The nod.
What am I missing? Why would this be ubiquitous at home and non existent here? Then it dawned on me… the transatlantic slave trade.
Black Culture
Black Culture and History
What the context of “the slap” can teach outsiders about Black culture
And why colourblindness is an issue I went to bed early and noted there was some drama at the Oscars. Never one to care much about award shows, I wasn’t interested enough to learn more. At 3 am, I groggily checked my phone and found what I assumed to be minor drama was blowing up …
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Being Mixed is Not so Black and White
I’ve been asked a question for as long as I can remember. “So, where are you from?” People of all colours, backgrounds, and ages have always been curious about a thing I was bound to disappoint on. “Here,” or “Ohio,” were my confused answers. All the while, I tried to figure out why I was …
Critical Race Theory In School Is A Good Thing
When I was a kid, I was taught Critical Race Theory in school. To be fair, no one was calling it that at the time and especially not in non-academic spaces. And yet looking back, it becomes obvious to me that there were three different approaches by my social studies teachers in dealing with race …
Why Do Black Men Love Martial Arts?
I happened across a video a few years ago and after I was done laughing, the wheels that let this blog work started to turn. When we think of weebs, (or Otakus for the uninitiated, or, to even further oversimplify, Anime lovers) in the West, what comes to mind for you? Right or wrong, the …
Skin in the game: surviving against the odds
I didn’t want too much of the Obsidian Tea content to turn into just pandemic or politics. I ain’t an expert and I don’t want to take too much focus away from the culture work. But this article, and an upcoming one on hope, are too important in general to not speak on. If you …
Staying Motivated in an Abstract World
If you are anything like me, your days are spent chasing away personal demons, feeling like time doesn’t exist while simultaneously moving too fast, and by feeling exhausted trying to remember that the world exists while trying not be overwhelmed by it. It both feels like too much and nothing is happening all at once …
Being neutrally against racism isn’t enough
When I was younger I read a line in a book that went something like this “ Not making a decision is making a decision.” That line comes up when I consider the in remaining neutral. Who knew a battered copy of Animorphs would be where profound thought arises? Today more people are aware that …
Lynching: The Hidden Legacy We Avoid Discussing
Recently at a workshop, I slowed class down and had us stop and think as we listen to the well-known song, Strange Fruit. The class was about listening to lyrics and the importance of understanding the story. As the song stopped, I found myself struggling to find words to describe the emotion that I was …
What Is White Privilege: An Unconventional Perspective
As white people learn that racism is real, there is a waking up to the fact they may also are involved in the system that creates it. When talking about inequality I hear the term White privilege thrown about and it gets a lot of mixed reactions. Some people hate it, more don’t get it, …
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