This is a post for all those of you who have seen the original H & M advert of the little black boy wearing the hoodie with the slogan 'Coolest Monkey in the Jungle' on it. He was pictured next to a white boy who had the slogan 'Survival Expert' on his hoodie. Because it seems like this is still being discussed, and because a whole lot of white people seem not to understand why [...]
If I stay out in the sun long enough Can the red hide the pain of past injustices? If I poke my head over an electrified walled property on the slopes of Camps Bay Will the green be enough to disguise my own wealth I struggle to even keep track of? If I host a sad movie marathon with tales of war, missed out romance and dying people Might the blue cover over my own [...]
So #BlackMonday was a thing. And wasn't, depending on who you were. And was accidentally so for tbV and others who just happened to realise into the day that they had unintentionally worn black. For me it had to be a lot more intentionally as probably eighty percent of my shirts are black. So i wore my blue 'Peace to the world' shirt which felt somewhat appropriate. What i found interesting when looking on my [...]
It's not a long book and it is not difficult reading [#LoveLanguage] and i am almost halfway through 'Between the World and Me' by Ta-Nehisi Coates, which i already shared one passage from to whet your appetites. But yoh, this book is so so good. Coates writes with such a rough and organic style that tends to draw you along with its poetic feel and then punch you in the stomach with the reality of [...]
i received an email from a friend of mine on Facebook who is asking some questions that relate quite strongly to some stuff i have been giving a lot of thought to, especially this last week. i think it's a bit of a minefield, to be honest. But i also think it's high time we stepped into this one: Morning đ I've been thinking about ANGER and VIOLENCE. I think that so many people dismiss [...]
When i hear the words 'secret ballot' i immediately change them to 'secret ballet' and feel like there is some kind of underground mysterious quite-possibly-Russian dance extravaganza happening that i wasn't invited to. And will there or won't there be need for the traditional tutu? But then i hear that it's a No confidence vote in the president, Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma and i instantly realise that his middle name is a lot more creative than mine, [...]
The other day i started a series looking at the concept or idea of 'The better coloured/black/indian'. i am still hoping to share a few more stories on it as they come in, but i think it has already been useful in helping some white people to become aware of its existence and hopefully get some more helpful conversations and actions going. As a white person it is important to note that while i don't [...]
i asked me friend Terence if he would share some thoughts about the concept of 'The Better Coloured' and he came up with these: âYeah, but youâre one of the good onesâ My friend and I were standing under a tree trying to escape the summer heat during break-time. He had been talking about those âgangstersâ and âkak okesâ of the school â the Coloureds. Luckily for me, I, with my meekness and my white [...]
i first heard the term 'the better black' from a friend of mine who i am hoping will share a bit of her story for this series at some stage. It was shared in the context of her being part of a church congregation that looked very diverse on the outside but where she felt pressure to look and behave in ways acceptable to white people so as to fit in. Phrases like; "You speak [...]
Another day, another person calling a grown man who works in your garden 'boy' - these racists are everywhere, right? Except this time it wasn't a racist. And in fact, it came in the context of a social justice looking-out-for-people-of-colour post [because let's face it, i have still to experience a white domestic worker in this country, although i'm sure your friend knows of one] in the form of a Facebook status: Seeking justice for [...]
