The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman.-MALCOLM X, 1962
THE GREAT JAMES BALDWIN DIDN'T TAKE many debate L's. Matter of fact, I know of only one: a dialogue between him and the legendary womanist Audre Lorde. In their exchange, Baldwin contends that Lorde believes in the American dream the same way Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, and he do. Lorde's rejoinder exposes Baldwin's apparent blind spot for the intersectional oppression of Black women (in this case, a queer Black woman).
"Deep, deep, deep down I know that dream was never mine," explains Lorde. "I was Black. I was female. And I was out-out-by any construct wherever the power lay.... Nobody was dreaming about me. Nobody was even studying me except as something to wipe out."
Lorde's pronouncement was heavy on my mind when I learned of the legal attack on the Fearless Fund, an Atlanta-based venture-capital fund established to invest in businesses created and led by women of color. Arian Simone and Ayana Parsons, Black women who earned M.B.A.'s from Florida A&M University, launched the fund in 2018 after having accomplished careers as executives and entrepreneurs. That same year, U.S. companies raised a total of $130 billion in VC funding, yet only 2.2 percent of that went to female-founded companies and less than 1 percent funded businesses founded by women of color. The Fearless Fund's mission "is to bridge the gap in venture capital funding for women of color founders building scalable, growth aggressive companies."
Denne historien er fra Winter 2024-utgaven av Esquire US.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra Winter 2024-utgaven av Esquire US.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
this charming man
Drew Starkey's performance in the Oscar hopeful Queer has Hollywood buzzing. He's also fashion's latest \"it\" boy and an incredible dinner companion. What is it about this guy?
what i've learned
I TAKE THINGS in stride. Maybe a lot of it is maturity. When I was a lot younger, in my late twenties, I was a tyrant.
the book of denzed
He has lived a big life. Tough streets, close calls, a wife of forty-one years, four kids, fifty movies, two Oscars, three Equalizers...all by the grace of God. For the first time on the occasion of Gladiator II, one of the biggest films of his epic career, and his approaching seventieth birthday the man himself breaks it all down, in his own words, to the moments that mattered and the experiences that made him. He has lived a big life, but Denzel Washington ain't done yet.
The Best New Restaurants in America 2024
THE OTHER DAY MY SON JASPER ASKED ME WHAT sounded like a simple question: \"Dad,\" he said, \"what is American food?\"
THE RISE AND RISE OF JANNIK SINNER
The world's number-one tennis player is winning MAJORS and dominating HIS rivals. Now comes the HARD PART.
ALL MONEY AIN'T GOOD MONEY
The current exponential proliferation of legal gambling preys on Black and brown people in unseen ways
DEAR FAMILY
Could my brother have made it any more obvious that he needed our help?
CORD CURRICULUM
You don't need to look like a rumpled college professor in your corduroys. The secret is picking the right pair.
Brogue Squadron
On the hunt for a dress shoe that doesn't feel too, well, dressy? Look no further.
THE G.O.A.T. OF CASHMERE
Why Loro Piana's take on luxury feels so right for right now
