Jami Attenberg, Roxane Gay, Alex Chee, and other novelists explain how to write a book. The first trick is: You have to write a 1000 words every day. The second trick is: You have to have fun.
Finding oneself in âSurviving the White Gazeâ
By Blaise Allysen Kearsley Globe Correspondent,Updated January 28, 2021, 6:23 p.m.
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Judith Rudd for The Boston Globe
The core function of tween- and teen-hood is the lofty job of figuring out who we are, as if puberty isnât harrowing enough. Human nature forces us to make sense of our childhood experiences, how we feel about the way others perceive us, and to chart the topography of our own voice.
But for Black and brown kids, thereâs the added hurdle of the white gaze. Foundational to the centering and elevation of whiteness in America, the white gaze sees Blackness only within the context of comparison and alterity. Itâs the shallow lens of privilege, ingrained bias, and misrepresentation that creates both violent acts and micro-aggressive behaviors. Itâs the white police officer brutalizing Black citizens without cause or provocation, the white educator who instinctively adjusts their