Habari gani, fam? Today is one of my absolute favorite days of Kwanzaa, where we celebrate the virtue of Ujamaa, or Cooperative Economics. The creativity, drive, and passion of our community is unparalleled, and it's always exciting to shine a light on the people we can support with our money, word of mouth, and even … Continue reading Kwanzaa 2020: Ujamaa
Category: Pop Culture
It’s Black History Month!
I honestly don't know if Black History Month is a big deal to anyone who doesn't have to learn about it because it's a whole section of their American History class. Being educated in a predominantly black city, I was taught about the usual black American luminaries year after year -- Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, … Continue reading It’s Black History Month!
We Need To Talk
The season five finale of Steven Universe felt like a perfect encapsulation of what makes the show so great -- it made a case for its themes and worldview while acknowledging just how difficult it can be holding to those views. Steven, and the family of Crystal Gems he's built, have often struggled to navigate … Continue reading We Need To Talk
Further Confusion 2019
Further Confusion 2019 is this weekend, and every year it sneaks up on me just like this. Lulled into a false sense of normalcy by the end of the holiday season, I start to get into a pretty good groove when suddenly the third weekend of January taps me on the shoulder to remind me … Continue reading Further Confusion 2019
A Letter Of Intent
2018 was a challenging year for a whole lot of different reasons. The biggest, of course, is the challenge of watching our society continue to fracture and become more acidic under the "guiding hand" of the Trump Administration. The frequent attacks -- from all quarters -- against people of color, QUILTBAG individuals and allies, religious … Continue reading A Letter Of Intent
(Politics) For The Culture
The culture wars have been raging for a little while now, on all kinds of different fronts in so many different ways. We're fighting about the idea of "white culture", the cultural appropriation of Native Americans and black Americans, how to clearly and succinctly define what's offensive about one thing while another thing is given … Continue reading (Politics) For The Culture
(Geekery) Serving Our Stories, Ourselves
We don't live in times where self-reflection is encouraged often enough. I mean, I understand why it feels so hard to take a moment to check in with ourselves and make adjustments where needed; making sure we're living up to our own values feels awfully self-indulgent when so many people around us feel as if … Continue reading (Geekery) Serving Our Stories, Ourselves
(Politics) Fighting to Save the Things We Love
"That's how we're going to win: not fighting what we hate, saving what we love." - Rose Tico, Star Wars: The Last Jedi Last week, the actress who played Rose, Kelly Marie Tran, deleted her Instagram account after months of harassment rooted in racism and misogyny by trolls who hated her inclusion in the Skywalker … Continue reading (Politics) Fighting to Save the Things We Love
(Buddhism) We’re All Mad Here
I've been thinking a lot about anger over the past month and a half. Ever since Michael Brown was killed by a police officer in Ferguson, MO way back in 2014 I've been increasingly political with my online presence -- and the candidacy and ultimate inauguration of Donald Trump has pushed that side of my … Continue reading (Buddhism) We’re All Mad Here
(Movies) Oscar Season
Yesterday the Oscar nominations were released, signaling the beginning of the Academy Awards season! There's a small subset of us who love this time of year; in the months leading up to it (beginning in December), my ears perk up to see what's opening -- especially in limited release -- to get a bead on … Continue reading (Movies) Oscar Season
From the Desk of Jakebe T. Rabbit 