Politics

Let Us Live: What Does Loving Black Women Really Look Like?

cropping of a black and white portrait sketch of a Black woman with short hair, her features are more detailed in the center of her face, while the top of her hair, chin, and neck are lightly outlined
by Tatyana Fazlalizadeh
April 21, 2021 at 11:33am
What would it be like to celebrate Black women, not just as a performance or a trend? Without using them as a mascot for a movement. Without relying on them to save this country.
Kate Washington, an aging white woman with short, blond and brown hair, smiles brightly against a blackdrop

Collateral Damage: When It Comes to Caregiving, Women Are Already Toast

by Kate Washington
March 15, 2021 at 12:52pm
Caregiving is cleaning up after the news crews have left, scrubbing the hidden black mold years later, becoming ill from the contaminated floodwaters. Read more »
A plus size Black person with cropped pink hair speaks to a friend, who is white and has short dark hair.

The X Factor: One Letter, Multiple Identities, and a Complex Future

by Oliver Haug
March 11, 2021 at 3:18pm
How the gender-neutral “x” became a contemporary paradox. Read more »
U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema, who is white with blond hair and glasses, speaking with attendees

Queer Representation in Congress Won’t Save Us

by Nicole Froio
March 11, 2021 at 2:48pm
Representation isn’t everything. Read more »
a light-skinned transgender woman with black hair pulled back in a bun and wearing a blue gown sits on a hospital bed as she talks to a transgender male doctor wearing a white robe

Tender Judging Care : #TransCrowdFund and the Politics of Desire

by Oliver Haug
February 24, 2021 at 10:28am
Even before the GoFundMe boom, there was an element of desirability politics in healthcare. Read more »
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wears a white blouse and red lipstick, and looks to the side during an event.

Episodes Compound: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Isn’t Weaponizing Her Trauma

by Nicole Froio
February 4, 2021 at 10:20am
“Accountability is about creating safety,” Ocasio-Cortez said. Read more »
Madison Cawthorn, a white man in a wheelchair, poses in a bulletproof vest and a gun over his shoulder next to a brown German Shepard

There’s Nothing Remarkable about Madison Cawthorn—or His Racism

by s.e. smith
February 4, 2021 at 9:00am
Cawthorn is very much a product of the society he lives in: He is racist both despite and because of his disability. Read more »
Harriet Tubman, a dark-skinned Black woman wearing a headscarf and a black shawl, poses with her hands crossed in front of her

Money Memory: Harriet Tubman Doesn’t Need to Be on the $20 Bill

by Jordan Taliha McDonald
February 1, 2021 at 1:57pm
What are the implications of commemorating the life of an enslaved woman on the currency of a nation that secured—and profited from—her enslavement? Read more »
A sign reading, "There are no jobs on a dead planet."

World on Fire: Can President Joe Biden Save the Environment?

by Izzie Ramirez
January 29, 2021 at 12:36pm
The Biden administration will need to quickly remediate the damage done. Read more »
a white hand holds a white, blue, and dark purple #SayHerName sign surrounded by a blue and a purple heart during a march

The #SayHerName Movement Doesn’t Include Ashli Babbitt

by Treva Lindsey
January 21, 2021 at 11:51am
To be clear, #SayHerName isn’t just a hashtag; it’s a movement.  Read more »
a noose is seen on makeshift gallows on the west side of the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C.

This Is Exactly Who America Is

by Josie Pickens
January 20, 2021 at 8:41am
For Black people, white nationalism is much more than a political ideal. Read more »

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Best of Bitch

Sojourner Truth, Unveiled

by Deesha Philyaw
April 29, 2009 at 2:58pm

The leaders of the [women's suffrage] movement trembled on seeing a tall, gaunt black woman in a gray dress and white turban,...

Read more »

Films and TV Portray Abortion as More Dangerous Than It Is

by Erica Thomas
February 19, 2014 at 3:47pm
Films and television shows tend to present a skewed portrayal of abortion—when fictional movies and TV shows include a plotline about abortion... Read more »

In a Bizarre 1976 Comic Book, Spider-Man Fought the Villain of Misleading Sex Education

by Sarah Mirk
April 23, 2014 at 3:52pm
Last week, I came across a very strange comic book: in 1976, Planned Parenthood teamed up with Marvel to publish a one-off comic in which... Read more »

Where My Girls At: Meet Two of Ferguson's Black Queer Activists

by Erica Cardwell
April 27, 2015 at 3:26pm
Amid national discussions of police brutality and systemic racism, Black women have been the loudest and most consistent voices demanding change. Read more »