AMC’s the Walking Dead is awesome….period. Many people walk away from the ideal of even watching the show because from the pictures it seems the story is easy to tell ( people trying to survive in a world of zombies, slashing, killing, and doing what it takes to stay breathing….on the living side that is)….Continue Reading Being Black in a World of Zombies: The Walk Dead
Addressing the Elephant in the Room
Two weeks ago, the College of Charleston’s Center Stage theater department performed a play entitled Elephant’s Graveyard. Produced in 2008 and written by George Brant, Graveyard tells the tale of a traveling circus and their star, a beloved five-ton elephant named Mary, on the day in 1916 when they arrive in small, muddy Erwin,…Continue Reading Addressing the Elephant in the Room
Welcomed Diversity or Outside Invasion? Blue-Eyed Soul in the African-American Community
Katelyn Carter The battle for “colorblindness” in America is an ongoing one; Americans are constantly at odds with whether to embrace the idea of such blindness, or to celebrate racial differences. But what happens when an attempt at colorblindness poses a threat to a cultural tradition rooted in a particular race? This attempt is made…Continue Reading Welcomed Diversity or Outside Invasion? Blue-Eyed Soul in the African-American Community
The Racial Mountain of the NFL
In the world of sports, athleticism is a God-given gift that must not be taken lightly. It many times separates the starters from the back-ups. However, athleticism can be a burden for many black quarterbacks in the NFL. During Week 1 of the 2013 NFL season, there were nine black starting quarterbacks, which was an…Continue Reading The Racial Mountain of the NFL
What Does it Mean to be a Black Man in America?
“It’s no disgrace being a black man, but it’s terribly inconvenient.” –Bert Williams Video: “cuz he’s black” In his poem, “cuz he’s black” Javon Johnson tells a story about being a black man in America. In this piece, Johnson begins his poem talking about his 4-year-old nephew and his fascination for the world with questions like…Continue Reading What Does it Mean to be a Black Man in America?
Miss Leading America
At this year’s Miss America Pageant racial inequality was a topic of discussion during the question and answer portion of the competition. Miss Florida, Myrrhanda Jones, was asked the question by Deidre Downs Gunn, Miss America from 2005. Gunn’s question asked what our country should do about the oppression that minorities are faced with today….Continue Reading Miss Leading America
Michonne: A Badass Black Woman
Michonne, in all of her awesomeness, for your entertainment pleasure (CAUTION: video contains extremely graphic images). – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cj8wmFFTKRo Michonne is a fictional character in both the comic book series The Walking Dead as well as in the television series of the same name. Though her role in both works is fairly similar, her overall representation as…Continue Reading Michonne: A Badass Black Woman
Living Fly: Contemporary Hip Hop, a Loss of Role Models and the Building of a Dope-Centered Culture
By Jenna Conner Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass an American Slave, Written by Himself, (1845) Fredrick Douglass Fredrick Douglass: slave, freeman, anti-slavery lecturer, author, political activist, scholar. Over 150 years ago, Fredrick Douglass wrote his slave narrative, a piece of literature that was no doubt influential in the abolitionist movement and the end…Continue Reading Living Fly: Contemporary Hip Hop, a Loss of Role Models and the Building of a Dope-Centered Culture
The Treatment of Black Women Characters in Media
In class we talked about the intersectionality of being a woman and being African American when we discussed Anna Julia Cooper. We also talked about how Women of Color in Cooper’s time period often face both racism and sexism in almost all parts of their lives. I’ve noticed in various fandoms of shows that feature…Continue Reading The Treatment of Black Women Characters in Media
Samsung – Designed for Humans
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmQclpZVhoU In class, we have been exploring the idea of black people trying to get others to acknowledge their humanity. The commercial for the Samsung Galaxy S III encourages the idea that everyone is a human and they deserve the same quality of life (in this case, a phone service), no matter what race or background…Continue Reading Samsung – Designed for Humans