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From Jena to Tahrir: Online Activism in the Age of Social Media and Public Intellectuals

By Dr. Goddess Apr 09, 2012
From Jena to Tahrir: Online Activism in the Age of Social Media and Public Intellectuals This weekend, I had the great honor of being invited to present at “Black Thought 2.0: New Media and the Future of Black Studies” at Duke University, hosted by the African and African American Studies Department, in the John Hope Franklin Center and curated by the inestimable Dr. Mark Anthony Neal (@NewBlackMan). Deep, right? Well, it got even deeper because the stellar array of panelists Dr. Neal curated was simply fabulous and an embarrassment of riches. Prior to the conference, Dr. Neal and I (the Dr. Kimberly C. Ellis side) did an interview on NPR for “The State of Things,” discussing the State of Black Studies and what to expect from Black Thought 2.0. You can listen here while you visit Dr. Neal’s site. I am still processing Black Thought 2.0 but, for now, here are the full array and collection of...
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Black Thought 2.0 Launches at Duke University with S. Craig Watkins

By Dr. Goddess Apr 06, 2012
Black Thought 2.0 Launches at Duke University with S. Craig Watkins Black Thought 2.0 was curated by Dr. Mark Anthony Neal (@NewBlackMan) via Duke University’s AAAS Program, the John Hope Franklin Center and More! It features @LeftOfBlack, @SCraigWatkins, @ProfBlmkelley, @SandyDarity, @ImaniPerry, @DrGoddess, @Jasiri_X and more! I’ll be giving a presentation on Online Activism in the 21st Century with the homie, Jasiri X and others. We hope you will all tune in or review later! I love the idea of Black Thought, love being a scholar of Africana Studies and a Social Media Guru. It’s Everything! This Chirpstory shows the precursor to the conference and the tweets from S. Craig Watkins keynote:   Did you like this? Share...
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On Being Natural and Black: An Open Letter to Wendy Williams

By Dr. Goddess Mar 03, 2012
On Being Natural and Black: An Open Letter to Wendy Williams Dear Wendy Williams, I’m days late with this and, in the Twitter world, nearly a year late but the Goddess Sekhmet is seething and I have to let you know what is on her (i.e. my) mind. Warrior Goddess Sekhmet h/t Sodahead.com I just caught wind of what you said about Viola Davis wearing her hair natural on the red carpet for the Oscars and such (thanks to Madame Noire and MzPaparazzi for the photo!). Apparently, you thought she looked “like room 222″ (i.e. like a man) and did not like her style. So, you felt the need to open your ignorant, self-hating mouth and express yourself. Did you REALLY say that natural hair is “not formal?” I’m aware you spend most of your time putting other people down, Wendy. And I’m aware that the reason why you even have a career is...
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Too Short, XXL Magazine and Mama’s Gun

By Dr. Goddess Feb 24, 2012
Too Short, XXL Magazine and Mama's Gun His Arms Are Too Short to Box with Goddesses and the Men Who Love Them Once upon a time, a 45 year old “dirty rapper” named Too Short was being interviewed by XXL Magazine and asked to give advice to boys on getting a girl (to put it mildly), particularly after their tired attempts at “trying to get kisses” from them. So, he encouraged boys to push a girl up against the wall, put saliva on his finger and his hand down her pants and to “watch what happens.” Alright. So, there goes the wonderful first kiss, first touch, first song to capture the moment like in Stevie Wonder’s “Ribbon in the Sky” where he sings, “If allowed, may I touch your hand? And if pleased, may I, once again? So that you, too, will understand, there’s a ribbon in the sky for our love…,”and...
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A Black Woman’s Life of the Mind is Her Own: The Ebony Article, The Mad Free Event & the Twitter Debate on Melissa Harris-Perry

By Dr. Goddess Feb 17, 2012
A Black Woman's Life of the Mind is Her Own: The Ebony Article, The Mad Free Event & the Twitter Debate on Melissa Harris-Perry Tune In on MSNBC! I wrote the article entitled, “A Black Woman’s Life of the Mind is Her Own” for Ebony.com and received a great deal of feedback. Thankfully, it was published on the same day that Dr. Melissa Harris-Perry engaged in a “Mad Free” curated event at the Brooklyn Museum by Michaela Angela Davis. Further, it was but one day prior to the debut of “Melissa Harris-Perry,” her new show on MSNBC. The synergy led to a discussion on Twitter about the Ebony article, the live-tweeting of the #MadFree event at the Brooklyn Museum, a post-event discussion and a focused debate between myself (@DrGoddess) and Dr. Imani Perry (@ImaniPerry), a Princeton professor and a noted protege’ of Dr. Cornel West, as well as a scholar-activist in her own right. Observe the discussion and...
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Twitter Celebrates Zora Neale Hurston’s Birthday with Zeal

By Dr. Goddess Jan 08, 2012
Twitter Celebrates Zora Neale Hurston's Birthday with Zeal @InnyVinny's Zora Brown Twitterbird “I love myself when I am laughing, and then again when I am looking mean and impressive.” — Zora Neale Hurston Anthropologist, Writer, Novelist, Storyteller, Playwright, Dancer, Southerner Extraordinaire, Zora Neale Hurston, was born on January 7, 1891. She was a phenomenal woman, a renaissance woman, a fierce woman, artist and human being. So, naturally, Twitter celebrated her birthday with glee. Enjoy… America's First Incorporated Black Town, Where Zora Grew Up Did you like this? Share...
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Meet Black Pete, Dutch Santa’s Helper

By Dr. Goddess Dec 20, 2011
Meet Black Pete, Dutch Santa's Helper Greetings Everyone, I’m reprinting an article from a colleague because we both used to write or Africana.com, it was sold to AOL Black Voices and, well, our articles disappeared. But it’s Christmas time and you’ll see that understanding the Dutch, Sinterklaas and Black Pete will be well worth your time. History is important, especially when the Dutch get all ahistorical (see: Rihanna Gives Heat to Jackie Magazine for Their Racist Dutch Oven). Past Imperfect: Santa’s Road Dawg http://www.africana.com/columns/cobb/ht20031222xmas.asp By William Jelani Cobb Waaay before Lethal Weapon, 48 Hours or Huckleberry Finn, Santa Claus was working the interracial buddy theme. Generations of American children have been raised with the legend of a cherubic white guy who employs vertically-challenged, non-union labor to...
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Are People of Color Occupying Wallstreet?

By Dr. Goddess Nov 30, 2011
REUTERS / Mike Segar - Occupy Minnesota   Are People of Color Participating in Occupy Wallstreet or any of the Occupy Movements around North America, in particular? A series of focused discussions on the role of people of color engaged in #OccupyWallstreet are captured here on Twitter. Lots of great ideas, questions and even solutions are provided. They’re only related by topic. Not all of the persons involved were even tweeting to the others. Just keep that in mind as you read the Twitter feed. What do you think? What would help you become more involved in the Occupy Movement? How would you like to see it evolve in the future? Did you like this? Share...