iNHiSOWNTERMS

Make It Plain • 14th April 2023

The Guardian’s apology and proposal are unacceptable

“The Guardian / King’s Place” by asvensson is licensed under CC BY 2.0. The three-century-old Guardian, “one of the leading [Whitestream media] high-quality digital news organizations in the world” that reaches “hundreds of millions of people” is the latest institution to formally (and awkwardly) apologize for its editorial support for, wealth drawn from and links to slavery. Specifically for the roles of the founding editor, John Edward Taylor, and his funders and associates, many of them infl

Make It Plain • 28th February 2023

On this day: Egypt’s (partial) independence, 1922

Photo credit: “Egypt Grunge Flag” by Nicolas Raymond is licensed under CC BY 2.0. Today marks the 101st anniversary of Egypt’s partial independence from the British empire and its colonial rule. British rule began in 1882 during the Anglo-Egyptian War and ended in 1956 following the Suez Crisis. However February 28th, 1922 was a significant date on the Black calendar when the British relinquished full control of Egypt’s internal affairs, while still maintaining control of its foreign policy, mi

Make It Plain • 5th December 2022

Assata’s Chant and Other Histories: EP 12 December 4th 1969

This article is based on the episode “December 4th 1969” from Assata’s Chant and Other Histories anthology and the first original series by multipurpose production house Nello, founded by MIP contributor Weyland McKenzie-Witter. The series can be found on all podcast streaming apps (Apple, Spotify, Google, and YouTube via Black Power Media) and for more background on the anthology, read the editor’s introduction on MIP or visit Nello’s website. Originally pupblished on December 4th 2021, we’ve b

heretoen • 23rd June 2019

Is Britain's Nostalgia for Whites Only?

Taken from Oliver Taylor's personal blog, a piece which got him shortlisted for placement at The Guardian.

Make It Plain • 22nd February 2023

On this day: Saint Lucia’s (partial) Independence Day, 1979

Photo credit: “Gambia Grunge Flag” by Nicolas Raymond is licensed under CC BY 2.0. On February 22nd, 1979, the time was right for Saint Lucia to gain partial independence, with Queen Elizabeth II remaining as head of state. The main event of partial independence was the signing of the 1979 Saint Lucia Constitution Order by the Queen, which ended its status as an association with the United Kingdom and established a new constitution, a new government, and provided for a prime minister and a Ho

Make It Plain • 18th February 2023

On this day: The Gambia’s National (partial Independence) Day, 1965

Photo credit: “Gambia Grunge Flag” by Nicolas Raymond is licensed under CC BY 3.0. On this day, Gambia Independence Day is observed as an annual holiday to mark the anniversary of the Gambia’s liberation from the British Empire over 50 years ago on February 18, 1965, with the introduction of The Gambia Independence Act of 1964. Going from the British Crown Colony and Protectorate of the Gambia into the independent sovereign state of the Gambia. In material reality, this day in history establish

Make It Plain • 28th November 2022

Slavery & the Bank

The “Slavery & the Bank” exhibition at the Bank of England claims to “explore[s] the history of transatlantic slavery through its connections with the Bank of England.” While it was better than expected (and expectations were low), it is not an exhibition by Black people, for Black people. The team responsible for curating the exhibition are not Black, including the exhibition researcher Dr. Michael Bennett. The only input from Black people was via consultation with an external group. The facts

Make It Plain • 6th November 2022

Assata’s Chant and Other Histories: EP8 Women of the Black Panther Party Mural (Side A)

This article is based on the episode “Women of the Black Panther Party Mural (Side A)” from Assata’s Chant and Other Histories anthology and the first original series by multipurpose production house Nello, founded by MIP contributor Weyland McKenzie-Witter. The series can be found on all podcast streaming apps (Apple, Spotify, Google, and YouTube via black power media) and for more background on the anthology, read the editor’s introduction on MIP or visit Nello’s website. In this episode of A

Make It Plain • 4th August 2022

Assata’s Chant and Other Histories: Assata’s Chant (ep. 1)

This article is based on episode 1, “Assata’s Chant,” from Assata’s Chant and Other Histories audio anthology by production company Nello, founded by MIP contributor Weyland McKenzie-Witter. The first episode, “Assata’s Chant,” will be released weekly from August 4, 2022, across all podcast streaming apps (Apple, Spotify, Google, YouTube). For more background on the anthology, read the editor’s introduction on MIP. Assata Shakur, formerly JoAnne Chesimard, was a member of the Black Panther Part

Make It Plain • 17th March 2022

The struggle of Afrikans in Ukraine is the struggle of our people across the world

Black volunteers, organizations, and countries have stepped up helping, fundraising, and working to protect, support, and rescue thousands of Afrikan nationals (other nationals) including students, graduates, and their families in Ukraine who have found themselves caught in the middle of this brutal conflict. Afrikan students went to Ukraine to further their studies at affordable costs, advance their careers, and in some cases marry Ukraine nationals and have children. Since the invasion, many A

