Why We SHOULD Be Casting More Actors of Color in Superhero Movies By Delaney Auth

Why We SHOULD Be Casting More Actors of Color in Superhero Movies

By Delaney Auth

Michelle Rodriguez caused a lot of conversation with her controversial remarks about the rumors that she had been cast to play Green Lantern in the DC cinematic universe, saying that, “Stop stealing white people’s superheroes. Like, make up your own, you know what I’m saying?” Rodriguez later apologized for the comment, saying that she only meant she thought the community would benefit from creating new heroes for actors of color. While I believe that she meant well, the Internet has exploded into arguments of whether people of color should be cast as traditionally white superheroes. Many in the past and present have reacted with rage to casting decisions that they don’t agree with based on the race of the actor in most genres at one time or another, and comic book inspired films have been no different. It’s true that there is very little diversity in the comic book hero films we have now and the casting of actors of color in upcoming films has caused a level of uproar among a section of the fan base. Rodriguez’s comments may have been well intentioned, but many of the reactions of those that claimed to agree with her were not. As a fan of superhero films inspired by comic books, I have a few reasons that these attitudes toward more diverse casting are troubling.

First of all the idea that actors of color are “stealing” roles from white actors is ridiculous. We still don’t have a mainstream comic book hero movie with a person of color as the leading hero. There are a couple in the works, but it’s not like there’s a history of casting directors giving superhero roles to people who are not white. The Avengers are all white. Batman in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy is white. Spiderman (whether you prefer Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield) is white. Man of Steel’s Superman is white. Guardians of the Galaxy featured a more diverse cast, but the leading man was still a white guy. Hell, even Green Lantern, who is often portrayed as a black man in the comics, was played by a white actor. Not to say that we should never cast white men as superheroes; they deserve to be considered for those roles as well. But it’s not a bad thing to see some more diversity in the genre. And we’re (hopefully) on our way.

As Warner Brothers has begun casting for their darker, edgier imagining of the Justice League they’ve made some unconventional casting decisions. Hawaiian actor Jason Momoa has been cast as Aquaman and the first released photo shows him holding a formidable trident and sporting some Polynesian inspired tattoos. Israeli model and actress Gal Gadot has also been cast for the franchise, as Wonder Woman, adding a touch more cultural diversity to the cast. Both Momoa and Gadot will be featured in Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice and an untitled Justice League film. They will also each get at least one solo film for their respective characters. Marvel has announced Black Panther, a movie inspired by comics featuring an African prince as the title character. Chadwick Boseman has been cast as the lead. It’s slated to come out in 2018. The casting of African American actor Michael B. Jordan in the newest adaptation of The Fantastic Four as Johnny Storm, aka Human Torch, added diversity to that franchise and ignited anger from some fans (the character is traditionally white). These films are a good start, but there’s still a ways to go for diversity in the genre and there’s still a lot of resistance to more diverse casting. I would say that actors of color are obviously quite far from “stealing white people’s superheroes.”

The other issue I have with the resistance to making more diverse casting decisions has to do with the nature of comic books. Comic book heroes exist in a whole host of different universes. The genre has been ever-changing. I mean come on, people, in the most recent editions of Marvel’s comics Captain America is black and Thor is a woman. Making movie adaptations can be really difficult because of how much different literature there can be for just one character. Most heroes exist in multiple, unrelated universes. Their costumes, love interests, enemies, allies, and backstories often vary at least slightly from universe to universe. In a community with as much literature as the comic book community, it can be tricky to get nitpicky with movie adaptations. For these reasons, in most circumstances fans are willing to cut filmmakers a little slack. A segment of the fan base has not been willingly to do the same when it comes to the race of the actors portraying the character. There are a few characters whose racial backgrounds vary in many their different universes. Green Lantern, Iron Man, and Spiderman have all been black at various times in some of their comic book universes, but you don’t hear the people who complain about casting of Human Torch or Aquaman also arguing that they could have cast black actors in place of Ryan Reynolds or Robert Downey Jr. In fact, when rumors that Donald Glover was being looked at to play Spiderman in a new Spiderman franchise tentatively titled, The Spectacular Spiderman, parts of the fan community expressed their extreme displeasure with the idea of a black Spiderman. There is a comic universe in which Miles Morales, a character of Black Hispanic descent, takes over as Spiderman, but this fact didn’t seem to calm the outrage of certain parts of the fan base. However, while the Donald Glover rumors probably aren’t true, Marvel has implied that they will mostly cast an actor who is not white in the role, so fans may have to get used to the idea of a black or Latino (or maybe even both) Spiderman.

