Late last month, two police officers in Hugo, Oklahoma, fired bullets into a truck containing four children. Three of the children were shot. The 4-year-old was shot in the head. The 5-year-old has a skullContinue reading
Category: Articles & Essays
John Singleton Changed How Black America Looked at Itself
Critic’s Notebook: The director’s ‘Boyz N the Hood’ was a cinematic gamechanger, revealing the horror, beauty and humanity of L.A.’s South Central to an unsuspecting America. John Singleton had an incredible impact on American cultureContinue reading
Skimming the Surface: A Way of Looking at Us
America hates her children. How else can we explain inequities in school funding, the high rate of homeless children, and infant mortality rates that rival those of the developing world in this, the richest countryContinue reading
As We Mourn Notre Dame, Let Us Remember Black Churches Also Matter
When Notre Dame burned, I mourned. A beautiful cathedral, a destination, a sanctuary for quiet invocation, Notre Dame was also an architectural gem, a landmark for more than 850 years. The collapse of its beautifulContinue reading
From Pre-K On, US Schools Privilege the Already Privileged
The college bribery admissions scandal called “Operation Varsity Blues” has exposed the opportunities for corruption afforded wealthy parents so eager to secure admission for their children to elite colleges and universities that they willingly payContinue reading
All Schools Should Teach Students That Black Lives Matter
Last week’s Black Lives Matter at School discussed restorative justice, internationalism, Black families and more. “First graders listened to a story about Trayvon Martin written by eighth graders and shared ideas about injustice.” “My 2ndContinue reading
Renew the Resistance! The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa Light the Way
My family celebrates Kwanzaa. We do not wear kente cloth, pour libations or leap toward beating drums, though I believe those traditions are beautiful. Our celebration is simpler than that. On each of the sevenContinue reading
‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ Is an Important Invitation to Feel Black Pain
Published on hollywoodreporter.com – ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ Is an Important Invitation to Feel Black Pain by Eisa Nefertari Ulen | 12/7/2018 Critic’s Notebook: In 2018, African-American filmmakers like Spike Lee, George Tillman Jr.Continue reading
How Progressives Can End the Era of Mediocre White Men in Power
An interview with Kevin Powell Originally appeared on Truthout.org – How Progressives Can End the Era of Mediocre White Men in Power By Eisa Nefertari Ulen | Interview | September 4, 2018 What enabled theContinue reading
“Geniuses Hiding in Plain Sight”: Tayari Jones on How the Academy Can Reinforce Inequality
Originally appeared on Truthout.org – “Geniuses Hiding in Plain Sight”: Tayari Jones on How the Academy Can Reinforce Inequality By Eisa Nefertari Ulen | Interview | March 27, 2018 2018 is a dynamic year forContinue reading
Building on a Deep Organizing History, Black Women Are Reshaping the Electoral Landscape
Originally appeared on Truthout.org – Building on a Deep Organizing History, Black Women Are Reshaping the Electoral Landscape By Eisa Nefertari Ulen | News Analysis | February 10, 2018 Doug Jones in Alabama. Ralph NorthamContinue reading
In Conversation: On Love, Art, and a New Vision of Liberated Black Womanhood in “An American Marriage”
Published on LAReviewOfBooks.org – In Conversation: On Love, Art, and a New Vision of Liberated Black Womanhood in “An American Marriage” By Eisa Nefertari Ulen | February 6, 2018 Tayari Jones and I first metContinue reading
Eisa Ulen Remembers Her Friend, Erica Kennedy
Published on HuffPost.com – Eisa Ulen Remembers Her Friend, Erica Kennedy By Eisa Ulen | December 6, 2017 I do not want to write in the past tense. I must use the past tense notContinue reading
The Space in Between: Afro-Surreal Liminality in Khary Lazarre-White’s “Passage”
Published on LAReviewOfBooks.org – The Space in Between: Afro-Surreal Liminality in Khary Lazarre-White’s “Passage” By Eisa Nefertari Ulen | November 18, 2017 TO BE Black in the United States is to be in a perpetualContinue reading
Freelance Journalism, Book Reviews, and Personal Essays
2022 Critic’s Notebook: “Behind Will Smith’s Slap, Black Pain and Enough Blame to Go Around.” Published by the Hollywood Reporter, March 29, 2022. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/will-smith-chris-rock-slap-jada-pinkett-oscars-1235121662/ 2021 Review of “The Other Black Girl.” Published May 2021 byContinue reading
Women’s Work: A Personal Reflection on MLK Day
Originally appeared on Truthout.org – Women’s Work: A Personal Reflection on MLK Day By Eisa Nefertari Ulen | Op-Ed | January 16, 2017 I have not spent much time with the white women and girlsContinue reading
Breaking the Binaries: “The Thunder Beneath Us”
Originally appeared on Truthout.org – Breaking the Binaries: “The Thunder Beneath Us” By Eisa Nefertari Ulen | Interview | January 2, 2017 Nicole Blades’ second novel, The Thunder Beneath Us, centers and elevates Black femaleContinue reading
How I Talked About Trump With My 6-Year-Old Child
Originally appeared on Truthout.org – How I Talked About Trump With My 6-Year-Old Child By Eisa Nefertari Ulen | Op-Ed | November 10, 2016 What I felt Wednesday morning, and continue to feel, is moreContinue reading