Aaron

Author and folklorist Zora Neale Hurston once described herself as a brown bag of miscellany. I like to think my interior a bit more defined and purposeful than that, but it’s a fitting description nonetheless.

A future educator. Aspiring novelist. Current English major at the University of Chicago. Life-long intellectual. I revel in the realm of ideas. I endeavor to create social, emotional, and spiritual foundations for the communities of individuals around me. I pride myself on being a rebuilder of sorts. Let’s talk about Race sometime.

Follow Aaron on Twitter: @Talley_Marked

Posts by Aaron

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May 5, 2013 at 12:27pm

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We Didn’t Create the Closet: Raising the Stakes for ‘Coming Out’

For many of us in the LGBTQ community, Jason Collins offers a grand celebratory moment. Quite simply, he announced, “I’m black. And I’m gay,” and disputably became the “the first active male athlete in a major U. S. team sport to come out of the closet.” Though he might be the first active male athlete, [...]

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April 19, 2013 at 3:50am

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What Shall I Do As a Future Black Gay Teacher

There is often talk about how schools can become safer spaces for queer students of color. Given that queer students of color are disproportionately impacted by poverty, homelessness, and inner city violence, this goal should certainly be one of the biggest priorities for school communities. However, creating a safe space for queer students will necessitate [...]

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March 28, 2013 at 2:17pm

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Why I Am Here for Marriage Equality: Changing the Conversation for Queer POCs

As we wait for the Supreme Court to offer its rulings on DOMA and Prop 8, a noticeable division has arisen between the mainstream LGBT agenda, and those of us who prefer and advocate for a more radical politics, namely for queer people of color. The tension is justified and wholly understandable. Many argue that [...]

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March 21, 2013 at 2:40pm

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Sorry Jada, the Short Answer is “No”

On Monday, Jada Pinkett Smith offered a question to her Facebook followers trying to prompt conversation around the topic of whether or not black women should be willing to allow white women to grace the covers of Black magazines such as Essence. She asks: With love and respect to all parties involved, my question is [...]

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March 14, 2013 at 10:50am

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The Demolition of Black Boy Bodies and Learned Silences

“…He felt no physical existence at all right then. It was a shadowy region, a No Man’s Land, the ground that separated the white world from the black that he stood upon. He felt naked, transparent; he felt that this white man, having helped to put him down, having helped to deform him, held him [...]

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March 7, 2013 at 10:35am

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I am from Detroit, Detroit.

Often when I tell people I am from Detroit (particularly white people), I am often met with a look of either bewilderment or amazement. This shock is often magnified when I tell people that I attended Detroit Public Schools all my life. I suppose people begin to short circuit when I tell them my birthplace [...]

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February 28, 2013 at 11:07pm

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Name (Calling)

By now, many of us have heard about the ugly insult hurled at the wonderful Quvenzhané Wallis, who, by virtue of being talented and Black at the same time, has become another symbol representing our society’s insufferable addiction to misogyny and racism (among other things). Even more unfortunately, what happened to Quvenzhané is not surprising, [...]

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February 14, 2013 at 11:56pm

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“Bad” Kids Don’t Deserve to Die Either

After much clamor and many entreaties, finally President Obama has decided to come to Chicago to address the rampant gun violence plaguing communities of color. Perhaps in a newfound fervor stemming from the security of a second term, Obama seems to have become more intentional and aggressive about addressing the issues that have a greater [...]

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January 31, 2013 at 3:31pm

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On Being Black and Unwanted at Elite Universities

Last Sunday, the institution I attend, the University of Chicago, sent another sobering reminder to the University community that students and communities of color are not to be seriously valued, considered, or even meaningfully respected in their full dignity as human beings. On January 27th, the University of Chicago used brutal and unnecessary force to [...]

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January 25, 2013 at 8:10am

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I Am the Darker Brother

I, too, sing America. I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes, But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong. Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table When company comes. Nobody’ll dare Say to me, “Eat in the kitchen,” Then. Besides, They’ll see how beautiful I am [...]

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