I am the American heartbreak – The rock on which Freedom Stumped its toe – The great mistake That Jamestown made Long ago. –Langston Hughes “You think it’s the hurricane? I think a dead man trying to tell a tale.” Curtis T., a homeless man, was being interviewed by the New Haven Independent about an…
Category: Voices
Slutty by Association: Black Girls and the Burden of Sexuality
On Monday March 23rd, Little League World Series star Mo’Ne Davis was called a “slut” in a tweet sent out by Bloomsburg University first baseman Joey Casselberry. “Disney is making a movie about Mo’Ne Davis? WHAT A JOKE. That slut got rocked by Nevada.” The consequences of Casselberry’s comment came at him swiftly and mercilessly. In…
Beyond Recognition: A Case for Asian American Studies
“The impossible is the least that one can demand.” – James Baldwin I have never felt more intellectually and spiritually affirmed than I have at the Asian American Studies Conference last month – an unprecedented event in Yale history. Over the course of the conference, I had the pleasure of listening to academics and graduate…
Like Serena: The Realities of Being a Black Female Athlete
Serena Williams has an ambition and drive that is larger than life. This has helped her become the face of her sport, but she is consistently considered exceptional for a Black woman. The language used to describe her career goes like this: Serena Williams is an excellent tennis player even though she has a big…