by juliacsmith
Last week DJ jojo drew my attention toward a post by Latoya Peterson called Before I Discovered Feminism. In it, Peterson recalls being 10 years old and “awakening as a hip-hop feminist”—years before she would claim those words—after being taunted by a boy brandishing the Snoop Dogg “Doggystyle” album cover.
Read the post; you’ll squirm with anger as you remember teenagers who hurt your feelings and, without knowing it, maybe pushed you toward becoming politicized. And you’ll feel triumphant sweet with the bitter, reminiscing about the music that has gotten you through the times when you’ve felt most misunderstood or disrespected. (For Peterson, a certain TLC song came to the rescue.)
What music was your refuge when you were a teenager?
