Category: RACE

At Yale with Kristie Dotson and Jason Stanley

One of the most brilliant young philosophers I know is Kristie Dotson. If you don’t believe me google her, make sure you read the ground breaking paper she wrote “How Is this Paper Philosophy?”, or check her out in the Cool Q&A section of this site. She is an epistemologist who is purposed driven and fierce. […]

My Latest Piece at HuffPost: The Police and Their Masculinity Problem

  In this article I examine the role masculinity plays in police brutality and in civilian deaths at the hands of police. It is easy to confuse asserting your humanity and defending your life with asserting and defending your manhood. But it’s necessary to figure out the difference. It’s a matter of life and death. […]

Paper Invite for OUP Handbook of Philosophy and Race

I have been invited to write a paper for Oxford University Press Handbook of Philosophy and Race. My paper will be on the new racism that lurks within the criminal justice system. I’m looking forward to contributing and also reading other articles from my brilliant colleagues. The book is being edited by Naomi Zack. She […]

Presentation on Django and Masculinity

  Recently I had the opportunity to present a paper at the American Society for Aesthetics. The panel I sat on was on Slavery and Cinema. My paper was entitled “Man Up, Man Down: Django Unchained and Black Masculinity.” In the paper, I explore hegemonic masculinity in the Old South and explained how Django, in […]

Critical Philosophy of Race Journal Article

Some comrades and I (Liam Bright, Tina Botts, and & Quayshawn Spencer ) co-wrote an article called “What is the State of Blacks in Philosophy?”. It has been just published in Penn State’s “Critical Philosophy of Race” journal. It’s a piece that gives an empirical look into blacks in the US doing philosophy.  This is the empirical part […]

My SAAP Talk

This past weekend, I attended and presented a paper at the 41st meeting of the Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy in Denver, Colorado. My paper was “Acting Mean: Queering Hegemonic Masculinity through the Cultivation of Virtues.” It’s a shorter version of a larger project I am working on. The audience was gracious and […]

Anita Hill Documentary Trailer

Against a backdrop of sex, politics, and race, ANITA reveals the intimate story of a woman who spoke truth to power. Directed by Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Freida Mock, the film is both a celebration of Anita Hill’s legacy and a rare glimpse into her private life with friends and family, many of whom were by […]

Jennifer Saul and Implicit Bias

On Philosophy Bites, philosopher Jennifer Saul, discusses the range of ways in which we are prone to implicit bias and the philosophical implications of these biases. Jennifer Saul is the executive director of the implicit bias project. To find out more about implicit bias, visit biasproject.org.  Awesome resources there. Take a LISTEN to her interview about […]

Paper Presentation at SSAP

For the last three years, the Society for the Study of Africana Philosophy has been an intimate space for me to grow intellectually and get academic support from black philosophers I respect. So many people have been apart of the group such as Cornel West and Howard McGary. Ive sat there and listened to the […]

My New Article: Why Women Are Not Taken Seriously In Sports Conversations

I have a new article up on HuffPost called “Why Women are Not Taken Seriously In Sports Conversations”. To answer the question, I rely on Miranda Fricker’s concept of “epistemic injustice” and also offer up some solutions to end this type of bias treatment. You can view the full article here. Thanks to FeministPhilosophers.com for […]

Behind Bars: Life Behind Prison Panel (Pics and Audio)

I had the opportunity to participate on a panel about life in prison recently. The event was sponsored by New America NYC and The Atavist. The panel included: GARY RIVLIN: Investigative Reporting Fellow, The Nation Institute SABINE HEINLEIN: Author, Among Murderers: Life After Prison PIPER KERMAN: Author, Orange is the New Black MYISHA CHERRY: Faculty […]

My articles on Privilege and Sex Scandals

I published two articles in the last few days. There is an article up at Salon.com in which I analyze why privilege is so hard to give up. I also have another one at the Huffpost on the reasons we are obsessed with sex scandals. Check, Check, Check it out.

The Different Faces of Rebellion (My New Article)

I have a new article up on the Huffington Post. In it I argue: We should be careful not to dismiss subtle forms of fighting oppression, for they are no less valuable than street fights and mass strikes. Just as there are different types of artists, there are different types of rebels. The sooner we […]

White Rage (My Appearance on HuffPost Live)

I was on HuffPost Live Monday to discuss race, white anger, and white privilege. You can take a peek at the segment below along with Marc Lamont Hill, Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, Joe Walsh, and John Nolte.

106 and Park Trayvon Martin Special Pics

I appeared as a guest on BET 106 and Park Trayvon Martin Special this week. Below are pics. We had an insightful dialogue. Hoping nothing like this happens again and moral & public change soon come.

