Erin White

Editorial Assistant and Content Creator

United States

I write about culture and politics through an intersectional feminist lens.

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AFROPUNK
05/01/2017
Racism is expecting Obama to work for free while letting Trump's family siphon tax payers dollars...

For some naively optimistic reasons, I find myself once again surprised and disgusted by the hypocritical anti-black criticisms over former President Obama's paid speaking engagements that are being made by media outlets and politicians like Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Criticism that scarcely seems relevant compared to issues surrounding our current President who is also being investigated [...]

AFROPUNK
03/27/2020
WHO'LL BE SAVED IF BLACK WOMEN'S SYMPTOMS ARE IGNORED? - AFROPUNK

The coronavirus pandemic has brought the insufficiencies of our health care infrastructure on full display. And, as the pandemic continues to unfold, we are finding out that the system we know is not only ultra-expensive, but absurdly inefficient and under-equipped to do the job we need it do.

AFROPUNK
06/14/2019
X-RAY SPEX: BLACK GIRLS USED TO RULE THE PUNK SCENE | AFROPUNK

Poly Styrene was a braces-wearing, singer/songwriter, and frontwoman of X-Ray Spex. Styrene was born in 1957 in the UK to Irish and Somali parents. By the time she turned 16, Styrene had run away from home and was already (unofficially) on the road, following bands and hitchhiking from one music festival to the next.

AFROPUNK
10/03/2018
A LOVE LETTER TO 'CRAZY' BLACK GIRLS - AFROPUNK

The one goes out to the Black girls who don't socialize anymore, because of their anxious, intrusive thoughts. To the spoonies rationing energy to make it through the day, and the spectrum babes who monitor minutiae to make others more comfortable. You're not alone.

AFROPUNK
05/16/2019
FUCK YOUR FAMILY: BOUNDARIES SAVE LIVES - AFROPUNK

I'm not here to tell you that your family is trash and can't tell you to want to do. I'm here to help you set healthy boundaries so you can be the best, truest version of yourself. To get us started, let it be known that you don't belong to your family.

AFROPUNK
07/01/2019
FAT GIRL SEX: THE POWER OF QUEENING | AFROPUNK

Fat Girl Sex is a weekly sex column devoted to the celebration of the sexual empowerment of women, body and sex positivity featuring personal meandering about all the nasty things we do in the dark. Boy, oh, boy, the orgasms I have faked.

AFROPUNK
12/13/2017
INTERVIEW: ALL HAIL THE FASHION QUEEN OF WAKANDA, COSTUME DESIGNER RUTH E. CARTER | AFROPUNK

Royalty in her own right, 'Black Panther' costume designer Ruth E. Cater, Academy Award-nominated costume designer, is the mastermind behind some of the greatest fashion moments in cinema over the last 30 years. Her big break happened when a friend and fellow alumni of Hampton University connected her with soon-to-be legend Spike Lee, who hired ...

AFROPUNK
02/26/2019
YUNG YEMI CAPTIVATES WITH AFRO-FUTURISM PORTRAITS - AFROPUNK

Visual artist Yung Yemi aka Adeyemi Adegbesan is a beast. Known for his fantastical images of Black people, he pays homage to the African diaspora and African iconography and the result is fucking brilliant. Playing with themes of afrofuturism, sci-fi and fantasy, Yung Yemi, who is based in Toronto, creates the most otherworldy portraits.

AFROPUNK
04/05/2019
BLACK TIME-TRAVELERS SET THINGS RIGHT IN THIS COMIC SERIES - AFROPUNK

Immerse yourself in the afro-futuristic world of RET-CON, the newest comic book series from Glyph Award-winning indie comic imprint 133art. Written by Robert Jeffrey (DC Comic Writers Workshop) and illustrated by Jordi Perez (Top Cow's Grand Theft Astro), the 20-page book is a first-class lesson in indie comic book storytelling.

