Ijeoma Oluo
{{Short description|Nigerian-American writer}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Ijeoma Oluo
| image = File:Lovett Or Leave It - Ijeoma Oluo 1.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1980}}
| birth_place = Denton, Texas, US
| education = BA political science (2007)
| alma_mater = Western Washington University
| occupation = Writer
| years_active =
| known_for =
| notable_works = So You Want to Talk About Race
| spouse = Gabriel Teodros[https://www.thestranger.com/slog-pm/2022/08/11/77684373/slog-pm-west-seattle-bridge-to-open-sept-18-harborview-diverts-patients-due-to-capacity-issues-fbi-searched-trumps-place-for-documents-abo "Slog PM" by Charles Mudede]. The Stranger. August 11, 2022.[https://www.seattlemet.com/news-and-city-life/2022/04/ijeoma-oluo-new-seattle-home-after-fire "Let This Be the Last Time" by Allecia Vermillion]. Seattle Met. April 13, 2022.
| relatives = Ahamefule J. Oluo (brother)
Lindy West (sister in-law)
| children = 2
}}
Ijeoma Oluo ({{IPAc-en|i|ˈ|dʒ|oʊ|m|ə|_|oʊ|ˈ|l|uː|oʊ}}; born 1980) is an American writer. She is the author of So You Want to Talk About Race{{cite web |title=Right and Left: Partisan Writing You Shouldn't Miss |last=Dubenko |first=Anna |date=April 21, 2017 |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/21/us/politics/right-and-left-partisan-writing-you-shouldnt-miss.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171007022441/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/21/us/politics/right-and-left-partisan-writing-you-shouldnt-miss.html |archive-date=October 7, 2017 }} and has written for The Guardian, Jezebel, The Stranger, Medium, and The Establishment, where she was also an editor-at-large.{{Cite web |url=https://theestablishment.co/ |title=Goodbye! The Establishment ran from October 2015 to April 2019 |date=2020-10-12 |publisher=Medium |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200901003711/https://theestablishment.co/ |archive-date=1 September 2020 }}
Born in Denton, Texas, and based in Seattle, Washington, in 2015, Oluo was named one of the most influential people in Seattle,Lisa Wogan and Linda Morgan, [http://www.seattlemag.com/article/seattles-most-influential-people-2015 "Seattle's Most Influential People of 2015"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909233655/http://www.seattlemag.com/article/seattles-most-influential-people-2015 |date=2017-09-09 }}, Seattle Magazine, November 2015 and in 2018, she was named one of the 50 most influential women in Seattle.{{Cite web |url=https://www.seattlemet.com/features/meet-the-50-most-influential-women-in-seattle |title=The 50 Most Influential Women in Seattle |last=Norimine |first=Hayat|display-authors=etal |date=January 31, 2018 |magazine=Seattle Metropolitan |access-date=February 3, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204000441/https://www.seattlemet.com/features/meet-the-50-most-influential-women-in-seattle |archive-date=February 4, 2018 }} Her writing covers racism, misogynoir, intersectionality, online harassment, the Black Lives Matter movement, economics, parenting, feminism, and social justice.{{Cite news |url=https://rewire.news/article/2018/01/12/might-well-start-fire-author-internet-yeller-ijeoma-oluo-talking-race/ |title='I Might as Well Start a Fire': Author and 'Internet Yeller' Ijeoma Oluo on Talking About Race |last=Enjeti |first=Anjali |date=January 12, 2018 |access-date=February 2, 2018 |language=en-US |website=Rewire |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203005857/https://rewire.news/article/2018/01/12/might-well-start-fire-author-internet-yeller-ijeoma-oluo-talking-race/ |archive-date=February 3, 2018 }}
