officialeuphoria

“what’s next, a bisexual with bipolar disorder?” hi, a bisexual with bipolar disorder here to tell you to fuck off!

“maybe a mixed-race aromantic on the autism spectrum?” oh, you must be talking about my grade 6 english teacher!

“or better yet, a muslim girl that’s hiding the fact that she’s a lesbian from her conservative parents while battling her ptsd from surviving a bombing?” ohhhh, right, my childhood best friend!

i don’t care if the representation seems “forced” to you, because you know what? all kinds of kids are starting to see themselves in the stories they like for the first time ever!! not all protagonists are skinny, straight, and white! that’s good! why are you getting so mad about the fact that kids everywhere are getting the representation they need? fat kids. gay kids. black kids. depressed kids. trans kids. asian kids. austistic kids. adhd kids. muslim kids. genderqueer kids. bi kids. ace/aro kids. all of these children are seeing themselves mirrored in their favourote books for the first time and that’s a beautiful thing!!

bigoted white dudebros are getting mad because these characters aren’t “realistic”, but you know what really isn’t realistic? EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER BEING A BASIC SKINNY WHITE KID WITH SOME KIND OF MENTAL ISSUE THAT JUST MAGICALLY GOES AWAY BY THE END OF THE BOOK WHEN THEY GET IN A (HETEROSEXUAL) RELATIONSHIP. that’s not realistic. the world is so diverse!! the books we read should represent that!!

so, to my fellow gender and sexual minorities - you’re allowed to love the books that give you the representation you’ve been waiting for! to the kids of colour out there - you’re allowed to get excited when you find a character with the same ethnicity as you! to the kids with mental issues, diagnosed or not - you’re allowed to find an escape in a book that portrays a mental disorder you struggle with! none of you have to listen to the cishet white people telling you that the representation is fake or unrealistic. you get to make that decision for yourself. that also means that you’re allowed to criticize a book that incorrectly represents something!! you would know!! you have the right to speak out.

if you see this, reblog it. i want as many people to see this as possible. i want every single minority child to understand this.

With her fourth Oscar nomination (Best Actress, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom),

Pervis Payne’s execution is scheduled for April 9th

*He was born on February 5th (today) 1995. His parents divorced in 1999, when Trayvon was only 3-4. 

*After the divorce, Trayvon’s father remarried to Alicia Stanley. Alicia and Trayvon were very close. Alicia described Trayvon as a “kind and loving person.”

*When Trayvon was nine, he saved his father’s life, pulling him out from a fire and calling the police. 

*He loved football and had begun playing at 5 years old. (His father partially coached him.) He played on The Wolverines and was described as one of the best players on the team. 

*He attended Carol City Highschool and transferred to Krop Highschool. He took an English Honors class but his favorite subject was math. He took classes in the morning and attended classes at George T Baker Aviation School for the rest of the school day. 

*He was also skilled at assembling and repairing things, and took an interest in repairing airplanes. In mid 2009, he enrolled in “Experience Aviation,” a seven week program run by Barrington Irving. After Martin graduated from the program, he spent the next summer as a volunteer, helping out new students in the program. 

*He wanted to attend the University of Miami or Florida A&M University. 

*His father described him as a “very bright young man. Trayvon loved his life. He loved his family. Very upbeat kid, mild, laid back. Never been in a run-in. Never had any run-ins with the law. Trayvon was a people’s person. He was my hero and he’ll be sadly missed.”

In many cultures, ethnic groups, and nations around the world, hair is considered a source of power and prestige. African people brought these traditions and beliefs to the Americas and passed them down through the generations.

In my mother’s family (Black Americans from rural South Carolina) the women don’t cut their hair off unless absolutely necessary (i.e damage or routine trimming). Long hair is considered a symbol of beauty and power; my mother often told me that our hair holds our strength and power. Though my mother’s family has been American born for several generations, it is fascinating to see the beliefs and traditions of our African ancestors passed down. We are emotionally and spiritually attached to our hair, cutting it only with the knowledge that we are starting completely clean and removing stagnant energy.

Couple this with the forced removal and covering of our hair from the times of slavery and onward, and you can see why so many Black women and men alike take such pride and care in their natural hair and love to adorn our heads with wigs, weaves, braids, twists, accessories, and sharp designs.

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