AFROPUNK
06/25/2019
NOVA TWINS SLAY INNER DEMONS IN THE "DEVIL'S FACE" VIDEO - AFROPUNK

If you've been blessed enough to catch British rock duo Nova Twins at an AFROPUNK festival then you already know these chicks raise hell. And their latest single and video "Devil's Face" is no exception. It's an electric blitzkrieg of dueling guitars battling it out with a cosmic griminess that blasts you into outer space.

AFROPUNK
02/22/2019
BLACK CANNABIS ACTIVISTS ADVOCATE FOR INCLUSIVE GREEN RUSH - AFROPUNK

It's no secret that the so-called Green Rush is largely taking place with the absence of Black and brown people. Those who were largely targeted and subsequently incarcerated during the War on Drugs are being cut out of legalized profit altogether. But there are a few groups and businesses aiming to change all that.

AFROPUNK
02/27/2019
BHM: LADY GRIER, THE WOMAN BEHIND FOXY BROWN - AFROPUNK

I'd argue that Black female sexuality wasn't claimable until Pam Grier made it so. Standing tall at about 5 foot 8 inches, the statuesque actress is known best for her roles in Blaxploitation films like Foxy Brown where she played an ass-kicking girlfriend embittered after her government agent boyfriend is slain by drug dealers.

AFROPUNK
02/15/2019
BHM: DORIS PAYNE, INTERNATIONAL JEWEL THIEF - AFROPUNK

The jail cell in Monaco overlooked the Mediterranean. She had been arrested, again, on suspicions of stealing the ring she was now disassembling. Doris Payne had hidden the ring from the authorities and was now sewing it into the lining of her griddle, ensuring that it would never be found.

AFROPUNK
11/13/2018
BEST BLACK DOCUMENTARIES STREAMING RIGHT NOW - AFROPUNK

Documentary junkies and curious watchers alike, there are some real finds available across streaming platforms this month that you should really check out. Even if documentaries aren't your thing, if you're interested in music (and we know you are) or just Black history, there are a bunch of docs just waiting for you!

AFROPUNK
09/17/2018
ANITA HILL'S FEMINIST LEGACY IN THE KAVANAUGH AGE - AFROPUNK

27 years after coming forward with claims of sexual harassment against then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, Anita Hill is more than just a symbolic voice in the era of #MeToo. Now, her story is set to be re-examined once more.

AFROPUNK
02/21/2019
CHILDREN'S BOOK HELPS AFRO-BRAZILIANS RECLAIM HERITAGE - AFROPUNK

I love a good children's book! And this one is informative and celebratory. Written by Brazilian author Waldete Tristão, " Conhecendo os Orixás - De Exu a Oxalá (Knowing the Orixás - From Exu to Oxalá)" is a glorious book aimed at educating youngsters on the beauty and vibrancy of West African culture and heritage.

AFROPUNK
12/19/2018
BASQUAIT'S POLICE BRUTALITY WORK HEADED TO GUGGENHEIM - AFROPUNK

Jean-Michel Basquiat's 1983 painting "Defacement (The Death of Michael Stewart)" was inspired by an early-morning encounter that Michael Stewart, 25, had with NYPD. Stewart was accused of spraying graffiti at a First Avenue subway station in the East Village. It was here where Stewart was kicked and beaten by as many as 11 police officers.

AFROPUNK
09/16/2018
'SOUL OF A NATION' OPENS AT BROOKLYN MUSUEM - AFROPUNK

Opening this weekend at the Brooklyn Museum is the exhibition, 'Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power', an introspective and critical examination of the broad spectrum of Black artistry from 1963 to 1983-some of the most politically charged and socially revolutionary years in America's history.

AFROPUNK
03/07/2019
QUEER, BLACK & BLUE: SISTER ROSETTA THARPE IS MUVA OF THEM ALL | AFROPUNK

Rock-n-Roll was invented by a queer Black woman born in 1915 Arkansas. Your disordered hardcore punk rock was sanctioned by a kinky-haired Black girl born to two cotton pickers in the Jim Crow South. The electric guitar was first played in ways very few people could have ever imagined by a woman who wasn't even allowed to play at music venues around the country.

