White Space Maintaining black dignity in white space is the name of the game of life for a black person in the Anglo-American realm. Conversational and cultural norms are undoubtedly white in this realm. This can be brutal in its exhaustion and confusion and can be seriously disorienting for black folk working and living in this space. Once a black American enters white space, which is usually located right outside of their door, they are instantly an...
Americans don’t like talking about slavery and its aftermath. Of course, many countries and peoples have their truly dark chapters, and none of their citizens “like” talking about those things either. But as is often the case, we do things different in America. Whereas Germany criminalizes holocaust denial and has erected an ineluctable memorial in the center of Berlin for Holocaust victims, and whereas Rwanda has constructed a similar memorial space for the Tutsi lives nearly...
If I have learned anything from my four years at university, it would be that most things which are written and published are merely variations on pure BS. I use a scale of BS in cultural criticism that ranges from Pure BS (10) to Moderate BS (5) to Tactful BS (1). The higher something falls on the scale, the more devoid of meaning it is. The goal of an academic is to avoid this scale at...
Let the one who has ears to hear, hear; and the one who has the power to act, act. What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say ‘thoughts and prayers’ but do not have works? Can ‘thoughts and prayers’ save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their...
My Valentine’s day was slightly out of the ordinary. My girlfriend scheduled an oil change by accident and we ended up spending Valentine’s day at the Toyota dealership and Dunkin’ Donuts. Afterwards, we went to our evening classes. My Professor threw confetti at me and gave me candy when I read ἀγάπη. It was a strange night. The Professor was the second of three we would have for our course. My girlfriend and I left,...
There is a peculiar myth that is cherished by Americans. Dating back prior to the founding of the country, this myth has engrained itself into the very ethos of society. It has been the driving force of the American economy, its judicial system, and as of lately, it can readily be observed in its political system. This myth – and I call it a myth because it is untrue and phantasmal – is so contagious...
Photo Credit: https://www.emmys.com/events/fyc/2017/the-handmaids-tale The Handmaid’s Tale, a popular Hulu drama series, just won eight Emmy Awards, including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series. The series, which is based on the book by Margaret Atwood, follows the story of Offred, a handmaid, during a time where America falls under an extreme fundamentalist “Christian” totalitarian state of Gilead. In this dystopian society, women are enslaved and some are assigned roles of “handmaids,” where they are...
Where to begin… Charlottesville The world knows of the American embarrassment that is the recent happenings in Charlottesville, Virginia. Neo-Nazis and white supremacists incited violence surrounding the profanely displayed statue of Confederate General and beater of freed slaves, Robert E. Lee. Gen. Lee’s brutality should be condemned along with the then-institution of chattel slavery. However, certain southerners (and unfortunately, many southern Christians) have insisted on the statue remaining and continue to venerate Gen. Lee as a...
I got married the day after Trump’s inauguration, and ironically, boarded a cruise ship to Mexico for an awesome honeymoon. I got back and was shocked to hear about everything that had happened in a week. What was even more shocking (sort of) was how much discord there was between Christians. Facebook itself looked like a war zone with many Right and Left leaning blog posts being lobbed at the other side. What was interesting,...
In light of everything that is happening today in our nation regarding area of immigration, I wanted to write about how as Christians, we need to respond to these issues and see what God’s heart looks like towards the foreigner and sojourner. Instead of just being ethnocentric as Americans, and seeing America First!, our core identity is rooted in our identity in Christ, far more than our national identity. We are part of God’s family,...
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