reclaim your voice.
I was sitting on the train recently when a group of young high school students boarded the train. Among them was a tall boy with curly bleach blond hair and skin fairer than snow. As I was admiring the curls on the young boy’s head and wishing my 4C hair would be as receptive to…
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On March 15th, I went to sleep heartbroken because of the news of a terrorist attack against Muslims in New Zealand. I had opened Twitter directly after my sister went to bed and my heart stopped. I couldn’t stop crying. I was in pain, and angry. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. And as I…
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Femicide is described as “the killing of one or more females, primarily by males because they are female. It represents the extreme end of violence and discrimination against women and girls.” The Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability website states that: “One woman or girl is killed every other day, on average, somewhere in…
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A year ago, students from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School hid under their desks and inside closets, terrified for their lives. A year ago, 17 innocent lives were lost in a school shooting. That day was beyond devastating. I remember how afraid I felt, because I thought: that could have been my school. Today needs…
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Below is a modern play on Martin Niemöller’s “First They Came For The Socialists” from the view of a white American citizen, and following that is a story from the same perspective. “First they came for the Blacks, and I did not speak out — because I am not black. Then they came for the…
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For South Africans, the 2019 schooling year began with cries of racism when a school in the North West Province of South Africa, Laerskool Schweizer-Reneke, dominated headlines after a photograph of Grade R pupils went viral on social media. The image depicted black pupils sitting separately from white pupils. Pending an investigation, teacher Elana Barkhuizen…
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“Please stand for the Pledge and a moment of silence.” Growing up, it was a phrase that was branded in my mind as the one constant in my life. At first, since I was young and didn’t know any better, I would stand with my right hand over my chest and recite the words I’d…
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(Featured Image: The Standard) The premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, recently made changes to OSAP (the Ontario Student Assistance Program). If post-secondary education was not hard enough financially for many students and families, the recent changes have discarded free tuition grants, replacing it with 10% off our tuition. When the news first erupted, the only…
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Whilst South Africa maybe going through challenging times due to its deteriorating economy, crime statistics at an all-time high, and a possible impasse in the infamous state capture saga, it is imperative for South Africans to not lose focus of the positive aspects present in the country. One such aspect is that of the right…
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