are passionate about their hair. They can spend a decent amount of time and money to achieve a hairstyle they enjoy sporting in public. However, an Afrikan-American woman’s hair may be the reason for her lack of exercise.  Dr. Amy J. McMichael, a dermatologist at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina, noticed that many …

My N***A, My N***A!

Five months ago when I first heard the song, “My N***a”, by local rapper YG, the first thing I noticed was the beat. Immediately, I found myself grooving to it. Initially, the lyrics weren’t too bad. I was used to YG’s subject matter so nothing came off particularly shocking. Then came the hook. The word “n***a” is repeated a total of …

Opinion: The Sad Case of Unwanted Black Babies

When I was six years old, my mother opened our home to a child named Michael. He had big chocolate-colored eyes, soft brown skin, and the sweetest smile. We all adored him, but due to unforeseen circumstances, my mother was unable to adopt him; he was not to become my permanent little brother, and I sometimes wonder if anyone ever …

One Million: A Call for Solidarity

An article from Huffington Post was published this past Friday titled Report Reveals that One Million African-Americans Identify as LGBT. The article contains data from a study that was conducted by UCLA Williams Institute Scholars Gary J. Gates and Angeliki Kastanis, and highlights LGBT Identified Afrikan Americans that many people are unaware of. The report states, “Afrikan-American same-sex couples have …

Can the Obama Administration do More to Help Historically Black Colleges and Universities?

What if historically black colleges did not exist? What if the ability for students of low socio-economic status had no method of paying for their tuition? These questions have become a reality for many students attending historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). According to the Washington Post, the U.S. Department of Education is on the verge of creating tighter restrictions …