Last night I had a dream. At about 9pm, we were headed to Zack’s house for a little wine and cheese party. Every Sunday, we made sure to link up in order to watch the latest episode of our favorite reality show. It was our thing, watch tv, listen to music, and of course indulge in my preferred hobby, eating. …
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Late Post: Dating Outside of Your Race as a Form of Escapism
If given the opportunity to date outside of your race, would you? Just for a moment, escaping your everyday woes in order to “try on” the reality of someone else’s. While the context of this article revolves around concepts of race, simply dating someone different from you can be seen as a form of escapism. Escapism being a temporary removal …
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Don’t Look Down
Have you ever noticed when people walk that many of them are constantly looking down? Whether walking on the busiest street in New York or the most abandoned road in a small town in Louisiana, looking down is a common occurrence in people’s body language. It’s almost as if they have a security blanket, protecting them from the evil onlookers …
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Back At It
Until recently, I never really considered myself an artist. An appreciator and silent critic of the fine arts always, but my inability to produce physical works or engage in the performing arts distorted my definition of what the word actually means. If art is the means by which one expresses him or her self, then how is it that I …
#TBT: Juxtaposed Beauty – Shanghai, China
While modern Western society has sought to influence much of the world’s views of art, fashion, and culture, China has accepted these “standards” under certain conditions: employment for its citizens, exposure to different cultures, etc. As a result of its growth throughout history, China has given birth to many modern marvels, and its cultural influence and pride run deep throughout …
The Dream of Shahrazad
Essay submission for my Film in South Africa course at the University of Cape Town located in South Africa. If art is the means by which one is able to express one’s self, then poetry must be the language of expression. Francois Verster, the director of The Dream of Shahrazad (2014), speaks this language to creatively construct a documentary that …
Sara Bartman and the 19th Century Colonial Perspective on Black Female Identity
Essay submission for my Gender, Sexauality, and Politics course at the University of Cape Town located in South Africa. Called a “heavy-arsed heathen” and “fat-arsed female” by early white male authors in their ‘discoveries’ of Sara Bartman, the image of Sara Bartman and her significance required a re-awakening or simply a rediscovery. Outraged by their lack of racial and gender …
The Same-Sex Myth in Africa
Essay submission for my Gender, Sexauality, and Politics course at the University of Cape Town located in South Africa. During my childhood and adolescence, I knew there was something innate in my being that separated me from the other boys at my school and sports teams. I may not have known it then, but this self-realization would later lead to …
Seeking Gender Equality
Essay submission for my Gender, Sexauality, and Politics course at the University of Cape Town located in South Africa. A cult can be described as a particular system that requires individuals who subscribe to that system to display a form of such devotion toward it and its practices. Throughout her work, Pumla Gqola uses the phrase ‘cult of femininity,’ yet …
Defining Clitoridectomy
Essay submission for my Gender, Sexuality, and Politics course at the University of Cape Town located in South Africa. As a young, gay Black man from the United States’ ‘Deep South,’ I find writing about a woman’s genitalia both a tricky and an extremely sensitive task. It is not often that a fine young gentleman like myself would even think …