I'm furious about an editorial piece in a Toronto newspaper with an inflammatory headline asking why racism against Indigenous people isn't getting more attention. The editors cite that there has been more reporting on anti-Black racism, and that's the most divisive thing I've heard during the uprising. I'm not adding a link to this... Continue Reading →
In Plain Sight: Octavia E. Butler and Black Futures
Octavia E. Butler’s birthday was on June 22, 1947. She is the mother of black futures and would have been 73 years old this year. Her worlds explored Black people and situations where race, sexuality, and hierarchy determined the fates of her characters. She never sugar-coated scenarios, often bringing the worst of human nature to... Continue Reading →
In Plain Sight: The Girl with All the Gifts
The zombie genre has been played out and regurgitated for a long time now, leaving horror fans jaded and looking for a new angle. In 2014, Mike Carey (as M.R. Carey) wrote The Girl with All the Gifts, a book about a zombie plague instigated by a fungus. In 2016, he wrote the screenplay for... Continue Reading →
In Plain Sight: Brown Girl Begins
Afrofuturism is a term coined by cultural critic Mark Dery, but I tend to lean towards writer and filmmaker Ytasha Womack’s definition which states: “Whether through literature, visual arts, music, or grassroots organizing, Afrofuturists redefine culture and notions of blackness for today and the future. Both an artistic aesthetic and a framework for critical theory,... Continue Reading →