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Articles by Kitanya Harrison
I'm Offering Manuscript Evaluations
I sometimes get read requests from people looking for feedback on their writing. I've decided to formalize the process and offer manuscript evaluations. I'll be using Upwork to host my services. I have a three-tier system for flexibility, but I understand that not every project will fit neatly into a category. I'll do my best to find a suitable arrangement and price for anyone who's interested. TAP HERE TO LEARN MORE
If You Work With Elite Athletes, Covid-19 Mitigation Should Be a Top Priority
Elite athletes nearly always have short careers in their respective sports. There is a limited window for them to capitalize on their talents. Maintaining peak physical condition is the key to extending their high-performing and high-earning years. Health is the top priority — without it, everything else falls by the wayside. In the early years of the Covid-19 Pandemic, major sporting events were canceled to protect athletes and fans.
Are You Protecting Your Brain?
Taking Active Steps to Keep Your Brain Safe from Covid-19 is a Competitive Advantage Your brain is your greatest asset. You should protect it with all the tools available to you. I began thinking about this in new ways in March of 2022. I was returning to social media from a long hiatus, and one of the first tweets that resonated with me was a post from a corporate recruiter.
Book Preview: Welcome to the Zombie Apocalypse
Notes on Collapse from the Covid-19 Pandemic I’m currently writing an upcoming collection of essays with the working title Welcome to the Zombie Apocalypse: Notes on Collapse from the Covid-19 Pandemic. We are living through an intense period of death and rebirth. It is an age of collapse. We don’t know yet what will emerge from the rubble. These essays examine this period through the lens of the Covid-19 Pandemic.
The People of Amalek in the Economy of Moloch
There were corpses everywhere, and roaming packs of now-feral dogs ate them. The bombs crushed the uncounted under fallen tower blocks, and there was no heavy equipment to perform a proper search and rescue. Still, the men tried to dig with their bare hands and smash huge slabs of concrete with hammers. Some of those trapped under the rubble could be saved. Rescuers wept as they left others to die of thirst and hunger in the dark. There would be more bombing. They could not remain.
The Poppy Belongs to Palestinians Too
At 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918, the Armistice ending the fighting of the First World War began. The truce was followed by intense negotiations over what peace would look like following "the war to end all wars." Poppies became associated with World War I after the poem In Flanders Fields (written by Canadian doctor John McCrae while serving at Ypres) gained popularity.
The Drama of Masks on the Stage of the Pandemic
As 2022 closed, thoughts of the possible collapse of human civilization plagued me. Even if things didn't get quite that bad, it was clear that we were living through a sea change for which we were ill-prepared. I looked back over the pandemic and ruminated on how to write about it. One topic loomed large in my mind: coronavirus disease (Covid-19) denialism. There are different stripes of Covid-19 deniers, anti-vaxxers being the most familiar.
Sinéad O'Connor and the Grief for What Should Have Been
Trigger warning: discussion of child sexual abuse I learned of the passing of Sinéad O'Connor the way much news finds me: doomscrolling on Twitter. The stories on my feed were very Apocalypse Right Now, as in: human-created End Times are upon us and have us pinned to the mat. First off, aliens are apparently a thing and have visited Earth. The news was met with a collective shrug. We all have more pressing things to worry about.
The Age of Industrialized Plagiarism is Here
The explosion in the use and discussion of ChatGPT, Midjourney and similar tools has stormed across an ethical Rubicon, and the breaches that are occurring aren't getting enough attention, in my opinion. If you've been living under a rock, a slew of so-called Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools have been brought online, and have captured the zeitgeist. The programs respond to prompts from users and produce responses that mimic human language and art.
The Jonestown Massacre is More Than a Punchline About "Drinking the Kool-aid"
Trying to Understand the Ritual Human Sacrifice at Pathways Ministries in Albion, Jamaica (Part 4) I started this series on cults in an attempt to understand how the pastor of Pathways...
