Bio
ABOUT ME: Hi! My name is Trudy and I am the writer and culture critic for Gradient Lair.
Identities that contribute to shaping my perspectives include: I am a Womanist who embraces Black Feminist Theory and Intersectional Feminism, and passionate about social justice. (I reject the use of “social justice” as a slur, or as a dismissive label when I happen write about my personal life.) I am a 33-year-old, contently single, cisgender, heterosexual, Black woman, who identifies as Jamaican Black (yes, Black is the noun, H/T to Nikki Giovanni) but raised in America by Jamaican parents (with one living parent, my father. My mother passed away 11 years ago). I have 7 adult siblings (5 sisters, 2 brothers; I am the 3rd oldest), and 3 half-siblings. I am an introvert (INTJ). I am college-educated. I have a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice and 2 years of additional graduate work in Psychology/Mental Health Counseling. I studied race, gender and adolescent mental health/education. I studied behavioral and social sciences at the baccalaureate level. I am also a photographer interested in art writing, cultural study and critical media examination. I am a lover of social media, but only certain platforms (Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest). I have some domestic/international travel experience. I <3 travel.
Interests: I am a photographer, writer, cultural critic, avid reader and lover of film. I love seafood and dark chocolate. I am a rabid, obsessed fan of the show Scandal. Deal with it. I tweet a lot.
ABOUT GRADIENT LAIR: I started this blog in May of 2012 as: 1) A SAFE SPACE for me to share my experiences. In other words, bullying of any type, especially with regards to race/gender is unacceptable here. 2) A place to celebrate the hair, beauty, style, intellect, accomplishments, creativity, and all that is wonderful about Black women, primarily in America, but I also include some international posts. 3) A place to discuss sociopolitical issues, art, media etc. critical to the experiences of Black women and other groups of people who face marginalization in America.
Gradient Lair is a blog about the subjects that interest me (art, media, social media, socio-politics and culture) on an anecdotal, experiential and empirical level with regards to the experiences of Black women. Some posts are about my perspectives specifically. Some are about Black women in general and include my perspectives as a Black woman. Basically it’s essays, rants, photos, and videos.
I chose the name Gradient Lair, as I defined in the header because gradient (as a photography tool, as I mentioned, I am a photographer) implies gradual change in a shade of colour. That refers to actual hues of Black women, but also in the variance of views that we share as we are not a monolithic group. Lair implies a retreat or creative space for reflection, reasoning or resolution.
For clarification on the features on the right panel (i.e. Meridian, Secant etc.) click here.
DO NOT COME HERE AS A BULLY, VOYEUR OR PLAGIARIZER. YOU ARE NOT WELCOME. If this does not apply to you, welcome! My primary audience = Black women, period. However, others who do not fall into the aforementioned categories can come as well.
Also, if you need clarification if this a blog that you should be on or not, read this post: Read This Before A Follow/Reblog/Comment on Gradient Lair
