Dear Internet, Here Are 7 Things More Important Than Kim K's Ass

Dear Internet users,

This is Kim Kardashian. This is her ass. I'm pretty sure most of us have seen it before (...and a little more with her Ray J video), what else is new?

What is, nothing? Correct!

Now, I realize the irony that me even mentioning her name is only helping her #BreakTheInternet, but there are soooo many other things that we should be talking about. Here's just a few:

1. Let's talk about how Darren Wilson, the white officer who killed unarmed black teen Michael Brown on Aug. 9, is still on administrative leave.

2. Let's talk about the 46 teenage boys who were killed in Monday's suicide bombing at a school in Potiskum town in Yobe, Nigeria.

3. A growing number of retailers, several of which pay their employees minimum wage, opening or staying opening on Thanksgiving day.

4. After Veteran's Day, let's talk about the wounded U.S. veterans and family members of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq suing five European banks for "shootings and roadside bombings because they allegedly processed Iranian money that paid for the attacks."

5. It's been six months since militant Islamist group Boko Haram kidnapped over 200 Nigerian school girls and the government has failed to rescue them.

6. Let's talk about the 43 young men slaughtered in Mexico this September in Guerrero, after police shot their buses in Iguala and turned them over to the Guerreros Unidos drug gang. 

7. For my Emory crew, let's talk about the latest Emory Crime Report of intoxicated students leaving "a party" from the Beta Theta Pi fraternity house even though there's a IFC "ban" on social events due to reported incidents (yes, plural) of sexual assult. Hmm...

And just for kicks, can we talk about who the hell chooses the winners for these MTV award shows. Like, how the hell did Justin Bieber win Best Male over Justin Timberlake AND Ed Sheeran. WHY WORLD, WHY?


Anyway, go ahead and swoon over Kim's ass while there's more important shit in the world should be breaking the internet.

Fin.

To AEPi Fraternity and the Greater Emory Community:

To AEPi Fraternity and the Greater Emory Community:

I would like to take the time to address the incident involving the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity house. As we all know by now, the AEPi fraternity house was the target of crude, offensive graffiti, including swastikas, early Sunday morning, Oct. 5.
Since this discovery, the act of vandalism has been called "abhorrent", an "insensitive display of prejudice," "crude," "offensive" "egregious" and "an attack against everything for which Emory stands." I couldn't agree more.

On that note, what I am about to say is absolutely NOT meant to offend anyone, but I am hoping that this incident can open a greater dialogue in the Emory Community.

I am upset, not only about this incident, but because I've seen this before. I've witnessed offensive statements and racial prejudice on Emory's campus, but I've never --in my four years there--seen a university-wide response like this to a incident with any other marginalized community on campus.

For instance, on Monday, April 24, 2012 during a men’s intramural volleyball championship between Beta Theta Pi fraternity and a team made up of predominantly Asian-American students, Beta fans cheered, "“USA! USA! USA!” with their fists pumping in the air as they chanted again and again. How did the university respond? They didn't. Instead, the Asian-American students were told they were too "sensitive" and that "it wouldn't be an issue if you won. stfu." Read the article and the comments here.

Or what about the African American community. President Wagner's racially insensitive 3/5th Compromise comments, the removal of two African American Greek organizations for violations White Greek organizations get slaps on the wrist for, the Dooley Show "lynching" joke, the removal of the Black Student Alliance house, Black students getting turned away from parties or being told "you need to know someone" in order to get in, and the classic "Black male, hooodie, and blue jeans" Emory Alert criminal profiles.

My point? There are SEVERAL cultural, racial, gender, and religious groups on campus that have never received the same call-to-action response from the university administration, and yet have faced blatant displays of prejudice or daily micro aggressions.

Your student body president, Jon Darby, wants "all people and all communities at Emory feel supported and safe on our campus" but several communities on Emory University's campus have not been treated with the same administrative outcry. In fact, some of the students I've already talked to feel (and myself included) that the administration's response confirmed the fact that only "certain people" matter. Is "blatant anti-semitism" more important than blatant racism, sexism, or discrimination against other religions?

Riddle me this.

If you're outraged about a swastika painted on a fraternity house, why weren't you also upset when your peers were alluded to as 3/5th of a person?

Why weren't you upset when another fraternity chanted "USA!" to a group of Asian Americans?

Why do some of our peers continue to hang confederate flags in their rooms?

Why the hell is Beta still on campus after a woman reported she was the victim of a rape by two males at the Beta Theta Pi (Beta) fraternity house?

When the Black Student Alliance asked for the university community to wear Black to support African American students after The Dooley Show incident and Wagner's comments, where was the Emory community's support?

If you call for solidarity with AEPi and the Jewish community at Emory, reciprocate and show solidarity for other marginalized groups on campus that have experienced "abhorrent," "crude," "offensive" "egregious" insensitive displays of prejudice as well.

--MN

Never Forget

Dear America,

You want me to #NeverForget the tragic September 11 terrorist attacks.

