#The Colorblind James Experience

[jungleindierock]

Time Machine - 2024 - No. 1

First in the new Time Machine Playlists for 2024, they will appear once i have 40 songs in each one. Mixed genres of music, from 1950-2022. Already begun No. 2 so could out soon. Enjoy it and share it, might find some bands/artists you like and want to explore their back catalogues!!

I feel 40 is good number of tracks not too long or too short in listening time for your enjoyment. The whole playlist is only two hours and thirty three minutes long.

Reb

Tracklist

Elbow - One Day Like This

The Box Tops - The Letter

Johnny Cash - Hurt

Junior Murvin - Police & Thieves

Frank Wilson - Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)

David Bowie - Rebel Rebel

Spear Of Destiny - Liberator

The The - The Beat(en) Genration

Kings Of Leon - Talihina Sky

Public Image Ltd. - This Is Not A Love Song

Nick Drake - Pink Moon

Imelda May - Johnny Got A Boom Boom

New Order - Ceremony

John Foxx - Underpass

Dandy Livingstone - Suzanne Beware Of The Devil

The National - England

Warpaint - Undertow

The Temper Trap - Science Of Fear

Major Lance - Ain't No Soul (In These Old Shoes)

The Farm - No Man's Land (John Peel BBC Radio Session)

999 - Feelin' Alright With The Crew

Bob Dylan - Blowin' In The wind

Rage Against The Machine - Guerrilla Radio

The Colorblind James Experience - Considering A Move To Memphis

Easterhouse - Whistling In The Dark

The Stone Roses - I Am The Resurrection

Peter Tosh - Vampire

The Vaselines - Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam

John Lee Hooker - One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer

Beck - Beercan

Toots & the Maytals - Take Me Home, Country Roads

The Pop Group - She Is Beyond Good & Evil

The Unthanks - A Great Northern River

The Cure - 100 Years

Stereophonics - A Thousnad Trees

Big Mama Thorton - Hound Dog

Tom Waits - Rain Dogs

The Pogues - Wild Cats Of Kilkenny

The Detroit Cobras - Leave My kitten Alone

Super Furry Animals - Golden Retriever

[danwithouttheplan]

Hey I just listened to your axolotl song and I was wondering if you had ever listened to the Colorblind James Experience? Some of their music reminds me a lot of it.

Hi, I have not.

[lyeekha]

I was tagged by @jaz-zmatazz to shuffle my playlists and share them on here! Thanks so much <3

Ten of each, right?

Daily Mix

Uncontrollable Urge - DEVO

Outdoor Miner - Wire

What Presence?! - Orange Juice

Garbageman - The Cramps

Quiet Place - The Paragons

Beautiful Blue Sky - Ought

Ghost Town - The Specials

Time Beat - Ray Cathode

Love Without Sound - White Noise

Getaway - Dr John

All Music

Considering A Move To Memphis - The Colorblind James Experience

遅咲きガール (Late Blooming Girl) - Jun Togawa

Contortionist Tango - Beat Circus

Revue Noire - Nicolas Repac

(THE GOLDEN ERA OF) EL COBRA DISCOTECA - Birdy Nam Nam

Blue Rondo à la Turk - The Dave Brubeck Quartet

Race for the Prize - The Flaming Lips

Cool In The Pool - Holger Czukay

Treat Me Mean, I Need The Reputation - Xploding Plastix

My Little Brother - Art Brut

I tag @hookteeth @fabioafterdark @1863-project @corvidad @allthingsmustpass1970 @renmorris @coruscas @neriine @kamil-a @aminoasinine @hay-needle if they want, and anyone else reading this if they want!

[caatws]

Something about open canon interpretations that I think people miss is how Gamora's canon is the only one left open when it comes to her importance to the whole family and story. It's the only one left open when it comes to did they all grieve her death. It's not even clear if she's considered part of the family anymore and that's not good. Not when the guardians family is all the audience cares about. She's also the only character being attacked the way she is by some fans currently and that's worth thinking over. As is the lack of commentary on her role from James Gunn and the fact that when he does speak it's comments that further push the idea she's not important and doesn't matter to the other characters.

