January 2012
50 posts
“The problem, then, is not that we have this or that sexual orientation or preference, but that we are hostage to it. Courage in this regard requires only that we not be hostage to our sexual orientation, and not that we pretend that we do not have a given sexual orientation. Arguably, only in a world in which people are hostage to their sexual preference could it turn out that our sexual identity has metamorphosed into the controlling phenomenon that it is.”
—Laurence Mordekhai Thomas
“Straight men want to preserve the presumption of heterosexual identity; they want to preserve this presumption not so much because of what heterosexuality signifies in a positive sense but rather because of what i t signifies in the negative -not being homosexual. And straight Black men might be especially concerned about preserving the presumption of heterosexuality… it is the case that heterosexual privilege is one of the few privileges that straight Black men know they have -not being a “sissy, punk, faggot.”
—Devon W. Carbado
i absolutely lOVE your blog . I could reblog and listen to your playlist all day if i could ! (:
Thanks you. ^_^ It means a lot to hear that. I appreciate all the messages of love, support, and encouragement. By the way, I’ve enjoy your blog as well. ;-)
colored queer waters: its not long enough to be a manifesto, but it should be: the orifice on this black woman's body can speak and will... →
navigatethestream.tumblr.com
Dear Nicki Minaj,
Next time you dress yourself in animal print clothing and dance around in a cage while being a colored woman, you should realize that you the result of years and years of male-dominated media stereotyping colored women as exotic, hypersexual, promiscuous,…
To stay with the same woman is to make an assumption that the woman you're referencing will forever be the same, stagnant, without growth and without change. Making the decision to move from a state of being lovers to a state of being friends who have love, is not an act denoting lack of commitment. Instead, it is an act committed to the transformation of an relationship's dynamic so that it can accommodate for and adapt to the changes of two people who are continuously growing and changing.
When using "my" in reference to a person born of free will,we build a ILLUSION for ourselves,that he or she actually "belongs" to us.
can i just say i really love when i click on the black feminism tag and see that you've made another batch of quote posts. it really makes me happy to fill my queue with such knowledge and wisdom! this has been an appreciation post! ^__^
Thank you ^_^ I’m really appreciative of feedback like this. It reminds that my work is valuable and has meaning. It reminds me that there is a space where the work of revolutionary women is acknowledged and affirmed, and that there is a space for women to be supported, celebrated and loved. Thank You!
Excerpt from "The Spirit of Intimacy" by Sonbofu Some
“Being a woman does not mean you have nothing to do with masculine energy. Similarly, being a man does not mean you have nothing to do with the feminine. Vaginas and penises are not the only things that define our sexual nature. Our lives are influence by the presence within us of both feminine and masculine energies. It is important that these energies maintain harmoy within us.”
“The absence of a true community leaves a couple totally responsible for themselves and anything else around them. It narrows down their ways of getting needs met, so that their relationship becomes their community. And if it is not able to fulfill this role, then the individuals begin to feel like a failure. It affects the psyche so dramatically that they feel that there’s no place for them. What they thought was their support group, their partnership, is unable to satisfy their needs.”
— Sobonfu Some (“The Spirit of Intimacy”, 23-24)
“Other Black women are not the root cause nor the source of that pool of anger. I know this, no matter what the particular situation may be between me and another Black Woman at that moment. Then why does that anger unleash itself most tellingly against another Black woman at the least excuse? Why do I judge her in a more critical light than any other, becoming enraged when she does not measure up?”
—Audre Lorde (Eye to Eye: Black Women, Hatred, and Anger)
Excerpt from Living "Single", Blog from Crunk Feminist Collective
“I have romantic friendships that are not quite platonic, sexy time friends that aren’t quite lovers, close kindred spirits that should really be on my insurance before a romantic partner… I want to live in a world where there isn’t a hierarchy of relationships, where romantic love isn’t assumed to be more important than other kinds, where folks can center any relationships they want whether it be their relationship to their spiritual practice, kids, lovers, friends, etc. and not have some notion that it’s more or less important because of who or what’s in focus. I want to feel like I can develop intimacy with people whether we are sleeping together or not that I will be cared for whether I am romantically involved with someone or not. I want a community that takes interdependency seriously that doesn’t assume that it’s only a familial or romantic relationship responsibility to be there for each other.”
- Crunkashell, (An Author of the Crunk Feminist Collective)
http://crunkfeministcollective.wordpress.com/2011/02/07/living-single/
"Confessions of a Recovering Misogynist" by Kevin Powell
“What I will say is that I, like most Black men I know, have spent much of my life living in fear. Fear of white racism, fear of the circumstances that gave birth to me, fear of walking out my door wondering what humiliation will be mine today. Fear of women -of their mouths, of their bodies, of their attitudes, of their hurts, of their fear of us Black men. I felt fragile, as fragile as a bird with clipped wings, that day my ex-girlfriend stepped up her game and spoke back to me. Nothing in my world, nothing my self-definition prepared me for dealing with a woman as an equal. My world said women were inferior, that they must, at all costs, be put in their place, and my instant reaction was to do that. When it was over, I found myself dripping with sweat, staring at her back as she ran barefoot out of the apartment.”
“”White audiences are not the only ones that turn away from progressive images. Often, unenlightened black and other nonwhite groups who, like many whites, have been socially conditioned to accept the denigrating portraits of black people are dissatisfied when they do not see these familiar stereotypes on screen. White supremacy hegemony works because everyone is in on the act.”
—Bell Hooks
“As Black women we have the right and responsibility to define ourselves and to see our allies in common cause: with Black men against racism and with each other and white women against sexism. But most of all, as Black women we have the right and responsibility to recognize each other without fear and to love where we choose.”
—Audre Lorde, (“Scratching the Surface”)
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