This kind of blind (and, I’m sorry, childish) rage over the color of fictional people, who are at times depicted in the source material as a people of color anyway, persists in spite of the facts and proves that the issue isn’t really whether or not the director is being true to the original art. We saw it when there were rumors that Idris Elba would be the next James Bond. It was an issue when Lenny Kravitz, Amandla Stenburg, and Dayo Okeniyi were cast in The Hunger Games, even though both Rue (Stenberg) and Thresh (Okeniyi) were definitely described in the books as having dark skin (Apparently Cinna’s complexion is never described, although I remember picturing him as a POC while reading the series). People throw fits about casting whether there is or isn’t a basis in the source material for the assumption that the character is white. Because guess what? It’s not about the source material. It’s not about staying true to the original art. It’s about the attitudes about race that pervade our country and have done so for the entirety of our history. It’s because of the (sometimes) unconscious racism that privileged groups have been taught to ignore, ignore, ignore, and that causes the completely ridiculous and false idea that white people will, for some reason, not be able to relate to a hero of color. Your inability to relate to a human whose skin is a few shades darker than yours doesn’t determine what career opportunities that person should have. People of color aren’t “stealing” superheroes away from white people. Some people, however, seem intent on limiting opportunities for people of color and that is what I find unacceptable.

On a Different Level: How Education Impacts Women in The Freedom of the Streets By: Kelsey R. Price

On a Different Level: How Education Impacts Women in The Freedom of the Streets

By: Kelsey R. Price

During the Gilded Age (aka the late 19th century), a person’s survival and autonomy depended upon acquiring a steady, well-paid job.  Of course, getting that job hinged on a number of factors, but one stood out among the rest: education.  This fact presented a problem for women however, who encountered numerous difficulties on their path to higher learning.  The prevailing notions about “separate spheres” and “women’s work” made doing anything other than domestic service (for their own families) an act of reputation endangerment.  Both Jennie McCowen and Josie Mitchell, two real-life women from Davenport Iowa, understood societal expectations, yet ended up leading drastically different lives due to their backgrounds.  As Wood’s scholarly text indicates, an individual’s access to education provided them with an opportunity to achieve independence through the provision of resources, social connections, and an awareness of female victimization.  No two women in Wood’s The Freedom of the Streets better exemplify the affects and importance of women’s education than that of Jennie McCowen and Josie Mitchell.  

In order to explore this topic sensibly, it is obligatory to define each woman’s social standing.  (I say this because a person’s status determines what society expects of them and affects their life choices.)  McCowen was born into a semi-respectable middle-class family, but solidified her rank (and therefore, came to represent it) through hard work.  She earned a teaching diploma in 1865 and entered Iowa State University in 1872 (Wood 59, 61).  Her numerous jobs included being a teacher, the Scott County Medical Society secretary, and the staff physician for both the Iowa State Hospital and the Cook Home.  The woman was also involved in the Charitable Alliance, the Association for the Advancement of Women, and was a founding member of the Lend a Hand club.  Additionally, McCowen became engaged with the police matron campaign, contributed to the hereditary degeneration debate, and believed in women’s suffrage.  One of the only things that might have tarnished her reputation was the fact that she often lived close to Brady Street.  Indeed, “throughout the 1880s, Dr. Jennie McCowen never lived more than half a block from a brothel” (80).  In summation, her “clean” family background, advanced education, work experience, and blatant social involvement establish McCowen’s middle-class status.      

