Tuesday, October 30, 2018


Your Celebratory Quote
FEATURED
Roxane Gay is a Bad Feminist
Roxane Gay—with one n, as she specifies on her website, has become an intersectional icon.
But she doesn’t exactly consider herself a feminist because feminism wasn’t built for queer, Black women like her. However, The Guardian says, “she supports feminism's aims, wants equal opportunities for men and women, reproductive freedom and affordable healthcare for all, so she came up with the label Bad Feminist, which punctures the need for perfection.” This is where she got the name of her book.
Her engaging and provoking perspectives on issues like Me Too and fat-shaming are widely read and she has become a known voice in social justice issues.
But her story isn’t all about becoming a literary sensation in her 30s. Gay often alludes to the instances that made her who she is today. At 12 years old, she was gang-raped by her school crush and his friends. At 19, she vanished from Yale and traveled with a 44 year old man.
Her essays and novels have made their way into our homes and her honest perspective is refreshing. In a world of always trying to be woke, Gay admits, “I embrace the label of bad feminist because I am human. I am messy. I’m not trying to be an example. I am not trying to be perfect. I am not trying to say I have all the answers. I am not trying to say I’m right. I am just trying—trying to support what I believe in, trying to do some good in this world, trying to make some noise with my writing while also being myself."
Today, Gay is an associate professor at Purdue University and works hard to bring prominence to more writers of color, and we’re excited to see what more is in store for her!
ARTICLES
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Carla Hall Puts the Soul in Soul Food
After being in Bravo’s Top Chef two times, Carla Hall is back and better than ever with her new cookbook Carla Hall’s Soul Food: Everyday and Celebration! She showcases generations of passed down recipes made with love, which is perfect for Thanksgiving coming up. One thing we really applaud Hall for is bringing attention to the distinction between soul food and southern food. Black people are the soul of soul food!
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Coco Consultant Retells His Life
Playwright and consultant of the hit movie Coco, Octavio Solis has written his memoir Retablos. Although he is a legal immigrant, his experience as a “skinny brown kid” was much different than others. He’s a leading voice in Latino theater, giving Latino kids who love art around the world representation and hope that they can achieve tremendous things as well!
SHOUT OUTS
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IKAR
This week we are shouting out IKAR. As we continue to mourn the events at Tree of Life synagogue, we uplift the work of our Jewish friends across this nation. Founder and Rabbi Sharon Brous sums up the purpose of IKAR saying, "Our Jewish story calls us to become agents of social change whose fiercest weapons are love, faith and holy hutzpah." Learn more about the organization and how you can engage!

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