Each year the CFC spends the month of February doing some love talk and this year I want to set it off by sharing a few of my thoughts on love praxis. A little background: I have been in a committed relationship for nearly 14 years, married for 9 years. I am still close to […]
The Viability of Visibility: Love Letters for ShaMichael
You may have heard about the viral video popularized on World Star Hip Hop and commonly known as the “Sharkeisha video.” The video is a disturbing depiction of a young blackgirl being ambushed and brutally beaten by another blackgirl, identified as Sharkeisha, while a third accomplice videotaped the incident on her phone (it was later […]
Crunk Feminist Dreams: What 2014 May Bring
December is the month of the top ten lists, reflections on the past 12 months, and critical assessments of the year and its goings on. There are even top-ten lists that curate the top ten best top ten lists. Then January comes. We recover from our exertions over the holiday season, return to our schedules, […]
Dear Gabby
Dear Gabby, Hey, girl! It’s me, Crunkadelic. I’ve been a fan for a long time, but I just wanted to drop you a line and send you a bit of love. Things seem to be going really well for you, but I see that you’ve experienced a fair bit of shade this past weekend […]
Being Single: On Mary Jane, Gabrielle Union & Those of Us Who Are Imperfect
Last year, Gabrielle Union received the Fierce and Fearless Award at Essence magazine’s sixth annual Black Women in Hollywood pre-Oscars luncheon and gave a dope speech about her journey in Hollywood and learning to love herself and other black women. She opened up and shared the truth of her experience, her pain, her insecurity, […]
Twerkers Beware: Juicy J Thinks Reading is Fundamental
Yesterday, Juicy J announced the winner of the $50,000 twerking scholarship that he began advertising in October in a partnership with World Star Hip Hop. The winner, 19 year old biology major Zaire Holmes distinguished herself from many other applicants by deciding not to twerk. It turns out twerking was not required. […]
When You’re “the One”
It was the summer of 2004. I was a grad student with experience in resident life and I had taken on a job as co-director of a summer program hosted at my university. The pay was good and it gave me time to read and prep for my first go at teaching that fall. At […]
Black Queer Trouble in Literature, Life, and the Age of OBama: Part II
Originally Delivered by Cheryl Clarke as the Kessler Lecture on Dec. 6, 2013 at the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center Scenes of black queer and feminist resistance; or “forced confinement and forced mobility” Recently I said the following at a “Symposium: Black Women’s Studies and the Transformation of […]
Black Queer Trouble in Literature, Life, and the Age of OBama: Part I
Originally Delivered by Cheryl Clarke as the Kessler Lecture on Dec. 6, 2013 at the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center Note: Elizabeth Lorde Rollins, my friend and sister, introduced me at the event. Thank you, Beth. Wonderful to see you again. We miss your Mother. In case I […]
Open Letter to Bishop Joseph Walker and the Members of SHIFT
[Note to our readers: One of the things we are passionate about is challenging structures of domination. Crunktastic is especially passionate about challenging those structures in the Church, which plays a disproportionately significant role in the lives of Black women and women of color. So the open letter printed below is in response to […]