washington, d.c.
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Have Fireworks All of a Sudden Gotten More Powerful or Something?
It’s almost the end of June, which means that in Washington, D.C., and, I assume, most other major metropolitan areas, fireworks, in preparation for July Fourth, have been going off for almost an entire month. It’s not uncommon to hear explosives being detonated at all times of day. Just yesterday, at roughly 5:25 a.m., the…
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‘White Civil Rights’ Rally Coming to DC After National Park Service Approves Application
On the first-year anniversary of the deadly Unite the Right white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., history is set to repeat itself, with hundreds of people expected to gather in the nation’s capital for a White Civil Rights rally. According to WUSA-TV, the National Park Service has approved an application for a White Civil Rights…
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‘I’m From Here’: Washington, DC, Natives Fight Back Against the Whitewashing of Chocolate City
When I arrived in Washington, D.C., more than two decades ago to attend Howard University, one of the first things I noticed was the diversity of black people, all different kinds: rich ones, poor ones, bougie ones and the natives, born and raised in D.C., who introduced me to mambo sauce, go-go music and New…
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The Complexity of Not Calling the Police While Black
The news has lately been inundated with examples of white folks (and even some nonwhite folks) doing the ultimate white-folkin’ of calling the police for no reason on black folks who were doing nothing but existing and living their everyday lives. From Starbucks to walking in the park with our own children or trying to…
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White Woman Calls Security on ‘Suspicious Man With a Baby’ at Park in Washington, DC
Well, it looks like the epidemic of well-meaning white folks (I guess) calling the police or security on black people as they go about their lives is par for the course in 2018 America. It is becoming increasingly clear that although the whites have always had an irrational fear of black people, as they move…
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American University’s 1st Black Student Government President Sues Neo-Nazi Leader for Racist Threats
When Taylor Dumpson became the first black student body president at American University, she also became the target of neo-Nazi trolls who made her life a living hell. Now she’s repaying the favor. CNN reports that Dumpson has filed a federal lawsuit against Andrew Anglin, the founder and publisher of the Daily Stormer, a website…
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I Seem to Have Developed Seasonal Allergies as an Adult. I Can’t Breathe Right Now. This Is Trash
Allergy season is upon us and it is the worst of times. People with allergies are buying up all of the stuffs in hopes of temporary relief from Mother Nature’s fury. I come from a family full of folks with allergies. My sisters, nieces and nephews, and even my dad are all afflicted with the…
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Black Girls Most Harshly Disciplined Over School Dress Codes, Study Finds
We all know that black girls are disciplined more harshly for the same infractions as their white peers in schools (and life), but a new study shows that part of this disparity is linked to school-uniform policies. The National Women’s Law Center recently looked at school dress codes in Washington, D.C., and found that black…