A lot of people miss this so I thought I'd share Intersectionality is important. You cannot colorblind your way through discussions of representation. You can't say Gamora's story/role worked for you on one level and then tell people they should ignore the other parts of her and how that's been handled. That's not how this works. Marvel even did a panel of a human Gamora a couple years ago where they made her look like Zoe to honor her as a woc. All aspects of who she is matters equally. It's not being mean or unfair or a bad fan to care about race, gender, sexual orientation etc. Discussing these things isn't ignoring other parts of canon that are well done. It's also not more harmful to be told your words or actions were sexist/racist/homophobic and hurt someone than it is to be on the receiving end of sexism/racism/homophobia etc.

There are good things about vol 3 and I'm grateful to people discussing them and writing about them. But it would be willfully ignorant to pretend Gamora's death was handled well. That she got as much character development as all the other guardians. That she got an equally fleshed out arc. That she was shown on screen support and love while figuring her life out during such a crazy experience of coming to the future. We didn't even get to see how she felt about Thanos finally being dead. I have seen some people say that Gamora got a good arc and people are just nitpicking or ignoring it. That would be believable if not for the fact that the majority of post movie discussions about how amazing the characters are surely haven't been about how well her character was handled. They aren't talking about how far she's come or how close she is to the other guardians. Pretending doesn't help.

real anon, i think part of what made vol 3 painful for me upon first watch is we are seeing the gotg at their very closest and best - some of these characters have known each other for 10 years now, the found family is found familying more than any previous gotg film before. and gamora missed it. we only got to see gamora found familying with the gotg during their first few months together in vol 1 and 2, and then everything in her next and final appearance was abt thanos; she gets like 1 scene with the whole team in iw before they split up. and it's just so sad to me that we even get to see nebula found familying and having these very specific dynamics with everyone that we just...never got to see our gamora have onscreen.

like, it just leaves me with so many questions abt gamora's individual relationships with everyone - questions that i likely may have had in 2014, walking out of the theater after seeing vol 1, excited for where the gotg would go from there and how all of the characters would grow together. it just sucks to know that 2014!me (2014!gamora pun a ha ha ha everybody laughed) will never get those answers in canon for gamora's character :/

before all this, i think gamora was on track to having one of the best arcs in the mcu. but once she was dead forever, from those specific circumstances, it was over. even peter killing her would've been a better conclusion to her arc, bc at least she would've still had some agency at the end, But Alas

and gamora being played by and essentially coded as a woc absolutely matters in this discussion. i've been saying it since 2017 - have been having to FIGHT ppl in this very fandom over it as well - but gamora being a woc is absolutely an important nuance to her background. like you're gonna look me in the face and tell me thanos isn't basically a space colonizer? that this storyline does not at all parallel the very real history of colonizers destroying others' homelands, killing entire populations in the name of some sort of bs theory that it's for the good of the ppl, and abducting/trafficking children from the very places and communities they destroy?? like holy hell my dudes. consider this when you wonder why some of us are upset !

[emptymanuscript]

Heads Up 7 Up

Thanks for tagging me @airic-fenn :) :) :)

I'll tag: @doctorhelena, @quasionion, @wistsandmagic, @fireolin, @the960writers, @tlbodine, @bettsican

NO PRESSURE. I know several of you are busy.

And anyone who else who sees this and wants to.

Rules for those who want to participate are that you post 7 lines from a wip of yours and tag some other people.

Ok, scary part over ;)

From A Myriad of Unfinished Books, Interleaved (which I'm writing a lot of and have no idea what to actually do with), the first seven lines:

By the age that I realized I could be kicked out of school I was far older than the age when my father was evicted from Kindergarten for telling his pre-world-war-two teacher to go fuck herself. He went on to live a James Thurber style childhood. His favorite story about his high school experience, suitably for a man who would become chief of nuclear medicine, came from biology. He usually got poor marks because he couldn’t see the slides under the microscope. Until one day, like a miracle, he adjusted the mirror just right, and a miniature world lay exposed to him. He sketched with such mad fervor and excitement that the teacher came over to check on him, discovering that he had turned his examination inward and sketched the interior of his own colorblind eye. He talked very little about being 15, even though, like the end of his first marriage, it defined his life.

