Brendane A. Tynes, PhD
@brendanetynes
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queer Black feminist writer. scholar. advocate. host black. loved. free. co-host @Zoras_Daughters . my word/care/love/joy heals generations
Baltimore, MD
Joined November 2017
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in "Surrendering Fear", we define the colonial practice of fear, being fear, internalized white supremacy in black liberation movements and healing, and more!
Listen now:
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I want to offer this as resistance escalates on college campuses. as a former activist & organizer, as someone who has been ringing the alarm since pre-2020 about the rise of fa*cism, I implore those of us who work with students to consider the following as we fight back. 1/n
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this means a few things:
- students and allies are not facing the police forces of the past. they are facing militaries. enduring war/like tactics of repression & violence.
- arrests give these militaries access to your biological data. your fingerprints, unmasked faces… 4/n
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this will be my last comment on the election b/c I refuse to give this yt supremacist circus any more of my energy, but I really need people to admit that they are voting out of fear & the deep internal wish that these institutions built upon our oppression will love us. 1/n
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these systems use AI and other technology to further surveil folx post-arrest. so yes, the charges may get dropped, but who tf knows what they can & will do with your face and prints when it’s all said and done. 5/n
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arrests are not the same political tactic that they used to be in the 60s & 70s. during the CRM, arrests worked partially b/c the criminal legal system did not have the capacity to contain protestors. getting arrested “slowed down” police. the spectacle of arrests… 2/n
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- we have an inkling of what might happen by studying the rise of n**ism in Europe + the “disappearances” of activists post-Ferguson. we have living elders who are political prisoners who also demonstrate what can happen
6/n
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anyway, I say all this to say: how are we preparing for the reality that mass arrests and protests are psychologically & physically violent b/c protestors are facing militaries with massive budgets and unchecked power? what will be the aftermath for ALL of us? 8/n
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made visible through the tech of TV brought the US under world ridicule. the rise of mass incarceration, the expansion of police power and funding, & the militarization of the police are all direct results of this. 3/n
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posting your whereabouts and your actions on social media is inspiring, and they also increase state-sanctioned violence & surveillance. posting the books you’re reading in encampments is important, but it makes me wonder why folx want their tools of resistance to be visible. 7/n
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we will have to get guerilla with our tactics and move away from representation and celebrity/clout chasing if we truly want change. when confronted with the possibility that you might lose everything, including your life, how would you fight? what/who would you protect? 12/n
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I think it's time for us to have a conversation about the harms enabled by How To Be Antiracist by Ibram Kendi.
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what would you be willing to lose? what will you build/write/believe to fortify yourself? what skills will you learn to preserve yourself and your loved ones so that you may survive/fight by any means necessary? what coalitions will you build? what words WON’T you say? 13/end
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the State, esp under democratic rule, has developed the capacity to surveil and to k**l to maintain its power. soon mass arrests will simply be a funnel to incarcerate/enslave/extinguish people. negotiations only work when both sides can be held accountable for violations. 9/n
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the veil of the liberal academy has been torn. we know the truth now. things will never be what they were. being “seen” as an activist is all well and good but are you prepared for the repression? are you prepared for the toll this work will take on your spiritbodymind? 10/n
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we must be asking ourselves and our students what we are willing to sacrifice and move from that empowered space. we are not only fighting /for/ our lives; we are fighting /with/ them. the tools and technologies of our enemies are different now. tactics must change. 11/n
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I am delighted to announce that I am now Dr. Brendane A. Tynes! I passed my dissertation defense with no revisions. thank you to my committee, my loved ones, and to all of you who wished me well. the joy I feel is truly indescribable.
