On Kyrie Irving, Jeff Bezos, Amazon and antisemitism

Kyrie Irving definitely should have apologized for posting the link, but it should have ended there. If you are not going to hold the hosts of the material accountable, how are you going to find multiple ways to punish the consumer for taking it in?
Kyrie Irving has gotten all the smoke, but why aren’t Jeff Bezos and Amazon being held accountable?

For theGrio, I share my thoughts on the sanctions the Nets have put on Kyrie Irving and question why Jeff Bezos isn’t receiving the same amount of scrutiny for hosting the infamous antisemitic video that Irving has received for posting it to his Twitter account.

White women always choose race and class over their best interests

Most people who have watched the show have expressed their disgust and horror at what is depicted. They have often said how horrible it would be if something like this happened in real life. You can tell the people who said that weren’t Black, because Black people know (or should know, anyway) that the exact things being depicted in “The Handmaid’s Tale” actually happened to enslaved Black women in this country.
Serena Joy of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ is the epitome of white people who don’t care until it happens to them

For theGrio, I wrote about how Serena Joy Wateford on The Handmaid’s Tale is very much like white women (and white people in general) in this country who only care about an issue when it directly impacts them.

One day I woke up and realized I am the prize

Once my focus was taken off turning myself into “wife material,” I was able to devote that energy to improving and evolving me for me. Regular talks with my therapist, a lot of self-critique-turned-into-active improvements and consistently listening to myself helped me to improve my relationship with myself as well as others around me.
My life changed for the better once I decentered romance

For theGrio, I discuss how my life changed once I de-centered romance.

White people: Please don’t do this

The one part of Halloween that I don’t enjoy, however, is the predictable parade of white people doing inappropriate things and wearing inappropriate costumes. It seems like no matter how much we call them out for it and explain why it is inappropriate, they keep doing it anyway, year after year.
A list of 5 things I am begging white people not to do this Halloween season

What we not gon do is let Sarah Silverman attack Holly Robinson Peete

The other issue is the way Silverman came at Peete. Nowhere in Silverman’s timeline is there a tweet showing her directly addressing anyone else about their presumed silence on the issue of Kanye’s anti-semitic statements. Yet she felt totally emboldened to go after a Black woman.
Sarah Silverman went after Holly Robinson Peete on Twitter, and it’s not OK

Black Twitter really is the shit

Let me just pause right here to say that Black people bring the spice everywhere we go. We add that little bit of razzle dazzle that is needed to level up any type of event or gathering.
Black Twitter makes everything better

What’s wrong with taking Black Girl Magic everywhere we go?

The Cardinal Divas are a majorette dance squad similar in nature to those mostly seen on the campuses of our nation’s HBCUs. Part spirit squad, part dance troupe, and always killing the game, these dance squads do something known as “j-setting,” a style of dance popularized by the squad at Jackson State University. Unlike white majorettes, Black majorettes do away with the traditional batons in favor of high kicks and mind-blowing choreography that can be done sitting in the stands as well as on the field.
Why are so many Black people bothered by the new Black majorette squad at USC?

‘Woke,’ ‘quiet quitting,’ and other word games the right plays

You see, those on the right have been engaged in a game of wordplay that has them redefining words and phrases to fit their various propaganda campaigns. Three very loud examples that come to mind are the word “woke” and the phrases “critical race theory” and “quiet quitting.” Stick with me and I’ll explain to you what I mean.
Word games and propaganda campaigns: The right is weaponizing language against us

When white institutions uphold white supremacy

As a Black woman, Anya was supposed to keep her thoughts to herself. This is how white supremacy works. You are supposed to endure the abuse and keep silent about it. Even raising the issue makes you a bigger problem than the issue itself. Remember selective offense?
Carnegie Mellon’s response to Professor Uju Anya’s tweet is an example of how institutions uphold white supremacy

Why are Black characters in fantasy stories such a controversial thing for white people?

It really bothers (some) white people that Black people get cast in their favorite make-believe stories. Maybe we are infringing on their ability to make believe that we don’t exist. Whatever the case may be, it’s seriously time to get over it, like Whoopi said.
When you can imagine dragons but not imagine Black people in fantasy stories, your racism is showing

Serena Williams is the greatest athlete of all time

Have you ever watched Serena on the court? It is almost as if she has a choreographer who plots out her moves for her. She is aware of the ball and her body at all times. She moves around the court with a speed and gracefulness that almost makes it look easy. Almost.
There are no qualifiers needed. Serena Williams is the greatest athlete of all time, and here are a few reasons why

Selective offense strikes again, this time with Chris Rock

Comedian Chris Rock, who was infamously slapped by Will Smith while on stage at this year’s Oscars, recently made a very tasteless joke about Nicole Brown Simpson, who was murdered in 1994 along with her friend, Ron Goldman.
The responses to Chris Rock’s tasteless joke about Nicole Brown Simpson vs. Jada say a lot about how America views Black women

The PWI vs HBCU debate is old and tired and needs to stop

We live in a world where facts matter, and there are simple facts that could help people understand why a Black student may not choose to go to an HBCU—and they have absolutely nothing to do with wanting to be white.
Yes, David Banner, HBCUs are a treasure but not always an option for a lot of Black students

I Love L.A.

“I Love L.A.” is not just a song and a phrase that appears on T-shirts bought by tourists on Venice Beach. It is both a motto and a mantra. People who are from here recognize the greatness of our city, and we will defend it to the bitter end because we love it here.
Los Angeles gets a bad rap, and it’s completely unwarranted

It’s OK to spoil yourself

Because when you get right down to it, why work every single day if you can’t enjoy the money you make from it?
Treat yourself, don’t cheat yourself!

