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In The Field: Resolving the Kaepernick-Carter Contradiction
Shawn Carter, better known as Jay-Z, is a load-bearing figure for the Black excellence assimilationist imaginary, and Kaepernick's protest was a major moment and saga for Black politics of this century. They've been at odds for years, and that conflict seems to be coming to a head.
raven e. freeborn on birth work amid the fifth anniversary of the Texas Abortion Ban
September 1, 2026, marked the fifth anniversary of Texas Senate Bill 8 (SB 8), also known as the Texas Heartbeat Act, effectively banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. Since SB 8 went into effect in 2021, maternal deaths in Texas have increased by 56 percent, sepsis rates have risen by 50 percent, and infant…
Erasing me (and my people) from the curriculum
Wisdom from the old heads in the community and family steadily reminded me that white folks are always listening and assessing. Or, as Fanon reminded me, "The black man who quotes Montesquieu must be watched."
Black politics needs more than better voting maps
We are not claiming that voting isn't important, or downplaying the fact that Republicans are racially motivated in their redistricting plans for Congress, state legislatures, and local governments. That is obvious.
The "War on Terror" Playbook: How Islamophobia Supports White Christian Nationalism's Assault on Reproductive Freedom
This September marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and the beginning of an era defined by an Islamophobia-fueled expansion of U.S. militarism. With each year comes more reflection and analysis on the legacy of endless wars of aggression in Muslim-majority nations across Asia and Africa–and the staggering human toll they have exacted. An…
A Texas-Sized Data Gap: How Anti-Abortion and Anti-Trans Politics Threaten Birth Justice
Anti-abortion and anti-trans legislation are not separate assaults; they are two fronts of the same war, waged by a state that does not care who lives or dies, only that its vision of personhood goes unchallenged.