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or love something special about *you* so that you might be spared from the violence. I need people to admit that they are devoted to the status quo-that the thought of reclaiming responsibility and accountability for what occurs in our communities is too much. 2/n
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there is nothing liberatory about trying to at least maintain what we already got. unless, of course, you are already free... 3/n
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it makes no sense to say that you are still fighting for the self-determination of oppressed people globally but you're voting for candidates who have publicly come forward and said they actively oppose that and will continue to send your dollars over there... 4/n
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here I am, asking humbly once again, why non-black people are studying black stuff without having read work by black scholars. you might be surprised that somebody has already done the work you aim to do (& better tbh)
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and to the police depts and corporations and militaries that rob you of your safe self-determination, dignity, and integrity. what evidence do y'all have that this candidate can be moved? have y'all read their platform? or are we just going off vibes? 5/n
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white liberal academic spaces enable this b/c of the myth of the “endangered Black man.” uplifting educated Black men becomes a new white savior project that further oppresses Black queer/trans people. we cannot liberate Black folx thru scholarship that perpetuates anti-blackness
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will we continue to delude ourselves because it is "easier" (read: more socially acceptable) to go through these exhausted, already proven to be defunct channels of "power-building" than to claim your power and do community work? 6/n
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join a local community organization that aligns with your values. give to mutual aid campaigns. but please, whatever you do, don't deceive yourself or anybody else into thinking that voting blue is the "right" thing or the "only" choice for survival. 12/end
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Black cis het men often use “self-reflection” as a space to perpetuate anti-black, sexist, and homophobic discourses about Black trans and cis women. they center themselves and position themselves as experts at our expense. this has to end.
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now is the time to study ancestral practices of survival, resistance, & revolution under repressive regimes.
because no matter who is in "charge", public protest will be life-threatening. public health will continue to determine whose livelihoods matter. 9/n
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@heymrsbond
same. it’s actually impossible to be anti-racist and be misogynist/transphobic. all of those systems are interconnected. it’s a shame that he did not make those connections in his own book!!!
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we will "freedom fight" and "both sides" and
"negotiate" ourselves further into our oppression but at least we supposedly honored our ancestors' fight for
"rights." at least we can participate in "historical" moments.... 7/n
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this is dangerous for Black liberation movements. this empowers liberal white people and decenters the violence of white supremacy and anti-blackness.
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but it actually makes policy equal to everything and anything. it is really unclear. He says cultural relativism as the goal of antiracism, but cultural relativism has its own fraught intellectual history within the discipline of Anthropology
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if you are voting, please educate yourself on each party's platform so that your decision is not solely based on fear's first cousin pragmatism. decide how you will fight for your self-determination before & after voting against it. 11/n
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he refuses to incorporate anti-blackness and settler-colonialism into his writing. He coins the term “powerless defense” to describe the “racist” idea that Black people cannot be racist because they do not have power.
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why do institutions with billion dollar endowments make it so hard to get a reimbursement?
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public education will continue to discipline compliant, non-thinking "citizens." jobs will still be scarce. housing will be expensive and hard to come by. w*r will be what they undertake to rev up the economy. 10/n
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also Black women serve as mules for his own learning, as mirrors for reflection upon his own “racist,” sexist, and homophobic behavior. He describes the Black queer women in his book as “intimidating” and “large,” reinforcing misogynoirist stereotypes about Black women.
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most chapters begin with binary definitions, to solidify his initial claim that actions are either racist or anti-racist. while they may help readers distinguish between “racist” and “anti-racist” actions, the binary definitions only work if you don't consider histories of power
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at least we abided by the rules in the "right" way, at least we gave our money, time, and energy to the "right" causes. at least we can claim some moral superiority, right? we can go to sleep at night and say that we are "good" or at least better than "them"? 8/n
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you are an anti-white racist. by equalizing racist power and doling it out to all racial and ethnic groups, he does not attend to histories of global oppression founded upon the denigration of Black bodies and the systems and institutions created to uphold that oppression.
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you would think that his book may lay out some instructions on the process of becoming anti-racist, but surprisingly, it has very little proscription for anti-racist actions. it reads more like a memoir
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never in my life would I come to the defense of a man who told the world he believes that Black ppl can be racist & that he stopped wearing colored contacts because ppl thought he was gay& that he ran from Black lesbians who held him accountable
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FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITY with the Black Queer Everything team providing admin and programmatic support + plan an institute for Black queer & trans youth. $50,000 salary. Fellow must live in DMV area & be able to be on site 25 hours/wk.
APPLY at
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we truly need to accept the reality that things will never be what they were. folx must clarify what they’re willing to sacrifice and learn the skills to participate in literal warfare. we must build community support to fortify ourselves. the state, the university won’t save us
I have covered tons of protests over the years and the cop response to Columbia University tonight was more than I’ve ever seen. It felt like they were using these student protestors as an excuse to play with their military toys.
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he does not rigorously interrogate his own sexism, homophobia, & transphobia. this is evident in his later writings about Black queer and trans women. here is a screenshot from a NYT anti-racist reading list. this is transmisogynoir disguised as "self-reflection."