Make It Plain • 4th December 2021

Fred Hampton’s assassination 52 years on: the story continues

The following piece includes an extract from a more extended interview to be featured in an upcoming series by the multidisciplinary audio artist, creative producer, and broadcaster Weyland McKenzie Witter in 2022. In 1969 on December 3, at the age of 21, Fred Hampton was a radical organizer, leader, and chairman of the Black Panther Party (BPP) in Illinois and deputy chairman of the national BPP. On December 4, Fred was assassinated along with BPP leader Mark Clark, double-tapped in the dome b

Make It Plain • 12th November 2021

Kill this world for a revolutionary rebirth

In different Afrikan spiritual beliefs, the end and death are not actual states but rather cyclic successions of events. After death, there is always rebirth. After the end, a new beginning. The past few years have felt wildly apocalyptic: from the 2006 Pangandaran earthquake and tsunami to the more recent pandemic and the age-old discourse on White supremacist capitalist-induced climate change. There’s a mixed sense of angst, hopelessness, urgency, and injustice. As Oliver wrote in an article

Make It Plain • 26th August 2021

Black is king, but the green dollar is God

A little more than a year after an aesthetically pleasing, empowering, and moving film, arresting us with the ancestral glory and depths of various continental Afrikan beliefs and cultures was released on the streaming platform owned by the rat corporation, I mean Disney+, Beyoncé, and Jay-Z made their appearance in Tiffany’s flashy ABOUT LOVE campaign with Knowles-Carter wearing the famous Tiffany yellow stone. Black may be king ,but that mighty green dollar is god. Before looking at how stark

Make It Plain • 21st August 2021

The Imperialistic toddler: America puts down a toy and costs millions of lives

The events of the last month have been utterly heartbreaking but not surprising. Afghanistan has fallen to the Taliban. While America’s presence in Afghanistan has been a completely unnecessary, violent, and greedy venture, how they are withdrawing with no regard to refugees, civilians, and issues such as data handling, can tell us a lot about the tyrannical fickleness of colonialism, Western capitalism, and American exceptionalism. America stands on the world stage as a toddler, picking up coun

Make It Plain • 13th August 2021

Climate change: it’s not all “our” fault

This week the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) dropped its landmark climate change (6th) assessment. It’s the verdict: global warming will hit 1.5°C by 2040 without radical intervention. In the IPCC’s most up-to-date special report on climate science, AR6 Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis, scientists have written that “it is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean, and land.” Looking back, scientists found that human activity has i

Make It Plain • 1st August 2021

Emancipation Day? We’ll never be free under this current system

August 1st, unofficially Augirst (a play on the day, like Juneteenth, the US equivalent of Emancipation Day celebrated June 19th) marks Emancipation Day across some of the Commonwealth of “Colonial” Nations. Earlier this year, Canada’s House of Commons voted unanimously to designate August 1st Emancipation Day officially. It’s official. Now for all the symbolism in our refusal to accept enslavement and recognition that the enslavers could no longer continue slavery without consequences, the pas

Make It Plain • 12th July 2021

It’s coming home? Racism is home

Three Black England players, Marcus Rashford, Buyako Saka and Jordan Sancho (23, 19, 21 respectively) took penalties in the EURO Finals 3-2 shoot-out against Italy, they all missed and England lost. What happened next? RACISM! Post-game, within the hour, videos of Black and Brown people being violently assaulted began circulating on social media; and emojis of monkeys left in the comments of the Blacks players’ social media posts. Hardly a post-racial moment, eh? And where are the clips of “d

Medium • 22nd April 2020

Is Britain’s Nostalgia for Whites Only?

We thought the days of ‘No Blacks, No Irish, No Dogs’ pubs were a thing of the past, think again! A search for The Venue* online, a thriving, growing bar and restaurant venue, reads: “The Venue provides you with a sense of being somewhere special with a hint of nostalgia.” What White people want in a pub, Black people have historically unable to access. A staff member’s former Black colleague also asked when he visited, “Is this legit? It’s reminiscent of the days when we could not get served

Make It Plain • 4th July 2021

Before he passed – an interview with Menelik Shabazz

Pioneering filmmaker, educator and writer Menelik Shabazz has passed on at the age of 67. Let’s keep his loved ones in our thoughts and his powerful legacy living on. In this unheard interview with the legend, six months before his death, Kehinde Andrews discusses Blood Ah Go Run, a film about the response to the New Cross Fire, being part of the moment then and now, and other historical works of the Black British experience.

Skin Deep Mag • 4th November 2020

Skin Deep Meets: Black Fly Zine

Earlier this year, the collective behind Black Fly Zine announced their manifesto: an exciting pledge, full of energy and idealism, to support the wellness of Black and Brown bodies past, present and future. Their aim is to centre the sexual lives of Black and Brown people, recognising the colonial legacies of sexual trauma, and honouring intergenerational experience. Using each other as inspiration, they collectively unpack binaries, embrace the complexity of desire and see the journey to sexua