I Do See Color 2021 (on Substack)
“Seeing” color is no more a problem than “seeing” height. Disrespect and discrimination solely based on melanin and offensive stereotypes are the real issue.
Subscribe to this Substack column for $5 per month or $50 per year to read race- and culture-related posts. For $90 as a founder, get full access to “Black Girl In a Doggone World™,” “Homegrown Tales,” "One Black Woman's Vote," "Tickled," “We Need to Talk” and “Window Shopping” too.
(Looking for IDSC 2019? Click here. 2020? Click here. 2022? Click here. 2023? Click here. 2024? Click here.)
Subscribe to this Substack column for $5 per month or $50 per year to read race- and culture-related posts. For $90 as a founder, get full access to “Black Girl In a Doggone World™,” “Homegrown Tales,” "One Black Woman's Vote," "Tickled," “We Need to Talk” and “Window Shopping” too.
(Looking for IDSC 2019? Click here. 2020? Click here. 2022? Click here. 2023? Click here. 2024? Click here.)
67. BlackTechLogy: Making the most of being meme-famous ~ 'Disaster Girl' sells her meme for $500K
66. Being anti-gun is not a ‘slave mentality’ ~ The gun control debate I had with a rapper
65. Obama keeps saying ‘s**t’ … and 9 other things I learned from ‘Renegades Podcast’ ~ Learning to understand that my favorite couple in the White House was never perfect
64. Lessons I subconsciously learned from ‘The Autobiography of Malcolm X’ ~ Funny stories about Malcolm X and Alex Haley
63. Date him because he’s dope to you, not them ~ Every trend becomes a thing of the past, including relationships
62. Attorney Eric Nelson and the sticks-and-stones defense for Derek Chauvin ~ Trained officers who fall apart from name calling, please turn in your badge today
61. My deep disappointment and disbelief of Bill Cosby ~ Never have my opinions on a celebrity scandal been so mixed
60. What Facebook's Casual Conversation doesn't fix ~ Artificial intelligence results have to stop matching to mugshots
59. Why black people like me are still not sold on digital currency ... yet ~ IDSC "BlackTechLogy": Music artists, actors are embracing digital currency for business
58. Why are drug dealing and jail TV shows and movies not trauma porn? ~ We heard outrage over slavery movies, but why is crime entertaining?
57. Black trauma doesn’t have to be melodramatic … and sometimes delivery through humor can make it easier to digest
56. Fun fact: You can leave the stereotypical character out of black shows … and we will love the show anyway
55. Shame Carolyn Bryant, then I’ll shame Jussie Smollett ~ When Smollett gets someone kidnapped, eye gouged out, beaten, thrown into water and shot in the head, then we can talk about punishing him
54. The joy of black women as friends ~ My favorite part about ‘Insecure,’ ABC’s ‘Queens,’ BET’s ‘Twenties’ and more
53. Light-skinned stereotypes ‘Verzuz’ dark-skinned stereotypes ~ Bizzy Bone’s antics have led to another colorism debate
52. Melanin talk: The simplest way to discuss race to youth ~ Explaining race and skin tones before racism can begin
51. For the culture: How travel can be the best history lesson ~ Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Native American history, other lessons learned in Canada
50. Kyle Rittenhouse: There was never a real trial ~ Judge Bruce Schoeder’s joke of a ‘trial’ confirms one thing: Racist white people want other white people to mind their business
49. Is the Human Library most needed for white people? ~ Although a good idea, it further highlights the lack of diversity in some communities
48. The educational brilliance of ‘The Harder They Fall’ ~ A colorism tweet and Easter Egg made me like the film even more
47. Social media: The pen pals we’re using wrong ~ An argument for why teachers should let students use their smartphones more — and wiser
46. Has technology improved financial literacy for black youth? ~ Board games, boy crushes and my rebellion against money talk
45. Condoleezza Rice is getting my tuition funds back ~ Critical Race Theory and her anti-“feel-bad” stance for white kids
44. Denial on ‘100 Humans’ further proves racial bias ~ No, the red shirt was NOT why J.P. was shot
43. Boomerang employees: How will this affect black workers? ~ The newspaper layoff that terminated long-time black employees
42. Black family taunted with monkey noises by neighbors ~ Racist neighbor keeps cameras, lights, monkey noises playing as revenge tactic
41. Can racism take a break from Netflix travel shows? ~ What you really don’t like about ‘The World’s Most Amazing Vacation Rentals’ is the hosts are not white
40. ‘Missing black girl’ stories underreported: Are reporters to blame? ~ The newsroom incident that made me want to quit working in media
39. If you’re not from the ghetto, stop talking about ghetto lifestyles ~ Every all-black neighborhood is not the hood
38. Needles, thread and a lesson in racism ~ African Heritage Day in fashion design class taught me yet another lesson I didn’t want to learn
37. The point Jay Z critics keep missing in Basquiat Tiffany ad ~ The art education will last far longer than the ad will