But let me tell you what I don't want YOU to forget.

Never forget that Vogue thinks White People invented the "Big Booty" trend.

Never forget that Forbes believes Iggy Azalea is the new face of hip hop.

Never forget to say "Ray Rice" and "Fuck him!" in the same sentence.

Never forget those people who were angry towards Ray Rice, but still support #TeamBreezy after beating Rihanna.

Never forget #Ferguson just because CNN has already forgotten.

Never forget CNN sent a modern day Uncle Ruckus to cover #Ferguson, the same guy who told the Black community to pull up our pants, no longer use the word "nigga," finis high school, no more baby-making out of wedlock, and advised us to "get out of the hood" to prevent other Black men getting shot, as if it was our fault.

Never forget the people who told you to "get over" slavery.

Never forget the Republicans that LITERALLY shut down the government in order to support any new spending bills that include "provisions to either defund, derail or otherwise chip away at Obamacare."

Never forget Eric Garner's murderer still walks free. 

Never forget that White privilege is indeed real and that I'll mostly likely be labeled as a "Black Nationalist" by my White peers simply for telling the truth.

Never forget the store owners and sales associates that follow you around and harass you at every gas station, grocery story, and any retail shops you walk into.

Never forget what your mom explained to you about police: to be extra polite to police officers, always explain as clearly as possible that you're reaching for you wallet, and always acknowledge the officer as "sir" or "ma'am."

Never forget that your "ethnic" sounding name does play a factor and who chooses to contact you for a job interview.

Never forget that it's 2014 and we're STILL protesting the senseless murders of innocent Black men and women.

Never forget that BandAids still don't match your skin color. So much for "flesh" tone.

Never forget that a Black president doesn't mean we've reached a racial utopia.



America, I will never, ever forget.

Keke, Spellcheck.

Dearest Keke Palmer,

Girl, I've been a fan since you starred in Akeelah and the Bee. Look at you! You're the youngest person ever to have their own TV talk show AND you'll be the first Black Cinderella on Broadway.

But let's have a chat about your view on #MikeBrown.

For those of you just catching up on the story, Mike Brown is yet ANOTHER unarmed Black teenage boy shot and killed by a Ferguson police officer. There are conflicting stories about exactly what happened but at the end of the day, there's another dead Black unarmed teenager that we can add to a growing list of names and statistics, and growing pain and frustration within the African American community.

Keke, here's my thing. I'm grateful that you're using your Twitter platform to reach out to people about the topic and issue and I don't totally disagree with you. Yes, I wish that we all could just get along every now and then. But you make a couple serious flaws.

1.

First of all, if you're going to start preaching to the choir, make sure you proofread your lecture. You have a show on BET but can't spell racism? Really?!

2. I have an issue with you trying to take a colorblind stance on the Mike Brown issue. Is it too early to pull the racial profiling card yet? In my opinion, yes. I'd like to have more information about exactly what happened before I lay out my hand. And you're also partially right in saying we shouldn't always self-segregate ourselves. But that is NOT the issue here. From my understanding, Ferguson is a predominately African American lower-income neighborhood (please correct me if I'm wrong). Now answer these two questions: first, do you think these people want to live in a lower-income neighborhood? And secondly, do you think it's a coincidence that this lower-income neighborhood is primarily occupied by people of color? This is a prime example of how institutional racism is systematically keeping minorities on the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum. I can talk about that all day, but my point is, we (as Black people) are NOT separating ourselves. The war against drugs, the school-to-prison pipeline, and the countless other systems of institutional racism continues to separate us. Get it right.

 

 

Yes Keke. All of our blood is red. So why is the blood of unarmed Black teenagers being spilt at a far more disproportional rate than non-people of color? The answer isn't in our DNA...

3. 

 

And I can't stop bullets with my flesh. Trayvon Martin, Renisha McBride, Oscar Grant, Jordan Davis and the countless other African Americans who die unarmed at the hands of the police taught us that. 

4.  And productive silence accomplishes what? Maybe getting a Tweet retweeted a billion times? Is telling your 1.58 million followers that God is love and we're all human and "Let's all hold hands and Kumbaya!" the answer? How are you helping in the movement? Are you going to use your new television show on BET to shine a light on this continuing issue? I'd hope so! Because the hundreds of community members rallying day and night for this young man are doing more right now than you just sitting behind a computer and productively praying.


One love Keke.

From your fan,

Malaika N.

Dear Whitney (Not Houston),

Hey Whitney!

I just saw a Facebook post you wrote about the dissent over Kim Kardashian's Vogue cover. For everyone else, here's her post:

Why is everyone so mad that Kim Kardashian is on the cover of Vogue? why does it concern you so much? She may not have became a popular media mogul by doing some wonderful business venture or doing something worthy of attention , but she hustled her way to the top. I can respect that. She's not letting her mistakes define her potential & success. Kanye is the one that's pushing for her in spite of her embarrassing past. If that's not the definition of a real couple , I don't know what is. My opinion tho.

