dear white people

in theaters october 17th, dear white people is a satirical film written and directed by justin simien. it’s focused on the microaggressions faced by black students attending an ivy league university. story of my life…remind me to tell you about that time my law professor made me describe colt 45 to my all white classmates.

a little link love

1. questlove’s piece entitled trayvon martin and i ain’t shit is a heartfelt and sobering look at what it’s like to be a black man in america.  in the piece he describes an incident on the elevator of his swank new york building where a white woman refused to tell him what floor she lived on — questlove was politely offering to push the button for her, but soon realized that she was afraid to let a black man know where she lived.  in his piece, he describes the burden of possessing a large-framed-male-black body when living in a country that has demonized your very existence.

2.  ebony writer jamilah lemieux applauds questlove’s writing and tears to shreds a piece written by white feminist kim foster who claims questlove’s encounter in the elevator wasn’t about racism, but the white woman’s fear of being assaulted by a man (sans-race).  thank goodness jamilah took this nonsense to task, schooling foster and other white feminists on intersectionality and the privilege that brings one to insert her victim-centered narrative into a discussion about racial profiling and the murder of an innocent child.  white feminists often need to be told “this ain’t about you!” and then be forced to have several seats.

3. why didn’t i know about the amazingly talented writer zadie smith?  after reading her interview for the london evening standard, i was moved by her progressive socio-political analysis and ridiculous beauty.  she bad.

4. harry belafonte is an actor and civil rights icon who, during a time of overt hatred, used his celebrity status to shed light on civil rights abuses and support humanitarian causes.  among many acts of resistance, he financed the freedom rides and helped to organize the march on washington.  his story should be mandatory reading for every brown and black celebrity to learn how to give back and empower your community.  evidently, jay z (he recently fired his hyphen) has not taken to heart belafonte’s lessons, and in response to the elder’s criticism that he and others were not doing enough for social justice causes, jay stated:

“I’m offended by that because first of all, and this is going to sound arrogant, but my presence is charity. Just who I am. Just like Obama’s is. Obama provides hope. Whether he does anything, the hope that he provides for a nation, and outside of America is enough.”

wow. and here i thought charity could be described as a commitment to ending inequality and a dedication to social responsibility.  who knew that simply waking up in the morning, placing my feet on the ground, rocking tom ford and hopping in my new bugatti constitutes an exercise in making the world a better place?  damn, somebody should have hipped mother theresa.

won’t you celebrate with me

won’t you celebrate with me
what i have shaped into
a kind of life? i had no model
born in babylon
both nonwhite and woman
what did i see to be except myself?
i made it up
here on this bridge between
starshine and clay,
my one hand holding tight
my other hand; come celebrate
with me that everyday
something has tried to kill me
and has failed.

lucille clifton

the first lady reads, no i mean R E A D S

i feel closer to michelle obama than ever before.  you see, the first lady can read.  no, i mean she can READ.  

earlier this week flotus was giving a speech in a private home in washington, dc when she was heckled by a gay rights advocate.  the presence of hecklers during speeches is not a new concept for politicians, but flotus’s response took everyone by surprise.  when the heckler demanded a response from sister michelle about the president’s failure to sign an executive order for gay rights, flotus responded “one of the things i don’t do well is this.”  she went on to say “listen to me or you can take the mic, but i’m leaving. you all decide.  you have one choice.”  certain news reports claim that mrs. obama made very intense eye contact with the activist.  to quote young jeezy, “my president is black,” but it’s apparent that my first lady keeps it trill.

i appreciate michelle’s honesty.  for a brief moment, she allowed herself to be transparent.  despite the rehearsed speeches and politically correct commentary, she’s human and gave a very human response when faced with unwarranted rudeness.  i’m a champion for the first amendment and believe there’s a space for political agitation, but during a speech at a private fundraiser may not be the time or place.  even if it is, don’t expect to get your point across without a response from both the speaker and the audience.  in this case, the entire audience begged flotus to stay and someone near the activist told her that she needed to go.