AFROPUNK
06/19/2018
You can't demand that everyone mourn abusers - AFROPUNK

Like, tap-dancing on people's graves isn't exactly the nicest thing to do. Noted. That's somebody's baby. Now, it's cool if XXXTentacion's murder at age 20 doesn't put a smug smile on your face, but can we please not demand that everyone deify someone who, by many accounts, violated and abused women because they made a [...]

AFROPUNK
04/29/2019
THE RETURN OF 'HARRIET TUBMAN: DEMON SLAYER!' - AFROPUNK

If you weren't plugged into the world of comic book geekery back in 2017, then congratulations - you're getting a second chance with Harriet Tubman: Demon Slayer! An epic story if ever there was one, David Crownson's hit 'book is back for a second, expanded run.

AFROPUNK
04/15/2019
AURÉLIA DURAND IS DECOLONIZING THE FRENCH ART SCENE - AFROPUNK

Swoon-city over the incredible neon-colored artwork of Paris-based graphic artist, Aurélia Durand. The Uber-talented artist pays homage to Black women who are so underrepresented in European media, showcasing a glamorous interpretation of #BlackGirlMagic that aims to include a diverse spectrum of beauty. Fair skin isn't the only type of beauty.

HuffPost
04/02/2012
The Rise of the Anti-Intellectual Movement

As we approach the most intense and cut-throat parts of the presidential election season, I become increasingly more concerned about the party that leans furthest to the right. In 1895, H.G. Wells made a bold prediction that in 1,000 years time the human race would separate into two different species: the intelligent, more attractive, sophisticated class and the opposing dim-witted, short-statured, creature-like working class.

AFROPUNK
12/12/2018
BLACK FILMS KICKED 2018'S ASS - AFROPUNK

Black folks have been making seriously important, killer films for more than 50 years and every year they seem to get better and better. 2018 was no exception. With no shortage of diverse, interesting stories to tell, Black filmmakers and storytellers opened us up to their fictional worlds from the aboriginal Northern Territory in Australia to Wakanda.

AFROPUNK
12/10/2019
LIZZO LOVES HERSELF - YOU SHOULD TRY IT - AFROPUNK

If you're feeling some type of way over Lizzo living her life however the fuck she wants, you can go ahead and die mad. The singer shook her ass court-side at the Lakers vs. Timberwolves NBA game on Sunday night in fishnet stockings and a magical dress with a see-through backside.

AFROPUNK
11/21/2019
MEET THE ULTIMATE 'HUMAN FROM NEW YORK', FORMER STRIPPER TANQUERAY | AFROPUNK

Every now and then, Humans of New York produces a story that moves us with its humanity. One such story is that of a former stripper, Tanqueray. If you're not familiar, Humans of New York is an ongoing portrait series by photographer Brandon Stanton and he's been working on it for nearly a decade.

AFROPUNK
03/15/2019
QUEER, BLACK & BLUE: ETHEL WATERS, THE ORIGINAL TRAILBLAZER - AFROPUNK

Ethel Waters was born in the darkness. The daughter of a teenage rape victim, Ethel was came into the world on Halloween 1896 in Chester, Pennsylvania. Raised in poverty by her grandmother, two aunts and an uncle, the singer's early life was unstable and uncertain, never staying in one place for more than 15 months at a time.

AFROPUNK
09/23/2019
ANIME-INSPIRED MANGA 'ADORNED BY CHI' BEING DEVELOPED FOR FILM/TV - AFROPUNK

If you're a quirky Black girl with a Facebook account you've probably encountered the page for Adorned by Chi, Black-owned clothing and accessories for dreamers, misfits, and magical girls. More recently, Adorned By Chi founder Jacque Aye launched her latest project, an African Magical Girl Manga the borrows the Adorned name.

AFROPUNK
05/03/2019
BLACK FOLKS: CUT THE TRANSPHOBIC BULLSHIT | AFROPUNK

Yo, I am sick of you transphobic, pseudo-scientific, miserable fucks. Y'all gotta stop. And before you head to the comments to come for me, let me say: I'm not debating, I'm scolding you. In the comment section of a pos t we wrote last week, many ashy negros had the AUDACITY to fix their fingers to defend a private organization from accepting individuals because they are trans.