Once someone examines the life of Josie Mitchell, there can be no doubt that she represents the working-class woman. Her parents were working-class individuals (they earned their living by farming and taking in boarders), and did not encourage their daughter to get an education.  In fact, the text tells readers that “Josie was almost forty years old before she learned to write her own name” (84). The woman married young (and remarried four times) and bore five children over the course of her life.  She worked a number of odd jobs including: laundress, boarder, destitute caregiver, brothel keeper, and prostitute. Mitchell was not involved in politics or any outside organizations. Likewise, her home was never in a respectable neighborhood; at one point, she even lived near East Front Street, where saloons and prostitutes resided (84). The woman’s lack of resources, poor schooling, and seedy reputation cemented her working-class status. With their ranks noted, it is important to consider how these ladies’ connections resulted from their life choices- the main one being education.   

With the exception of her relatives, the majority of McCowen’s broad social network is the result of her higher education.  Her fellow medical student, Abbie Cleaves, provided McCowen with her first job in Davenport.  She was the reason why the young woman came to the city.  This eventually led her to discover the Cook Home, at which she would help create the Lend a Hand foundation and forge relationships with her colleagues.  McCowen’s membership would give her a sense of community in a new environment.  They would share the daily workload and help the woman make a name for herself (65).  That is, her work would ensure that McCowen was viewed as a respectable, well-known person in the city.  She could mingle with other women in a safe space and win the trust of individuals that came into the establishment.  Additional associations and programs would admit (or be created by) her. The money she earned would allow McCowen to support herself and provide for women less fortunate (like those who desired the club’s assistance in obtaining housing).  Furthermore, her activism would be strengthened by the reputation and number of supporters McCowen gained through her work.  Almost every connection she made stemmed from her education.  The woman would not have been a prominent reformer if she had not been a club member; she would not have been a club member if she had not been a physician; and she would not have been a physician if she had not gotten her medical degree.  

Family relations, especially husbands, shaped Mitchell’s social circle.  Her working-class status did not allow for the same types of advantages that McCowen had.  She could not, or would not, go to school.  What’s more, Mitchell never got a job before her first marriage to a poor farmhand.  That meant that she never exposed herself to a wider range of persons, and once she started having children, Mitchell was further confined to the private sphere.  She had to spend all her time taking care of domestic chores, until her children were old enough for Mitchell to get a job (or two).  One of the damaging jobs she undertook was keeping a boarding house.  Mitchell had to take whoever she could get, as she could not afford to be picky.  When any of the woman’s occupants acted immorally or had a poor reputation, her association with them negatively impacted her.  Moreover, as soon as the cycle of divorce and remarriage began, the woman was trapped within the confines of her old reputation: poor, illiterate and, according to her first husband, an adulterer.  None of Mitchell’s subsequent husbands could provide her with enough financial support to raise her class ranking or protect her reputation.  They continued to accuse her of adultery.  Unfortunately, her mother and stepfather were not able to assist Mitchell during rough times.  The couple was too poor to do so.  Lastly, when her daughter Sevilla’s marriage fell through and the custody of the couple’s children changed, that connection further injured Mitchell as well.  There was no one to help her.  The woman’s chances for gaining independence and security were slim from the very start.

With an education there usually comes a greater awareness of persecution.  This understanding comes from personal experience and the courses they have taken.  McCowen, for instance, faced harassment from her peers in medical school, where the focus of her classes was the human body.  She was constantly reminded of how the female form was sexualized (62).   For the learned women of Davenport, this consciousness made them aware of everything from the unjust treatment of lady prisoners to the restrictions placed on female workers.  It upset them and often encouraged these women to speak out.  McCowen did, and she became an advocate for women’s rights.  