‘Down in the valley where the girlies get naked’

Since season one, fans have been intrigued by the goings-on at the Pynk, the strip club owned and operated by Uncle Clifford (Annan) but commanded by the women who perform there, including Mercedes (Evans); Keyshawn, aka Mississippi (Thornton); and Autumn (Johnson). Every single scene of every single episode is jam-packed with action, drama, or both, and by the end of each episode, you are left wanting more of the characters and their brilliantly evolving stories.
If you are not already watching ‘P-Valley,’ here is a list of reasons why you should

Stan culture is scary

Through the power of the internet and social media, fans have now built themselves into legions of rabid mobs that attack anyone who has even the slightest criticism of their favorite artists.
Stan culture is a crazy, toxic and unforgiving world

Terrell Owens is the latest Black man to experience a white woman’s weaponized tears

Who was the first white woman to lie on a Black man? Who was the first white woman to use her tears to try and get a Black man in trouble, or worse—killed? Who was the first white woman who realized if she put out her best crocodile tears, it could gain her the results she was looking for?
Terrell Owens finds out the hard way that white women have perfected weaponizing their tears against Black men

Jay Ellis got cyber-bullied over his marriage, and that’s not OK

As I watched this, I kept wondering why people felt the need to attack him. He had done nothing wrong. His bride had done nothing wrong. They were simply living their lives and sharing what is undoubtedly a very happy moment in their story. Why do people feel the need to ruin that (or at least try to) simply because they don’t want to see an interracial couple?
Jay Ellis and his new wife are not harming you, so why the vicious social media attacks?

Conversations about racism should not be getting stuck on ‘not all white people’

Anyway, the other subset of people were white people who generally agreed with what I said about Bodega Bro, but they were given pause because in my headline I said “Bodega Bro is the epitome of everything white people do wrong on a daily basis.” They all got stuck on the “white people” part, and they all wanted to lecture me about how I shouldn’t lump everyone together in one category.
Selective offense and ‘not all white people’: We shouldn’t have to keep coddling y’all

Why is Josh Hawley always being a goofy?

At this point, he should have realized he was in over his head, but you know white people, they gonna keep pushing it. He didn’t even really have anything “good” to say back, so he just stammered, “Uh, so, uh your view is that the core of this right then is about what?”
Josh Hawley messed around and found out, or how to ‘professionally’ read someone who is playing in your face

Black people with guns is scary business, apparently

Except as we all know, people’s attitudes about who should and shouldn’t be able to bear arms and carry them in public tend to shift greatly when it comes to Black people owning guns. And we all know this is due to the implicit bias buried deep in this country’s DNA that causes white people to view Black people as some sort of ongoing threat.
Why is open carry only an issue when it comes to Black folks?

Dear white people: Please don’t be like Bodega Bro

Obviously, white privilege and entitlement have made Green completely unaware that there is a such thing as food deserts, and the Bronx is clearly one of them. People in that neighborhood rely on bodegas, as eccentric as they may be because there are no other options.
Bodega Bro is the epitome of everything white people do wrong on a daily basis

My name is Monique, and I am a Black woman who loves watermelon

Now, I am fully aware of the stigma and the stereotype that is attached to Black people and watermelon. It was my mother who informed me that the stereotype and stigma were entirely manufactured by white people who were both threatened and envious of the success Black farmers were having with watermelon.
I am unapologetically Black, and I will never be ashamed of eating watermelon

Some of our favorite songs have some really wild lyrics

Because of my close relationship with music, I have had the opportunity to repeatedly listen to songs and analyze their lyrical content. I have to say, what passed for good music back in the day would really get the side-eye today—not because the music is bad, but because at times the subject matter or the lyrics raise some eyebrows and questions.
So-called ‘romantic’ songs with very questionable lyrics

Who are some of your favorite storytellers in hip-hop?

While there is plenty of posturing and one-upmanship in hip-hop, the genre is at its best when the artists are telling us compelling stories from the streets—or wherever else they may occur.
6 of the best storytelling rap songs ever

This summer’s anthem is…

Listen. If Kandi doesn’t do anything else, she is going to give you a catchy bop to sing along to. After all, this is the woman who penned “No Scrubs,” “Bills, Bills, Bills,” “Tardy for the Party,” “The Ring Didn’t Mean a Thing,” and who has writing credits on “Bug a Boo,” “There You Go,” and “U and Dat.” She knows her way around a hit.
‘Legs and hips and bawdeeeeee’: Kandi Burruss has given us our summer earworm

These corporations don’t care about Black people

So please explain to me why Walmart had the unmitigated gall to put out a “Juneteenth” flavor of ice cream under its Great Value label? And why was there a trademark symbol next to the flavor’s name?
Walmart was wrong AF for that Juneteenth ice cream

America doesn’t care about Black women

“About a third of our population is African American; African Americans have a higher incidence of maternal mortality. So, if you correct our population for race, we’re not as much of an outlier as it’d otherwise appear. Now, I say that not to minimize the issue but to focus the issue as to where it would be. For whatever reason, people of color have a higher incidence of maternal mortality.”
Sen. Bill Cassidy proves America doesn’t care about Black women

Why are Black women always expected to be the bigger person?

Black women are always expected to turn the other cheek when it comes to the people who mistreat them. We are always expected to be the bigger person, to rise above it all and act like we are indifferent to the hateful speech, abusive behavior and gaslighting that goes on in situations like this.
Black women don’t owe Kevin Samuels anything

For theGrio, I wrote about how Black women are being asked to show grace to Kevin Samuels in light of his death, despite the fact that he had none for Black women when he was living.

monique judge

storyteller. writer. creator.

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