Reading Recommendation - Raven: The Untold Story of the Rev. Jim Jones and His People
I recently finished reading Tim Reiterman’s book, Raven: The Untold Story of the Rev. Jim Jones and His People. It’s considered the seminal work on Jonestown and traces Jim Jones’s life from childhood to his death in the Guyanese jungle, where he orchestrated the mass killing of over 900 of his followers. I started researching cults after a disturbing incident at a church outside Montego Bay, Jamaica, where a cult leader ordered the murders of followers, and his instructions were carried out.
My First Month Writing on Upwork
By Kitanya Harrison For the unfamiliar, Upwork is a site that connects freelancers with clients. I've been thinking about diversifying my writing more and stumbled across a thread about Upwork on Twitter a little over a month ago. I decided to take a look. The site is clean and relatively easy to navigate, with a bit of practice. Setting up a profile takes some time, but it's important to get that right. To save time, I reactivated a LinkedIn account ...
The Parable of Sha'Carri Richardson
Track and field may be the sport that's the easiest to understand. Who can run the fastest? Who can throw the farthest? Who can jump the highest or farthest? The competition goes straight to the heart of questions about who has the superior level of baseline athleticism. Even though there are a set of encyclopedias' worth of Byzantine rules and regulations governing the sport, everyone, everywhere comprehends what's happening...
How the Royal Family Lost Control to ‘The Crown’
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, December 1958. Photo: Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Following Oprah Winfrey’s blockbuster interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the royal family is in damage control mode.
The British Monarchy Can Never Outrun Its Violent, Racist Past
Photo: Anwar Hussein/WireImage I didn’t watch Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s televised 2018 wedding. I couldn’t for the life of me understand the public obsession over the event, especially for anyone old enough to remember how the press literally hounded Princess Diana to her death. I didn’t have to tune in live to see what their marriage was up against: relentless savaging by the British press and the complicity of the royal family.
2020 Has Me Really Wondering if We’re Living in the Matrix
It’s the year reality and conspiracy theories crashed into each other Keanu Reeves as Neo in “The Matrix.” Photo: Warner Bros. It was the reanimated corpses of culled, Covid-infected mink rising from their mass graves that finally got me. In case you missed it, a mutation of Covid-19 was discovered last month on mink farms in Denmark.
‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ Got Me Through 2020
At the end of every day, I slide three feet from the desk where I sit with my computer, to the couch where I sit with my computer. I’ve made something for dinner — at this point an exercise in calories, and boredom, usually over polenta — when my boyfriend turns to me and asks me the same question. “Time for The Funny?” he says. It’s been a long day online, my brain has melted into a jiggly-wiggly blob. “One Funny,” I reply.
Everything I Know How to Do, I Owe to the Klutz Books
How else would I have learned to do magic tricks, make friendship bracelets, or braid hair? When I close my eyes I can see my childhood bookshelf.
Thank God for ‘Minecraft’
Column Everything I’ve been taught about video games as a parent is a lie Photo: Georg Wendt/picture alliance/Getty Images As a parent, I’m going to say something I never thought I would: Thank fucking god for video games. I cannot imagine the last few months without them. Covid hit New York just a few days before my then-9 year old’s two-week Spring break. There was no school — remote or otherwise, a trip to visit her grandparents in California was canceled, and we were on city-wide lockdown.
Here’s what it’s like to watch your dad get publicly fired by Donald Trump. Writer Sean Kernan delves into the backstory behind the abrupt decision by his father, Joseph Kernan, to leave his post as… - GEN
Find out more about the U.S. election results here. Here’s what it’s like to watch your dad get publicly fired by Donald Trump.Writer Sean Kernan delves into the backstory behind the abrupt decision by his father, Joseph Kernan, to leave his post as undersecretary of defense for intelligence in the Defense Department. The senior Kernan was one of several top Pentagon officials to either leave or get pushed out last week; all were replaced by Trump loyalists.
How exactly does a Covid vaccine get distributed again?
I was doing a periodic panic rewatch of Contagion last night and was struck by the method used by the government to distribute the vaccine: a Powerball lottery of birthdates, not unlike how the United States drafted civilians for the Vietnam War — a random array of distribution designed to lead to herd immunity. Screenshot: ‘Contagion’ (2011) Is this where we’re headed? Not exactly.