36. Is the soap debate deeper than hygiene? ~ The link between bathing and race: Is that the bigger issue?
35. Black women, please ignore the OkCupid study ~ Other people’s idea of beauty can become a self-fulfilling prophecy
34. Stop running diversity campaigns without a culture change ~ When you hire Diversity Officers, or recruit minority students, the rest of the organization must be prepared
33. If you have to tell black people you’re an ally, you’re probably not ~ Real allies show and prove, not self-identify
32. Life before slavery: African history gets the silent treatment in U.S. schools ~ Teaching U.S.’s mistreatment of Africans is important, but what about pre-slavery?
31. When black women have work friends ~ If you want us to have work friends, don’t criticize the friends we make
30. Clinical trials done on black people, no black people on your health teams ~ If black people can be part of your research, we can be part of your staff
29. Zaila Avant-garde makes history with Spelling Bee: How long will it take before goalpost moves? ~ Why do the rules change every time black people come out on top?
28. Black businesses receive less attention, lower ratings ~ Are reviews underrated in these communities or are they just plain bad?
27. Juneteenth is not a consolation prize ~ For decades, black people have been asking for Juneteenth to be a federal holiday
26. No, I don’t work here — stop asking me if I do ~ Not all black people work in the service industry
25. Hollywood, what do you have against Asian women? ~ The final season of ‘Kim’s Convenience’ was as bittersweet as ‘Girlfriends’ and ‘Half & Half’
24. Police harassment: I’ll never understand the upside of CompStat ~ Racial profiling affects mental health as much as physical health
23. This is how wokeness ends — for white people ~ From morning coffee to evening reading, I’m still black
22. Ben Garrison, can I get a seasonal pass to Woke Disney? ~ How the Woke Disney World image doesn’t do what it think it does
21. Lisa Talmadge, disrespecting Black America’s mom on Mother’s Day will not be tolerated ~ Why I have hesitant support of white feminists
20. ‘Master of None’: The buddy comedy I never expected ~ Why ‘New York, I Love You’ and ‘Thanksgiving’ are so important to television
19. My president was black, and my beauty supply store owner was too ~ The unspoken challenge of being a black beauty supply store owner
18. If you have Indian in your family, why do you know so little about them? ~ Why your show-and-tell moments don’t help when it comes to multiculturalism
17. The first time I heard a black man say ‘I can’t breathe’ ~ The lesson in humanity everyone should take from that
16. Should companies advertise themselves as black-owned? ~ Why race should not ‘matter’ … and why it does to me anyway
15. ‘Two Distant Strangers’: The dog tale you didn’t know you needed to see ~ Joey Bada$$’s Netflix short film earned its right to 2021 Oscar nominee
14. Cher, please take off your cape and just watch the Derek Chauvin trial ~ If you believe Black Lives Matter, use these 10 tips to stop discrediting your own points
13. How are conservatives more flustered by Lil Nas X than Netflix’s ‘Lucifer’? ~ ‘Montero’ music video somehow out-evilled 6 seasons of a show about the devil
12. The FAQ guide for anti-racist racists ~ Auto responses to your "I'm not racist" race questions
11. 6-year-old black boy arrested for picking a tulip ~ Start talking to your non-black social circle about racism, not running to black people to get extra credit
10. Your real issue with Meghan Markle is she refuses to act beneath you ~ Oprah Winfrey, it is not uncommon for someone to not keep tabs on British royalty
9. Free Black Therapy and my first time going to therapy ~ What I learned from expressive arts therapy
8. The never-ending headache of ‘Basketball Wives’ and colorism ~ Facial features have historically contributed to colorism
7. If you’re attacking old Asian people, I hope you run up on the wrong one ~ Xenophobia has reached bottom-of-the-barrel ignorance thanks to COVID-19
6. MTV’s ‘Ghosted’: Find Rachel and Whitney the world’s smallest violin ~ Why I’m not interested in Rachel Lindsay’s views on Chris Harrison of ‘The Bachelor’
5. Kyle Rittenhouse moved to find safer home, Elijah McClain killed near home ~ How many more examples of racism in the criminal justice system do you need?