I saw the post, read the comments, and literally sat at my computer for 5 minutes trying to figure out how to put my thoughts...lightly, then God parted the grey skies and sent me this:






For starters, this is literally my favorite meme of all time! Yes, of ALL TIME. Let me explain why. *Kevin Hart voice* But let me be clear here: I am in no way bashing Kim, slut shaming her, saying she isn't business savvy or intelligent, or questioning her fashion sense. Buuuuut...


For starters, Kim simply isn't "Vogue" material.


Vogue's mission is to be a "cultural barometer, putting fashion in the context of the larger world we live in- how we dress, live, socialize; what we eat, listen to, watch; who leads and inspires us."


Having said that, as a cultural figure who influences how young women dress, how young woman socialize, how young women live, why would I want the woman whose "failed business venture" is having her vagina been seen by millions, to be a woman that inspires us?
Sorry but I don't want THIS WOMAN...

…to be a role model to my sister, my daughters, or my granddaughters!

We can agree to disagree, but Sarah Michelle Gellar and thousands of other women also know that Kim's "rise to fame" isn't an inspirational tale of a business woman working hard and making a
respectable name for herself, it's the fairytale for side hoes, prostitutes, and gold diggers.


Then you respond to a mutual friend of ours that brought up the same "role model" argument. You then responded:

We can agree to disagree. Lol I def respect your opinion tho so I understand where u r coming from. But answer this; what celebrity really signs up to be a role model ? Not saying she should be praised for a sex tape by having a magazine spread . She's grown and can do what she want. Lol. It's not like she's trying to be a good example. At least she's not running from her past or lying about it. she dealt with it & She just wants to make her money. She's doing a good job at that. I feel like People are only judging because the "mistakes" they made aren't be broadcasted to the public. Had that been, I feel like other people would be trying to explain themselves and say " I'm human. I make mistakes." I feel like people are being worried the wrong things. They put their foot down about things that don't matter. It's a magazine cover lol. It's not a big deal 

Whit, we can agree to disagree but I think it is a big deal. A very big deal.
You see this gorgeous woman right here? Of course, Lupita Nyong'o, Black America's New Cinderella. Why is she a big deal?

Because she's an award winning…

…talented…

…fashion icon…

...who just so happens to have a really cute brother…

And yet, she still hasn't gotten on the cover of American Vogue ( but she KILLED it in Vogue Italia!). Moreover, for the first time in a very, very long time, Lupita gave every little Black girl in the country hope that she can do whatever she puts her mind to, even in industries where the Black women are disproportionately represented.

When I look down at this golden statue, may it remind me and every little child that no matter where you're from, your dreams are valid. Thank you.  

It's women like Lupita who leads and inspires women. She inspires women to uplift themselves, that women are just as intelligent and competitive, if not more, than some of their male counterparts, that women don't need to go under the knife and have several butt injections to be attractive, that despite all the challenges in your way, there's always a way to make your dreams come true.


Sorry, Kim, you just don't live up to that fairytale.


….But North West is cute tho!


-Malaika Nicholas

Hey Babe?

Hey babe?

Remember when I told you I over think EVERYTHING? Well, uh, I still do.

Can I ask you something? What do you mean by "I love you more than you know"?

Does it mean you love me more than the known numbers in Pi? I only got up to 3.14159.

Does it mean you love me more than I love my favorite movie? It's gonna be hard to beat The Goofy Movie.

Does it mean you love me more than the number of stars in the sky? More than all one hundred bazillion million trillion million of them? That's a lot!


Or (and this is me over thinking here) does it mean you love the parts of me that I feel uncomfortable loving myself.


You love how my skin contrasts with yours when our fingers gently intertwine.
You still love when I flash my smile of 24 teeth, perfected with 4 years of braces.
You love my short hair because it still reminds of the goofy, carefree girl you fell in love with. 


Then again, I do tend to overthink things soooooo forget I asked.


TTYL

[Log Out Malaika Nicholas]

To My Mommy

Mommy,


It hurts. I understand the feeling of getting the air knocked out of your lungs when the realization that it's over crushes into the meat in between your ribs. I understand that the arguments that you and Daddy had that kept me up at night we're only little blemishes on your picture-perfect relationship. I understand that saying "I love you" doesn't always bring them back.

I have the same burning tears you tried to hold back every time you remember he's gone. For an instant, our hard exteriors disappear and we collapse. We cry. We scream. We beg. We ache. We pray. We curse.

We remember them. I know you must miss the first time you kissed each other. How much he snored in his sleep. The corny jokes he'd used to tell. The dumbest thing you two did together.

We both know how hard it is to lose our fathers, and now I understand how it feels to lose a partner. Your best friend. Your cheerleader. Your gladiator. Your role model. Your confidant. Your lover.

I know how hard we love. I understand the loneliness. The emptiness. The change. The numbness.

But we will always love them. Til death (or Facebook unfriendship) do us part.  


Nakupenda,

Malaika