An Open Letter to Bill Maher

So I watched your show when Michael Eric Dyson tried to walk you through a real and earnest apology. I was disappointed when he failed to do so. You kept falling back on excuses. “It was a comedic error; you are an animal of comedy.”
Today I went for a run along the lake front in Chicago. The trail is shared by runners and bikers and I noticed that the white bikers passing me from behind, a black woman, didn’t call out and warn that they were passing and left just enough space to safely pass me, even when there was no one at all, running or riding in the oncoming lane of traffic. 
It reminded me of JimCrowSegregation, when black people were required to surrender the sidewalk to any and every white person walking. That it put me in this mindset, when I was born well after Brown v Board of Education, my knowledge of this limited to reading and movies, made me think of collective consciousness and/or cultural memory. Where by an entire community has an emotional reaction to a situation because it is experienced in an historical context. 
If this is the case ,for me as a Black Woman, isn’t it also the case that white males have a collective consciousness and/or cultural memory that they act on when they fail to give a Black runner safe passing space, but do so for a white runner? Which I saw occur twice on my run. The understanding that was a white male, I own the sidewalk and don’t have to give a Black person on the same walkway reasonably safe passing space.
And that is what was missing from your apology for me. That acknowledgement of the privilege enjoyed by you as a white male of being entitled to the whole sidewalk, to use the n-word, the ongoing historical and cultural context and memory. And the atonement for that abuse as one who knows better. Understands bias and systemic racism and micro-aggressions. A sincere unqualified apology. 
This is an opportunity for deeper communication, but we all have our share of heaving lifting to take advantage of this opportunity. 
Sincerely, 
DeeDixon

When Luv Turns to Hate

http://www.sparethekids.com

Source: When Luv Turns to Hate

Why the Handshakes Matter: The Violence of Whiteness in the Classroom

There are a couple videos circulating right now of teachers greetings their students as they come in the door. One is of a Black male teacher, Barry White, in Charlotte, North Carolina greeting his…

Source: Why the Handshakes Matter: The Violence of Whiteness in the Classroom

Maybe We Do Need White History Month or Millennials Don’t Know Shit About Slavery or Picking Appropriate Essay Topics or Being a Black English Adjunct Sucks Sometimes–Merry Christmas

Now, of course I’m being petty and facetious. The student that wrote this “slavery changed America for the better” paper obviously needs to learn how anti-blackness served as the philosophical underpinning for American slavery.His lack of factual knowledge about slavery is just part of a larger problem–his almost complete lack of understanding of the integral role of anti-blackness in the development of American culture and white identity politics. But this isn’t just his problem. Once he writes a paper and turns it in to me, I’m affected.Which is where my frustration comes in. At the intersection of his privileged myopia and my beleaguered humanness.Because I do not need to be accosted by micro-aggressive bullshit like this–which diminishes the horror of slavery and perilous nature of the black experience in America–so by extension the exigencies of my existence–no matter how inadvertent or “innocent” that micro-aggressive bullshit might be.

Source: Maybe We Do Need White History Month or Millennials Don’t Know Shit About Slavery or Picking Appropriate Essay Topics or Being a Black English Adjunct Sucks Sometimes–Merry Christmas

1. Acknowledgment 2. Apology

3. Amends 
This is what nonBlack America owe Black Americans. 

Chicago. Crime. Crisis

Pay Attention!!!
Bruce Rauner and the budget crisis he and Rahm created destroyed services designed to address violence and other concerns in Chicago. 

So they have fucked up the schools 

made it harder to get healthcare and 

made the city less safe. 
Where are Meeks and Brooks now?

What are you praying for now?
You can’t remove supports systems in a community already impoverished and expect shit to not get worst. 

Dear White Feminist

“Some problems we share as women, some we do not.
You [white women] fear your children will grow up to join the patriarchy and testify against you; we fear our children will be dragged from a car and shot down in the street, and you will turn your backs on the reasons they are dying.”
— Audre Lorde, “Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference”
(H/T @doctressstory)

No Pickle Juice

I am not drinking the pickle juice
Some males just aren’t ready to see women as equals, intellectually or any other way. They can play nice until you challenge their precious and fragile male (I have a penis, I must be right) Privilege. 

Then their little pea heads explode, their dicks go limp as that little ‘Mint Condition/Never removed from box’ brain rolls around in a demented quest for fire. 
2 signs you are dealing with a male and not a man.
1.  They tell you all about themselves and never ask you about you.

” after high school, I went to college and then graduate school. I like this type of movie and that type of music. I go to this church and work over yonder”… and then never ask about your life and history. And if you try to volunteer the information they cut you off)
2.   You ask a question about their accomplishments or innate ability and it 

never occurs to them, that you know enough to ask about it. ( “dude – I am listening to you and do you know your IQ?” “yes it is 399″ *thinking- really lala. I got you beat by 53points… but you wont ask me shit about me”
And when it does come up… they loose it. 
One dude attacked me. 

We could have been Martin and Coretta – but you are hung up on that feminism bullshit. 

We could have been Malcolm and Betty – but you are an atheist.
DUDE!!— we were never gonna be either of those couples because you ain’t never gonna be Malcolm, Martin, Marcus, Frederick, Nat, Steve, Nelson.  

Dude, you are one drink away from being Ike and a condom away from being that guy on Iyanla Fix My Life.

You Chris Brown, Floyd Mayweather, Bill Cosby, Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson mutha fukka

 
world stop
carry on

Troy LaRaviere: My Statement on CPS’ “Warning Resolution”

CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND I’ve been asked for my thoughts in response to the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Board of Education issuing a “warning resolution” against me for opposing their backward…

Source: Troy LaRaviere: My Statement on CPS’ “Warning Resolution”

Choose You

Choose to love yourself and your life.
Choose to be true to yourself and your dreams, passion and bliss.
Choose love, gratitude, forgiveness, integrity and service. Choose YOU!!