She gained prominence for articles critiquing race and the invisibility of women's voices, like her April 2017 interview with Rachel Dolezal, published in The Stranger.{{cite web|last=Oluo|first=Ijeoma|date=April 19, 2017|title=The Heart of Whiteness: Ijeoma Oluo Interviews Rachel Dolezal, the White Woman Who Identifies as Black|url=https://www.thestranger.com/features/2017/04/19/25082450/the-heart-of-whiteness-ijeoma-oluo-interviews-rachel-dolezal-the-white-woman-who-identifies-as-black|newspaper=The Stranger|access-date=January 8, 2021|archive-date=January 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119102825/https://www.thestranger.com/features/2017/04/19/25082450/the-heart-of-whiteness-ijeoma-oluo-interviews-rachel-dolezal-the-white-woman-who-identifies-as-black|url-status=live}}{{cite news |last1=Hopper |first1=Nate |title=What Ijeoma Oluo's Interview With Rachel Dolezal Reveals About White Privilege |url=https://time.com/4748965/rachel-dolezal-stranger-interview/ |access-date=September 11, 2017 |magazine=Time |date=April 20, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170823070519/http://time.com/4748965/rachel-dolezal-stranger-interview/ |archive-date=August 23, 2017 }}{{cite news |last=Adeshina |first=Emmanuel |title=Woman's Viral Tweets Calls Out White Liberal Women's Use of This Racially Coded Word |url=https://www.attn.com/stories/18520/womans-viral-twitter-thread-calls-out-white-liberal-womens-use-racially-coded-word |access-date=September 11, 2017 |publisher=ATTN: |date=July 27, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911204708/https://www.attn.com/stories/18520/womans-viral-twitter-thread-calls-out-white-liberal-womens-use-racially-coded-word |archive-date=September 11, 2017 }}{{Cite news |url=http://kuow.org/post/rachel-dolezal-erases-black-women-ijeoma-oluo-takes-conversation-back |title=Rachel Dolezal 'erases black women.' Ijeoma Oluo takes the conversation back |first1=Bill |last1=Radke |author1-link=Bill Radke |first2=Amina |last2=Al-Sadi |access-date=February 2, 2018 |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171002053351/http://kuow.org/post/rachel-dolezal-erases-black-women-ijeoma-oluo-takes-conversation-back |archive-date=October 2, 2017 }}
Career
= Early career =
Oluo began her career in technology and digital marketing.{{cite news|last=Sanders|first=Julia-Grace|date=May 18, 2016|title=Ijeoma Oluo: The Making of One of Seattle's Most Influential Voices|website=The Seattle Lesbian|url=http://theseattlelesbian.com/ijeoma-oluo-making-one-seattles-influential-voices/|url-status=live|access-date=September 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909233343/http://theseattlelesbian.com/ijeoma-oluo-making-one-seattles-influential-voices/|archive-date=September 9, 2017}} She turned to writing in her mid-30s{{Cite news |url=https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/bitch-interview/ijeoma-oluo |title=Ijeoma Oluo Wants to Help You Talk About Race |last=Dionne |first=Evette |date=January 18, 2018 |magazine=Bitch |access-date=February 3, 2018 |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204071830/https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/bitch-interview/ijeoma-oluo |archive-date=February 4, 2018 }} after the 2012 death of Trayvon Martin, who was the same age as her son, Malcolm, at the time. Fearful for her son as well as her younger brother, a musician then traveling on tour, Oluo began sharing long-held concerns via a blog she had previously devoted to food writing. She has described these initial forays as a significant influence on her writing style, as she hoped that sharing personal stories would be a way to connect to and activate her predominantly white community in Seattle. Oluo has said she was disappointed by the response she initially received, and that many of her existing friends "fell away" instead of engaging in the issues she had begun raising; however, many black women she hadn't previously known reached out to express appreciation and Oluo's profile as a writer grew, with publishers asking to reprint work from her blog and eventually commissioning new writing.