The future will be battery powered-and it’s closer than you think. Introducing The Mobilist, a new blog from GEN and Marker contributor Steve LeVine that goes deep into the world of superbatteries… - GEN
The future will be battery powered—and it’s closer than you think. Introducing The Mobilist, a new blog from GEN and Marker contributor Steve LeVine that goes deep into the world of superbatteries and electric vehicles. The electric vehicle was in reach more than a hundred years ago, when Thomas Edison went up against Henry Ford’s gas-powered car.
The pleasures of getting dressed for the office have been lost in a pandemic year.
The pleasures of getting dressed for the office have been lost in a pandemic year. The Only Black Guy In the Office loved getting dressed for work: “The idea of planning a work outfit is something I high-key long for. Waking up in the morning, having my breakfast, and thinking, Hmm, what will I wear to stunt on my colleagues as I make a fashionably late arrival to work?” Without this daily joy, it’s made self-expression a lot harder in the workplace.
I Work at a Restaurant in Florida Where Customers Think the Coronavirus Is a Hoax
I started working at a family-owned bar and restaurant in Palm Beach County, Florida, in the beginning of March. When I got there it was already in the “we don’t really know what’s going to happen” stage. In mid-April, we got the order to go into lockdown, and by May 8 or 9, we went right back to indoor dining. Inside the restaurant, we were doing half capacity, so every other table was available, but outside was pretty much full capacity.
Trump Is Gone. Will Irony Go With Him?
America rode ironic detachment to the brink. Now, it must regain its good faith. Photo: Tom Pennington/Getty Images Just as Donald Trump won’t leave us quietly, nor will the sense of irony his presence amplified in American life.
My Mama Hasn’t Spoken in Two Years, But I Want her to Know Trump Lost
Racism robs black women like her while uplifting selfish men like Trump Photo: Yegor Aleyev/TASS/Getty Images I wish I could hear what mama would say about all of this. Before she fell ill two years ago, she was asking me, the veteran journalist, why so many white people found it okay to vote for and support Donald Trump. It was rhetorical. She wasn’t asking for my wisdom. She had more than enough of that. Hers always surpassed mine, particularly on matters of race.
Worried the United States is careening toward an imminent coup?
Find out more about the U.S. election results here. Worried the United States is careening toward an imminent coup?Timothy Snyder’s latest piece may not ease your anxieties, but it’ll at least help you identify the warning signs. The noted historian and Yale professor offers 20 considerations to bear in mind as Donald Trump continues to contest the 2020 election results. Chief among them: The Republican Party’s culpability in enabling Trump.
“It’s time for Democrats to learn how to make an argument for something rather than running as ‘not Republicans.’”
Establishment Democrats were quick to blame the party’s left flank for their losses in down-ballot races this election, but perhaps they should be looking at themselves, Katelyn Burns writes. Moderate Democrats failed to put forth a coherent message and instead followed the lead of polling-obsessed high-priced campaign consultants. They only have themselves to blame.
“Megyn Kelly has shown that the best way to keep the Trump legacy alive in the GOP and broader conservative movement is to stay angry. At everything.” - GEN
This post-election Twitter tirade provided a masterclass in how Republicans will continue to paint themselves as victims, writes Kimberly Joyner. The former Fox News host is by no means a Trump fan, yet her actions this week show how conservatives plan to leverage his base, with their own self-interest in mind.
A Political Scientist Explains Why We’re Not So Doomed After All
This article is adapted from the first installment of a new live-event series called Medium in Conversation. Ian Bremmer is a New York Times bestselling author and the president of the Eurasia Group, a political risk-analysis firm. Garance Franke-Ruta is the executive editor of GEN. Bremmer and Franke-Ruta spoke in front of a Zoom audience on November 11, just a few days after Joe Biden was elected president. GFR: Your firm, the Eurasia Group, is a political risk analysis firm.
Why Has Joe Biden Placed So Much Faith in John Kasich?
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Despite his reputation, Kasich isn’t ‘nice’ — or moderate — and his relationship with Biden validates progressives’ worst fears John Kasich on “Your World With Neil Cavuto” at Fox News Channel Studios on October 15, 2019 in New York City. Photo: John Lamparski/Getty Images If it were possible to gather all of Joe Biden’s worst instincts together into one person, you’d wind up with John Kasich.
