Shamira Ibrahim
The Root
New York, NY, United States
Contact Shamira
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Past articles by Shamira:
The Black Mainstream: DipSet Forever
A Harlem Native reflects on the legacy of The Diplomats. → Read More
On Lena Waithe and the Danger of Pinning Your Creative Authenticity to Your Activism
When it was announced that rising actor Jason Mitchell—known for his performances in Straight Outta Compton, Mudbound and The Chi—had not only been released from his contract as a series regular on The Chi but was removed from an upcoming Netflix film (and dropped by his agent and manager), the initial response was a consensus: For him to get shunned by the industry this swiftly, whatever… → Read More
A Neverending Quest for Sovereignty
I often jokingly tell people that I grew up in a household made up of three (occasionally four, depending on what station in life my father was in at the time) distinct American dreams—one for each flag or passport represented: Comoros, Canada and the United States. My mother, my brother and I are a trinity of the resulting products of varying circumstances that led to us calling America home. → Read More
Afropunk’s Owners Get Real About the Festival's Growth, Recent Controversies
For Matthew Morgan and Jocelyn Cooper, it has been a long, 15-year journey to get the Afropunk Festival from the small, local hangout for passionate message-board friends in the alt-punk space congregating in Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn, NY, to the internationally renowned entertainment juggernaut it is today. → Read More
Black Ramadan, and the Importance of Finding Community in Isolation
As a child, my mom would tell me stories about Ramadan in our homeland of Comoros. Some parts weren’t the most idyllic - the idea of fasting under mosquito nets without air conditioning that close to the equator is not my concept of pleasant by any stretch of the imagination. → Read More
The Counter to Trump's Xenophobic Racism is Not Exceptionalist Immigrant Narratives
Sometime Thursday Donald J Trump waddled into the Oval Office at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, D.C, and not only blustered that immigrants from the countries of Haiti, El Salvador, and the entire continent of Africa are“people from shithole countries,” but encouraged more immigration from countries such as Norway and the continent of Asia due to some perceived economic benefit to the US. → Read More
Did Afropunk Lose Its Punk Roots?
This weekend, a sea of unapologetic blackness will descend upon Fort Greene’s Commodore Barry Park for Brooklyn, N.Y.’s 12th Annual Afropunk Fest. Instagram feeds and Twitter hashtags everywhere will be peppered with twist-outs and bold prints; your favorite vibe curator will inevitably make a thread of the best of the best of the audience’s fabulous crochets and Afrocentric jewelry. For 48… → Read More
Body Image and Me: My Struggle With Body Dysmorphia
A few months ago, I reconnected with a dear friend who I hadn’t seen in quite some time. We met up for brunch, laughed about prior fights, squashed beefs and updated each other on our personal lives in between bites of truffle fries. In between convos about the escapades that happened during our distance, I mentioned that I was trying to lose 15 pounds to get my body back right. Unexpectedly,… → Read More
Ray Rice Isn’t Being Blackballed by the NFL for Domestic Violence. He’s Just Not Good Anymore
Ray Rice, barring a dramatic set of miraculous circumstances, will never play for the NFL again. I know it. He knows it. Me, you, your mama and your cousin, too, know it. The homegirl from around the way knows it. → Read More
In France, Black Lives Struggle to Matter, Too
I have an older cousin named Halima. She lives in Nimes, France, with her husband and 5-year-old daughter, named Hikma, who is an avid Frozen enthusiast (called La Reines des Neiges in French) and Beyoncé-in-training. → Read More
An Unofficial Guide to Ramadan for Trump Voters or the Uninitiated Negro
As of June 6, the holy month of Ramadan has started for much of the Muslim population—which, despite all statements by Donald Trump and his ilk, is not exclusively made up of bomb-toting Arabs in menacing turbans. → Read More
The 3 Types of Black Men You Can Date, as Defined by Captain America: Civil War
What kind of men are they outside of their superhero shenanigans? → Read More
The List of Demands Ludacris Made for His 15-Minute Performance at the University of Ga. Is Pretty Ridiculous
But it got me thinking: What crazy, arbitrary things would I ask for if there were no limit? → Read More
Group Dinners Are Awful. Stop Having Them
Eating meals with a crowd of people is really not that fun, so why do we keep doing it? → Read More
Watching Lupita Braid Her Homegirls’ Hair Is Peak Black Woman Excellence
The Academy Award-winning actress made a short film for Vogue, and it is everything. → Read More
The Mint App Is Like That Penny-Pinching Aunt Who Doesn’t Let You Have Any Fun
I’m trying to be an adult and save some money, but I’m sick and tired of the judgment. → Read More
Cardi B’s Mixtape Is ... Kinda Not That Bad
If nothing else, the album shows us that she is a woman of many layers. → Read More
4 Things I Refuse to Do While Going on Vacation
If I’m paying to go somewhere, I’m entitled to decent transportation, food and accommodations. → Read More
When Will I Realize ‘2-Piece and a Biscuit’ Is Not My Friend?
The reality is, I know what I need to do, but eating healthy just doesn’t seem like a pleasant way to go through life. → Read More
Thank You, Ben Carson
Carson’s nothing-to-lose approach to campaigning has been the gift that keeps on giving. → Read More