= Journalism and commentary =
File:Lovett Or Leave It - Lovett, Hughes, West, Oluo 2.jpg podcast on January 27, 2018, at the Moore Theatre in Seattle. Hosted by Jon Lovett (left) and Akilah Hughes (second from left), with guests Lindy West (second from right) and Ijeoma Oluo (right).{{Citation |url= https://crooked.com/podcast/house-always-wynns/ |title= The House Always Wynns |website= Crooked.com |first1= Jon |last1= Lovett |date= January 27, 2018 |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180208015321/https://crooked.com/podcast/house-always-wynns/ |archive-date= February 8, 2018 }} ]]
Oluo's columns and news articles appeared in The Guardian and The Stranger newspapers from 2015 through 2017,{{Cite web|title=Ijeoma Oluo|url=https://www.theguardian.com/profile/ijeoma-oluo|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171226105220/https://www.theguardian.com/profile/ijeoma-oluo|archive-date=December 26, 2017|access-date=January 12, 2018|website=the Guardian}} and she has also written for Jezebel, Medium and The Establishment, a publication based at Medium that Oluo helped launch;{{Cite news |url=https://www.seattlemet.com/articles/2018/1/31/ijeoma-oluo-seattle-you-are-not-mad-enough |title=Ijeoma Oluo: Seattle, You're Not Mad Enough |last=Williams |first=Allison |date=January 31, 2018 |magazine=Seattle Metropolitan |access-date=February 4, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180205001313/https://www.seattlemet.com/articles/2018/1/31/ijeoma-oluo-seattle-you-are-not-mad-enough |archive-date=February 5, 2018 }} she was an editor-at-large.{{Cite news|date=January 17, 2018|title=Required reading: "So You Want to Talk About Race"|language=en-US|website=Salon|url=https://www.salon.com/2018/01/17/white-people-stop-reclaiming-sthole-why-so-you-want-to-talk-about-race-is-required-reading/|url-status=live|access-date=February 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180202003847/https://www.salon.com/2018/01/17/white-people-stop-reclaiming-sthole-why-so-you-want-to-talk-about-race-is-required-reading/|archive-date=February 2, 2018}}{{cite web|last=Botton|first=Sari|date=March 20, 2017|title='You Can Help in Ways That I Cannot': Ijeoma Oluo on Putting Your White Privilege to Work Against Racism|url=https://longreads.com/2017/03/20/you-can-help-in-ways-that-i-cannot-ijeoma-oluo-on-putting-your-white-privilege-to-work-against-racism/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222051736/https://longreads.com/2017/03/20/you-can-help-in-ways-that-i-cannot-ijeoma-oluo-on-putting-your-white-privilege-to-work-against-racism/|archive-date=December 22, 2017|website=Longreads}} Her writing covers topics like misogynoir, intersectionality, online harassment, the Black Lives Matter movement, race, economics, parenting, feminism and social justice.
She is known for critiques of race and the erasure of black women's voices in the United States, as exemplified in Oluo's April 2017 interview of Rachel Dolezal, published in The Stranger.
Oluo stopped writing for The Stranger in July 2017; her reasons included the paper's decision to publish an article on detransitioning that Oluo said was "written by a cis woman without the knowledge and language necessary to responsibly report on the subject in a way that would not feed into the narrative of anti-trans bigots. The piece quotes a doctor widely discredited for junk science, with a well-known anti-trans bias." Though Oluo has taken strong stands on many social issues, she has also said fans should be comfortable criticizing and speaking honestly about errors such as expressions of sexism, racism, or classism by their favorite celebrities, without having to condemn or reject anyone as irredeemable, and that critics generally share many of the same flaws they call out in others. She wrote in 2015 that, "Being anti-racist doesn't mean that you are never racist, it means that you recognize and battle racism in yourself as hard as you battle it in others." She expanded on this theme of honest dialogue about uncomfortable truths in her 2018 book, writing that "This does not mean that you have to flog yourself for all eternity."{{Cite news|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/books/seattle-author-begins-a-crucial-discussion-in-so-you-want-to-talk-about-race/|title=Seattle author begins a crucial discussion in 'So You Want to Talk About Race'|last=Beason|first=Tyrone|date=January 20, 2018|newspaper=The Seattle Times|access-date=February 3, 2018|language=en-US|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204001402/https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/books/seattle-author-begins-a-crucial-discussion-in-so-you-want-to-talk-about-race/|archive-date=February 4, 2018}}
Oluo wrote on her blog in November 2017 that USA Today had asked her to write an op-ed, but only on the condition that Oluo's article argue against the need for due process with regard to sexual misconduct allegations such as the high-profile cases associated with the Me Too movement. Specifically she said that the editors "want a piece that says that you don't believe in due process and that if a few innocent men lose their jobs it's worth it to protect women." Oluo was willing to rebut the USA Today editorial that the accused are at great risk of their rights to due process being violated, but said she would not play the role of "their strawman", since she did in fact believe in everyone's right to due process. After Oluo wrote about the USA Today offer, The Washington Post responded with an editorial by Christine Emba that shared Oluo's position that the greatest violations of due process had been against the rights of harassment victims who had been denied justice for many years, and that such protestations over due process were, in Oluo's words, "attempt to re-center the concerns of men". Oluo had said that such apparent concern for due process was intended to, "stop women from coming forward before too many men are held accountable for their actions".
