By Sarah Kurzweil. Growing up in an affluent New York City suburb with a large Jewish population, I heard the term Jewish American Princess make its way into conversations quite frequently. In the past few years—and especially in light of rising expressions of antisemitism in the United States—I have considered how stereotypes such as the […]
By Angela N. Parker. On January 29th Rochester police handcuffed and pepper sprayed a distressed nine year old Black girl child. Let that sink in. While responding to a domestic call, police pepper-sprayed a child. I am a Black mama. I would be angered and horrified if my child experienced such an assault. I […]
By Stephanie Buckhanon Crowder. As a Black woman has just become the first Black, first woman, first South Asian to occupy the U.S. vice presidency, Black women’s bodies have been on my mind. My own body has been on my mind. I have been thinking about self-care, wellness, and the importance of never negotiating boundaries. […]
By Sharon Jacob. In her seminal essay, “Can the Subaltern Speak?” Gayatri C. Spivak points out that the subaltern cannot speak not because, “the subaltern cannot pronounce words or produce sentences. The subaltern “cannot speak,” instead, because her speech falls short of fully authorized, political speech. Too much gets in the way of her message’s being heard, socially […]
By Midori E. Hartman. November 7th is an important day in United States history for more than one reason. On this same day in 1893, Colorado held a referendum to determine women’s suffrage—the right to vote—becoming the first U.S. state to do so. This would kickstart a domino effect for enfranchisement for women at the […]
By Midori E. Hartman. She wished to find out about this hazardous business of “passing,” this breaking away from all that was familiar and friendly to take one’s chances in another environment, not entirely strange, perhaps, but certainly not friendly. (Nella Larsen, “Passing,” 1929). First there was Rachel Dolezal, then there was Jessica Krug, and […]
Black feminists and other scholars of gender studies have critiqued the whiteness of the Feminist movement, noting how the suffrage movement and second and third wave feminism have often betrayed or overlooked Black and brown women’s needs, rights, and organizations. Feminism has benefited from and participated in White supremacy. Religions have, as well, been complicit […]
FSR supports the #ScholarStrike on September 8th and 9th, a 48 hour period for scholars to take a stand against racism, especially anti-Black racism. For more information, see academeblog.org, InsideHigherEd, and CNN. Additionally, see the American Academy of Religion’s statement and the Keeping it 101 podcast’s reflection on the strike. If you would like to participate in the #ScholarStrike, visit the action’s official […]
By Stephanie Buckhanon Crowder. There is a theology of geography. There is a connection between space and fate. There is something unspoken that connects destiny with places, places with people. Towns and cities do not surface with notoriety. Sometimes the most unexpected places produce the most extraordinary people. Before August 9, 2014, there was little […]
By Oluwatomisin Oredein. The Motivation On June 5th, 2020 I took to Facebook to post a message inspired by the wave of white recognition of racism’s unrelenting evil, especially in light of the murder of George Floyd. En masse, I saw how white people were beginning to feel the world differently. I also recognized that […]