Black History Makers: Stagecoach Mary Fields
Lovingly referred to by her community as "Stagecoach Mary," Mary Fields was born into slavery around 1832. Fields was the first African-American woman employed as a mail carrier in the United States.
Aundrea's Latest Articles
Aundrea Sayrie: ‘Can I say the N-word?’
In this poem Watershed Voice columnist Aundrea Sayrie answers the age old question, when is it OK for white folks to use the "N-word?" Disclaimer: This poem features strong language, and subject matter that may make some uncomfortable. Reader discretion advised.
Aundrea Sayrie: Normalize talking about racism
Watershed Voice columnist Aundrea Sayrie says it's time to "throw the entire rolodex of excuses away" when it comes to not talking about racism, and have the conversation already. "I do not understand these reactions to non-accusatory statements. How is initiating a conversation about racism deduced to divisive rhetoric? Is it willful ignorance? Banning books and Critical Race Theory from the classroom doesn't mean The Devil's Punchbowl doesn't exist. That's not how that works."
Sayrie: Withstanding the White gaze
Watershed Voice columnist Aundrea Sayrie writes, "I have wasted so much of my time and talent centering the 'White gaze.' A term coined by Toni Morrison to explain the concept of catering to and living under the constant scrutiny of white supremacy. It is the ethnocentric lens through which all behaviors pass. A tool used to measure anything to its proximity to Whiteness. The gold standard. Including behaviors, languages, bodies, literally everything. A close-minded approach, and standard we have been forced to uphold for survival's sake."
Sayrie: Don’t be complicit, be an antiracist
Watershed Voice columnist Aundrea Sayrie writes, "There is disappointment in finding oneself in a discriminatory situation. The event itself can leave you reeling, but what gets me every time, are the nice White people. The witnesses who do nothing. The ones that just stand there with all that privilege and watch. Complicit."
Sayrie: Colonialism built a broken system. It’s time we fixed it.
Watershed Voice columnist Aundrea Sayrie writes, "Although there has been much recognition of the historical trauma experienced by people of color in this country, there has never been a time that these racist institutions have been tossed out and rebuilt. They have only been reimagined and enforced in ways that continue to oppress people of color. Racial inequalities exist in financial, educational, judicial, medical and social constructs."
Sayrie: We’re doing Black History Month differently this year
Watershed Voice columnist Aundrea Sayrie writes, “Never one to fold and knowing I am not the only one holding mixed emotions about what it means to be proud and Black, this year my focus is on highlighting sources of racial based traumatic stress, and their negative impact on the mental health of the Black community.”
Sayrie: A reimagined Little Mermaid is nice but it isn’t enough
Watershed Voice's Aundrea Sayrie says while reimagining Ariel is a step in the right direction, she has reservations about the upcoming live action adaption.
Sayrie: Only real reform can stop the war on Black bodies
WSV’s Aundrea Sayrie writes, “I don't want to see another hashtag. I want to see the dismantling of White Supremacy. It is a monster that is coming for you if you are a person of color, a woman, young, old, poor, or a member of a dispensable marginalized group. Shock, thoughts and prayers... it's a useless cycle. We need real reform.”
Opinion: Spiritual abuse can often be hard to see but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there
Watershed Voice’s Aundrea Sayrie writes, “Never abandon personal discernment. Not even within the spiritual sect. A person's title doesn't always align with their heart posture. Gaslighting can happen in church too. So if you have to leave an environment because it is causing you trauma, leave. Leave the trauma, leave the person(s), leave a trail (by reporting it), but don't leave God."