== Temporary Facebook suspension ==
Oluo's Facebook account was temporarily suspended in 2017. She had made a joke on Twitter that she felt uncomfortable around "white folk in cowboy hats" the first time she went in a Cracker Barrel. In response, she received hundreds of threats and racist messages on Twitter and to her Facebook account.{{Cite web |url=https://medium.com/@IjeomaOluo/facebooks-complicity-in-the-silencing-of-black-women-e60c34434181 |title=Facebook's Complicity in the Silencing of Black Women |last=Oluo |first=Ijeoma |date=August 2, 2017 |website=Medium |access-date=January 11, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171106074413/https://medium.com/@IjeomaOluo/facebooks-complicity-in-the-silencing-of-black-women-e60c34434181 |archive-date=November 6, 2017 }}{{Cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2017/08/03/facebook-ijeoma-oluo-hate-speech/537682001/|title=Facebook apologizes to black activist who was censored for calling out racism|last=Guynn|first=Jessica|date=August 3, 2017|newspaper=USA Today|access-date=January 12, 2018|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180112163222/https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2017/08/03/facebook-ijeoma-oluo-hate-speech/537682001/|archive-date=January 12, 2018}} Twitter took down tweets and banned users who were breaking its terms of service, but Oluo said Facebook did nothing for three days. Her account was suspended after Oluo posted screenshots of the messages, saying Facebook was not doing anything to help. Facebook later apologized and reactivated her account, saying the suspension had been a mistake. Oluo said the Facebook accounts of several other black activists have been suspended after publicly posting screenshots of threatening messages they had received, and each time Facebook said it was a mistake.{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/08/02/another-black-activist-ijeoma-oluo-is-suspended-by-facebook-for-posting-about-racism/|title=Another black activist, Ijeoma Oluo, is suspended by Facebook for posting about racism|last=Coldewey|first=Devin|date=August 2, 2017|website=TechCrunch|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909232945/https://techcrunch.com/2017/08/02/another-black-activist-ijeoma-oluo-is-suspended-by-facebook-for-posting-about-racism/|archive-date=September 9, 2017}}
= Books =
== ''The Badass Feminist Coloring Book'' ==
In 2015, Oluo self-published The Badass Feminist Coloring Book using Amazon's CreateSpace.{{Cite news |url=https://qz.com/474696/never-feel-ashamed-of-coloring-as-an-adult-with-this-badass-feminist-coloring-book/ |title=Never feel ashamed of coloring as an adult with this badass feminist coloring book |last=Groetzinger |first=Kate |date=August 14, 2015 |access-date=February 3, 2018 |language=en-US |website=Quartz |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204001049/https://qz.com/474696/never-feel-ashamed-of-coloring-as-an-adult-with-this-badass-feminist-coloring-book/ |archive-date=February 4, 2018 }} The project began with Oluo sketching outlines of favorite feminists as a stress reliever; encouraged by friends, she launched a Kickstarter campaign to create a coloring book of 45 sketches and accompanying quotes.{{Cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/25/feminist-coloring-book_n_7657950.html |title=A Badass Feminist Coloring Book For The Powerful Ladies In Your Life |last=Frank |first=Priscilla |date=June 25, 2015 |access-date=February 3, 2018 |language=en-US |website=Huffington Post |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023192352/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/25/feminist-coloring-book_n_7657950.html |archive-date=October 23, 2017 }} Well before the deadline, the project raised more than double its goal.{{Cite news |url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/92924-badass-feminist-coloring-book-by-feminist-writer-ijeoma-oluo-should-probably-be-on-your-wish-list |title=Three Words: Feminist Coloring Book |last=Mosthof |first=Mariella |magazine=Bustle |access-date=February 3, 2018 |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204000351/https://www.bustle.com/articles/92924-badass-feminist-coloring-book-by-feminist-writer-ijeoma-oluo-should-probably-be-on-your-wish-list |archive-date=February 4, 2018 }}
