the kizzy

Let’s talk about what fat people mean when they say an article of clothing “fits”.

I acknowledge that who qualifies as “fat” or “thin” is often contextual. For the purposes of this discussion, I’m defining “fat” as someone my size or larger. I’m speaking from my own experience, and while it’s certainly debatable whether people smaller than me should be considered “fat” depending on how big they are, I think we could all agree that someone my size or larger is definitely in the “fat” category.

My size: 5'7" height, 300lbs weight, clothing size 20 to 24 depending on the brand. Bust 49", waist 47", hips 56"

I am clarifying this because I have noticed that thin people think I mean something very different by “can’t find clothes that fit”.

When I and other fat people say “I can’t find clothes that fit” we do NOT mean:

1. I can’t find clothes that fit snugly/loosely according to my preference.

2. I can’t find clothes in my preferred style/color.

What I and other fat people DO mean when we say “I can’t find clothes that fit me”:

1. I literally cannot cover my body with any item of clothing for sale in most mainstream clothing stores. The majority of department stores only carry up to a size 18 at most, but a good amount of them only carry clothing up to size 14. When something “doesn’t fit” I cannot button/zip/fasten it, I often can’t even pull any of the pants available over my knee, shirts won’t go over my head, no matter how I stretch, struggle, or “let out the seams”. It’s like trying to put an infant’s onesie on a 12 year old, there is no way it will work.

2. If I DO manage to find an item of clothing I can physically get over my body in a department store, it usually is so tight it causes me literal injury; if I wear it for longer than 20 minutes, it will leave welts, rashes, even cuts.

3. If I hit the jackpot and find an article of clothing that covers my body without causing injury, most times it is incredibly expensive (think $30 for a tshirt), low quality (fabric rips and fades after wearing it 3 times), ugly/inappropriate (horrible mumus in bright orange paisley, dated floral print with shoulder pads, unfitted to the point that pants will fall to the floor and necklines will shift slowly down past my navel) or all of the above.

Let’s not forget about these trailblazing women this Black History Month.

Shirley Chisolm (1924–2005)

Chisolm broke major barriers when she became the first black congresswoman in 1968. She continued on her political track when she ran for president four years later, making her the first major-party black candidate to run.

Claudette Colvin (1939-)

Several months before Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat on a bus, Colvin was the FIRST person arrested for resisting bus segregation in Montgomery, Alabama, at the age of 15.

Septima Poinsette Clark (1898–1987) 

Clark was an educator and civil rights activist who established citizenship schools that helped many African Americans register to vote. Regarded as a pioneer in grassroots citizenship education, she was active with the NAACP in getting more black teachers hired in the South.

Mary Church Terrell (1863–1954)

This women’s suffrage activist and journalist was the first president of the National Association of Colored Women and a charter member of the NAACP. She was also one of the first African American women to be awarded a college degree.

Angela Davis (1944-)

Davis is an American revolutionary and educator. The former Black Panther has fought for race, class and gender equality over the years.

Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1862-1931)

Wells helped bring international attention to the horrors of lynching in the South with her investigative journalism. She was also elected as the Secretary of the Colored Press Association in 1889.

Kathleen Cleaver (1945-)

Kathleen Cleaver is one of the central figures in Black Panther history. She was the first communications secretary for the organization and is currently a law professor at Emory University. She also helped found the Human Rights Research Fund.

Dr. Dorothy Height (1912-2010)

Dr. Height was regarded by President Barack Obama as “the godmother of the Civil Rights Movement.” She served as the president of the National Council of Negro Women for over two decades and was instrumental in the integration of all YWCA centers in 1946.

  Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784)

Wheatley was a former slave who was kidnapped from West Africa and brought to America. She was bought by a Boston family and became their personal servant. With the aid of the family, she learned to read and eventually became one of the first women to publish a book of poetry in 1773.

Audre Lorde (1934-1992)

This Caribbean-American writer and activist was a self-described “black, lesbian, mother, warrior and poet.” She empowered her readers with her moving poetry often tackling the injustices of racism, sexism and homophobia. She’s known for her poetry and memoirs such as, From a Land Where Other People Live, The Black Unicorn and A Burst of Light.

Flo Kennedy (1916-2000)

Kennedy was a founding member of the National Organization of Women and one of the first black female lawyers to graduate from Columbia Law School.

Marsha P. Johnson (1945-1992)

Johnson was an outspoken and fearless trans woman who was a vital part in the fight for civil rights for the LGBT community in New York. She was known as the patron at Stonewall Inn who initiated resistance on the night the police raided the bar.

