Tag Archives: racism

After the Assault

I begin to have panic attacks in the dance studio. I have been dancing for seven years, but now, suddenly, I can’t. I can’t go to auditions. I begin to skip the occasional class. In the studio, I can’t stand the sight of myself in the mirror. In my maroon leotard and pink tights, I lookContinue reading “After the Assault”

Why Gloria Steinem Was Wrong, and Why It Matters

In the wake of Gloria Steinem’s comments that young women could only be siding with Bernie over Hillary in order to attract guys, a number of writers quoted young women who called the feminist leader’s statement “offensive” and insulting. Articles came out detailing the rift between Second-Wave feminists over 65 and those under 30. It’sContinue reading “Why Gloria Steinem Was Wrong, and Why It Matters”

23 Quotes That Perfectly Explain Racism (To People Who Don’t “See Color”)

When I was in college, I got a job bussing tables. In a Thai restaurant. Several white American customers expressed their objections to my working at an “ethnic” restaurant. I was disrupting their experience of “otherness”. This struck me as incongruent with their expressed desire to “respect” the foreign culture they were “patronizing”. In theirContinue reading “23 Quotes That Perfectly Explain Racism (To People Who Don’t “See Color”)”

42 and the Truth about Racism

Many American films about the pre-Civil Rights era depict black Americans as noble and long-suffering with whites equally one-dimensional: either hateful bigots or supportive do-gooders. 42 is not one of those films. Brian Helgeland’s script traces Jackie Robinson’s first season with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, as the first black ballplayer in the Major Leagues.Continue reading “42 and the Truth about Racism”

Why Mandela Still Matters

Along with most of you readers out there, I was saddened to read the headlines today about the death of Nelson Mandela at the age of 95. Being 32, I had never known a world without Mandela, and although I had read of his ill health for years, I must have assumed his immortality—as mostContinue reading “Why Mandela Still Matters”