Recent posts.
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Beyond “Break My Soul”: Anticipating New Beyoncé
“B is back,” indeed! Like so many of you I’ve been blasting Beyoncé’s lates single. It’s a certified hit. But it’s also been speaking to me on a deeper level. When I hear “Break My Soul” my spirit feels unstoppable. It gives my mood a boost. Queen Bey’s new album drops tomorrow, and I can’t…
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Juneteenth: It’s about freedom. Part Two
Today my discussion on Juneteenth with Jason Greer continues, as I asked him to share an issue of his own choosing. Claire Francis – Is there anything that I haven’t brought up thus far related to Juneteenth and its commercialization or portrayal that you think needs to be brought out into the open and discussed…
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Juneteenth: It’s about freedom. Not merch.
The story of Juneteenth is an important part of American history: On January 1, 1863, in the United States, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Yet enslaved Texans did not know that they had been set free until two and a half years later. On June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, Major General Gordon Granger…
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Don’t use news to abuse.
I’ve tried to stay away from social media over the past several weeks. Although I click on a tweet every now and then when I see it in an article, for the most part, I’ve succeeded. But a few days ago, I noticed that I’ve been drawn to something else. For, although I’ve tried to keep…
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Mind Your Media: Manipulating Martin
“…I have not said to my people ‘get rid of your discontent’.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior – Letter from Birmingham City Jail Last week on the internet, I noticed someone with a following misinterpreting Dr. Martin Luther King’s words. Since last month was the month of his birth, I shouldn’t have been surprised. And…
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Mind Your Media: The Diversity Double Standard
Continuing my discussion of how racism is reflected within our media, let me give you a concrete example. There’s a media host whom I’ll call Craig. in the past I’ve seen Craig use his platform to promote someone who can’t grasp the idea of why fetishizing people from within a particular non-white community might be…
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A Taste of Home
I haven’t read the article yet. But I feel like seeing Bee Quammie in the Toronto Star has freed me to write this post. A few years ago, there was a story in the Star about roti. As a Canadian of Caribbean descent, I was disappointed, and I know that I wasn’t alone. For those of…
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Mind Your Media: The Grand Misunderstanding
Sometime in January, a thought came to mind: Privilege may yield power, but it doesn’t automatically bring knowledge. – Claire A few years ago I interviewed a white female professor for a diversity-driven story. Dr. Shelly Tochluk is an expert on challenging white people’s perspectives on bigotry. And she explained something to me about why some Caucasians…
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Will: The Review
Now this is a story all about how destiny, it took a player straight out to Tinsel Town. He grew right up a superstar, a man beyond compare. Philly raised—but some first saw him as the Prince of Bel Air. Will Smith’s story has a before and after, of course. But as I read Will,…
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Blog Backlog?
Dear Reader(s), The past few years have been interesting. I’ve had a lot to say about some of my favourite subjects. Although I’ve tried other platforms, I’ve done most of my writing offline and kept it to myself. The brave part of me wants to throw caution to the wind and share everything—or at least…
Say hello.
claire.she.goes 