Portia Noir - Let's Heal Through Learning

I have had the question of "when should I talk to my kids about anti-racism?" brought to me several times, and the answer I often give is "how old do you think Black children, Indigenous children, and other children of color start to learn about how they will be affected by racism?" And what strikes me is how often the parents and guardians are startled by that question and subsequent realization. I am reminded of how white people move through this world with a level of privilege so ingrained that it is often missed how present it is. When it comes to children, to not have to worry about the necessary conversations about how to keep themselves safe and how to keep themselves safe in the world is a privilege that should not be taken for granted at all. To be able to raise children with a full sense of innocence, and not have it tainted by how the world sees them is a gift. And it's a gift that is often taken for granted.  I remember posing a question to Black peo

There is a phenomenon that happens when it comes to the culture of Black people, especially how Black women celebrate it. There's the way we wear our hair, the jewelry we wear, the way we wear our nails, and more. There is no denying that Black people are the blueprint of everything other than oppression in this country. Music, fashion, art...all of it. What comes with that, however, is how colonization shows up and wants to take instead of celebrate. The instinct that when you see something you like, your move is to grab it and run with it. The move isn't there to understand what it is that you admire. The choice to instead grasp it and say "but hey, you should want to share with us!" is the one that is often made, however, the sharing that's mentioned is rarely sharing in the way it is meant to be.  Whiteness, and the inherent colonization that comes with it, turns what could be a sharing of something beautiful across cultures into instead a full appropriation o

A phrase that was introduced to me is the phrase "Pet to threat", and it is one that I have thought about since hearing it. To best explain the phrase, I'm going to use the example of being a Black woman in the corporate world. My story is, I'm sure, similar to that of many other Black women, we all just have our different "spins" on it, for lack of better phrasing.  At a former job, I was celebrated in a lot of ways, one of the most being the fact that I am a Black woman. Do I feel I was a diversity hire? No...? I don't think that was how it started, however, it wasn't long after that that I began to feel like a bit of a token, or a representation of the company being "diverse". I was asked to be on the Diversity Council before I had reached the typical employment length to apply. Once on the council, I was asked to lead not only meetings, but also to lead Employee Resource Groups, or ERGs. I thought nothing of these at first, as I was exc

Being at the intersection of so many marginalized identities is simultaneously beautiful and exhausting. The Supreme Court decisions over the last few days have me quite literally exhausted as a Black queer woman. The decision about affirmative action, while it is currently for academic applications, this is clearly the beginning. It is also important to note that the legacy student policy has not been revoked. Statistically we know that white women benefit the most from affirmative action, yet the people that will feel the brunt of this decision the most are Black people. Add to the situation that an Asian American has been used as an agent of white supremacy, and the anti Blackness is ramped up even more. The thing about issues that can and do affect people of color is that it will hit Black people doubly, because the hate of Black people doesn't stop at white people.  That brings me to today's Supreme Court ruling on the Denver case where Lorie Smith claimed her religious be

"The most disrespected person in America, is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America, is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America, is the Black woman." - Malcom X This statement is so profound, if for no other reason than the fact that it is evergreen. Black women, while being not only the backbone of this country, but also the reason the country is still intact, are still disrespected, discarded, and dismissed. That is, of course, until we are needed. Until our labor is needed. Until our work is needed. Being a content creator whose work centers around anti-racism and decolonizing work, I see this behavior so often. But I see it in such a way that it's less than obvious to someone not looking for it, or someone who is unfamiliar with how it presents.  When Black women find ourselves in a position of teaching and educating, we also find ourselves in a position of pet to threat. I thank my best friend for that phrase. Simply put, when we are no

Making the decision to leave the corporate world has been simultaneously the happiest and scariest event I've experienced in a long time. I am so happy to be able to pour into myself. I am so happy to be able to be creative, to teach, to rediscover myself. And with that also comes that pesky voice in my ear saying "but what if it doesn't work out?" I've been sitting with that fear. I've been sitting with it, not just to avoid that type of positivity that is expected. The if it's meant to be it will be, the don't worry, it'll all work out. I've been sitting with it because I recognize that I am also beginning a whole different type of healing.  I've been working in the corporate world, for someone else, for almost 30 years. It's what I've known. It's what has been comfortable to me, and I don't mean comfortable in the warm and fuzzy way, I mean in the way of knowing that I was making ends meet, able to feed and house myself,