At Seven Scribes, Daniel José Older examines the critical conversation surrounding Lemonade. In particular, Older addresses critics who wield the idea of an artist’s intention depending on the race of their subject, using intention as “a bludgeon to chastise creators of color or protect white artists.”
...moreIt seems counterintuitive that technology could facilitate these kinds of humanistic affirmations. That the voices of the oppressed could find not just a home, but an incredibly powerful platform, online. Yet, here we are reaching out, speaking out, and asserting our humanity in ways that could imperil our very lives, offline. Rob Henderson writes for […]
...moreAt Seven Scribes, Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib interviews Mychal Denzel Smith about his new book, Invisible Man, Got The Whole World Watching. Among other things, they discuss black intersectionality, sneakers, and the problems with representing oneself as an “ally” in a public space: When opportunities come my way because I’ve written about queer theory, homophobia, or transphobia, […]
...moreThere are assuredly very complex reasons for why and how this phenomenon of gentrification plays out in Atlanta and in general. But one has to wonder what it means for the vibrancy of Black culture which resides in these cities and in Atlanta. Where does it go? Where will it go? Nneka M. Okona writes […]
...moreVann R. Newkirk II (@fivefifths) writes for Seven Scribes on the experience of discovering novels by black writers to act as a necessary complement to reading Harper Lee’s reductive portrayals of race in Mockingbird and Watchman: These books, this canon, represented the exact opposite of what To Kill a Mockingbird meant. They were freedom. They were […]
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