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why is finishing a PhD so expensive?! why does it cost money to deposit a dissertation? why didn’t anybody tell me this? 😖
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where it originated, and has largely been debunked as an analytical framework because of its roots in colonialism and white supremacism.
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I will return to this with receipts soon. it's clear that most people endorsing this book have not actually read it.
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he asserts that any racial and ethnic group can be racist, and he specifically points out that Black people can be racist. his def of racism and racist power, and his universal application of racism and racist power to all racial groups, is only possible b/c
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I defend my dissertation today! please send me all the positive vibes and well wishes
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he defines an “anti-white racist” as “one who is classifying people of European descent as biologically, culturally, or behaviorally inferior or conflating the entire race of White people with racist power.” if you believe white ppl have power b/c of their race, then...
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FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITY with the Black Queer Everything team providing admin and programmatic support + plan an institute for Black queer & trans youth. $50,000 salary. Fellow must live in DMV area & be able to be on site 25 hours/wk. APPLY at
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I wrote about this in my introduction of my dissertation. I lost 5 loved ones, including my father and my aunt while getting my PhD. I did not have the financial luxury to take a leave to grieve, so my grief is all up and through my writing😪
I’d love for us to talk about losing loved ones + grief during the PhD process and especially while dissertating.
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lmao seeing all these yt folx 1 week into PhD programs tweeting about how fun it is has me thinking about how 1 week in, I was told by a prof that I wasn’t smart enough to be in *school* cause I had lots to *learn.* 😂 let me get off this bird app & write my dissertation
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he defines racism as a “marriage of racist policies and racist ideas that produces and normalizes racial inequities.” Antiracism is defined as its opposite.
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Thank you,
@SavageXFenty
, for recognizing my dissertation and survivor advocacy work as part of your Gamechangers Initiative. I am committed to ending violence against Black women and girls. Check out their Instagram story to learn more about me & the work of other Gamechangers!
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my dissertation is submitted! I am especially proud of my dedication and acknowledgments
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racist policy is “any measure that produces or sustains racial inequity between racial groups…. [It includes] written and unwritten laws, rules, procedures, processes, regulations, and guidelines that govern people.” he claims this def is clearer than "structural racism"
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not all these postdocs and jobs opening when my dissertation is still a whispered prayer between me and my ancestors 😢
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@BikoMandelaGray
I honestly don’t know what else can be expected. he knows who his audience is. it ain’t us.
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I'm presenting an early formulation of my diss chapter "'All The Ways We Can Die, But Don't': Making Home in Haunting" this Saturday at 9 AM. Register for the roundtable to hear some amazing Black feminist & womanist work!
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there is so much unnecessary harm and violence in the PhD process.
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graduate programs need to have moving funds for students. moving is tew damn expensive for my little summer stipend
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if I see one more lightskinned person talking about pleasure activism—
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so how do y'all find academic jobs and postdocs? am I supposed to ask professors? am I supposed to rely on my networks? is there a listserv or something?
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I'm in the final stretch of writing my dissertation! I am so excited to end this process. these next few weeks will be hard, so send some love and support (money is good!). I'll be off this platform until I type the last letter. see y'all then
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it's officially out! our 50th and FINAL episode of Zora's Daughters.
thank you to everyone who has supported us over the last 3 years. this won't be the last you hear from us, of course, so be on the lookout for updates on where we'll be headed next.
Hear our incredible Reimagining Zora Neale Hurston roundtable discussion with
@YakiniEnewe
@RyanCecilJobson
@blxckbones
and Poet Destiny Hemphill.
Thank you for listening to Season 3 of the podcast! This is our 50th & final episode! 💛🎙️
#AcademicTwitter
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what else was going to come from an antiracist center headed by someone who said that Black people can be racist?!!! bffr
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who described said lesbians as monstrous.
why are y’all trying to protect him? have we bought into the fantasy that visibility & big money is success? that representation really is *it* for us?
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ordering my tam & gown and wow, I really got my PhD. and I did it in the timeframe I said I would. I'm so proud of myself🥲
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I'm hiring a part-time research assistant! you must be a Black woman or nonbinary person based in Baltimore to apply.
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the joy I feel right now is indescribable. one of my childhood dreams was to write, and to know that I’m realizing it… whew! 🙌🏾 if you’re doing engaged, critical research on gendered violence, our edited volume
@NYUpress
is a must-read.
