Recently, the Movement for Black Lives convened in Cleveland, Ohio. Activists, organizers, writers, community leaders and concerned citizens alike gathered for three days to engage one another on the important issues facing...
by Jenn M. Jackson · Published August 11, 2015 · Last modified December 17, 2016
There have been few constants in my life. But, as I was reflecting today, I remembered a daily, weekly, monthly occurrence throughout my childhood that often left me questioning my...
Gender & Sexuality / Politics / Race
by Jenn M. Jackson · Published July 8, 2015 · Last modified December 17, 2016
When I was seventeen, I was groomed and preyed upon by a high school basketball coach. He told me to stop wearing panties if I wanted to get a ‘real...
After what seems like eons of terrible decisions from the Supreme Court of the United States, the past few weeks have offered a glimmer of hope amidst an otherwise abysmal narrative...
Since the murderous acts of terror (which left nine Black people dead) at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina two weeks ago, six Black churches in the South have...
by Jenn M. Jackson · Published June 27, 2015 · Last modified December 17, 2016
This morning, Bree Newsome climbed a 30-foot flagpole in Columbia, South Carolina. I repeat. Bree Newsome climbed a 30-foot flagpole. I repeat. Bree Newsome. Again. Bree. Newsome. Some of y’all...
During my first quarter of grad school, I read some powerful words about the interaction between antiracism and antiracialism. These words resonated with me mainly because I frequently saw many...
by Jenn M. Jackson · Published November 23, 2014 · Last modified December 16, 2016
“Can I have that toy shooter Mommy?” “No.” “Why?” “Because you’re Black.” While many little boys run through streets, backyards, and playgrounds with toy guns, my sons don’t. Seeing White boys...
Culture / Entertainment / Gender & Sexuality / Race
by Jenn M. Jackson · Published September 20, 2014 · Last modified December 17, 2016
I guess Shonda Rhimes didn’t get the memo. She was the latest victim in bigoted white America’s endeavor to undermine successful black people. And she certainly won’t be the last.
“Is it because I’m black?” This is the question we often ask ourselves when the taxi won’t stop or the other pedestrian on the sidewalk won’t smile back or when...
Gender & Sexuality / Lifestyle / Race
by Jenn M. Jackson · Published August 14, 2014 · Last modified December 17, 2016
Being a six-foot-four inch tall black woman often precludes me from being mistaken for other people. Growing up, I was almost never told “Hey, you look just like my friend,”...
Sometimes people ask me really moronic questions. One that I get all the time is, “But, but, on your blog, aren’t you racist against white people though? Because you say...
While writing a piece yesterday about John Crawford – the 22-year-old killed in Walmart for playing with a toy gun – I became aware of another story of ‘homicide by...
When 22-year-old John Crawford III went to a local Walmart in Beavercreek, Ohio Tuesday to pick up S’mores ingredients for his family’s cookout, he probably didn’t think he needed to...
It goes without saying that miscarriages are difficult to endure. They wear heavily on expectant mothers whose hopes commonly end both abruptly and painfully. Feelings of disappointment, guilt, and fear...
by Jenn M. Jackson · Published April 21, 2014 · Last modified December 16, 2016
Maybe it’s just for worse. For most of President Obama’s past six years in the White House, his handling of the ‘Black Problem‘ has been lukewarm, and deliberately understated. For...