AFROPUNK
01/21/2019
IT'S TRUE, MLK BLVD. IS WHERE WE STAY - AFROPUNK

MLK Blvd., wherever its located and whatever shape its in, will always be a subtextual clue for how Black folks in any one city are living, where the best chicken wings come from, and which churches have the longest services.

AFROPUNK
08/05/2019
BLACK VETERAN SAVES EMPLOYEES, KIDS IN EL PASO SHOOTING - AFROPUNK

In what seems like the hundredth time, America was shaken to its core this weekend after a series of mass gun violence. In El Paso, Texas, a deranged Trump supporter stormed a local Walmart where he opened fire killing at least 22 people and injuring at least 24.

AFROPUNK
04/11/2019
BLACK UTOPIA: THE BEAUTY SUPPLY OASIS | AFROPUNK

In Crenshaw, my mom and I would buy braiding hair in the early morning before a day-long braiding appointment. I remember the bins of fabric, mesh embroidered sandals, bags of barrettes, and the du-rag display. Hair of all types. Kanekalon for box braids, deep wave virgin Brazilian bundles for a 24-inch quick weave, pre-plucked lace fronts.

AFROPUNK
10/30/2019
JOHN WITHERSPOON PASSES AT AGE 77 - AFROPUNK

Beloved actor-comedian John Witherspoon passed away suddenly this morning. He was 77 years old. "It is with deepest sorrow that we can confirm our beloved husband and father, John Witherspoon, one of the hardest working men in show business, died today at his home in Sherman Oaks at the age of 77," Witherspoon's family said in a statement to Deadline .

AFROPUNK
02/19/2019
AFROPUNK INTERVIEW: INDIA.ARIE - AFROPUNK

Admit it - you've been sleeping on India.Arie. Maybe she lost you along the way, but more likely you just fell off. And that's okay. Here's your chance to catch up on what the Atlanta-born and -bred singer-songwriter - and 22-time Grammy nominee - has been up to.

AFROPUNK
03/01/2019
WHITE SCHOOL DISTRICTS FUNDED $23 BILLION MORE THAN BLACK SCHOOL DISTRICTS - AFROPUNK

According to a staggering report by EdBuild, predominately white school districts are funded approximately $23 billion more per year than school districts that serve mostly students of color. "For every student enrolled, the average non-white school district receives $2,226 less than a white school district," the report says.

AFROPUNK
04/09/2019
ST. LOUIS COPS SEEK PERMISSION TO MACE, PEPPER-SPRAY NON-VIOLENT PROTESTORS - AFROPUNK

Everything I've learned about St. Louis in recent years has to do with the abusive police there. Whether it's police officers are delighting in beating up peaceful protestors or the federal report outlining systematic racism and targeted abuse of Black communities, politics and law enforcement in Missouri's capital city are corrupt beyond belief.

AFROPUNK
01/22/2020
MAKE IT STOP, TYLER PERRY - AFROPUNK

It's funny, every time Mr. Perry gives us a reason to be proud of him, to celebrate the progress he's made as a Black storyteller, he insists on making us walk that shit right back.

AFROPUNK
08/14/2019
11TH BLACK CHILD SINCE JUNE SHOT AND KILLED IN ST. LOUIS - AFROPUNK

Sadly it probably comes at no surprise that around this country, in low-income communities, people of color are disproportionately more at risk for gun violence than their suburban white counterparts. In places like Harlem and St. Louis, locals are reporting terrifying numbers of shootings and fatalities of minors.

AFROPUNK
03/06/2019
R. KELLY SHOWS US WHO HE REALLY IS - AFROPUNK

What in the Harpo? Crazy as cat shit, former celebrity singer R. Kelly lost his goddamn mind during an interview with Gayle King last night and boy was it something. When asked straight-up about the allegations against him, Kelly spiraled into a self-pitying erratic diatribe.

AFROPUNK
10/24/2019
FAT GIRL SEX: D*CK IS ABUNDANT, BUT LOW IN VALUE | AFROPUNK

'Fat Girl Sex' is a bi-weekly sex column devoted to the celebration of the sexual empowerment of womxn, body, and sex-positivity featuring personal meandering about all the nasty things we do in the dark. All throughout my Fat Girl life, society has been preparing me to settle.

