a reconciliation of realities
The oppression of the Palestinian people is wrapped up in the oppression of marginalized communities all throughout the world and squarely all the communities I am apart of. black, woman, queer, from a small Caribbean island.
This is the danger of white supremacy and colonialism, it oppresses many of us in many forms, all insidious. Be not deluded.
My heart holds on
Witnessing the Palestinian genocide on this large a scale and remembering that this is how they see all of us . . . .
What will happen when we become useless to Western interests?
What will become of our culture?
Because they will take our land and our lives and build memorials generations later to admit guilt.
Or they will let the ocean swallow us up and say we weren’t loud enough at policy conferences.
After the damage has been done, they will give us a day to recognize the sins of the past.
All with the intention to repeat history.
Un/furled
My doormmates whispered about “the lesbian book”. When I told my church youth group my mother had transferred me to an all girls boarding school the elder boys regaled everyone with tales about the lesbians there who used bottles as substitute dildos.
Generation Cry
Taitu Kai Goodwin. Taitu. Daughter of the Soil. Antigua Girls’ High School Alumna. Former Ambassador’s daughter. Miss Anguilla. Someone I knew. Taitu.
Spice up Your life
Yes, I had experiences with girls however I could not help but be attracted to guys. My attraction to guys led to a few experiences, some of which I am proud of, some of which led to emotional scars.
Learning and Loving Pink
I can see how stubborn a six-year-old I must have been to proudly proclaim that I would never own anything pink and to loudly declare ,to anyone who would listen, that my favourite colour was actually blue (in truth, I never liked blue that much) .
If you’re anything like me
If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably known for a long long time that your mental landscape is very different…
Mental Health
After my mom died…
This is Not Love
Control is not love. Obsession is not love. Harassing a person to respond in a certain time frame is not love. That’s entitlement.
Red looks like Ruby – The abuse we don’t see
Being in love is a sensation like no other. The feeling of being validated...I got the guy! He told me that the way our feelings developed for each other were so unique and effortless. He never wants to lose it
How a Small Island Gave Birth to Giants. Malcom X, Audre Lorde, and Amanda Seales.
#ADOS is a hashtag you will find on Twitter and Instagram that means “American Descendants of Slaves”. You will find many comments from cyber participants addressing their concerns for the wellbeing of their community…
The Objectification of Young Girls
One of the most heinous crimes that constantly gets dismissed in the Caribbean and has gone on for generations is the exploitation of young girls by adult men.
The hostility between Afro and Indo Caribbean Women may be about Featurism not Colourism
The Caribbean has a long history of multiculturalism due to the migration that occurred voluntarily and by force. This history includes the division of Afro Caribbean and Indo Caribbean people, predominantly in Guyana, Jamaica, Grenada and Trinidad & Tobago. The same system that was held in the United States, separating house slaves from field slaves based on their shade of brown was also implemented in the Caribbean between the Indians and the Africans.
GET IN YUH SECTION
I never really took part in Mash again, either as a participant or bystander, until University. You see, despite what the Wikipedia article on Mash says, the celebration was a very racially divided one. Sure, many ethnicities lined the parade route, although conservative families didn’t do even this, but the persons in the parade were largely Guyanese of African heritage
I am that little Black Girl
I can also vividly remember being told by somebody I loved that I was beautiful for a black girl. I can honestly say that I did not fully understand the implications of this comment. I now understand.
Don't Marry Us. Instead, Stand By Us.
The worst part of it all, is that there are deep roots of trauma still plaguing our families yet the outsiders only care about the resorts, the plantain, or the reggae that is overplayed on certain radio stations.
Colourism and Good Hair
My partner was a beautiful Muslim woman, and I realized I was jealous of her. Why? Because even though I had never seen her hair under her hijab, I was sure that she must have good hair, not hard hair like I had been cursed with, but the good hair that everyone coveted.
Unlearning anti-Blackness
It was only after my hair started to grow into its own, after my hair started to gain length that the attitude they had changed. It went from “yuh good hair yuh cut off” to “you get your hair from me; you know Guyanese hair does grow long and nice”. Recently an aunt said in conversation that Black hair can only grow long if you’re mixed with something... I didn’t feel comfortable hearing that.