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the inevitable end of capitalism was the destruction of this world. there was never going to be another way. we will not recycle, electric vehicle, wind power, nuclear power, solar power...our way out of this
New York City is sinking due to weight of its skyscrapers, new research finds
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this is 28. I’m grateful for all the love I’ve received today and every day. may this next year of life bring clarity with grace and ease. 💫
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the state will not free us.
what is justice for black women?
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y’all’s responses to this really demonstrate that folx did not read the book. I wrote a thread in 2020 about how his work was problematic, and why we continue to stand behind black men at the expense of others in black communities.
never in my life would I come to the defense of a man who told the world he believes that Black ppl can be racist & that he stopped wearing colored contacts because ppl thought he was gay& that he ran from Black lesbians who held him accountable
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my father transitioned and joined my ancestors last night. I’m so thankful his long battle with cancer is over.
he was one of my biggest cheerleaders in life, so I can only imagine what he’s like on the other side.
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@heymrsbond
speak on it!!!!!!!! it's time for us to uplift Black feminists who have been doing this work!
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one thing that I am proud of myself for doing is clearly and boldly stating where I'm coming from and what kind of work I intend to do in my job materials, rather than trying to guess what makes me suitable for that department's culture. rejections sit more sweetly with me now
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my thread opened space for academics to feel empowered to voice critiques about his work, and I want to highlight the power dynamics at play here. I, as a darkskinned Black woman who is a grad student know that I risk entry into certain academic communities by opening my mouth
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if 2020 did not signal to yt scholars that they need to move on over to whiteness studies, then it was not the marker of change we want it to be
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if I had a dollar for every time a prof, black feminist™️ or not, threatened me for saying something they didn't like, I could pay for the sense to get out of grad school
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31 feels like an arrival, or rather, a reintroduction to the essence of myself. Growth brings clarity, wisdom, sweetness; I am encouraged by the beauty, magnitude, and simplicity of my life. 💕 won’t you celebrate with me that all that has desired to end me has failed?
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who is ap african american studies for. how is this not a revived talented tenth project. how are we expanding the learning of students who are not deemed "gifted"
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god please free my people from the shackles of democracy
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So excited to be on the
@RUAfterlives
team! Can't wait to share all of the exciting things we're up to this year 🙂
To put together this year's seminar, we have put together an amazing team, who we will be spotlighting each day.
First up, we'd like to introduce our Mellon Sawyer Postdoctoral Scholar in Black Liberation Studies,
@brendanetynes
. We could not be more thrilled.
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looking for a podcast audio editor for a personal project. please send me recommendations!
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Join me on Thursday, April 13th at 2 PM ET for my Douglas Chambers Graduate Lecture. I’ll be sharing some insights from my dissertation. DM for Zoom Link! & if you’re in the area, pull up!
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1 WEEK LEFT! FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITY with the Black Queer Everything team providing admin and programmatic support + plan an institute for Black queer & trans youth. $50,000 salary. Fellow must live in DMV area & be able to be on site 25 hours/wk. APPLY at
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me realizing that I would need to start applying for academic jobs in the fall if I want to have one when I graduate
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we spend so much emotional energy being shocked at a system that continually demonstrates that its purpose is to regulate, to constrain, and to ultimately kill us
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everytime I think I’m doing the bare minimum, I encounter a [redacted] who shows me that the bar could indeed be lower
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I am not interested in preserving anybody’s academic reputation, including my own, if it comes at the expense of Black queer and trans people. period. Black activists wanted more academics to speak truth to power about the DANGEROUS discourses in that work.
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developing a praxis that meets my community where they at but doesn't leave them there
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a loving friend and tarot reader told me to lean into my vulnerabilities, so in the spirit of the full moon, I wrote this as a release.
CW: homelessness, interpersonal violence, suicide, & disordered eating
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to enter into a protest in a fascist regime is to subject yourself to gratituitous violence. how do you face a tank nonviolently?! how do you endure beatings and fortify yourself to fight again by any means necessary? where are the therapists, lawyers, healers who will help…
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can we please have an understanding of what radical is before we start calling ourselves radical please? being radical is not the same as being contrarian 😖
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I finished my 1st year of grad school! and I am a Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellow, I also presented at a conference. so many milestones have happened this year. 😊
Good afternoon
#CiteBlackWomen
!!! For many of us, academic year 2017-2018 is done or coming to a close. What are you most proud of accomplishing this semester? Let’s do a shout out! What publications of yours would you like to tell the world about? Reply or quote! 👏🏾✍🏾📚❤️
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