Feminists depicted in The Badass Feminist Coloring Book include Lindy West (Oluo's sister-in-law), comedian Hari Kondabolu, writer Feminista Jones and musician Kimya Dawson (of The Moldy Peaches).{{Cite news |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/-badass-feminist-coloring-book-c1208783881682998/photo-body-love-is-where-it-1436391599851.html |title='Badass Feminist Coloring Book' Raises $16K on Kickstarter |last=Badal |first=Kelly Phillips |date=July 8, 2015 |access-date=February 3, 2018 |language=en-US |website=Yahoo! News |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204070540/https://www.yahoo.com/news/-badass-feminist-coloring-book-c1208783881682998/photo-body-love-is-where-it-1436391599851.html |archive-date=February 4, 2018 }}
== ''So You Want to Talk About Race'' ==
{{Main|So You Want to Talk About Race}}
Oluo's book So You Want to Talk about Race was published on January 16, 2018, by the Seal Press imprint of Perseus Books Group's Da Capo.{{Cite news |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-58005-677-9 |title=Nonfiction Book Review: So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo. Seal, $27 (256p) ISBN 978-1-58005-677-9 |date=November 13, 2017 |magazine=Publishers Weekly |access-date=February 3, 2018 |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204001021/https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-58005-677-9 |archive-date=February 4, 2018 }}{{Cite web|url=http://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/index.php/bookreview/so-you-want-to-talk-about-race|title=So You Want to Talk About Race|last=Ferguson|first=Jenny|date=January 19, 2018|website=Washington Independent Review of Books|access-date=February 3, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203235821/http://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/index.php/bookreview/so-you-want-to-talk-about-race|archive-date=February 3, 2018}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2018/01/14/talking-about-race|title=So You Want To Talk About Race|last=Harwood|first=John|date=January 14, 2018|website=WBUR-FM|language=en|access-date=February 3, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203235906/http://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2018/01/14/talking-about-race|archive-date=February 3, 2018}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.salon.com/2018/01/17/white-people-stop-reclaiming-sthole-why-so-you-want-to-talk-about-race-is-required-reading/|title=Required reading: "So You Want to Talk About Race"|last=Keane|first=Erin|date=January 17, 2018|access-date=February 3, 2018|language=en-US|website=Salon|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203065014/https://www.salon.com/2018/01/17/white-people-stop-reclaiming-sthole-why-so-you-want-to-talk-about-race-is-required-reading/|archive-date=February 3, 2018}}{{Cite news |url=http://www.thenationalbookreview.com/features/2018/2/1/pzq0lfjcpd3klmi89d5qinpawx15tr |title=REVIEW: An Incisive Look at Race -- and How We Should Be Talking About It |last=Bhatt |first=Jenny |date=February 1, 2018 |website=The National Book Review |access-date=February 2, 2018 |language=en-US |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180207010638/http://www.thenationalbookreview.com/features/2018/2/1/pzq0lfjcpd3klmi89d5qinpawx15tr |archive-date=February 7, 2018 }} In its "New & Noteworthy" column, The New York Times described the book as "tak[ing] on the thorniest questions surrounding race, from police brutality to who can use the 'N' word."{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/18/books/review/new-noteworthy-choire-sicha.html|title=New & Noteworthy|date=January 18, 2018|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=February 3, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203142720/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/18/books/review/new-noteworthy-choire-sicha.html|archive-date=February 3, 2018}} Oluo began the project at the suggestion of her agent, who proposed Oluo write a guidebook to discussing the topics she was writing about regularly. Oluo was initially reluctant, feeling she already spent more time dealing with race than she wanted — speaking to Bitch magazine, she said, "Think about how much time you want to spend, as a Black woman, talking about race, and then dedicating a whole book to talking about race. It's tough for me." But as she considered the idea, she found many people reached out with topics, and ultimately she decided that a book might save her from having to answer the same questions over and over; in particular she hoped a book's tangible form might reach people in a different way than online work did.
