#BlackLivesMatter: A Longform Reading List
Fifty years of words I liked reading and you will too! Authors include James Baldwin, bell hooks, Kiese Laymon, Roxane Gay, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Toni Morrison, Bayard Rustin and Dr. Brittany Cooper.
race
Oscars So Very Incredibly Racist: Investigating 92 Years Of Academy Awards For Acting
We’ve got data and timelines and infographics and conversation on topics including: white actors getting Oscars for playing people of color, white savior narratives, roles that garner nominations for Black actors, the shocking lack of nominations for Asian, Latinx and Native American actors and so much more.
“Black on Both Sides” Disrupts Black and Trans History as You Know It
Blackness and transness interconnect in this radical history of not just black and trans people, but also where beliefs about black and trans people come from.
Also.Also.Also: Proof the Future Is Queer, Black, Brown and Female
Meet the queer black feminist who helped hang the RESIST banner, there’s a crack in the desert, Rebecca Solnit, tons more on the Women’s March, the Doomsday Clock has some bad news, and so much more!
Trans People Are More Racially Diverse Than the General Population, New Study Finds
A new study finds trans people are less likely to be white and more likely to be Latinx or Black compared to the U.S. population.
Conversation with White Friends: Sara Quin, Amber Dawn, Rae Spoon & Dannielle Owens-Reid
Why is that people of colour have to bear the brunt of speaking out about racism while white people enjoy the privilege of remaining silent? What happens when the tables are turned?
Also.Also.Also: US Remains Fucked Up, Racist and Violent and Other Stories to Start Your Week
Tech does not talk about black people being killed by police, white America has to decide racism is fucked up, the mortal threshold of whiteness, parenting while black, free summer food programs for kids across the country, being the sober one at the party, fireflies, ice cream, LGBT foster kids need fostering, queer in the Coast Guard, moms for marijuana, and so much more!
Mama Outsider: Learning Black Zen in a White House
“Why some people mean? One income that isn’t a livable wage plus racism will do that to you, and you can’t imagine the rage until you’ve lived it.”
The Best Radical Anti-Racist Art I Encountered This Year
There were some moments of anti-racist creativity that were so sublime, I’d like to take a moment to honor them. These are the top ten moments of radical art or artful activism that I encountered in my own little world this year.
One American Goes to See “30 Americans”
“And I thought how interesting is it that America can be this dark star, death star, and also at the same time this incredible shining light.”
Adventures in Baby Making as a Single Black Lesbian
So maybe my pregnancy path isn’t as simple and straightforward as baby books would have you believe it should be because I’m a poor QPoC with anxiety, but it has been an interesting worthwhile journey so far. I can’t wait until I can take the next step.
Black Lives Matter Releases Inaugural State Of The Black Union Address, Hosts Twitter Town Hall
“We recognize that not even a Black President will pronounce our truths. We must continue the task of making America uncomfortable about institutional racism. Together, we will re-imagine what is possible and build a system that is designed for Blackness to thrive.”
Burials in the Mist of Dawn
“But unlike the missing 43 from Ayotzinapa, I was going home. And it’s what I store in my memory each time I read an article or update about the disappeared. I am home. They are not.”
Five Queers Of Color On What Connects Us To Our Complicated Or Mixed-Race Identities
Accepting ambiguity feels like being welcomed home.
Are We There Yet? An Interracial Family Visits a Southern Plantation
One of the first things my mother’s boyfriend noticed upon waking up Thanksgiving Day was that all of the rooms were named after prominent confederate soldiers.
Dispatches From The Millions Marches: Thousands Show Up For #BlackLivesMatter Nationwide
“While it is definitely tragic we still have to march, there is something beautiful and hopeful about the fact that I am fighting for [my mom’s] freedom as much as mine, and we’re both out here so that my nephew, who just turned one, hopefully won’t have to march when he grows up.”
3 Things to Know About Protecting Your Tech While Protesting
While data is technically — partially — protected from search by the Fourth Amendment, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that our right to privacy is not always honored by law enforcement.
The QTPOC Speakeasy: On Community Care During Times of Civil Unrest
“It’s so important to do what makes you feel centered and strong again as a QTPOC trying to deal with this country right now. It would have taken Herculean levels of self-care to come close to what one Speakeasy Google Hangout did for me last night.”
No Indictment for NYPD Police Officer Who Killed Eric Garner, WTF
A Staten Island grand jury decided not to indict Daniel Pantaleo, a white police officer who choked Eric Garner to death during the summer.
The QTPOC Speakeasy Reports Back from Ferguson Protests Around the World
When a grand jury failed to indict Michael Brown’s killer, protests broke out across the globe. Members of the Speakeasy, with heavy hearts and revolutionary intentions, were on the front lines.