Food is a map. Meals are a bridge, a tool, that connects those most impacted by criminalization, underemployment, governmental surveillance and poverty. By Amber Butts I didn’t receive my grandmother’s salmon croquette recipe until the end of her life. We have the same hands, our middle fingers curving right and left at the last knuckle....
Category: Culture and Entertainment
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How Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Anti-Blackness Perverts Hip-Hop and Promotes US Imperialism
In 2021, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s work seems more cancerous than ever: a remaking of the American myth as an excuse to elide the bloodshed upon which it was founded. Midway through the second act of Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda sings, “In the eye of a hurricane, there is quiet.” While Miranda’s voice is hilariously off-key and his...
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Queer Artists OF India Use Art to Explore Gender and Sexuality
Queer folks in India have found limited and, often, demeaning representation in the mainstream. Some queer and genderfluid artists have used art to create better representation. By Mehk Chakraborty In India, and South Asia in general, bias against women and other gender minorities remains prevalent across class, caste and social hierarchies. While there have historically...
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The continued harassment of Noname highlights the narrow margin of error for Black women
It’s clear that, as a Black woman, Noname is held to a different standard compared to her music industry peers. By Ebony Purks If you follow Chicago rapper Noname on Twitter, you’re probably familiar with the harassment thrown her way on a regular basis. Noname’s rap career took a unique turn around 2018 when she...
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Godzilla vs. Kong and the “Forgotten” Memory of Japanese Imperialism
Godzilla vs. Kong—and the further dilution of Godzilla from its origins—is the result of decades of collaboration between the US and Japan following WWII. The memory of Japanese imperialism is a burden that lies solely with survivors and descendants. CW: discussion of r*pe, massacres, and genocide By Rui Hua Godzilla vs. Kong is an epic,...
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How Black Star Wars Fans Create Space For Themselves Outside the Toxic Fandom
It seems that no matter what, Black Star Wars fans have to separate themselves from the online fandom discourse as a means of mental health preservation. By Monika Estrella Negra Following the removal of Gina Carano from the hit Disney+ series The Mandalorian, a chapter in the massive Star Wars saga, old conversations involving the...
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Our Favorite Reactions To Lil Nas X’s CMBYN Video
It’s fucking beautiful. After months of anticipation, Lil Nas X’s “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” music video has finally dropped and fans are eating it up. The eccentric artist has already cemented a reputation for striking, dramatic, and fantastical spectacles in his music videos after being catapulted to fame by his single “Old Town...
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Non-Binary Artists In Hip-Hop You Should Be Listening To
Here is a list of non-binary artists in Hip-Hop to add to your playlist. Their work proves that non-binary musicians are impactful and here to stay. By Christopher K Non-binary artists deserve to be recognized as much as their binary counterparts. Their work deserves to be in conversations about talented musicians, including debates; music enthusiasts...
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Mapping My PTSD In Wanda Maximoff’s Sitcom Universe
It’s strange to see myself in Wanda—a red-headed white woman with magical powers—but as a Black woman with PTSD, I understand her use of sitcoms to escape her trauma. This piece includes discussion of domestic violence, trauma, and mental illness. It also contains spoilers for WandaVision. By: Tatiana Johnson-Boria The first couple of notes of...
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‘Malcolm & Marie’ is a Voyeuristic Exercise in Emotional Abuse and Misogynoir
Sam Levinson’s decision to write Marie’s nonstop degradation so fastidiously shows his willingness to use Black women with little care for our actual survival. CW/TW: This piece contains minor spoilers for ‘Malcolm & Marie’, discussion of substance use, mental illness, attempted suicide, emotional abuse, ableism, and trauma. What gives a white director-turned-writer the right to...