Bustle named So You Want to Talk about Race to a list of 14 recommended debut books by women, praising Oluo's "no holds barred writing style",{{Cite news|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/14-debut-books-by-women-coming-out-in-2018-that-you-need-in-your-tbr-pile-7649023|title=14 Books By First-Time Women Authors To Look Out For In 2018|last=Miller|first=E. Ce|magazine=Bustle|access-date=February 3, 2018|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203174037/https://www.bustle.com/p/14-debut-books-by-women-coming-out-in-2018-that-you-need-in-your-tbr-pile-7649023|archive-date=February 3, 2018}} as well as to a list of the 16 best non-fiction books of January 2018.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/the-16-best-nonfiction-books-of-january-2018-to-get-you-ready-for-the-year-7719154|title=The 16 Best Nonfiction Books Of January Will Prepare You To Fight Back|last=Long|first=Stephanie Topacio|magazine=Bustle|access-date=February 3, 2018|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204000540/https://www.bustle.com/p/the-16-best-nonfiction-books-of-january-2018-to-get-you-ready-for-the-year-7719154|archive-date=February 4, 2018}} Harper's Bazaar also named it to a list of 10 best new books of 2018, saying "Oluo crafts a straightforward guidebook to the nuances of conversations surrounding race in America."{{Cite news|url=http://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/g13787875/best-new-books-2018/|title=10 New Books to Add to Your Reading List in 2018|last=Hubbard|first=Lauren|date=November 30, 2017|magazine=Harper's Bazaar|access-date=February 3, 2018|language=en-US|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204000300/http://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/g13787875/best-new-books-2018/|archive-date=February 4, 2018}}
==''Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America''==
Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America, published December 1, 2020 by the Seal Press imprint of Basic Books, is a historical and contemporary analysis of how white male supremacy affects politics, the workplace, sports and daily life. It was included in recommended reading lists from Time, The Washington Post, and The Seattle Times and has a starred review at Publishers Weekly.{{Citation |url=https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/ijeoma-oluo/mediocre/9781580059503/ |title=Mediocre The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America by Ijeoma Oluo |website=Basic Books |date=3 September 2019 |isbn=9781580059503 |access-date=2020-10-15 |archive-date=2021-02-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215100944/https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/ijeoma-oluo/mediocre/9781580059503/ |url-status=live |last1=Oluo |first1=Ijeoma }}Lists:
- {{Citation |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/books/read-local-in-2020-look-out-for-these-8-washington-authored-titles-due-out-later-this-year/ |first=Chris |last=Talbott |newspaper=The Seattle Times |date=August 29, 2020 |title=Read local in 2020 — look out for these 8 Washington-authored titles due out later this year |access-date=October 15, 2020 |archive-date=September 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918181236/https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/books/read-local-in-2020-look-out-for-these-8-washington-authored-titles-due-out-later-this-year/ |url-status=live }}
- {{Citation |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/fall-reading-12-books-to-keep-you-occupied-for-the-rest-of-2020/2020/09/04/efd83d36-eebb-11ea-ab4e-581edb849379_story.html |date=September 5, 2020 |first=Angela |last=Haupt |title=Fall reading: 12 books to keep you occupied for the rest of 2020 |access-date=October 15, 2020 |archive-date=October 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021020707/https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/fall-reading-12-books-to-keep-you-occupied-for-the-rest-of-2020/2020/09/04/efd83d36-eebb-11ea-ab4e-581edb849379_story.html |url-status=live }}
