Marissa J. Joseph
Latest Articles
Harvard’s Haitian President
The next president of Harvard University is a child of Haitian immigrants, and I hope she never lets us forget it.
Cornel West’s Departure is By Harvard’s Design
The production of Black-centered knowledge is not a priority for Harvard because it promises to deconstruct the very white supremacist tables at which they have denied us a seat. By centering decolonization and the deconstruction of power, West invited us to pursue a “veritas'' that transcended academia’s pervasive and intentional whiteness and neoliberalism. Offering West tenure would equate to Harvard consenting to the dismantling of its own structural racism.
Black Women Should Have a Love-Hate Relationship with Kamala Harris
Over the next four years, whether we are criticizing her actions or praising her accomplishments, Black women should pour into Kamala Harris like we pour into ourselves, our communities, and our country.
The Fight Against Police Brutality Is Global
We are calling on Harvard’s police abolitionists, reformists, allies, and activists to both educate themselves so they can adjust their discourse to reflect Nigeria’s nuances and apply the same urgency for End SARS that we gave Black Lives Matter.
When Black Women Die, White America Does Not Cry at Their Funerals
White America does not even bother to ask for forgiveness; they got so busy manipulating Breonna Taylor’s movement that they forget their obligation to produce her justice.
Sounding like a Stranger
I try to rebirth and redefine our history within the contexts of my books and lectures and to find space within my people’s tradition for a remixed language that is both broken and Harvardesque.