[sleepynegress]

Okay. Because I've been saying... *semi*-similar for years, I'm gonna address this. The difference is I have no problem with colorblind casting. Keep doing it. It's a standard in plays and theatre ESPECIALLY, and has been since well into the early 20th century. The actual problem is not *ALSO* covering the lived experiences of Black people who did actually exist in these spaces throughout history. Because it gives the "anti-wokeys" aka the rebranded incel beige khakis tiki torch kkk/nazis means to be confidently ignorant about Black people being "forced" and "shoved" (and I could digress about the wording always being akin to sexual assault, because they always fear most what they'd like to be free to do to others...) into narratives where they *actually* existed, irl. ...And not always in the simplistic "slave, servant, underling" context. I recommend this college lecture about regular-egular Black Tudors living lives with jobs and families and everything, as an example:

And I think it's purposely suppressed not just to prevent the normalization of Black presence in actual historic spaces, but (and this I never see talked about) to keep white people feeling afraid divided from the other, and connected to wealthy white people (who hate them) and "always" in the gaze of the simple black/white morality of "past times" or mostly being "cartoon awful" racists or abolitionists, that's it... when it was SO MUCH WIDER and more complex than that. You never see true allyship depicted among the poor and disenfranchised among the immigrants, indigenous, and Black and mixed people depicted in media FOR A REASON. I remember reading about the Delany Sisters when I was girl, Black sisters who lived and worked successful professional fields in Harlem (notably never married!) who lived happily to 104 and 106 respectively. There were old photos in their biography of their Irish granddad sitting on the porch with a shotgun in his lap, hyper-protective of his Black wife and mixed kids and grandkids. It was actually not an uncommon a thing that (mostly) Irish women intermarried with Black men in the 1800's... ...And don't get me on the Black and mixed-race towns and communities.

All this to say "diversity" should not be the goal. ....Including the full truth of the past should be. And the full truth includes us all, in a multitude of capacities. Yall know this has been a hyperfixation for me for decades and there are so many pieces of media about REAL PEOPLE that I dream of snapping into existence that I do genuinely think would help society, racially and culturally away from the sad MAGAT place we are now. If you like homework, you can look up these names and places to get you started (not just in the U.S. BTW), Colletta Stewart Lai, Malaga Island, Gustav Badin (Sweden and I suspect was a queer man), Longtown Ohio, James Mink, Lucille Hunter (in the Klondike).... I have so many I have collected over the years.

TL;DR The issue isn't the colorblind casting. The issue is not *ALSO* covering the real people in history, of which there are A LOT...and especially where the whites aren't always cartoon racist, insanely evil villains/ or abolitionist helpers and Black people aren't always the slaves trying to get free or downtrodden trying to get civil rights or the first Black person to do something.

🗣 DIVERSITY IS NOT SAMENESS.

[lucyfrankenstein]

streammmmmm 👆👆

[pagebypagereviews]

25 Books to Transform Your Thinking In an era where information is abundant, selecting materials that genuinely transform our thinking and perspective can be challenging. Books have the power to change our minds, influence our beliefs, and inspire us to grow. This article curates a list of 25 transformative books, each offering unique insights into various aspects of life, society, and personal development. Whether you're looking to shift your mindset, understand the world better, or find inspiration, these books promise to leave a lasting impact on your thinking. Books on Personal Development Personal development is a continuous journey. The following books provide profound insights into understanding oneself, fostering resilience, and pursuing excellence. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck - Dweck introduces the concept of "fixed" vs. "growth" mindsets, illustrating how our beliefs about our abilities influence our success. Atomic Habits by James Clear - Clear offers actionable strategies for forming good habits, breaking bad ones, and mastering the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle - Tolle's guide to spiritual enlightenment emphasizes the importance of living in the present moment to achieve inner peace. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl - Frankl's experiences in Nazi concentration camps led to his discovery of logotherapy, asserting that finding meaning in life is the most powerful motivator for survival. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth - Duckworth explores the significance of grit—a combination of passion and perseverance—in achieving success. Books on Understanding Society These books offer insights into the social, economic, and political structures that shape our world, encouraging readers to think critically about society and their role within it. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari - Harari provides a thought-provoking history of humankind, from the emergence of Homo sapiens in Africa to the complexities of modern society. Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty - Piketty's extensive research on wealth and income inequality offers a deep understanding of economic and social structures. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander - Alexander examines the racial caste system associated with mass incarceration in the United States. Factfulness by Hans Rosling - Rosling challenges common misconceptions about the world and encourages a more fact-based understanding. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell - Gladwell investigates the factors that contribute to high levels of success, including culture, family, and idiosyncratic opportunities. Books on Innovation and Creativity Innovation and creativity are crucial for personal and professional growth. The following books provide insights into harnessing creativity and fostering innovation. The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen - Christensen discusses how successful companies can do everything "right" and still lose their market leadership due to innovation. Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon - Kleon encourages readers to embrace influence and remix ideas in a way that's unique to their own creative process. Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull - Catmull, co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios, shares his experience in creating a culture that fosters creativity. The Art of Innovation by Tom Kelley - Kelley provides insights from his experience at IDEO, one of the world's leading design firms, on nurturing a culture of creativity. Where Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson - Johnson explores the history of innovation and how great ideas are not conjured in isolation but are the product of networks and collaboration. Books on Philosophy and Wisdom Philosophy offers timeless wisdom on living a meaningful life. These books distill centuries of thought into accessible insights for modern readers.