4. To ‘Russian Oprah,’ I will not stop talking about race ~ Black in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics: How racism is too easily dismissed
3. What it’s really like being your one black friend ~ Lessons learned from a Lupe Fiasco concert
2. ‘The Bachelor’ has a brotha as the lead, but it’s still bittersweet ~ When your co-workers dismiss black women in the dating world
1. Why does Black History Month offend you? ~ No one is forcing you to celebrate BHM, so stop complaining about it.
66. Being anti-gun is not a ‘slave mentality’ ~ The gun control debate I had with a rapper
65. Obama keeps saying ‘s**t’ … and 9 other things I learned from ‘Renegades Podcast’ ~ Learning to understand that my favorite couple in the White House was never perfect
64. Lessons I subconsciously learned from ‘The Autobiography of Malcolm X’ ~ Funny stories about Malcolm X and Alex Haley
63. Date him because he’s dope to you, not them ~ Every trend becomes a thing of the past, including relationships
62. Attorney Eric Nelson and the sticks-and-stones defense for Derek Chauvin ~ Trained officers who fall apart from name calling, please turn in your badge today
61. My deep disappointment and disbelief of Bill Cosby ~ Never have my opinions on a celebrity scandal been so mixed
60. What Facebook's Casual Conversation doesn't fix ~ Artificial intelligence results have to stop matching to mugshots
59. Why black people like me are still not sold on digital currency ... yet ~ IDSC "BlackTechLogy": Music artists, actors are embracing digital currency for business
58. Why are drug dealing and jail TV shows and movies not trauma porn? ~ We heard outrage over slavery movies, but why is crime entertaining?
57. Black trauma doesn’t have to be melodramatic … and sometimes delivery through humor can make it easier to digest
56. Fun fact: You can leave the stereotypical character out of black shows … and we will love the show anyway
55. Shame Carolyn Bryant, then I’ll shame Jussie Smollett ~ When Smollett gets someone kidnapped, eye gouged out, beaten, thrown into water and shot in the head, then we can talk about punishing him
54. The joy of black women as friends ~ My favorite part about ‘Insecure,’ ABC’s ‘Queens,’ BET’s ‘Twenties’ and more
53. Light-skinned stereotypes ‘Verzuz’ dark-skinned stereotypes ~ Bizzy Bone’s antics have led to another colorism debate
52. Melanin talk: The simplest way to discuss race to youth ~ Explaining race and skin tones before racism can begin
51. For the culture: How travel can be the best history lesson ~ Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Native American history, other lessons learned in Canada
50. Kyle Rittenhouse: There was never a real trial ~ Judge Bruce Schoeder’s joke of a ‘trial’ confirms one thing: Racist white people want other white people to mind their business
49. Is the Human Library most needed for white people? ~ Although a good idea, it further highlights the lack of diversity in some communities
48. The educational brilliance of ‘The Harder They Fall’ ~ A colorism tweet and Easter Egg made me like the film even more
47. Social media: The pen pals we’re using wrong ~ An argument for why teachers should let students use their smartphones more — and wiser
46. Has technology improved financial literacy for black youth? ~ Board games, boy crushes and my rebellion against money talk
45. Condoleezza Rice is getting my tuition funds back ~ Critical Race Theory and her anti-“feel-bad” stance for white kids
44. Denial on ‘100 Humans’ further proves racial bias ~ No, the red shirt was NOT why J.P. was shot
43. Boomerang employees: How will this affect black workers? ~ The newspaper layoff that terminated long-time black employees
42. Black family taunted with monkey noises by neighbors ~ Racist neighbor keeps cameras, lights, monkey noises playing as revenge tactic
41. Can racism take a break from Netflix travel shows? ~ What you really don’t like about ‘The World’s Most Amazing Vacation Rentals’ is the hosts are not white
40. ‘Missing black girl’ stories underreported: Are reporters to blame? ~ The newsroom incident that made me want to quit working in media
39. If you’re not from the ghetto, stop talking about ghetto lifestyles ~ Every all-black neighborhood is not the hood
38. Needles, thread and a lesson in racism ~ African Heritage Day in fashion design class taught me yet another lesson I didn’t want to learn
37. The point Jay Z critics keep missing in Basquiat Tiffany ad ~ The art education will last far longer than the ad will
36. Is the soap debate deeper than hygiene? ~ The link between bathing and race: Is that the bigger issue?
35. Black women, please ignore the OkCupid study ~ Other people’s idea of beauty can become a self-fulfilling prophecy
34. Stop running diversity campaigns without a culture change ~ When you hire Diversity Officers, or recruit minority students, the rest of the organization must be prepared
33. If you have to tell black people you’re an ally, you’re probably not ~ Real allies show and prove, not self-identify
32. Life before slavery: African history gets the silent treatment in U.S. schools ~ Teaching U.S.’s mistreatment of Africans is important, but what about pre-slavery?
