Hey everyone,
Consider this video your proof of life update. Yes, I’ve been doing more voiceover podcasts lately (shout out to everyone who’s been tuning in!), mostly because I’ve been short on time and even shorter on energy to be video-ready. Also, in case you missed it, I got clocked in the head by a crow, a literal bird, resulting in a light concussion. So yeah, that’s where we’re at.
But Fridays? I’m thinking they’re for weekly wrap-ups. So welcome to what I hope will be a new rhythm.
Because here’s the deal: there is just so much happening at the intersection of race, gender, power, and society every single day. Picking one thing to write about feels like trying to pick your favorite grain of sand on the beach. So on Fridays, let’s round up the major themes this week.
📌1. Shifting Standards and War Games
We started the week with the U.S. being dragged (again) to the brink of war in the Middle East, this time by Trump’s administration, only for them to claim “unilateral peace” like it’s a magic trick. Meanwhile, we still haven’t dealt with Gaza or the long-term human costs of bombing as foreign policy.
What got me fired up? The shifting standards. Kamala Harris was once called a warmonger, unqualified, and blamed for Gaza while being Vice President, not Commander in Chief. Trump, on the other hand, gets praised for dropping an experimental bunker-busting bomb that may not have even worked.
Black women are held to a different, higher, and harsher standard, especially when leadership and decision-making are involved.
📌2. Race, Gender, and the “Firsts” Who Didn't Change the System
Midweek, I watched documentaries on Barbara Walters and Sally Ride. Both were the “firsts”: the first woman to anchor the nightly news, the first American woman in space. But what stood out was how both actively downplayed their womanhood and distanced themselves from helping other women.
They didn’t see themselves as breaking barriers. They just wanted a job. That was jarring.
As a Black woman watching, I couldn’t help but think: White women had the option to just “fit in.” Black women never did. Our presence is a disruption. Our success must transform the system.
So maybe it’s no coincidence that when white women entered the workforce post-civil rights, they often joined the patriarchy, rather than challenging it. We need to grapple with that.
📌3. History Repeats: ICE Raids and the Fugitive Slave Acts
Thursday’s newsletter laid it out: ICE raids today echo the Fugitive Slave Acts of the 18th and 19th centuries. People were (and are) dragged off the streets, communities protested, and fear ruled.
Back then, they kidnapped people seeking asylum in the north and free-born Black people and sold them into slavery. Today, green card holders are ripped from their homes based upon trumped-up charges or no criminal records, or for DUIs from decades ago. And asylum seekers are kidnapped as they enter the courthouse to follow the process that they were told they must follow.
We don’t see the parallels because Black history has been segregated out of American history. But the repetitive sounds are loud if you know what to listen for.
And for Black folks, there’s pain in watching immigrants celebrate this country’s “freedom” without recognizing that every right they now enjoy was won through Black blood, sweat, and death.
📌4. Workplace Inequity Is Still the Front Line
If you're feeling helpless, start where you are. Ask yourself:
Who’s held to higher standards in your workplace?
Who’s allowed to fail and bounce back?
Why is referral-based hiring still a thing when it perpetuates white exclusivity?
Racialized double standards aren’t just a national issue. They’re happening on your team, in your office, and your hiring practices.
📌5. Florida, Free Speech, and the Great Replacement Theory
And then there’s this: A white nationalist law student at the University of Florida wrote a paper advocating for a white ethnostate, called for Black and Brown people to leave or be killed, and won an award. A federal judge helped select the winner.
Meanwhile, a Black professor at the same school was barred from using the word “race” in a course description.
You can’t make this up. So I wrote to the dean. You can, too.
🗓️ What’s Coming Next Week:
✍🏾 “The Great Big Beautiful Bill” and ways we can push back.
🧠 A look at how communities are manipulated to undermine themselves (yes, including us).
🔍 The psychology behind why some Black, Jewish, and Latinx folks are now carrying water for white nationalism.
📣 Before You Go...
Thanks for riding with me this week. Yes, I’m alive. Yes, I’m recovering. No, I’m not over the crow.
But if you’ve been reading, listening, or watching, I’d love your support. Consider becoming a paid subscriber to Qualified: At the Intersection. Famous folks are scooping up the spotlight on Substack. Help independent voices like mine keep cutting through the noise.
Also... beware of crows. They're not playing.
With care,
Shari
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