Author: Shelby Bivins

More Than Music: How Important Black Musicians Work is in Progressing Racial Unity and Equality

More Than Music: How Important Black Musicians Work is in Progressing Racial Unity and Equality

Posted by | Apr 28, 2017 | , , |

It’s no secret that music is one of the most powerful forms of expression in the world. It is something that is so diverse and has so many different varieties giving pretty much anyone and everyone the opportunity to connect with some type of music in an intimate way. Especially in the rap/hip-hop/R&B community, artists speak about important, relevant and real issues facing the world today. This is nothing new though, it goes way back to the 80’s and 90’s when N.W.A and Ms. Lauryn Hill and Tupac and even Michael Jackson were in the game. But today, if...

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How growing up in a conservative home shaped my view of the LGB community

How growing up in a conservative home shaped my view of the LGB community

Posted by | Apr 1, 2017 | , , |

South Louisiana is the place I get to call home. It is hot and humid, it is full of life and rich in culture. Amongst all the wonderful things Louisiana has to offer, it is also full of people who have strong opinions. They like their food spicy, their drinks strong, and their president republican. While that is not to speak for everyone in Louisiana, it sure goes for a large portion of the people, especially my family. My entire family are heavily conservative republicans. Most of them openly and proudly voted for Trump, and even have the t-shirt...

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Nobody Can Drag Me Down

Nobody Can Drag Me Down

Posted by | Mar 10, 2017 | , , , |

When we hear the term ‘drag’ in todays culture, we are thinking of the kinds of people on RuPaul’s Drag Race, the caked on make up and super flamboyant kind, but drag didn’t actually start out that way and it has been around for much longer than anyone expects. Since at least the 1500’s, back when Shakespeare was around, they would have men play the women roles in plays because women weren’t allowed to perform. Todays drag queens, in the traditional sense, are men dressing up as hyper-feminine, super sexualized women for the purpose of entertainment, but can also...

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Cultural Appropriation V. Cultural Appreciation: Knowing Where to Draw the Line

Cultural Appropriation V. Cultural Appreciation: Knowing Where to Draw the Line

Posted by | Feb 16, 2017 | , , |

It seems the line between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation is very fine. I’ve found recently that when I talk about the two, most of time I have to clarify to people what the difference is. So, lets start by defining the terms. If you google ‘define cultural appropriation,’ you will first see Wikipedia’s definition which states “cultural appropriation is the adoption or use of the elements of one culture by members of another culture,” which is true, but incomplete. The issue of appropriation isn’t this simple, the issue arises when a person takes something with cultural significance from...

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