In contrast, uneducated ladies (like Mitchell) could only assume that whatever society told them was true.  They had no other option, and even if they had an inkling of their mistreatment, they had no means to act upon it.  Devoid of resources, connections and titles, poor women’s voices had no credibility.  The general public would not listen to (or take seriously) someone they did not respect and trust.  Prostitution court cases reaffirm this statement because the women being charged were continually dismissed and ridiculed by their authority figures.  The uneducated females became victims in a system that capitalized on their ignorance.  So, while both McCowen and Mitchell were old enough to consent to sex, their education level differed in how they saw the world and how the world (in particular, the legal system) saw them.    

All and all, in a time period where people’s attitudes about women were exceedingly limited, female education made a difference.  It presented an opportunity for independence through the provision of resources, social connections, and an awareness of women’s victimization.  Jennie McCowen and Josie Mitchell, being from different classes and having unalike access to schooling, serve as perfect examples of its affects and importance in women’s lives.  One can only imagine how the two would react if they knew how modern people understand female roles and education.

Works Cited

Wood, Sharon.  The Freedom of the Streets: Work, Citizenship, and Sexuality in a Gilded Age City.  Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2005.

*Wood’s book researches the lives of women in 19th century Davenport Iowa, and it deals with sexual politics of the time period.

*The original, unedited version of this piece was completed in February of 2014.  

How to Undress in Front of Your Husband by Becky Stowe

How to Undress in Front of Your Husband

By Becky Stowe

It’s easy to become disheartened by the ridiculous standards of beauty that women are held up to. It is helpful however to look back on the way things used to be to feel a sense of how far we’ve come in the last few decades.

One day during my wanderings through the interwebs, I came across an educational film from the 1950s. It’s called-y’all ready for this?- How To Undress In Front Of Your Husband. It’s exactly what you think it is: an educational video for women on how they should undress in front of their husbands to please them. According to the introduction of the video, “Men have submitted, suffered and supported [marital boredom] long enough.” SO UNDRESS YOURSELF LIKE A SEXY MOVIE STAR DAMMIT. THAT WILL SOLVE ALL YOUR MARRIAGE PROBLEMS.

Thanks to a Peeping Tom, we are given a glimpse into the boudoirs of two women (What better way to show wives that they are objects to be admired by their husbands than a little perverted voyeurism?) One is the glamorous movie star Elaine Barre Barrymore who epitomizes the ideal feminine woman with a slender figure. The other is Trixie Friganza, a large woman who has the nerve to yawn, scratch itches and conduct herself (IN THE SO-CALLED PRIVACY OF HER OWN DAMN BEDROOM) in a way that is not proper or seductive.

The narrator (who I’m going to call “Big Brother”) praises Ms. Barrymore for removing her stocking in a way that showcases her legs and makes comments about how nice her “teeth” are. As for Ms. Friganza, Big Brother only criticizes her and makes fat jokes at her expense in reaction to her doing perfectly human things. Trixie’s tired and she want to get some sleep, not do a striptease.

The problems I have with this video are too numerous to be addressed at once. Objectification, oppression, misogyny…the list could go on for awhile. I had to pick my jaw up from my desk more than once while watching this. But I guess I’m just crazy because I don’t get ready for bed as if I am being watched by someone that needs to be pleased. Granted most people don’t slam doors or stomp for comic effect like Trixie, but I think most of us would agree that after a long day (bad or good) we are all Trixie. Fuck you Big Brother. #TeamTrixie

#WCW All Month Long by Jessica Smith

#wcw All Month Long

By Jessica Smith

As March is Women’s History Month, it is time to honor those women who have made a difference in the world.

But to me, it is also a time to honor and bring attention to some women whom we have grown up watching and who continue to strive for equality.

My top “women crushes” this month are Emma Watson, Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, and, though you would never have heard it from me several years ago, Taylor Swift.

Emma Watson has been a huge influence in my life since the first Harry Potter film came out. As a lifelong fan of the series, I began to idolize Watson, who so faithfully portrayed the unapologetic brainiac, social justice advocate, and overall badass lady, Hermione Granger (let’s face it: Harry would have died, or worse, been expelled, long before Voldemort’s return without Hermione.)

