d. tafakari

Why I Did Not Want to See “12 Years a Slave”

I will be honest and admit that I did not want to see 12 Years a Slave. Oh, sure, no one forced me to buy tickets, but I still wasn’t enthused. Not in the conventional sense, where I am brimming with excitement over seeing my favorite actor/actresses leave it all on the screen, wondering where the plot willContinue reading “Why I Did Not Want to See “12 Years a Slave””

Friday Funny: Kid Says Toys are NOT Books

I forget to write laughter into the blog some days, but this little rascal cracks me up. I am a book lover and can’t imagine spurning books as gifts. Donate a book to a kid this year; save the world from zombified, Wii-wielding toddlers. It’s your human duty. Happy Friday!

Why Hollywood Needs More Curvy Rom-Com Leads

Hollywood has a big fat problem and love has everything to do with it. The other day, I watched American Horror Story: Coven as Gabby Sidibe’s character, Queenie, stood in the dark and basically begged a Minotaur to love her. She spoke heartrendingly of her invisibility and loneliness to a beast because her romantic invisibility caused her toContinue reading “Why Hollywood Needs More Curvy Rom-Com Leads”

A Not-So-Short List of Rules on Interacting with Short Ninjas

A Not-So-Short List of Rules on Interacting with Short Ninjas The first and last time I almost punched a white woman, she had it coming. I was taking my final tour as a grad student through my university’s book store, when the store manager stopped in front of me. I was almost 25 and she wasContinue reading “A Not-So-Short List of Rules on Interacting with Short Ninjas”

Adrian Peterson, Black Monsters, and the Daddy Problem

NFL running back Adrian Peterson (AP) unarguably suffered a tragedy last week in the death of his young son. But another quiet, subtle injury to the football player saddened me for a different reason. Two articles published by major news sources shifted the lens from the pervasive problem of domestic violence against African-American women and children toContinue reading “Adrian Peterson, Black Monsters, and the Daddy Problem”