By Aaron Gell Verified, Jessica Valenti Verified, Steve LeVine Verified, Steve Levine Verified, Kitanya Harrison, Jude Ellison Sady Doyle
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With President Trump Eroding Our Democracy, I'm Back to Embracing Pessimism
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Column Who can be chipper with a president trying to steal an election? A view of the White House during rain from a motorcade is seen on November 11, 2020, in Washington, DC. Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images Well, we had one day, at least. One day to celebrate, to feel relief, to believe that things were finally turning a corner. When Joe Biden was announced as the president-elect on Saturday, it was sunny and warm, and everything felt possible.
By Jessica Valenti Verified, Aaron Gell Verified, Steve LeVine Verified, Steve Levine Verified, Kitanya Harrison
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Stop Scapegoating Donald Trump
The president didn’t get us into this mess on his own— he had enablers at every turn Donald and Melania Trump and members of the family, after Trump delivered his acceptance speech for nomination to a second term as president during the Republican National Convention, on the South Lawn of the White House on August 27, 2020 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images It is now more or less official to say Donald Trump will not be serving a second term as president of the United...
5 things we know for sure
Hi ZORA Fam, In the chaos of election day, I got a frantic call from a friend telling me she was terrified. She had a good reason to panic. The projections of how close the race is between Biden and Trump is really disappointing and it’s kinda scary to see how many people in the country are willingly endorsing a lying, misogynistic, racist.
What a Biden Presidency Could Still Accomplish With a GOP-Controlled Senate
Even with an obstructionist GOP Senate, there’s a lot a Democratic White House could do Vice President Joe Biden and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in 2016. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call Though nothing is official yet, the odds look good that Joe Biden will win the presidency when all the votes are counted. At the same time, the odds that Democrats will seize control of the Senate are vanishingly low.
A New President Won't Solve All of America's Problems
Pandora of Greek myth was, like Eve of the Bible, crafted by divine intervention to be the first woman on earth. The gods presented Pandora with a box she was told contained special gifts for her, but she was forbidden from ever opening it. Like Eve in the Garden of Eden, who couldn’t resist the temptation of eating the forbidden fruit, curiosity got the better of Pandora, and she opened the box, releasing disease, pain, suffering, and evil into the world.
How Shell Is Shifting Towards Clean Energy
One of the world’s largest oil producers is looking to clean up its act With climate concerns growing worldwide, some of the world’s largest companies are developing and committing to plans of becoming emission-free within the next few decades. For some of these companies, it’s as simple as finding a cleaner energy source for production plants and delivery fleets — significantly reducing or eliminating their uses of oil and natural gas altogether.
Praying for Trump's Health? I'll Pass.
Don’t ask me to pray for Trump’s health Photo: Nicholas Kamm/Getty Images When news broke that Donald Trump was infected with Covid-19, a schism among his detractors appeared on social media almost immediately. On one side, people wished him a speedy recovery, sometimes begrudgingly, while declaring they were going to “vote him out” in November. On the other side, there was no empathy: Some expressed indifference at the president’s illness, and some outright cheered for Comrade Corona.
The Day White Rural Racism Reared Its Head in a Small Ohio Town
A Black Lives Matter confrontation pitted neighbor against neighbor — and displayed the raw power of a social media flash mob Steven “The Worldwalker” Newman found himself in some unnerving situations while circumnavigating the globe on foot as a young vagabond and writer.
Rabid dogs and Kate Hopkins’ Twitter ban
Rabid dogs and Kate Hopkins’ Twitter ban Street dogs roam freely in India. A familiar sight in towns and villages, groups of them will congregate around abundant sources of waste food from all the way north and south of the continent. But roughly 36% of the world’s rabies deaths occur in India each year, most of those when children come into contact with infected dogs. For a long time, authorities would use violent methods to clear towns from the all too real risk of the virus.
Yes, White Europeans purposefully infected Native Americans with Smallpox.