Now, at age 24, she is a UN Women’s Goodwill Ambassador, Brown University graduate (with a degree in English Literature, might I add!) and will soon be acting as Belle in a live-action retelling of Beauty and the Beast. She is humble, extremely intelligent, and is using her fame for positive change in the world—not just in Hollywood, but across the globe. She is pushing for gender equality in the developing world, not just in the western world, and strives to rebrand feminism as what it always should have been: solidarity between all genders, for the benefit of all humanity. As a soon-to-be 22 year old, I am in awe of all that she has accomplished, and hope that I can achieve just one fraction of it in my own life.

Beyoncé is another woman who I grew up admiring, ever since the Destiny’s Child album “Survivor” was a constant soundtrack to the endless foosball tournaments between my sister and I. Songs like “Independent Women, Pt. I” taught me, as a young girl, to take pride in my accomplishments as an individual, not just my romantic conquests. They taught me to love myself with songs like “Bootylicious” and to let go of the petty conflicts and move on with “Survivor.” And, later, their song “Say My Name” taught me to confront dishonesty and value myself, not to allow others to treat me as disposable.

Beyoncé continues to act as a role model for all young women to this day. Though she is married to Jay Z, another artist, she still does her own thing and owns the stage in her own right. Not to mention, she fully claims the label of “feminist.”

Beyonce may be known as “Queen B,” but hip hop and rap have another queen as well: Nicki Minaj. While some women may discredit her for her overt sexuality, I think that her use of sexuality is definitely empowering. She owns her body and uses it to incite conversations. Exhibit A: the artwork of Anaconda, which caused a huge controversy and tons of censorship. Minaj immediately responded by comparing the reactions of people to similar depictions of white women, which are seen as acceptable.

Minaj always has control when she is being sexualized in her videos. In fact, Nicki is quoted as saying, in reference to an iconic moment in Anaconda’s music video: "At first I’m being sexual with the banana, and then it’s like, ‘Ha-ha, no.’ It was important for us to show in the kitchen scene, because it’s always about the female taking back the power, and if you want to be flirty and funny that’s fine, but always keeping the power and the control in everything.”

Her mission is not just about empowering and taking back female sexuality, though; she is also very into supporting young women, especially her fans, to empower themselves, get a good education, and take part in healthy relationships. “I love my females,” Minaj said in an interview. “I give them confidence to say ‘I am me, take it or leave it, I love it and I don’t care what you think about it.’” She is often telling her young fans to do their best in school, study for exams, and go to college if they have the opportunity—an opportunity Minaj herself did not have.

And, despite that lack of higher education, Minaj is wise and always ready to confront stereotypes and double standards, as well as encouraging others to do the same:

“My advice to women in general: Even if you're doing a nine-to-five job, treat yourself like a boss. Not arrogant, but be sure of what you want - and don't allow people to run anything for you without your knowledge.”

Finally, let’s talk T-Swift. When I was in high school, I had some seriously mixed feelings on this country-pop princess. I really liked some of her music, but she had a reputation for dating men, breaking up, and writing and singing her sob stories about them. Honestly, the biggest problem I had was with her song “Mean,” which struck me as petty, encouraging female-to-female hostility, and just immature.

But throughout the past few years, we have watched Taylor grow up and mature in so many ways. Whereas “Mean” seemed to call out and incite drama with whoever it is about, today she avoids petty conflict. For example, although she apparently has no love for Katy Perry, she refuses to feed the media’s fire by talking trash about the other singer. And while she was, in the media’s eyes at least, a little “boy crazy” for a few years, she now says that she wants to stay single for a few years and just have fun. What time she spent with boyfriends and flings before, she now seems content to spend with a group of gal pals, or all by herself, pursuing new hobbies: painting, working out, talking about cats...

Even looking at her lyrics side by side, we see true growth and maturity. (Link here) While older songs might have a hint of slut-shaming (“Better Than Revenge,” I’m looking at you), boy obsession, etc. there is much more to her songs, then and now.