- {{Citation |magazine=Time |title=The 42 Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2020 |first1=Raisa |last1=Bruner |first2=Andrew R. |last2=Chow |first3=Annabel |last3=Gutterman |first4=Cady |last4=Lang |first5=Lucas |last5=Wittmann |date=September 3, 2020 |url=https://time.com/5885088/best-books-fall-2020/ |access-date=October 15, 2020 |archive-date=February 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215100943/https://time.com/5885088/best-books-fall-2020/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-58005-951-0 |access-date=14 October 2020 |work=Publishers Weekly |archive-date=1 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101032924/https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-58005-951-0 |url-status=live }}
= Other projects =
Oluo has also performed as a speaker, storyteller and standup comic.{{Cite news |url=http://www.seattlereviewofbooks.com/notes/2017/05/17/your-week-in-readings-the-best-literary-events-from-may-17th-may-23rd/ |title=Your Week in Readings: The best literary events from May 17th - May 23rd |last=Constant |first=Paul |date=May 17, 2017 |website=The Seattle Review of Books |access-date=February 2, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180207010229/http://www.seattlereviewofbooks.com/notes/2017/05/17/your-week-in-readings-the-best-literary-events-from-may-17th-may-23rd/ |archive-date=February 7, 2018 }}{{Cite news |url=http://www.cityartsmagazine.com/fun-home-5th-exhibition-inflatable-art-west-seattle-summerfest-punk-rock-private-eye/ |title='Fun Home' at the 5th, an exhibition of inflatable art, West Seattle Summerfest, a punk-rock private eye movie and more |author=City Arts Staff |date=July 10, 2017 |magazine=City Arts Magazine |access-date=February 2, 2018 |language=en-US |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180207005631/http://www.cityartsmagazine.com/fun-home-5th-exhibition-inflatable-art-west-seattle-summerfest-punk-rock-private-eye/ |archive-date=February 7, 2018 }} Oluo was interviewed in the 2016 documentary short Oh, I Get It included in the Slamdance, Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, and others, about her experiences as a queer stand-up comedian.{{Citation|title=Seattle directors Sara McCaslin and Danny Tayara will premiere Oh, I Get It, a documentary exposing the challenges facing queer comedians in the world of stand-up comedy.|date=January 17, 2016|url=http://theseattlelesbian.com/tag/ijeoma-oluo/|website=The Seattle Lesbian|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180205072336/http://theseattlelesbian.com/tag/ijeoma-oluo/|archive-date=February 5, 2018}}{{IMDb title|title=Oh, I Get It |id=tt5255318|description=2016 documentary short film}}
Oluo has a forthcoming book called Be a Revolution, to be published by HarperCollins.{{cite news |title=HarperOne acquires Ijeoma Oluo's Be a Revolution |url=https://www.bookforum.com/papertrail/harperone-acquires-new-ijeoma-oluo-s-be-a-revolution-24425 |access-date=April 3, 2021 |work=Bookforum |date=March 22, 2021}}
Awards and honors
Seattle Met named Oluo one of the 50 most influential women in Seattle in 2018, and Seattle Magazine named her one of the most influential people in Seattle in 2015, for her "incisive wit, remarkable humor and an appropriate magnitude of rage", and said she is "one of Seattle's strongest voices for social justice." Bustle included Oluo among "13 Authors to Watch in 2018".{{Cite news |url=https://www.bustle.com/p/13-authors-you-need-to-be-watching-in-2018-because-big-things-are-coming-7742758 |title=13 Authors That Have Big Things Coming In 2018 |last=Miller |first=E. Ce |website=Bustle |access-date=February 2, 2018 |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180207010821/https://www.bustle.com/p/13-authors-you-need-to-be-watching-in-2018-because-big-things-are-coming-7742758 |archive-date=February 7, 2018 }}
Personal life
Oluo was born in Denton, Texas, in 1980. Her father, Samuel Lucky Onwuzip Oluo, is from Nigeria, and her mother, Susan Jane Hawley, is from Kansas and is white. Oluo's younger sibling is jazz musician Ahamefule J. Oluo, who is married to Seattle writer Lindy West.