I came across this tweet today which tells of an incident between a pupil and his teacher. The teacher in question told the Native American pupil that Indians were at fault for contracting smallpox and that no English/American people were involved in that matter. I’m writing this to be used as a reference in future incidents. This is not a matter of opinion, this is a matter of public record.
5 Anti-Racist Actions for White People to Take During COVID - 19
We should never forget: people in power are able to maintain the status quo when they keep white people and communities separated from multi racial movements for justice. They count on us to remain silent, or even in active opposition, to movements that are actually in our mutual interest like health care, homes for all, and decarceration. These times are no different — and now more than ever, it’s critical that those of us who are white move into action.
You Will Never Become a Billionaire - Can We Tax the Ultra-Rich Now?
The number of billionaires on Earth has more than doubled since the financial crisis , yet economic inequality has reached extreme levels Photo by Pixabay on Pexels I like money. It would be awesome to not be in debt. I would like to travel around the world and immerse myself in different cultures. I would like to buy the £79.99 gem pack on Clash of Clans without fainting.
We Need a ‘Hoarders’-Style Intervention for Billionaires
As the megarich continue to stockpile wealth, it’s helpful to think of their greed as a problematic affliction Credit: Mike Kemp/Getty Extreme wealth has become a modern obsession. The desire to achieve billionaire status permeates pop culture, from hip-hop lyrics to reality television to motivational Instagram posts, where the ultrarich are lauded. As ordinary people’s economic fortunes teeter, this paradigm is coming under increased scrutiny.
When Feminism Dovetails With White Supremacy
Are we truly equal if there is a pecking order of privilege? Credit: Amy Shamblen/Unsplash White feminism. Simply using the term rankles. White people don’t like being called White. It’s taken as a threat that they might suffer the fate of the Other one day. Whiteness is meant to confer a kind of invisibility. It is meant to mask the power and privilege it has granted itself. It is meant to elide and obfuscate. It is meant to place the White person above being questioned. Whiteness is a construct.
How White People Handle Diversity Training in the Workplace
Confronted with their own shortcomings, white employees often shut down the dialogue—or frame themselves as victims Photo by Beau Lark/Corbis/VCG via Getty As a former professor and current facilitator and consultant, I am in a position to give white people feedback on how their unintentional racism is manifesting itself. In this position, I have observed countless enactments of white fragility.
How the Passive Voice Allowed Flint’s Water Crisis to Persist
Local government’s resistance to placing blame is entirely intentional Credit: Geoff Robins/Getty Images Flint still doesn’t have clean water. This statement has become a rallying cry, from city streets to social media. Yet it’s bothered me ever since I first heard it. Yes, it’s true that Flint’s water remains tainted and unsafe after five years. But the fact that we use the passive tense to talk about this travesty is the real outrage.
The Murder of Nipsey Hussle
The cover art for Nipsey Hussle’s Grammy-nominated debut album, “Victory Lap” On March 31, 2019, outside a storefront in a strip mall near the corner of West Slauson Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard in South Central, Los Angeles, the American Dream collided with an American nightmare, and a life was taken. That life belonged to Ermias Joseph Asghedom, better known as Nipsey Hussle, and he was loved. Deeply.
Elizabeth Holmes and the Dangers of White Feminism
Elizabeth Holmes is a grifter. I'm not sure why that's so hard for some people to say. She's not some mysterious, Sphinx-like creature who contains multitudes. She's a classic, old school con artist who went back to the medical roots of selling snake oil. I was a molecular biology major in college and seriously considered becoming a scientist. (I ended up going to law school.) It's a tough haul as an undergrad. It's even tougher as a grad student and much tougher as a researcher.
Elizabeth Holmes and the Dangers of White Feminism
Photo by Max Morse for TechCrunch via WikiCommons Elizabeth Holmes is a grifter. I’m not sure why that’s so hard for some people to say. She’s not some mysterious, Sphinx-like creature who contains multitudes. She’s a classic, old school con artist who went back to the medical roots of selling snake oil. I was a molecular biology major in college and seriously considered becoming a scientist. (I ended up going to law school.) It’s a tough haul as an undergrad.
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