Archives - Helena Feng

The end of affirmative action

Affirmative action was not, by any means, a perfect system. It was, however, an instrumental step in the right direction.

In defense of conscious consumption

We can choose to minimize our direct participation in exploitation when we can feasibly do so — we are not, and will never be, utterly powerless in the face of injustice.

Understanding our complicity in white supremacy with Dr. Belew

Dr. Belew reminds us all that understanding our involvement in the perpetuation of white supremacy is the first step in creating social change.

Confronting colorism is more complicated than we think

Even now, I remember thinking if such an extreme degree of caution was worth it, if paleness truly was enough to sacrifice the plain, irreplaceable pleasure of sunlight on bare skin.

Enough is enough — when to call quits

It seems ludicrous to think that any decision made in your freshman year of high school can have any bearing on your future, let alone dictate the rest of your life, but the reality is that it’s a slippery slope.