The Heavy Burden of Equity: Black Women’s Struggle for Safe Spaces and Mental Health
What happens when the work meant to create safer spaces for people who look like you is also the work that is slowly destroying your mental health? This is a question that I and so many other Black women who do equity, diversity, and inclusion work have had to ask ourselves. It is the constant…
From Fat to Thin: Navigating Society’s Weighty Expectations and the Struggle to Reclaim Humanity
Fat. It’s a term that usually causes fear in the hearts of those who don’t use it as a self-descriptor. All through the pandemic I watched and listened as friends, family and randoms on social media cried out over how terrifying it was that they were gaining weight, that they could *in shock and horror,*…
Dear Black Americans, Canada isn’t the Black haven you think it is.
“… I know the difference between a patriot and a n*gger.” That is how someone ended an email sent to Canadian singer Jully Black. It was in response to her changing a simple word while singing the Canadian national anthem at the NBA All-Star Weekend in Utah last month. This type of language may be…
Miss Anti-Blackness: Kent Monkman and Black Imagery
On May 16th Cree and Two Spirit artist Kent Monkman publicly released the imagery for his new painting “Hanky Panky.” Set in a lodge, brightly lit by a smoke hole in the roof, his alter ego, Miss Chief Eagle Testickle is surrounded by smiling Indigenous womxn and Two Spirit folks. One might ask why this…
Queer Masqueraders; We’re on the road too
I grew up being told that as a Black West Indian woman, Carnival was completely and utterly for me. That my ancestors fought long and hard for my ability to be myself as a Black woman. And carnival was how we celebrated that. Nothing held more truth than this for me for most of my…
I’m Queer And Indigenous, I’m NOT Two Spirit
*Disclaimer* This is my personal understanding and relationship with the term Two-Spirit as shared through Anishinaabe teachings. This is not to negate anyones choice to use the term to reclaim identity NOR should it be used to invalidate, erase or shame Indigenous peoples use of the word. *This article has been edited to reflect more…
When Daughters Have to Be Strong for Their Mothers.
*Disclaimer* This piece is not in relation to shouldering of responsibility by children nor toxic or abusive relationships between daughters and their mothers. I knew I had to write about this the second the idea popped into my head, and yet still it feels like a betrayal to write about it. I can start off…
Not Beyoncé’s Version of Crazy In Love…
I recently was having a conversation with a friend about what it meant to date people with mental health issues. She disclosed to me that she wasn’t comfortable with dating someone who was dealing with mental health issues and mood swings. Now before you get upset and decide to jump down her throat she had…
Preferences
Preference. It’s peoples favourite word to use when they’re trying to explain why they won’t date someone of a certain race or gender. Most use it to explain away their transphobia or anti-Black racism. The dating world is full of preferences and the queer community is not exempt from this as in many ways we…
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Nutmeg and Sage 