Sojourner Truth (1797-1883)

Born Isabella Baumfree, she escaped slavery with her infant daughter and changed her name to Sojourner Truth. She’s best known for her speech delivered at the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention in 1851 titled “Ain’t I A Woman?”

Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-1977)

Hamer was a civil rights activist and organizer of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee Fannie Lou Hamer 

Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955)

Dr. Bethune was an educator and civil rights activist who believed education was the key to racial advancement. She served as the president of the National Association of Colored Women and founded the National Council of Negro Women.

Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000)

This poet was the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize for her 1949 book titled Annie Allen.

Bessie Coleman (1892-1926)

Coleman became the first black woman to earn a pilot’s license and the first black woman to stage a public flight in the United States

Lena Horne (1917-2010)

Horne was a popular actress and singer who was most known for her performances in the films “Stormy Weather” and “The Wiz.” She worked closely with civil rights groups and refused to play roles that stereotyped black women.  

Wilma Rudolph (1940-1994)

Nicknamed “the black gazelle,” Rudolph was born premature and was stricken with polio as a child. Though her doctor said she would never be able to walk without her brace, she went on to become a track star. She became the first American woman to win three gold medals at a single Olympics in 1960.

Billie Holiday (1915-1959)

Holiday was an extremely influential jazz vocalist who was known for her “distinctive phrasing and expressive, sometimes melancholy voice.” Two of her most famous songs are “God Bless the Child” and “Strange Fruit,” a heart-wrenching ballad about blacks being lynched in the South.

Diane Nash (1938-)

Nash is a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. She was instrumental in organizing the Freedom Rides, which helped desegregate interstate buses in the South.

Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960)

Hurston was an anthropologist and author during the Harlem Renaissance. Though she didn’t receive much recognition for her work while she was alive, her works of fiction, especially Their Eyes Were Watching God, became staples in American literature.

Hattie McDaniel (1893-1952)

  As an actress, McDaniel appeared in more than 300 films and was the first African American to win an Oscar in 1940. She was also the star of the CBS Radio program, “The Beulah Show.”

Ruby Bridges (1954-)

Ruby Bridges was six years old when she became the first black child to integrate an all-white school in the South. She was escorted to class by her mother and U.S. marshals due to violent mobs outside of the Mississippi school.

Charlayne Hunter-Gault (1942-)

Hunter-Gault was the first black woman to enroll at the University of Georgia. She became an award-winning journalist after she graduated and worked for outlets such as the New York Times, PBS and NPR.

Daisy Bates (1914-1999)

As a civil rights activist and journalist, Bates documented the fight to end segregation in Arkansas. Along with her husband, she ran a weekly black newspaper and became the president of the Arkansas chapter of the NAACP.

Dr. Mae Jemison (1956-)

  Dr. Jemison is the first black woman to be admitted into the astronaut training program and fly into space in 1987. Jemison also developed and participated in research projects on the Hepatitis B vaccine and rabies.

Ella Baker (1903-1986)

Baker was the national director for the  NAACP. She also worked with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. As one of the leading figures in the civil rights movement, Baker is known for her leadership style which helped develop others’ skills to become leaders in the fight for a better future.

Let’s not forget about these trailblazing women this Black History Month.

Bisexuality was developed in the context of homosexuality and heterosexuality

~*~*~*~not all bisexuals have a gender and some genderless bisexuals are very uncomfortable with the same+different definition~*~*~*~

~*~*~*~ “two or more” / “more than one” / “multiple genders” definitions of bisexuality are the most inclusive, and include bi people who describe their attraction as being to people of their own + different genders ~*~*~*~

Look, we know you think Michael Brown’s death was about race, but check the facts!!!

1. White people from Ferguson dropped everything they were doing and rushed to condemn Brown’s killer. He couldn’t raise any money for his defense.

2. OK but, when black people in Ferguson came out to protest, police treated them with genuine humanity and respect. Just like how they treat white people.

3. Fine, at least Wilson expressed heartfelt remorse for killing an unarmed black teenager…

4. Wait, he proved recently he wasn’t racist, he’s never even said racist things by accident.

5. Alright alright, what about when the Department of Justice dug into Ferguson’s policing practices and found that they weren’t racist at all.

6. OK, but at least black people were never harassed or treated unfairly by Ferguson police.

7. Yeah, but the fines they were asked to pay for minor citations were totally fair and reasonable.

Why? Driving while Black after 9 pm on a Tuesday.

I went on a corner store run. I made my purchase and got back into my vehicle.

I peeped that was a marked police cruiser parked across the street, facing the opposite direction. Before I pulled off, some pan-handling nigga walked up to my car, only close enough to yell through the passenger side window;

“Yo, bruh! You got some change?”