The Republic by Plato - Plato's seminal work on justice, the state, and governance remains profoundly relevant today. Letters from a Stoic by Seneca - Seneca's letters offer timeless insights into Stoicism, emphasizing virtue, wisdom, and the importance of living in accordance with nature. Mediations by Marcus Aurelius - Written by a Roman Emperor, this collection of personal writings provides a powerful framework for self-discipline, compassion, and leadership. Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle - Aristotle explores the concept of virtue ethics, arguing that a good human life is one lived in accordance with reason. The Tao Te Ching by Laozi - This ancient Chinese text offers profound spiritual insights, emphasizing harmony, simplicity, and the interconnectedness of all things. Books on Health and Well-being Understanding the principles of health and well-being is essential for a balanced life. These books provide guidance on nurturing both the mind and body. How Not to Die by Michael Greger - Greger examines the top causes of premature death and how they can be prevented through diet and lifestyle changes. The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk - Van der Kolk explores the impact of trauma on the body and mind, offering pathways to recovery. Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker - Walker delves into the critical importance of sleep, revealing how it affects every aspect of our physical and mental health. The Blue Zones by Dan Buettner - Buettner investigates the world's "Blue Zones," regions with high concentrations of centenarians, to uncover secrets to longevity. Atomic Habits by James Clear - While also a guide to personal development, Clear's insights into habit formation are crucial for maintaining health and well-being. Conclusion The books listed above span a wide range of genres and topics, yet they all share one common goal: to transform your thinking. From personal development and understanding society to fostering creativity and embracing philosophy,

[mrbopst]

Good News: A new edition of The Bopst Show, the only music variety program that enables prosperous being, is now available for free audio consumption on Podomatic or wherever you get your podcasts. The Bopst Show airs Monday-Friday, 4-5 PM (EST-USA) on Slack Radio. Listen online: slackradio.org

Music variety show hosted, mixed and recorded by Chris Bopst featuring words and music by Dedeh Winingsih with the Sampurna Group, Midlife, Lindi Ortega, I’m From Barcelona, Tiken Jah Fakoly, Leon-Paul Phillips, Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood, The Trashmen, The Colorblind James Experience, Bob Wills, and Grampall Jookabox.

This show originally aired March 22, 2024 on WRWK 93.9 LP FM in Midlothian, Virginia, USA.

[mywifeleftme]

293: Weather Permitting // In the Ground

Into the Ground Weather Permitting 1987, VOT

A late ‘80s college rock band from Montreal with hints of seemingly every good American and English alternative act of the decade (Galaxie 500, Green on Red, Felt, The Cure, the dang Colorblind James Experience) but basically no Canadian ones. It’s a bit bewildering to think of this band operating in their particular place and time, and yet I have the record here in my hand (a blind buy), and so I’m compelled to accept it on its terms. Composed of brothers Peter and Andrew Steinmetz on guitar and vocals with fellow sausage-stocker Bruno Steiner on bass and non-Hun Gary McGirr on drums, Weather Permitting seem to be fabulously well-schooled in the major branches of the jangle pop tree. They’ll flash from a Feelies-like workout (“Land”) to gawky Talking Heads pop (“After All This”) with aplomb, but there’s just enough consistency to the band’s lyrical perspective and general vibe that it feels less like a pastiche and more like an “I contain multitudes” sort of situation. At their best (“In the House”; “Into the Ground”) they nail the brainy adolescent sense of becoming that gives early indie rock its timeless emotional ground; at their weakest (“Her Moods Will Change”) the worst you can say is their harmonies are a little dorky. Into the Ground is a definite score if you come across it. It's likely one of the best Canadian alternative records from that lost decade before we really figured out what we were doing.

