regularly getting tags like this on my posts about horrific abuses wrt detentions and deportations by the trump administration and just to be clear. you are all baby brained. do you think every single one of the thousands of jackbooted thugs in dhs and ice were hired in the last 3 months. do you think nothing the democrats did had anything to do with leading us here. the road to hell is paved with lesser evils
obama 2010
obama 2011
obama 2012
obama 2014
obama 2015
2018 report on CBP under obama between 2009-2014
obama 2016 before the first trump presidency
biden 2024
report released in 2024 documenting louisiana ICE detention centers under biden 2022-2024, same ones currently being used to disappear migrants and pro-palestine political dissidents by the trump admin now:
everything in this post i made 8 months ago about biden & harris admin policies and harris's proposed policies during her campaign when she bragged that she would be tougher on the border than trump. of course you cannot beat trump at this but the fact is she tried to claim that she did as vp and would as president in order to court centrists and moderate republicans, like many democrats last cycle she ran by trying to outflank republicans on the right and in doing so moved the overton window so far that you had liberals happily cheering for border police on stage at the dnc. if you refuse to acknowledge that that is in any way connected to what is happening right now? that democrats also condemning student activists because of their defense of palestine and calling militarized police in to brutalize them for over a year was a direct line to this? that the fact of the palestine exception causing democratic leadership to fail abysmally to respond to early abductions by the trump admin bc they agreed with those disappearances ideologically just at most not in procedure is the very reason those activists were among the first most high profile targets? there's a reason fascists target those people first! because you will blink when it's time to defend them! it's in the fucking poem!! my god
Sarazanmai Anthology promotional art by Migi
“i’m afraid of heights!!”
“just don’t look down”
why is vld lnc so...ew abt hunk’s stomach issues but in bkg he’s actually considerate/reasonable
In honor of BHM, we've compiled a list of some of our top favorite reads (thus far) that are either by Black diaspora authors and/or the main character is Black. Feel free to add your own to this list!
---
For my recommendations, I've focused on escapism and/or black woman romances only, because we all can use a bit of joy. These are adult reads by Black authors.
The King’s Seer (series) by L.S. Bethel | Genre: Feudal, Fantasy, Romance, Alt World, BWAM (Hero is Korean-Coded) | Link (My new favorite series)
Voices and Visions by Lashell Collins (Touched Series) | Genre: Mystery, Psychic Detective, Romance, BWWM | TW: Escape from off-screen domestic violence, murder | Link (Love this series so far!)
Taken to Voraxia (Xiveri Mates Series) by Elizabeth Stephens | Genre: Sci-Fi Romance, Fantasy (BWAlien &Alien) Coded race | TW: Kidnapped bride | Link
Taken to Nobu (Xiveri Mates Series) by Elizabeth Stephens | Genre: Sci-Fi Romance, Fantasy (BW&Alien) | TW: Kidnapped bride | Link
Unfrozen by Regine Abel | Genre: Paranormal Romance, Sci-Fi BW&Alien/Monster | TW: Torture, experiments (briefly at beginning) Link
I Married a Naga (Prime Mating Agency, #2) by Regine Abel | Genre: Sci-Fi Romance, Marriage of Convenience BW&Alien/Monster | Link
Rescued by Her Relic by Paulina Woods | Genre: Sci-Fi Romance, BW&Alien/Cyborg, Apocalypse | Link
The Alpha Promise by Hayat Ali | Genre: Paranormal Romance, Vampires, BWAM | Link
Deena's Deception by G.S. Carr | Genre: Western, Historical Romance, Mail-order Bride, BWWM | Link
Chosen by Tiffany Patterson | Genre: Paranormal Romance, Shapeshifters, BWIM (Indigenous hero) | Link
Honorable mentions at the top of my to-read list
Death at a Seance by Carolyn Marie Wilkins | Link
Conjure Women by Afia Atakora | Link
The Gatekeeper by K. Alex Walker | Link
A mix of fictional narratives, memoir, and politics/culture. All adult reads.
The Splinter in the Sky by Kemi Ashing-Giwa | Genre: Sci-Fi, Romance | Link
*Kindred by Octavia Butler | Genre: Sci Fi | Link (*Triple recommended by multiple mods!)
Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby | Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense | Link
Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosely | Genre: Mystery | Link
Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor | Genre: Mixed/Meta | Link
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates | Genre: Bio & Memoir | Link
Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon | Genre: Memoir | Link
Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women that a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall | Genre: Politics, Society & Current Affairs | Link
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander | Genre: Politics, Society & Current Affairs | Link
If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin | Genre: Fantasy, Romance | Link
They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib | Genre: Nonfiction, Essay Collection | Link
Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree by Adaoabi Tricia Nwaubani | Genre: Young Adult Realistic Fiction | CW: violence and sexual assault | Link
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo | Genre: Young Adult Realistic Fiction | Link
Copper Sun by Sharon Draper | Young Adult Historical Fiction | CW sexual assault and slavery| Link
After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson | Young Adult Realistic Fiction | book deals with racism, incarceration, and the foster system | Link
The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste | Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult (violence against activists) | Link
Each of Us A Desert by Mark Oshiro| Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy | Link
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas| Genre: Young Adult, Realistic (racial profiling, Black Lives Matter) | Link
Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy by Angie Thomas| Genre: Fantasy | Link
Krik? Krak! by Edwidge Danticat| Genre: Short Stories (violence in Haiti) | Link
Monster by Walter Dean Myers | Genre: Young Adult (racial profiling) | Link
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler | Genre: Sci Fi (tw for apocalyptic climate conditions)| Link
Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler | Genre: Sci Fi (tw for apocalyptic climate conditions)| Link
This is a two-part series taking place in a sometimes uncomfortably realistic near-future climate apocalypse. Lauren Olamina is a young woman with a hyperempathy disorder who is determined not only to survive, but to make sure her loved ones, her greater community, and humanity as a whole survive as well. To do this, she will have to found a settlement and a religion.