This nigga is out here everyday. Time to find a new hustle, lil’ nigga.

“Nah, fam.” I pulled off.

The police cruiser immediately makes a u-turn and follows. Before I get to my block, he turns on his lights. I pull over underneath a street light; you know, so I can see what the fuck is going on. I pull my registration out of the glove compartment and take my licence out of my wallet. He shines his spotlight on my side of the car.

I watch him get out of the car. A little, scrawny white dude. He looks like a rookie; like he JUST got out of the academy 6 weeks ago.

“Good evening, sir.”

“Evening,” I replied. My tone may have sounded condescending. But, it was just. I know this shit was for no reason.

“Licence and registration, please.”

“Problem, officer,” I ask as I hand him my identification.

“I pulled you because you failed to signal.”

At this time, a second officer approached the passenger side of my car. Older white guy. He looked to be more seasoned, almost as if he was training the little dude.

Mind you, the corner store is on the exact same street they pulled me over on. I made no turns, so there was no reason to signal, but fuck it. As a big black dude, my tone alone is threatening, so I played along.

“Stay put. I’ll be right back.” The little one returned to the cruiser, but the older one stayed; attempting to make conversation and shit. I kept quiet and kept my hands shown; staring at the bright lights in my rear view mirror. I wanted to call my Queen and tell her what’s going on, but nah. The kid ain’t reaching for shit! The next thing I need is my phone being a gun and my tumblr fam posting about this shit.

The little one comes back. He had my identification in his hands, but he didn’t immediately hand it to me.

“So, Mr. Official, we saw your…exchange outside the store. Do you have any drugs or weapons in your vehicle?”

“Are you fucking kidding me,” I’m thinking to myself. “Nope.”

At this time, I grow tired of this shit.

“You mind if we search your vehicle?”

“I do not consent to any searches of myself or my personal property.”

“You know, we COULD get a K-9 to come out…”

Yeah, now they’re pissing me off. My woman’s ass is WAY too soft to be out here fuckin’ with these pigs…

“Again,” I said much more stern than the first time, “I do NOT consent to any searches of myself or my personal property. Now, am I being detained? I have a receipt from the store showing its address; showing that I made a purchase from that store around 10 minutes from this very minute. If I lose said receipt, my checking account will show the debit from the store. As the store is less than a block from this location, this will accurately prove that there is no reason for me to signal; proving that this is a waste of time, mine and your’s…and a judge’s. We both know judges don’t like their time wasted. So, I ask again, am I being detained?”

He was HOT! The whole block is smelling like cooked bacon on a Sunday morning.

“No, Mr. Official,” as he hands me my identification. “You’re free to go.”

The older cop said, “You have a wonderful evening, sir.”

“Evening, officers.” I start my car and leave.

Dear appblrs if you want to save some money and not spend hundreds of dollars on prep books these are some nice alternatives. (Both these files belong to me. )

Spread the word! Good luck studying :) 

SAT 

AP

I REPEAT, DO NOT SCROLL PAST THIS. 

GUYS. THIS IS LITERALLY A MASTER POST OF SAT & AP BOOKS SCANNED ONTO THE LAPTOP. LITERALLY EVERY SINGLE PAGE. AND THE QUALITY IS AMAZING. AND THERE ARE SO MANY. FROM BARRON’S AP BIO TO MCGRAW HILL’S SAT REVIEW. SERIOUSLY CHECK THIS OUT.

this is why i honestly think nobody but american, descended-from-enslaved-peoples, plain ol’ blacks will understand what our condition is like:  “I know that American blacks were stripped of their choice to identify with the country that their ancestors were taken from, and it’s awful, but their roots are in America now, not “the motherland” or whatever some of yall call Africa.”

like, i want people to reeaaaally read that and tell me honestly what they expect of black americans. our “roots” are in america now, a country founded on the bones of natives, toiled and built with the blood, sweat, and tears of our own. and they think we should just be happy here? don’t get me wrong, i’m nothing more than proud of how black americans were able to build something out of nothing and make history during our short time here, but it’s disturbing to me to read that, through no fault of our own, we are apparently expected to be completely satisfied with our dubious cultural ties to america as a country which is in itself a monument to not only our own oppression but also the oppression of countless other peoples. like, from the very beginning of our education we are taught that our history began with slavery. think of how that shapes our sense of self, or our sense of community. and once we realize that hey, maybe there was something there BEFORE the trans atlantic, our eagerness to belong to something bigger than a culture born out of constant oppression shows.