293/365

[whatilistenedtoatwork]

From July 3rd to July 7th, 2023

NEU “Neu!”; BOARDS OF CANADA “The Campfire Headphase”; UNDERWORLD “dubnobasswithmyheadman”; MARVIN GAYE “M.P.G.”; KRAFTWERK “Kraftwerk 2”; JURASSIC 5 “Power In Numbers”; MORRISSEY “Beethoven Was Deaf”; MUDDY WATERS “More Real Folk Blues”; BAND OF HORSES “Things Are Great”

04-07-23

JOHN LEE HOOKER “That’s My Story”; MUDDY WATERS “Electric Mud”; JOHN LEE HOOKER “The Country Blues Of John Lee Hooker”; ISAAC HAYES “…To Be Continued”; AL GREEN “Livin’ For You”; YAZOO “Upstairs At Eric’s”; PAUL WELLER “Paul Weller”; MENSWEAR “Nuisance”; ERASURE “The Innocents”; BE-BOP DELUXE “Sunburst Finish”; KATE & ANNA McGARRIGLE “Kate & Anna McGarrigle”

05-07-23

OTIS REDDING & CARLA THOMAS “King & Queen”; ISAAC HAYES “Isaac Hayes At Wattstax”; WILLIE NELSON “City Of New Orleans”; AL GREEN “The Belle Album”; ORGANISATION “Tone Float”; GUIDED BY VOICES “La La Land”; ERASURE “Wonderland”; THE JULIANA HATFIELD THREE “Become What You Are”; YEAH YEAH YEAHS “It’s Blitz!”; STEPHEN MALKMUS “Stephen Malkmus”; JACKIE WILSON “He’s So Fine”; OZZY OSBOURNE “Bark At The Moon”

06-07-23

WILLIE NELSON “Phases & Stages”; THE SUPREMES “The Supremes A’Go Go”; JUDAS PRIEST “British Steel”; MOTHER EARTH “The People Tree”; KRISTIN HERSH “Murder, Misery, And Then Goodnight”; THE TEMPTATIONS “Live At The Copa”; FAT BOYS “Fat Boys”; THE SUPREMES “The Supremes Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland”; AL GREEN “Full Of Fire”; ESTELLE “Shine”; AEROSMITH “Get Your Wings”; THE COLORBLIND JAMES EXPERIENCE “The Colorblind James Experience”

07-07-23

LINDISFARNE “Fog On The Tyne”; KRAFTWERK “The Man-Machine”; MARVIN GAYE “Marvin Gaye At The Copa”; MASSIVE ATTACK “Mezzanine”; DIZZEE RASCAL “Boy In Da Corner”; KATE RUSBY “Hourglass”; THE DUKES OF STRATOSFEAR “Psonic Psunspot”; TOM WAITS “Closing Time”; COUNTING CROWS “Recovering The Satellites”

[sissa-arrows]

Adding this article that y’all can and should read.

« Many prominent African American writers and intellectuals who moved to France during the early to mid-20th century also fuelled the myth of French colorblindness. James Baldwin was a notable exception to the rule. Reflecting on his experience in France, he wrote: “I lived mainly among les misérables — and, in Paris, les misérables [were] Algerian.”

Today, the miserable ones, those who find themselves targeted by racism, Islamophobia and police rifles, are still Algerian. »

We are not the only targets but France hates us more than they hate anyone else. In the book La race tue deux fois by Rachida Brahim a woman talk about how when she was around 9 after her uncle was killed during a racist attack in France her father told them « They hate us keep that in mind we kick out the French and now they are taking their revenge » and I will forever believe that this is the reason France hates us so much. It’s their revenge because our grandparents refused to stay colonial subject and took back their land and kicked out the settlers. They refused to stay a settler colony and France make us pay for that.

Coming back on tumblr to say that if you are French and don’t support the protest currently happening in France and if you are more concerned by the breaking of public property and burning of cars than by the death of Nahel, a 17 years French Algerian, you are part of the problem. You are one of the reasons France feels like they have the right to kill our Black and North African little brothers without consequences.