31. When black women have work friends ~ If you want us to have work friends, don’t criticize the friends we make
30. Clinical trials done on black people, no black people on your health teams ~ If black people can be part of your research, we can be part of your staff
29. Zaila Avant-garde makes history with Spelling Bee: How long will it take before goalpost moves? ~ Why do the rules change every time black people come out on top?
28. Black businesses receive less attention, lower ratings ~ Are reviews underrated in these communities or are they just plain bad?
27. Juneteenth is not a consolation prize ~ For decades, black people have been asking for Juneteenth to be a federal holiday
26. No, I don’t work here — stop asking me if I do ~ Not all black people work in the service industry
25. Hollywood, what do you have against Asian women? ~ The final season of ‘Kim’s Convenience’ was as bittersweet as ‘Girlfriends’ and ‘Half & Half’
24. Police harassment: I’ll never understand the upside of CompStat ~ Racial profiling affects mental health as much as physical health
23. This is how wokeness ends — for white people ~ From morning coffee to evening reading, I’m still black
22. Ben Garrison, can I get a seasonal pass to Woke Disney? ~ How the Woke Disney World image doesn’t do what it think it does
21. Lisa Talmadge, disrespecting Black America’s mom on Mother’s Day will not be tolerated ~ Why I have hesitant support of white feminists
20. ‘Master of None’: The buddy comedy I never expected ~ Why ‘New York, I Love You’ and ‘Thanksgiving’ are so important to television
19. My president was black, and my beauty supply store owner was too ~ The unspoken challenge of being a black beauty supply store owner
18. If you have Indian in your family, why do you know so little about them? ~ Why your show-and-tell moments don’t help when it comes to multiculturalism
17. The first time I heard a black man say ‘I can’t breathe’ ~ The lesson in humanity everyone should take from that
16. Should companies advertise themselves as black-owned? ~ Why race should not ‘matter’ … and why it does to me anyway
15. ‘Two Distant Strangers’: The dog tale you didn’t know you needed to see ~ Joey Bada$$’s Netflix short film earned its right to 2021 Oscar nominee
14. Cher, please take off your cape and just watch the Derek Chauvin trial ~ If you believe Black Lives Matter, use these 10 tips to stop discrediting your own points
13. How are conservatives more flustered by Lil Nas X than Netflix’s ‘Lucifer’? ~ ‘Montero’ music video somehow out-evilled 6 seasons of a show about the devil
12. The FAQ guide for anti-racist racists ~ Auto responses to your "I'm not racist" race questions
11. 6-year-old black boy arrested for picking a tulip ~ Start talking to your non-black social circle about racism, not running to black people to get extra credit
10. Your real issue with Meghan Markle is she refuses to act beneath you ~ Oprah Winfrey, it is not uncommon for someone to not keep tabs on British royalty
9. Free Black Therapy and my first time going to therapy ~ What I learned from expressive arts therapy
8. The never-ending headache of ‘Basketball Wives’ and colorism ~ Facial features have historically contributed to colorism
7. If you’re attacking old Asian people, I hope you run up on the wrong one ~ Xenophobia has reached bottom-of-the-barrel ignorance thanks to COVID-19
6. MTV’s ‘Ghosted’: Find Rachel and Whitney the world’s smallest violin ~ Why I’m not interested in Rachel Lindsay’s views on Chris Harrison of ‘The Bachelor’
5. Kyle Rittenhouse moved to find safer home, Elijah McClain killed near home ~ How many more examples of racism in the criminal justice system do you need?
4. To ‘Russian Oprah,’ I will not stop talking about race ~ Black in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics: How racism is too easily dismissed
3. What it’s really like being your one black friend ~ Lessons learned from a Lupe Fiasco concert
2. ‘The Bachelor’ has a brotha as the lead, but it’s still bittersweet ~ When your co-workers dismiss black women in the dating world
1. Why does Black History Month offend you? ~ No one is forcing you to celebrate BHM, so stop complaining about it.