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African Arts
Author Archives: Cheryl_McCourtie
Why I Refuse to Watch the Footage of Tyre Nichols

I made the decision not to view the tape of Tyre Nichols being beaten by police officers. A brutalized Black body as ratings and click bait for the infotainment complex and for those immune to violence is not entertaining toRead the Rest »
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Tony from Santorini and Other Notes on a Trip to Greece

This past summer I was on Kamari beach in Santorini, Greece, with two friends, one old and one new. We were New Yorkers seeking respite from our city, our state and even our country when I met Tony. He, a BlackRead the Rest »
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New Yorkers Must Pry Our State Out of the Reach of Seditionist Lee Zeldin

New Yorkers, you’re kidding me now! Liar and seditionist Lee Zeldin is within striking distance of our state’s highest office? How did this happen? Democrats are two to one Republican in New York. So, is it apathy, the idea thatRead the Rest »
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Jamaica Farewell: A Jamerican Reflects on the Outsourcing of the Island

On my recent trip to Jamaica from New York, I was surprised by how much—or perhaps how much more—of the island has been sold to foreign interests since my last visit several years ago. Outsourcing is a global issue, butRead the Rest »
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Scattered Reflections on Queen Elizabeth II, Monarchies and Colonial Legacies

. At a 1982 screening of the movie Gandhi, the contradictions faced by people of color raised under colonial rule were all too evident. During a scene where Indians stage a lie-in to protest the British, and soldiers from the CrownRead the Rest »
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Liz Cheney is No Heroine of Mine

Liz Cheney is no heroine of mine. She, like many loud and proud non-POC Republican politicians, live their lives in the in-between, where political stances, Christianity and integrity can be parsed. Cheney allowed herself to be primaried by calling outRead the Rest »
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Interviewing While Black

On the day the Challenger blew up in 1986 I was drafted from my position as editorial assistant at McCall’s magazine to fill in for the executive editor’s secretary. I was told that the boss’s secretary was out sick, andRead the Rest »
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Why I Despise Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” Speech

I have a dream that I will never hear that damned “I Have a Dream” speech ever again. I hate the namby-pamby sentiments in the “content of the character” line that is misappropriated every year on Dr. King’s birthday byRead the Rest »
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Reflections on America’s First Attempted Coup

I was aroused from a rare deep sleep this morning to the nightmare that I was lying on railroad tracks and couldn’t get up. A kind man tried to help me as the train barrelled toward me and my wholeRead the Rest »
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Colin in Black and White is Must-See TV

Colin Kaepernick had died a death from a thousand microaggressions long before he took the knee in 2016. Destined to become a legendary quarterback, Kaepernick’s career stalled once he protested police brutality and injustice while playing for the San FranciscoRead the Rest »
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