Author Archives: Shykia

The Consequence of Cruelty

With shaky penmanship, Daniel Fitzpatrick vented his frustrations, pain, and ultimate surrender. Then he hung himself. He was only thirteen years old. No parent should ever have to bury their child. Yet, this past Monday, that’s precisely what Daniel’s grieving … Continue reading

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My Thoughts on Outcast

I don’t usually get to watch a lot of TV these days, so I don’t normally get Cinemax, but I signed up temporarily for the sole purpose of watching Outcast (created by Robert Kirkman), and I certainly don’t regret it. … Continue reading

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Presumption of Guilt & the Question of Noncompliance

The footage included in this recent Washington Post article lays bare the presumption of guilt too many officers have black citizens. On June 15, 2015 Breaion King was violently arrested by police in Austin, Texas; an encounter during which she … Continue reading

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Humanity

The atrocity in Orlando, Florida has brought forth a question that frequently arises each time evil rears its ugly head. I’ve addressed it in some of my fiction and poetry, but I’m writing it straight out in case it may … Continue reading

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ROOTS Review

  ROOTS isn’t a film one watches for enjoyment or entertainment, but for enlightenment and perspective. This was true for the original and doubly so for the remake, which is much more graphic and intense. Some have argued, perhaps too … Continue reading

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Roots Reboot: Controversy and Consciousness

  “No more slave movies!” That was one declaration among the commentary I’ve seen in response to the Roots remake announcement. I’ve also come across comments calling for a protest of A&E and its sister networks (History, and Lifetime) which … Continue reading

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Banned Books Week Highlight: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

  Medical advancements are often a derivative of the suffering of others. And often, society reaps the benefits without knowing the names or histories of those who made it possible for us to treat and avoid certain medical conditions. A … Continue reading

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Banned Books Week Highlight: The Bluest Eye

  Pecola Breedlove is a tragic character who lives a tortured life both at the hands of family as well as her peers. She covets blue eyes, fair skin and blonde hair, figuring that having such traits would make her … Continue reading

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Banned Books Week Highlight: Nineteen Eighty-Four

  Nineteen Eighty-Four is set in a province in Oceania in a time of endless war where widespread government surveillance is commonplace. Society is ruled under a political system known as Ingsoc, or English Socialism enforced by the elite Inner … Continue reading

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Banned Books Week Highlight: The Master and Margarita

Mikhail Bulgakov was defiant to say the least. He wrote The Master and Margarita between 1928 and 1940, during the anti-religious campaign in the Soviet Union. It wasn’t published until 1967, twenty-seven years after Bulgakov’s death, and was censored even … Continue reading

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