Representation Matters

Posted on April 13, 2016April 13, 2016 by treasureshieldsredmond

I threw the bodiless blonde in the trunk of the car, hoping I’d disposed of it in such a way as to not draw attention to her abrupt disappearance. This was late night espionage. I drove around for days like this. I imagined her painted smile, and her pastel blue eyes with their fixed stare. […]...

The FEMININE PRONOUN Series #11: Black Books, Black Children, & Black Love

Posted on April 12, 2016April 12, 2016 by treasureshieldsredmond

This episode of The Feminine Pronoun youtube blog series finds me sharing the power and resonance of Fannie Lou Hamer with a population she loved — children. The EYESEEME bookstore (the only black children’s bookstore in St. Louis) provided a welcoming space for the inquisitive crew and their men...

Intimate Partner Violence as an Issue of Workplace Diversity

Posted on March 30, 2016 by treasureshieldsredmond

It wasn’t this picture that fell out of the dead man’s pocket, but it was one very much like it. When I was in the first grade, a friend of my mother’s boyfriend, a man who had sat at our table and had eaten in our home, murdered his girlfriend and then committed suicide. My […]

What Do Black Childhood, Charter Schools, and Tamir Rice Have in Common?

Posted on March 30, 2016May 8, 2018 by treasureshieldsredmond

Hint: Harriet Ball was her name, and she passed away in 2011. A veteran teacher from Texas, Ball was observed in the early 90s by two novice teachers, two young white men who were impressed by the way she infused the curriculum with rhythm and mnemonics that engaged the children thoroughly; much...

When Your Colleagues Just Don’t Get Diversity & Inclusion

Posted on March 30, 2016 by treasureshieldsredmond

Your company, or your school, or your non-profit claims they are “committed to diversity,” but by the look of things you can’t tell. And the truth is, the “Strategic Plan” seems to be to talk about diversity until it’s time to revisit the strategic plan. Or even worse, your colleagues thinking�...

No, People of Color are Not Here to “Spice Things Up”

Posted on March 29, 2016 by treasureshieldsredmond

In the days after the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, I posted the following on Facebook: “I wake up to a world where a black led group I was a part of told the white governor to his face: we don’t trust you. I wake up to a black president who delegated a […]

An Open Letter to the Dear Sugar Podcast or “If it’s white, say so”

Posted on March 29, 2016 by treasureshieldsredmond

Dear Sugar, I’m writing you because I love your podcast. You’ve created a place in the auralsphere where the big themes – betrayal, parentage, love — are met with measured, loving consideration and made shatteringly personal. Every week I get to hear some shard of myself speak and be acknow...

“Happy” Slaves, Presidential “Mistresses” & the Language of Race

Posted on March 28, 2016 by treasureshieldsredmond

There is no neighborhood in New York city named after a president’s mistress. But there could be. In a world where a major publisher would have to be pressured into taking a book that depicts happy slaves baking treats for their owner, (who happens to be George Washington), the naming of an est...

Ferguson and Whiteness

Posted on March 28, 2016March 28, 2016 by treasureshieldsredmond

After the tragic killing of 20 young children and seven adults (including the killer’s mother) in Sandy Hook, Connecticut at Newtown Elementary, a group decided to create T-shirts emblazoned with the logo “Newtown Strong.” One can be certain that the idea arose as a show of solidarity and s...

The FEMININE PRONOUN Series #9: Act Local; Think Global