AFROPUNK
10/03/2019
FAT GIRL SEX: F*CK YEAH, PERIOD SEX | AFROPUNK

Twice in a row, I had bled on my new lover. My new, extremely handsome, well-hung, best-sex-of-my-life lover. The cutie I was trying to impress with my WiLd sexy-time skills and prestige, pornstar-like vagina. "You're bleeding." I froze. Fuck. Embarrassed, I immediately shut my legs as he reached for the towel.

AFROPUNK
04/30/2019
BLACK UTOPIAS: MY PUSSY, MY PARADISE | AFROPUNK

The first thing I learned about my pussy was to hide it. "Close your legs, girl." My granny would say in a harsh whisper. Wacking the side of my knee with her purse as we sat in a Black baptist church pew. No one could see my cotton undies in the first place.

AFROPUNK
06/25/2019
BABY PHAT, FENTY: WHY NO LOVE FOR FAT GIRLS? | AFROPUNK

Y'all...when I heard Baby Phat was back...my 14-year-old baby thot heart was so warmed, let me tell you. Instantly, I was transported back to the bus stop bundled up in my brown and gold fur-lined bomber jacket from The Burlington Coat factory's Jr. Plus section. And, boy, did I think I was fly.

AFROPUNK
07/12/2019
FAT GIRL SEX: THREE KINDA IS A CROWD | AFROPUNK

Fat Girl Sex is a weekly sex column devoted to the celebration of the sexual empowerment of women, body and sex positivity featuring personal meandering about all the nasty things we do in the dark. The truth is that sometimes... three really are a crowd.

AFROPUNK
06/13/2019
MISSY ELLIOTT IS A VISIONARY HIP-HOP ICON, BOW DOWN! | AFROPUNK

A week ago, Missy Elliott became the first female rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Already a cultural icon in her own right, it seems like the mainstream is finally giving her what she has earned: critical acclaim and reverence. Even though it has been 14 years since her last full-length album.

AFROPUNK
03/20/2019
WHM: KAT BLAQUE IS OUR RADICAL DIGITAL QUEEN | AFROPUNK

For the past decade, Kat Blaque has been one of the strongest activists voices on social media. A vlogger, personality, and advocate, Kat has used her platform to discuss her identity as a trans woman as well as the intersection of race, class, pop culture and political commentary to educate others.

AFROPUNK
05/11/2017
F*ck like a fat girl: radical self-love for goddess sex | AFROPUNK

For fat girls/women, in my fat woman experience, being sexually active was/is somewhat dubious. As a life-long femme fattie, the only time I heard about fat girls having sex was as the butt of a joke or as the description of a fetish. Never being shown a normalized image of fat sex and fat women ...

AFROPUNK
03/14/2019
EDUCATION ACCESS HAS ALWAYS BEEN A SCAM | AFROPUNK

Rich, white folks are so ghetto. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise. The most recent example of this ratchedness is the college admission scandal involving 'ol girl from Desperate Housewives and Aunt Becky from Full House. And giiiirl, this shit is wild. I mean, we all knew that buying and flexing your way into ...

AFROPUNK
11/07/2017
To white mothers of black kids: acknowledge their race | AFROPUNK

Professional Prom Queen candidate Kim Kardashian issued an unnecessary apology over the weekend after paying homage to Babygirl Aaliyah with one of her Halloween costumes. While not in blackface, a complaint that has been levied against her before, it's fair to assume the Twitterverse was annoyed by yet another Kardashian imitation of black womanhood.

AFROPUNK
02/19/2018
Killmonger is the real hero for those who refuse to assimilate into an elitist Blackness that...

Spoilers: For many, Killmonger represents the distinction between black excellence and black elitism by calling attention to the systematic oppression of black people of the diaspora while the people of Wakanda are, essentially, hoarding resources and isolating themselves from reality while black people suffer. In the case of Black Panther, the blacks of Wakanda have ...