Did you know pregnant women of color are four times more likely to die during child birth than white pregnant women. It is a phenomenon in the health care community. In fact, there are over 830 mothers who die when child bearing everyday around the world. That equals more than 303,000 deaths every year due […]
Read More The racial divide impacts childbirth related deathsAbout a month ago, I was out dancing with a friend of mine. It was just us two, and we were clearly content being on our own. Then, two guys came up behind my friend and made some lewd gestures, positioned where she couldn’t see. Lucky for them, however, I could see just fine. Me: […]
Read More I’ll Calm Down When You Start Listening: The Dangers of Tone PolicingThe other night I was sitting in the photo lab on campus, sorting negatives, when I started Speaking Up, one of NPR’s Ted Radio Hour podcast episodes. It began with the story of a queer, Bahrainian woman name Esra’a. She introduced herself to a crowd, describing her upbringing in Bahrain: “You were encouraged to be invisible, and […]
Read More Where are you, in the fight for unity?“I believe that telling our stories, first to ourselves and then to one another and the world, is a revolutionary act. It is an act that can be met with hostility, exclusion, and violence. It can also lead to love, understanding, and community.” Janet Mock, author of Redefining Realness, stated this in personal memoir, or […]
Read More Janet Mock: Transgender Identity and the Notion of “Passing”Most people know Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for her TED talk We Should All Be Feminists, or excerpts from this talk included in Beyonce’s “Flawless”. However, she’s also a brilliant novelist, pulling from her own experiences growing up in Nigeria and attending college in the United States. Americanah expresses these experiences by following the protagonist Ifemulu as she deals with […]
Read More A Review of Adichie’s “Americanah”If we take an aerial view of Harrisonburg, Virginia, for example, a majority of what we see is parking lots. 84% to be exact. Naturally, the blacktop exists primarily in the populated areas most requiring transit. As Harrisonburg is a city growing bigger than its’ government can plan for, it falls victim to urban design […]
Read More Leading The Way With Two WheelsFrom Trump’s elitist policy to Hollywood honoring the right movie at the right time, here is a recap of what the ShoutOut! Team discussed this week; Donald Trump Policy President Trump rescinded an Obama-Era Executive order that allowed transgendered individuals to utilize the bathroom representative of the gender they identify as. Interestingly, we discussed a […]
Read More Shout Out! Newsroom Update February 27th 2017In honor of Black History Month, I’ve done a little research on some women who helped build this nation who where we are now. So many stories untold, these are only a few of the women who deserved to be recognized for their efforts. Here are 13 women you probably haven’t heard of, and hopefully […]
Read More 13 Famously Infamous WomenI once had a long conversation with a man who proudly hung confederate flags from his house and his truck, and belonged to the Sons of the Confederacy. On his fridge there was a magnet that said, “A government that’s big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take away everything […]
Read More How to be free, P.C., and remember historyNot Just Products. “Okay, please facilitate this conversation.” My professor allowed them to just.. Lead. Privilidge. Of course. Where is she? My only other Black friend. The only other sister. Not here, I guess. And here we have it; The facilitators. One two three, all white. Let’s discuss, class. They say. The barbershops. Let’s […]
Read More Not Just Products; a poem for white people.
ShoutOut! James Madison University 