A blog on the intersection between media, content and diversity by Kellye Whitney
Want to know the best way to respond to racism on the Internet, or to racism in general? Take a lesson from Stephen Colbert – laugh. He had a good time with the Twitter backlash that followed the crowning of new Miss America Nina Davuluri, who is of Indian decent. Key takeaways from his commentary: … Continue reading Miss America Is a Terrorist…Because She’s Not White @StephenAtHome #racism
I am so tired of white people getting on Black people about our hair. I am truly, undeniably sick of it. It’s rude, it’s boring, and frankly, it’s ridiculous.
Black hair is different. It requires different care, and because of its texture, it is suitable for different, and perhaps unfamiliar, hair styles. Get over it.
When I read a story published this week about 7-year-old Tiana Parker, a Tulsa girl whose parents pulled her out of a school because the administration said her dreads – short, neatly tended dreads – was unacceptable, I wanted to throw my hands up and cry out. Yahoo showed a picture of the child crying with a quote that said “they didn’t like my dreads.”
It broke my heart. What message is this child internalizing? Continue reading “Leave #BlackHair Alone #diversity”
Oprah’s in the news this week. A shop girl who’s probably still kicking herself wouldn’t show her a purse while she was visiting Zurich for Tina Turner’s wedding last month.
Apparently she asked to see the purse and was told no; that she couldn’t afford it. Some reports say she left the store without purchasing the bag because she did not want the shop girl to get the commission.
The Swiss Tourism office later apologized to O, saying “we apologize that her feelings were hurt.” Let’s ignore how patronizing that apology sounds for the moment, since I’d wager money Oprah’s feelings were not hurt by the incident. Not when she can pull out her black card, call someone and have whatever purse she wants delivered that same day.
What’s interesting is that O later apologized for how the incident blew up in the media. Continue reading “Judging One Book’s Cover – #Racism Has No Economic Cap”
I’ve often said, “Don’t talk to me about race – unless you plan to speak the truth,” and Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Fear of a Black President does exactly that. Coates illustrates vividly what I and so many others have said about President Obama: His color is holding him back. It is literally creating problems – and illustrating others … Continue reading Fear of a Black President