What we can learn from Taylor Swift is that people won’t always get us, or even try to get us. For example, in a recent interview, Taylor addressed the talk about her ‘boy bashing songs’ which are really just songs of heartbreak from a female point of view. She said: “People have to simplify things. Everybody’s got busy lives, they don’t have time to form a complex opinion of me and my music.” In other words, people are always going to misunderstand you. The best thing you can do is “shake it off,” ignore the haters, get a strong group of girlfriends, and love yourself. Oh, and get a cat, or ten.

Who are your women crushes? Take at least a few minutes this month to think about your female role models, past and present, and think about what they have taught you about being a woman and a human being. And think about what kind of role model you want to be for the girls in your life.

The Girl at the Rock Show: Girls, Misogyny and "Show Culture" by Julie Tippey

The Girl at the Rock Show: Girls, Misogyny and "Show Culture"
By Julie Tippey

When a girl goes to see a show, a concert isn’t all that she gets. As both a female and a frequent attender of local and regional shows, I’ve observed and even been the brunt of some overt and even dangerous misogyny. Unfortunately in a group of people that claim to be not only progressive and inclusive, there are still problems that need addressing and solving in “show culture”.

    Let me rewind for a moment and briefly explain what I mean by “show culture ”. I use “shows” to refer to small concerts, usually featuring local and regional bands. These events occur at houses, bars, coffee shops and even record stores, and therefore allow these locales to become meeting places for band members, their friends and all individuals who are interested in creating a community of musicians and artists. As in most cases, a community of artists tends to be more liberal than conservative and frequently those involved in these communities are more receptive to feminism, or claim to be.

    As a whole, these musical communities are more accepting and open minded than mainstream America; However, the local show crowd is not without its’ misogynist issues, many of which are even perpetuated by the females in the community. As a female, it is still expected that my presence at a show, is merely a result of my romantic or sexual interest in the males at that show. The idea that I might be just as interested in enjoying a show as a male is so regularly discounted that I’ve even been straightforwardly asked which member of the band I was there to sleep with.

    The misogyny and distrust are sometimes even started and perpetuated by the females at a show. So often do I see or feel the glare of another girl, the callous eyes as they assess my outfit, where I got it, how much I paid for it and whether I am any competition in the heteronormative sexual hunger games that these events are perceived to be. But why? I’ve met some of my best friends at shows and had some of the best conversations about fashion, music and culture with complete strangers I’ve met there, yet there is still the cultural need for women to fight with each other, and that is no different in show culture. Of course there is no ultimate solution to this problem, but the start comes from small gestures: smiles, compliments, and the acceptance, that we’re all just there to enjoy the show. 

Unfortunately, these comments and slights are just the beginning. The hate that females perpetuate against each other is toxic, but not outwardly dangerous, but the testosterone fueled male on female hate that creeps into events can be incredibly dangerous. As a general rule when humans are put into situations where they become anonymous or unaccountable, they become more brazen, and a pit is no exception. Typically, the larger and less acquainted those in a pit are, the more likely it is that you will be groped, felt up, or even have someone try to take your shirt off, and yes that really happened. 

By and large the people that come to shows are wonderful, kind people who will let their friends borrow their prized guitar when a string breaks during a set or let complete strangers who have traveled across the country in a band sleep on their couch. Yet, as a microcosm of the larger American culture, show culture still has a lot to work on, to truly be a place of equality: Internalized misogyny needs to be unlearned, violence needs to be called out, and equality and intersectionality need to be preached as much as the latest alternative Australian beach-punk EP. As a lover and a rocker, I think the most important thing we as lovers and rockers can do, is to do better, for ourselves, for the girls and for the future of this community.

The Experience of a Female Sports Fan: Harassment and Disrespect in the Mainstream Sports Community By: Delaney Auth

The Experience of a Female Sports Fan: Harassment and Disrespect in the Mainstream Sports Community

By: Delaney Auth

I’ve been a sports fan for about as long as I can remember. Sports are a way that my family can spend time together and bond and has been for my entire life. My dad’s side of the family is from Pittsburgh so we were all raised to worship former Steelers owner Art Rooney as next to a god. For whatever reason, as we got older it became clear that my step-sister and I were the big sports fans, while my brother generally couldn't care less. We particularly loved hockey and football, and from a pretty young age jumped into learning as much as we could about the teams we rooted for, both past and present. We knew the current players, coaches, and owners as well as most of the ones from past years. We were able to rattle off the statistics of our favorites, to argue about controversial calls by the refs, and understood the rules and strategies of the game.

