‘Woman power is/ Black power/ is/ Human power/ is/ alwasy feeling/ my heart beats/ as my eyes open/ as my hands move/ as my mouth speaks/ I am/ are you/ Ready.’ ‘Now’ by Audre Lorde (1934 – 1992). On Monday 21st of October from 7.00pm to 9.00pm, the doors of the Cambridge University Graduate Union will open for one night only to celebrate the life and … More EVENT: A Poetry Night in Honour of Audre Lorde
When Mary Wollenstencraft published her polemic on Feminist Philosophy in 1792, against the tumultuous background of the French Revolution, she concerned herself with the rights afforded to “woman” – an abstract category. However, in Wollenstencraft’s world, there was seemingly something in the body social that drew all women together and merged their experiences. In today’s society, the difference … More A Vindication of the Rights of Black Women: A Contribution to a Discourse
As women in the West who still struggle to reach equality with our male peers, it can be easy to forget that many of our sisters living in developing countries are still deprived of the most basic rights and amenities that we so often take for granted. Some still struggle to get an education, to … More Born The ‘Wrong’ Gender: Women in East Africa
One of the big questions society must answer right now is whether or not we live in a post-racial society. Some would say yes, but the vast majority (many of whom would be considered ethnic minorities in the UK and America) would disagree vehemently. Although we have come a very long way since the 1950s … More Beyond Black and White: Love, Race and the Interracial
Exactly one week ago Tele Ogunyemi told us why afro-Caribbean hair is a political matter and why ‘Can I Touch Your Hair?’ is a question worth deconstructing. With the aid of a series of wonderful illustrations, Mariel Richards returns to the topic in part II of No Fly on the WALL‘s discussion and tells us … More ‘Can I Touch Your Hair?’: A Response
A debate that seems to not be had enough is the debate surrounding the politics of black hair, particularly black women’s hair. For many who possess tight afro-curls, hair is not simply ‘just hair’. Naomi Campbell once proclaimed in Vogue, ‘I Am NOT My Hair’, recalling an encounter with a friend of hers who claimed … More “Can I Touch Your Hair?”
In May 2013 Laurie Penny declared that we, as a society, need to talk about Masculinity: ‘The crisis facing men and boys [today] cannot be solved by reviving the tired stereotypes that oppress and constrain them’. In the fight to secure freedom from the oppression of patriarchy, have we gone too far the other way, … More The ‘Real Man’ Conundrum
Depression affects both men and women, but more women than men are likely to be diagnosed with the illness in any given year according to recent studies, including the National Comorbidity Survey. Trying to describe what depression feels like to an outsider can be challenging. In this post, Naomi Maxwell explores depression in women and … More Untitled.
No Fly on the WALL. 