My first thought after I finished watching Lizzo’s People’s Champion Award speech was “I need to follow all these people on social media.” And my next thought was, “Other people should too.”
Tag: racism
Choosing Violence: On Allyship and the Legacy of John Brown
Something that hasn’t been explored a lot on this blog is historical figures in the social justice world. There is a lot to be learned in the accomplishments of activists of the past, as well as in the present day reactions to these activists’ legacy. Denny Upkins is back with a look at the historical figure John Brown and the importance of facing oppression head-on, without compromise. CN: Detailed discussion of racial violence and discrimination, …Read More
Why Understanding Abuse & Trauma is Necessary for Social Justice Work
The focus of Yopp has always been to discuss all things related to social justice and civil rights. But another important topic that emerged fairly early on was issues related to abuse and trauma. Without much thought, we started writing a number of articles specifically about the experience of being abused, the aftermath, what recovery looks like, etc. We never really considered that the connection between abuse and trauma, and social justice may not be obvious to everyone. It occurred to us that it might be valuable to spell out these connections in article form.
The Practice of Allyship
This blog post was originally published as a subscriber-only article entitled “Yopp’s Guide to Being an Awesome Ally,” at the beginning of January 2020. I decided to share it more widely because it was such valuable information and I also updated it as my opinions and understanding of allyship had shifted over the years.
A Tale to Tell: A Cherie Priest Tribute
Just a few months ago I re-published my article, “Creating Social Change One Person at a Time,” in which I talked about how the impact you have on individual people around you can, in itself, be a form of social activism. Denny Upkins is back to demonstrate exactly how this phenomenon can happen and the ripple effect it can create in his tribute to Cherie Preist.
Stonewalled: That Time I Fought the Law and the Law Lost
One of our favorite re-occurring guest-writers, Denny Upkins, is back with this amusing and empowering tale to remind everyone fighting the impacts of marginalization to share and celebrate our wins.
So, You Want to Write an Article for Yopp
No single person can express the experience of every form of marginalization, which is why we rely on guest writers from a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives to ensure that we represent as many perspectives as possible. These are the guidelines for how to submit your story.
It’s Time to Learn About Anti-Asian Hate
Soon after the Atlanta shootings in which mostly Asian women were targeted, activist and entertainer Eugene Lee Yang released a documentary entitled, “We Need To Talk About Anti-Asian Hate.” I recommend you go watch it.
We Hold These Truths of the Black Experience To Be Self Evident
White Supremacy is so insidious that even if you’ve spent years working to eliminate anti-black beliefs from your subconscious, there will always be more hiding under the false pretense of reason and logic. Denny Upkins is here to keep us on our toes, make sure we check our biases at the door, and to direct us toward the beliefs we should actively be trying to incorporate into our understanding of the black experience, instead.
Western Media and their Continually Racist Depictions of Africa
Thandiwe breaks down some of the ways racist depictions of Africa plays out in current events and the hand the media has in perpetuating them.