It didn’t take long for me to understand that a lot of sports fans did not take me seriously because I was a girl. When the Steelers went to the Super Bowl in the 2008-2009 season I was in 7th grade and a fellow classmate heard me talking excitedly about my team, laughed, and told me that he doubted I could name five Steelers players. I responded by naming about ten to fifteen before he rolled his eyes at me and cut me off. It has not stopped since then. Male sports fans have laughed at me, quizzed me on team trivia, called me names like “puckslut”, harassed me at games, and much, much more. My experience is not uncommon, in fact I think you’d be hard pressed to find a single female sports fan who hasn’t experienced some kind of harassment, disrespect or disdain.

One of the main forms that this kind of behavior takes is through assumptions about the “real” reasons that women want to watch sports. The most common that I’ve heard over the years are the idea that women watch sports to impress men, or women only watch sports because they think the players of a particular sport are hot. The latter is particularly common in the hockey fan community, and usually expressed with the term I previously mentioned: “puckslut”. Now there a lot of issues with that word and the attitudes surrounding it. First of all, who cares why a woman wants to watch sports? That is her decision and none of anyone else’s business. Second of all, there is no reason to assume what a person’s reasons are for liking a thing and even less reason to say they’re lying when they correct you. The word “puckslut” and the shaming that comes with it is just another form of slut shaming. And slut shaming is not okay.

There is also an element of sexual harassment that is inevitably faced by women who participate in the mainstream sports communities. I have been jeered at leaving games by drunken men leaning out of bars since I was thirteen. As a Pittsburgh fan living in Central Illinois, most of the games we attend are away games for our teams. We went to a whole lot of Pirates games when they would play the Cubs in Chicago and so there was a lot of well-meaning teasing that you would get, especially if the Pirates lost. Some of it was not so harmless. I remember at one game when I was about thirteen or fourteen, one of the men sitting behind us was taunting and razzing us through the game. He strayed from baseball and began to focus on football. It was around the time that the rape allegations against Ben Roethlisberger had come out, and this man decided to yell, “I’ll bet he’d rape you, too,” at my step-sister and I, laughing. My parents were furious, and something my dad said to him shut him up for the rest of the game, although I’m not sure what it was. It was inappropriate, disgusting, and like all rape jokes, not funny.

This kind of harassment is unfortunately extremely common within mainstream sports. Certain male fans of the New York Jets made a habit of gathering at Gate D of their stadium, shouting obscenities at women as they passed by and demanding that they flash their breasts. At one particular game in 2007, a woman who refused was bombarded with beer bottles and garbage, and even spit on. Female sports announcers and reporters don’t escape this treatment. Sports reporter Erin Andrews, is talked about for her looks more often than for how good she is at her job and she has even been stalked at her hotel. Women with jobs in the industry are often stalked and harassed online for unpopular opinions, or for criticizing male players, officials, or administration. Female commentators like Samantha Ponder and Michelle Beadle were attacked and threatened online for speaking out about the NFL’s handling of the domestic violence allegations and evidence against Ray Rice. The pattern of sexual harassment in the sports fan community is persistent and disgusting. Women should be able to feel comfortable and safe as fans or industry employees.

I’m tired of all of this and more. I’m tired of feeling uncomfortable and sometimes unsafe at games or in sports bars. I’m tired of sports organizations like the NFL not taking domestic violence, rape, and sexual harassment seriously when it is perpetrated by players and other members of their community and organization. I’m exhausted with having to play sports trivia with men every time I mention that I am a sports fan. I’m so done with men thinking it’s okay to ask me if I’m a “real fan” or “just some puckslut”, like it matters. Women cannot be casual sports fans in the way that men can, we have to know everything there is to know or we’re just some silly girl doing it for the attention. This kind of behavior is unacceptable and as long as sports organizations allow it to go on without even acknowledging it, it will persist.

