Frankie Huang

Mar 13, 2025 | theemancipator.org | Frankie Huang

Women of color are often forced to navigate hostile environments in which their humor and mirth are scrutinized through sexist and racist lenses. Historically, this meant compromising either mass appeal or genuine expression. Jackie “Moms” Mabley, the trailblazing female Black comedian born at the tail end of the 19th century, delivered jokes on edgier matters by packaging her on-stage persona into a nonthreatening bedraggled granny in a floppy hat.

Feb 28, 2025 | theemancipator.org | Frankie Huang

The month my yeye passed, he complained that he couldn’t sleep. “Too many ghosts in the room.”My father’s father was a prolific writer and an extrovert whose constant stream of chatter never ceased. However, one subject he never delved into was what he did as a regional spymaster during the Chinese resistance against Japanese imperialism in the 1930s. My father was able to piece together parts of the narrative through conversations with people who knew my yeye better. He operated behind enemy lines.

Feb 26, 2025 | theemancipator.org | Frankie Huang

Kim Kelly, a labor journalist and author, had no idea “Fight to Win!: Heroes of American Labor,” a book on labor movements for young readers would publish during the early days of a chaotic second Donald Trump presidency. Set to release in May, the author of the critically acclaimed “Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor” doesn’t exactly expect any invitations to promote her book at the U.S. Department of Labor.

Jan 28, 2025 | theemancipator.org | Frankie Huang

Hours after his second inauguration, President Donald Trump signed nearly 100 executive orders, launching an all-out policy blitz to realize a nightmarish far-right vision. New York Times opinion columnist Jamelle Bouie noted Friday that the goal of the Make America Great Again movement is specifically to take us back to a time before Reconstruction, when the government had incredible power over the scope of your rights, when explicit discrimination had legal protection.

Nov 26, 2024 | theemancipator.org | Frankie Huang

As we approach the end of a year that gave us too much, but also not enough, it is time to slow down before collecting our scattered thoughts on all that has transpired — and what’s to come. And what better way to do so than to pick up a good book to lose yourself in? A lot of people already have the same idea, as book sales in November and December typically make up 25% of annual print sales, according to Circana BookScan (formerly NPD Books), a publishing industry data provider.