Articles relevant beyond the local area
Measure twice. Cut once. Not just a rule for woodworking, but for life. If you have cable TV, you might recognize me. But probably not. In winter 2014, I was on a reality tv show on the SpikeTV network called “Framework,” hosted by Common. It was a reality show like all of the others, “13 […]
Black women hold multiple identities. My identities include Black woman. Mother. Activist. Community leader. Healer. Each identity can stand on its own, yet it is difficult for me to separate them. In fact, the roles enhance each other, especially in the work that I do for and with the community. Having all of these together […]
As a kid I devoured books. I especially loved biographies. I hated history, but loved the stories of real people. Especially stories of women. And Black people. If the stories were of Black women, I was in heaven — curled up on the couch, or lying across my bed, far from the world around me, deep […]
I remember the first time my sister ever called me sister. She was about to give me a facial, my niece came down and asked some question about why my nails were painted. My sister said, “Because she wanted to.” And by “she,” she meant me. In that moment I felt full. There’s something immeasurable […]
Black womxn have stood at the forefront of just about every large-scale movement for social justice in this country’s history. As a Black womxn in 2021 fighting for progressive change — reproductive justice and racial equity, in particular — this history is not lost on me. To be Black and to be a womxn in […]
ONLY A BLACK WOMAN Can take a week of leftover scraps and make a gourmet meal Can cuss a man out, then make love to him that night and make him feel like a king. Can wear a burgundy French roll, 3-inch heels and a split up her thigh to work and make it look […]
Art has always been an important tool of the environmental movement. For decades, music and imagery have been used to highlight the beauty of nature, to inspire concern and motivate the need for environmental protection. And more recently, groups like the Sunrise Movement and 350.org have used consistent, striking and recognizable art across all platforms […]
In the last few days, there has been a near-panic reaction to the discovery of a mutation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. The mutated lineage – in virology, a “lineage” suggests a variant somewhat closer to its immediate ancestors than a “strain” – is now named “Variant of Concern 202012/01,” having been referenced […]
A surprising amount of common ground underlies the positions of opposing stakeholders on proposed legislation that would create an “Extreme Risk Protection Order” (ERPO) (“red flag”) law, but the devil is in the details. A bill proposed in the RI General Assembly (House 7688 and Senate 2492) would allow family members and law enforcement to […]
I am an outlier in the debate about guns. I’m a Northeasterner, and most of my friends are very unfamiliar with guns. There are exceptions, but on social media the most common view I see expressed is to wonder why anyone would want a gun, to wonder why they are legal for civilians to own […]