The organizations and the fans who behave this way must be held accountable for their actions. Until they are, being a sports fan will continue to be challenging, and at times dangerous for women. We shouldn’t allow our society to tell us what we can and can’t like and how much we should or shouldn’t like it. Sports are supposed to be fun. It is just a game after all.

Where We At? Dealing (with) Black Feminism

Where We At? Dealing (with) Black Feminism

Written by Venise Keys

February 28

In the great tradition of Black Feminism, I have integrated a daily practice of self-love into my lifestyle as a full-time graduate student. This self-love is deeper than an assortment of wooden Afrocentric jewelry or a proclaiming Black Nationalist flag (although I proudly have both)…it is an active choice of engaging my ancestral heritage as a Black woman artist through knowledge and scholarship.

Here, I am distinguishing differences between knowledge that is attainable from experience, and scholarship that only holds importance between the walls of privileged institutions. This “experience” within knowledge cannot be measured by age; I have heard prolific life observations from children younger than 10. I am referring to the metaphysical feeling of acquiring meaningful ideas, developing an alternative perspective, and applying the information into a living practice.

What does this practice and alternative perspective look like? In my case, it started at the beginning of February 2015 with a personal social media campaign called #blackhistory365.

Although seemingly vague in its title, my intention was to showcase a different Black American artist as my profile picture each day of February. This action is more than a passive trending of statements and photos reinforcing historic figures. I deliberately only chose black American women artists who engage in abstract art, hoping someone would notice my hidden agenda of gender intersectionality and specific artistic aesthetic.

Symbolically, I represented my connection with these women artists by having them embody my profile picture; embracing their artistic spirit and strengthening my place on the continuum of American black artists.

I consecutively posted images for about 5 days. I didn’t anticipate my full-time schedule would leave no mental room to patiently sort through 95 years (referring to the Harlem Renaissance of 1920s into the present) of black artists every day.

Naturally, I felt embarrassed to evoke the attention of my Facebook public only to under-perform. But something miraculous transformed the embarrassment into a grand learning lesson. I unknowingly signed up as spokesperson to educate on black art (works created by artists of African descent) for an audience that could easily find the sources themselves. So how do I reconcile the cycle of self-appointing spokesperson for black people? How do I feed my passion to constantly learn (and create) so I can share knowledge with my community about an identity that is not readily given to us?

I invest in my graduate research which functions as simultaneous self-love and academic scholarship. For instance, the title of this piece can be dissected into multiple meanings that are personal for my own self-love journey.

In 1971, a group of black women artists formed an artist collective named “Where We At” Black Women Artists Inc. (WWA). Among this group of women was Camille Billops, Elizabeth Catlett, Lois Mailou Jones, Faith Ringgold, and Betye Saar to name a few. Although WWA achieved great success in addressing issues within the black community and social injustice, they did not identify as feminists. This separation is partly due to the dominating white feminists of their time only focusing on sexist issues.

My excitement of learning about WWA can be harnessed into taking action toward my own aspirations of creating black artist solidarity in higher education. I can use the histories of my people a tool to continually deal (with) Black Feminism in a country still haunted by the tragic racial discrimination of the past and present.

Carter G. Woodson created Negro History Week in 1926 to celebrate the accomplishments of black people normally excluded from the narrative of American history. Black History Month was officially established in 1976. Our country must truly consider we still exist in the 239 years and 2,095,028.59 hours of oppression that is only acknowledged 672 hours in February.

As I write this on the last day of February, I cannot help but feel this release is on right on time. In honor of the 39th Anniversary of Black History, I compel learners of all backgrounds to do better at actively searching for knowledge and holding on to the tenets of your own self-love. Although the journey may be painful, your passion and conviction will be met with gratifying internal and external rewards.