Also to all the people of color who are outside of France supporting us thank you. I know you have good intentions. That being said please stop calling those riot French culture. This is not « French culture » this is children and young adult being fed up by the racism that is part of French culture at this point and the racism that they keep denying. No white people are not massively protesting with our brothers. The people you confuse with white people on the videos are more often than not North Africans and I can assure you that the police and white French people do not confuse us with white people.

[commentsandstuff]

[parkerbombshell]

Rules Free Radio Sept 13

Tuesdays 2pm - 5pm  EST Rules Free Radio With Steve  Caplan bombshellradio.com On the next Rules Free Radio with Steve Caplan, we'll start with a brief musical tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth. Then we'll hear new and recent music from The Orchids, Stereolab, Aofie O’Donovan, Pale Blue Eyes, The Lounge Society, Yungblud, The Downhauls, Al Harlow, Laufey, Andrew Bird, and The Jazz Butcher. There will be a lot of classics and some real “back of the rack” stuff from The Monkees, Patti Smith, The Who, The Bluebells, Robert Palmer, Charles Lloyd, Mel Torme, Rassan Roland Kirk, and a bunch more. We’ll end with a little birthday tribute to a legendary musician who is still with us and recently turned 92, the great Sonny Rollins! So it's another diverse, well-rounded diet starting at 2 on Tuesday afternoon on Bombshellradio.com! The Kinks - The Village Green Preservation Society The Kinks - Waterloo Sunset Kirsty MacColl - Days The Shivas - My Baby Don't The Doughboys - The Atomic Wavelength Transference Device Biff Bang Pow! - Miss California Toothpaste 1972 Animals That Swim - The Moon and The Mothership The Monkees - Love Is Only Sleeping The Orchids - Didn't We Love You The Bluebells - Cath Grace Pool - Stay The Pogues - Tuesday Morning Stereolab - Robot Riot Aoife O'Dononvan - Passengers (Feat. Madison Cunningham) Pale Blue Eyes - Under Northern Sky Patti Smith - So You Want To Be (A Rock 'N' Roll Star) The Lounge Society - Upheaval Yungblud - Sex Not Violence Robert Palmer - Johnny & Mary Al Harlow - Let It Go The Who - Substitute The Downhauls - Convenient Friend Joan Jett & The Blackhearts- AC/DC The Young Hasselhoffs - Quiet Andrew Bird - Underlands Everything But The Girl - I Must Confess Laufey - Falling Behind Dave's True Story - Crazy Eyes Bebel Gilberto - Lonely Mel Torme - Right Now Charles Lloyd - Sombrero Sam Los Zafiros - Bossa Cubana Bernard "Pretty" Purdy - Soul Bossa Nova The Jazz Butcher - Melanie Hargreaves Father's Jaguar Ray Bryant Trio - Well You Needn't The Colorblind James Experience - Solid! Behind The Times Little Walter - Boom, Boom Out Goes the Lights Rahsan Roland Kirk - One Ton Jethro Tull - My Sunday Feeling Sonny Rollins - Way Out West Sonny Rollins - Without A Song Milestone Jazzstars - In a Sentimental Mood Sonny Rollins - St. Thomas Read the full article

[stuhde]

After taking some time off to cry, understand, and speak with myself. I decided to write something out expressing my thoughts and feelings about everything going on in this country. It’s long, powerful, and provactive but I need to get my voice out. Like, comment, share, have discussions with me when i finish my social media cleanse, but I will not stand silent in times of injustice. 

After seeing and reading the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police, I was quick to delete all my social media apps and hide away from the “uwu Black lives matter posts,” the underserving claps white celebrities get from doing the bare minimum, and just witnessing the continuous realities of injustice that take place in this country.

As a first-generation Sudanese American, I was nothing but confused and lost in the midst of a growing movement, particularly George Floyd’s murder hitting home the most because the police who were arresting Floyd was responding to a call from an Arab American-owned store. With intersecting identities of being black, Muslim, and Arab, witnessing the anti-blackness rhetoric spew from my religious and ethnic communities clash with my racial identity stirred tension and fear in what it means to be a black Arab Muslim in this country and what my place is in the Black Lives Matter Movement. I often found myself asking, “what is my duty to the black community?”, “Am I too Arab to be black, or am I too black to be Arab?” And “what is my privilege in identifying as Arab and a non-hijabi Muslim?” Black Arabs like me often experience issues with invisible intersectionality, people often forcing us to “take sides” or strongly reside with one of our identities when it sees fit (refer to how people responded to the Ahmed Mohamed clock incident).