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin | Genre: Fantasy | Link
I’m still in the middle of reading this one, but it’s already a compelling and suspenseful story of dynastic succession and powerful but unpredictable magical beings. Don’t spoil it for me!
Raybearer duology by Jordan Ifueko | Genre: Fantasy, YA | Link
The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson | Genre: Gothic/Horror, Fantasy | Link
James by Percival Everett | Genre: Historical, Literary | Link
Daughter of the Merciful Deep by Leslye Penelope | Genre: Fantasy, YA | Link
The Kingston Cycle by C.L. Polk | Genre: Historical, Fantasy | Link
The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk | Genre: Historical, Fantasy | Link
We recommend buying your books at your local bookshop (esp. BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ friendly spots) when you can, smaller online bookstores or checking them out at your local library (the Libby app is great for ebooks and audiobooks) or of course at the author's first preference. Also: if a store doesn't have a book, sometimes they can order it for you.
As for online book trackers, The StoryGraph is Black-woman founded!
Happy reading!
~WWC
@e-p-hart responded to this post:
What I'm hearing is that you want to know how to confront racism in fandom without hurting the feelings of predominantly white women who participate in patterns that negatively impact fans of color (especially Black fans, since MANY of the patterns involve antiblackness).
The answer to that is that you can't. There's no easy way to confront these patterns in fandom (or education, or tech, etc etc -- you're correct that racism isn't only a Kylo/Rey shipper issue, but there is a reason Kylo/Rey is being talked about regarding antiblackness in fandom) without people getting their feelings hurt. But here's the thing: these patterns have been harming people in the fandom for a long time. One of the major facets of the racial empathy gap is that the hurt feelings of white people matter more than harm done to Black people, unless those Black people agree with them. And that otherization of Black people talking about antiblackness causes more hurt, widens the gap, and causes intracommunal discord.
When we talk about racism in fandom, it's not about individuals being inherently bad people. Of course racism is bad, but that bad/good dichotomy is harmful, because it ignores that a lot of racism is socially acceptable. It's socially acceptable to shut down people of color when we talk about racism. It's socially acceptable to say "not all white people" as if the fact that exceptions exist reduces the actual harm caused by things like the empathy gap and otherization, which are also socially acceptable. Focusing on the exceptions and calling it a day does nothing to work against racism, and in fact allows it to flourish.
Why are people talking about Kylo and Rey shippers and racism? Because there has been a long pattern of erasing, demeaning and demonizing both Finn and John Boyega, which culminated into a clapback from Boyega himself. We've seen a steady Black Brute narrative attached to Boyega over the past few weeks where it has been suggested that he is a threat to Daisy Ridley and more broadly to "woman fans." Understand that is a very dangerous narrative that has caused harm and even death to Black men. Even if they don't know they're doing it, it's harmful. And yes, Kylo and Rey shippers are doing this, including influential women in the media. R/K shippers have also recently tried to aggressively silence a Black scholar who talks about racism in fandom. (I was directly involved in this incident and it is well documented).
Certainly, all R/K shippers aren't doing this, but the ones doing it are R/K shippers. You said you doubt women of color in fandom have gotten more racism from R/K shippers than anyone else. I urge you to listen to Black women who talk about antiblackness in fandom. Speaking for myself, your doubts are wrong, and I've been in various online fandoms since the '90s. I've never had smear campaigns against me from any other ship. I've never been harassed by a Kylo/Hux shipper, and it's also a ship that focuses on white characters. In fact, I get along with a lot of Kylo/Hux shippers and am mutuals with some, even though I've criticized patterns in white slash shipping. I get along with Kylo Ren fans (villain fans and self shippers). I get along with Finn/Poe shippers even though I've said I think Finn/Rey was set up in TFA and have criticized racist FinnPoe fics. But to Kylo/Rey shippers, I'm a demon who needs to be taken down. Believe me when I say they've tried.
stryfewood week day 6: memorial
belated because of stress and working on two comprehensive souharu meta posts but i digress from shameless self-promotions
SouHaru Week | Day 3: AU
sci-fi stardust au, where humans and fallen stars co-pilot huge, ancient mechas to protect galactic kingdoms. imagine haru flipping his hair in sousuke's face, sousuke spluttering and sneezing out stardust
haru shrugs, "it's what stars do."
Can't wait for the uniqueness of the holocaust to be a topic of importance in a political campaign in america in 2024. That's how it should be. That's normal
it is so fucking exhausting and annoying how white women, including and maybe even especially in progressive and leftist spaces, continue acting like they are not themselves still beneficiaries of tremendous privilege simply because they endure sexist or misogynistic discrimination. being a woman does not excuse the fact that you are still white and you still reap the benefits of being white! you do not get to "but sexism!" your way out of being held accountable for saying and doing racist shit!
mideum. an archive for my meta posts and critiques. formerly/notoriously known as alphaunni lmao
237 posts