Bio
ABOUT ME: I’m Trudy and I am the writer and social critic for
Gradient Lair. I’m a 35-year-old
Black woman who identifies as Jamaican Black (yes, Black is the
noun, Jamaican the adjective; H/T to
Nikki Giovanni), though raised in the U.S. and acculturated and influenced by
both Jamaican culture and Black American culture. I am cisgender and identify as
asexual in terms of
sexual orientation. I am a
Womanist and
Womanism (which has similarities to
and differences from feminism) most accurately speaks to my identification, lens and framework for anti-oppression praxis.
This is a one-person, personal blog.
I identify as neither Republican (barf) nor Democrat (Zzz). I don’t use the labels “progressive” or “leftist” as identifiers for myself since progressives’ and leftists’ divestiture from anti-Blackness and
misogynoir remains to be seen. I don’t see my humanity represented in those politics either; superficially at best. Thus, “womanist” is the only sociopolitical label that I ascribe to. To speak on my lived experiences as a
source of knowledge, I often use
intersectionality as a framework, but not the only framework. I identify as an
agnostic atheist but still very connected to Black culture though zero interest in Abrahamic monotheisms. Though I am an atheist, I am
not interested in White supremacist mainstream atheism,
at all.
I have a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice and I completed 2 years of additional graduate work in Psychology/Mental Health Counseling. I studied race, gender and mental health education and praxis. I have a current interest in how media and pop culture impacts Black culture/sociopolitics, which is a lot of what I write about here. I also write a lot about intersecting oppressions and violence that Black women experience in private, public and online space. I studied Behavioral and Social Sciences at the baccalaureate level. (It’s a
no on pursuing a Ph.D. and my exhaustion with
abuse and exploitation from academics is palpable.)
I am an
introvert (INTJ). Type-A. Virgo.
ABOUT GRADIENT LAIR: I started this blog in May of 2012 as: 1) A SAFE SPACE for me to share my experiences. In other words, bullying of any type, especially with regards to race/gender is unacceptable here. 2) A place to celebrate all that is wonderful about Black women, primarily in America, but I also include some
diasporic posts. 3) A place to discuss sociopolitical issues, art, media etc. critical to the experiences of Black women and other groups of people who face marginalization in America.
Gradient Lair is a blog about the subjects that interest me (art, media, social media, socio-politics and culture) on an anecdotal, experiential and empirical level with regards to the experiences of Black women. Some posts are about my perspectives specifically. Some are about Black women in general and include my perspectives as a Black woman.
I chose the name
Gradient Lair, as I defined in the header because
gradient (as a photography tool; I am also a photographer) implies gradual change in a shade of colour. That refers to actual hues of Black women’s skin, but also refers to the variance of views that we share, as we are not a politically monolithic group.
Lair implies a retreat or creative space for reflection, reasoning or resolution. For clarification on the features on the right panel (i.e. Meridian, Secant etc.)
click here.
Do NOT come here as a bully, voyeur or plagiarizer. You are not welcome here. If this does not apply to you, welcome! My primary audience = Black women, period. However, others who do not fall into the aforementioned categories can come as well.
This is not a race 101 or gender 101 space.
I am not required to educate anyone and my existence is not defined by people’s need to consume without concern for my well-being.
And if Solange did it............... who else ain't saying nothing yet because their PR would take a hit, but should be saying something since you know they feel the exact same way as the sun angel?
. Iggy is not the real issue, it's the business, the social climate in the nation and on. The bytch is irritating and deserves shyt but cats are acting like she's the new Stalin.
her back