But I have come to the conclusion that my blackness is comprised of being a woman, Muslim, and Arab - not separately and that’s what makes this unique. Black Arabs are often finding themselves at the struggle of fighting against racial injustice because of our skin color and against the xenophobic and Islamaphobic rhetorics that have only increased since the beginning of the Trump campaign. However, you all have a duty not to ignore the experiences of black Muslim immigrants in this country, like Yassin Mohammed - he was murdered by police in Georgia earlier this month. Say his name and remember him.

Yassin like me is a Sudanese American - black, Arab, and Muslim but he wasn’t reported or written as such. The media called him a “Muslim man” and yet, our Muslim community remained silent. Why? Because it only brings to light the deep and historical roots of racism that are instilled in our community and we need to address it. Muslim and Arab Americans have a duty to stand with our black brothers and sisters in times of injustice. They were there for us in supporting Palestinian liberation and with us against the Muslim ban - now it is our turn. Listen to Black Americans and Black civil rights groups about their unique experiences and learn how we can best support our collective struggle against injustice. You have a duty to educate yourself and tackle anti-blackness in our community. As quoted in Surah An-Nisa [4:135], “be persistently standing firm in justice, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives” - support your local CAIR organization and others like the Arab American Action Network and the Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative, who are all standing with the Black Lives Matter movement and doing their best to bring all our communities together to end all forms of racism, discrimination, and injustice.

For my fellow Sudanese, this is our fight too. While we must recognize the centuries-long of cruelty and pain the African-American community has endured since forcefully coming to this country and understanding that their pain is different from ours, we share the same skin and we will go through the same thing they are going through. I can tell you personally, from even the youngest age that I have always been afraid of the police. Why? Because I witnessed the disproportionate amount of cruelty and violence with which people who look like me are treated with.

While our older Sudanese community members will try hard to erase our blackness simply because we have drops of Arab blood, at a tragic reality we have all experienced and witnessed discrimination and racism at the hands of law enforcement. This is hard because we have a complicated relationship with race on the fault line of racial consciousness because our country is on the border between Arab and black Africa. However it is, we are BLACK and we need to have conversations about race in our community. We as Sudanese people are not doing enough to eradicate racism and prejudice that exists in our community as well as our Muslim, Arab, and general US society. The next phase in the revolution is to recognize that these issues exist in our Muslim community, come together with black Americans and African-Americans, and create change to take down these systemic institutions that were never designed to protect black and brown folk.

I will continue to do my social media cleanse, but I welcome those who wish to discuss what my views and opinions are more with me - should you agree or disagree. People who care will know how to reach me. In this time, I am reading, learning, and liberating myself to make a change and I can only ask you to do the same. There are so much power and knowledge invested in books:

How to be an Anti-Racist by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Dr. by Ibram X Kendi and Jason Reynolds

Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Y. Davis (HIGHLY recommend to my Muslim and/or Arab folk)

The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley and Malcolm X

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness Michelle Alexander

A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens by Alice Walker

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson

Resources for my black Muslims, courtesy of my University’s Muslim Student Association:

The Muslim Anti-Racist Collaborative - deconstructing anti-Blackness within the Muslim community Believers Bail Out - re-imagining the prison and police systems through Islamic perspectives Sapelo Square - an online forum that places Black Muslims at the center: Reconstructed Magazine - a creative magazine and conversation space led by Black, Shia, and queer Muslims The Black American Muslim - space for Black American Muslims to share testimonials and resources on faith, history, and power Justice For Muslims Collective - an organization reimagining a world where radical inclusion leads to collective liberation for Muslim communities and beyond Kayla Renée Wheeler, Ph.D. - Islamic Studies Professor who created the BlackIslam syllabus Amina Wadud, Ph.D. - African-American scholar on gender and race in Islam. Learn more about her through her interviews here Su’ad Abdul Khabeer, Ph.D. - Scholar-Artist-Activist & Author of Muslim Cool Islamophobia is Racist Syllabus - resources to understand empire, anti-Muslim racism, and ideology

For my black friends, I hope you are well and I hope you are safe. I am with you all the way through in our fight for liberation and human rights. Take care of yourself first before anyone else and if you need a minute or more before protesting and educating those around you, take your time, you need it. All the love x