Paula Deen and Racism: Some Questions

After hearing all the intricacies tied up in the whole Paula Deen Fiasco, my mind didn’t really start thinking about the case deeply until news reported yesterday that the Food Network dropped her. I began to think about some of the same questions Bill Maher raises in the video below. 1. Should one’s livelihood be […]

Do Racists Have A Right To Be Heard?

In the annual Runnymede Race Debate our panel debate the limits of free speech. Speakers: Sunder Katwala, director, British Future; Catherine Fieschi, director, Counterpoint; Nigel Warburton, philosopher and author of Free Speech: A Very Short Introduction; and Kirsty Hughes, chief executive, Index on Censorship

Diversity In Philosophy Conference

Myself along with others Members of The Society of Young Black Philosophers (Quayshawn Spencer and Luvell Anderson) presented at the Diversity In Philosophy Conference on the Status of Blacks in Philosophy. It took place at the University of Dayton in Ohio. Our presentation was well received. I learned so much, met some great people, and […]

Diet Racism

It seems that people are all the rage about the Volkswagen Super Bowl commercial. Some feel that the white imitation of Jamaican dialect is racist. I think I hold Kamau Bell’s view of it here

Foucault and Stop and Frisk

  I recently finished Foucault’s “Discipline and Punish” and I believe I deserve an award. I will not go into detail why that is a victory for someone like myself who loves the analytical tradition of philosophy, universal definitions, and normative claims; I will save that for another post in which I will take time […]

SCOTUS, Kerry Washington, Myths, and Affirmative Action

Yesterday Supreme Court Justices began hearing arguments against and in support of affirmative action as an ethical necessity in achieving the goal of diversity in higher education. While this is not a new issue in public policy or within philosophy (Bernard Boxill & Howard McGary has written great articles about this issue), affirmative action is […]

New Angela Davis Documentary Trailer & Free Essays Too

I love Dr. Angela Davis. As a black, woman philosopher I look up to her. As a human who wants to see change in the world, I admire her. Early this summer we got a peak into her infamous case through the Black Power MixTape, but soon we will see a documentary devoted fully to […]

Attica Uprising Anniversary (Info & Resources)

41 years ago, the Attica Uprising came to an end when Governor Rockefeller (the same governor whose excessive drug laws would increase mass incarceration at astounding rates in NY) ordered State Troopers into the prison to kill and humiliate prisoners and the hostages, thereby ending three days of negotiations. Why many may say that it […]

Prisoner Art For Social Justice

John Jay College of Criminal Justice CUNY (university where I teach), is hosting a wonderful exhibit in their new art gallery called “Prisoner Art For Social Justice”. The exhibit comes from an organization called art for justice, that encourages prisoners to create art as well as promote ways to prevent crime and improve the criminal […]

Intellectuals & Activists To Speak Out Against Prisons 9/14 Harlem, Ny

To Commemorate the 41st Anniversary of the Attica Uprising and to discuss the current state of prisons, mass incarceration, prison industrial complex and more, intellectuals and activists will come together in Harlem this Friday. Come out and Hear Angela Davis, Michelle Alexander, Cornel West, Marc Lamont Hill, and others as they take part in a […]

New York City and Activism

“Every revolution requires its thinkers. Every movement is grounded in a philosophy”- Dr. Anthony Monteiro. The Museum of the City of New York has a wonderful exhibit called “Activist New York”. It is a well informed exhibit that chronologically takes a look at activism since New York City’s inception. It begins with the Quakers fight […]

Black People And Atheism

No one group is monolithic. That is why I think videos like this are important because they demythologized misconceptions we have about cultures. Usually when we think about people of faith, Blacks some to mind. I will let the Anthropologists explain the myriad of reasons but for one, faith for Blacks, particularly in America, have […]

Race and Gender In The Philosophy Field: A Free Collection of Essays

Hypatia has just released a free online collection of essays that focuses on gender and race issues in the field of philosophy. The Purpose of the collection is to … bring together essays published by Hypatia over a twenty year timespan that address the question of women’s place in the profession of philosophy. It includes […]

Scientific Case Against Racism

Throughout the centuries, people have found justification for the mistreatment of others by pointing to the differences among each other. The point is that if what justifies equality and proper treatment is humanness and rationality, that to deny someone of such mistreatment is to deny their humanness. Therefore, those of the past justified slavery with […]

Do I Look Suspicious and Other Essays On The Trayvon Martin Case

The above video is a PSA of sorts created by my alma mater Howard University. The students are a part of the Students For Justice Organization on campus and here they focus on addressing the erroneous stereotyping of black males in the United States. As one gentlemen shares, he is a graduate of the school […]