Spectra Speaks
I often get requests for practical day-to-day advice for caring for oneself as an activist. It’s prompted me to reflect on what it means for activists to really practice self care… not just as some fluffy theoretical concept reserved for the those who can afford fancy yoga retreats, but as an accessible set of principles, applied consistently towards a healthy, sustainable lifestyle.
I’ve been mulling over the gay zulu wedding fiasco over the past few weeks. I was excited to see it, but something left me unsettled. Here are my thoughts, inspired by a TEDTalk by one of my favorite writers, Chimamanda Adichie, “The Danger of a Single Story.”
Last year, I attended a conference about Africa’s development. In a session about African identity, we explored the question of whether one could claim to be African without being fluent in their mother tongue. Some said yes. But many said no. For this, I blame colonialism… and Sesame Street.
When I woke up to International Women’s Day celebrations today, the first thing on my mind wasn’t politics, but the personal connections I didn’t know I would forfeit the minute I stopped wearing skirts, traded in my long hair for a frohawk, and fell in love with a woman. In light of international women’s day, I can’t help but note how often my masculinity is used to exclude me from accessing the same sisterhood that nurtured my unwavery dedication to every woman’s empowerment.
I was invited by a Caribbean feminist collective to participate as a virtual guest in their Audre Lorde appreciation event this past weekend. After weeks of fighting a winter slump, I ended my Skype session feeling nourished and optimistic, which has prompted some reflecting on the power of sister circles, even when they’re only experienced virtually.
Award-winning Namibian indie soul artist, Shishani, has just released the music video for her latest single, “Minority”, a catchy, upbeat, acoustic track that calls for freedom and equality for all people despite perceived differences. She recently sat down with me to chat about her rise to stardom, her thoughts on music in movements, and why she’s putting everything on the line now.
Rather than the prophetic force he’s been eulogized to be, imagine Martin Luther King Jr. as just another man walking down the street, or sitting at a bus stop looking down at his knees, pensive… wondering whether or not he was doing the right thing. Imagine him as human, so that we may walk in his footsteps, and view ourselves, too, as extraordinary.
This is my last post for 2012. I’ve been back in the states for almost two weeks, struggling with what words to send you in closing of my Africans for Africa new media training project. I’ve started about a dozen posts and letters, and have scrapped them each time. But I’ve settled for this stream of consciousness, this simple offering of gratitude. Thank you, for now, will have to do.
As a follow up to my last piece about how media can help facilitate “coming out” or facilitating important conversations about sexuality over the holidays, I’ve compiled a list 10 of my picks for books, film, and music created by queer people of color that would make excellent gifts! If you’re an ally who’s interested in learning more about the diverse landscape of LGBT (people of color), this list is a great starting point for you too. Enjoy.
As a group that is routinely judged, shunned, and fighting for acceptance, we as LGBTI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex) people are often pigeon-holed into playing the role of educator to the people that inflict the most pain on us, our friends and family. But it doesn’t always have to be that way. Give the gift of media, and absolve yourself of being the “go-to LGBT person” for the Holidays.
About Me
Meet Spectra: Queer Nigerian Afrofeminist Writer and Media Activist. Social Entrepreneur Nurturing Principled Diaspora and Women's Philanthropy in Media and Tech. Self-Care and Self-Love Evangelist. Idealist Warrior Woman. Big Dreamer. Big Thinker. Big Doer, Too.
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