In 2022, she married the hip-hop artist Gabriel Teodros.[https://www.thestranger.com/slog-pm/2022/08/11/77684373/slog-pm-west-seattle-bridge-to-open-sept-18-harborview-diverts-patients-due-to-capacity-issues-fbi-searched-trumps-place-for-documents-abo "Slog PM" by Charles Mudede]. The Stranger. August 11, 2022.[https://www.seattlemet.com/news-and-city-life/2022/04/ijeoma-oluo-new-seattle-home-after-fire "Let This Be the Last Time" by Allecia Vermillion]. Seattle Met. April 13, 2022.
She graduated from Lynnwood High School in 1999 and later graduated from Western Washington University with a BA in political science in 2007.
She is an atheist{{cite news |last=Oluo |first=Ijeoma |date=October 24, 2015 |title=My atheism does not make me superior to believers. It's a leap of faith too |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/oct/24/atheism-does-not-make-me-superior-to-believers-its-a-leap-of-faith-too |work=The Guardian |access-date=April 6, 2021}} and identifies as queer.{{Cite web|last=Oluo|first=Ijeoma|date=Oct 11, 2017|title=Also: as a queer woman please know that I've always assumed that all y'all are queer unless you tell me otherwise.|url=https://twitter.com/ijeomaoluo/status/918165130986143744|access-date=2021-07-03|website=Twitter|language=en}}
Notable works
- {{Cite book |last=Oluo |first=Ijeoma |author-mask=2 |year=2020 |title=Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America |publisher=Seal Press |isbn=978-1-58005-951-0}}
- {{Cite book |last=Oluo |first=Ijeoma |author-mask=2 |year=2018 |title=So You Want to Talk About Race |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=9781580056786 |oclc=986970684 }}
- {{cite web |last=Oluo |first=Ijeoma |author-mask=2 |date=April 19, 2017 |title=The Heart of Whiteness: Ijeoma Oluo Interviews Rachel Dolezal, the White Woman Who Identifies as Black |url=https://www.thestranger.com/features/2017/04/19/25082450/the-heart-of-whiteness-ijeoma-oluo-interviews-rachel-dolezal-the-white-woman-who-identifies-as-black |newspaper=The Stranger |access-date=January 8, 2021}}
- {{Cite book |last=Oluo |first=Ijeoma |author-mask=2 |year=2015 |title=The Badass Feminist Coloring Book |publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform |isbn=9781517268657 |oclc=941812206}}
See also
References
{{reflist|refs=
{{Citation |title=My Father Is an African Immigrant and My Mother Is a White Girl from Kansas and I Am Not the President of the United States; Or, How to Disappoint Your Absent Father in 20 Words or Less |url=https://www.thestranger.com/seattle/my-father-is-an-african-immigrant-and-my-mother-is-a-white-girl-from-kansas-and-i-am-not-the-president-of-the-united-states/Content?oid=8932130 |first=Ahamefule J. |last=Oluo |newspaper=The Stranger |date=July 6, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009223510/http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/my-father-is-an-african-immigrant-and-my-mother-is-a-white-girl-from-kansas-and-i-am-not-the-president-of-the-united-states/Content?oid=8932130 |archive-date=October 9, 2017 }}
{{Citation |title=Roxane Gay: 'If I was conventionally hot and had a slammin' body, I would be president' |first=Lindy |last=West |author-link=Lindy West |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/jul/03/roxane-gay-lindy-west-if-i-was-conventionally-hot-i-would-be-president |newspaper=The Guardian |date=July 3, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203125535/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/jul/03/roxane-gay-lindy-west-if-i-was-conventionally-hot-i-would-be-president |archive-date=February 3, 2018 }}
{{Citation |title=A Response to the Uproar Over My Piece, "The Detransitioners" |first=Katie |last=Herzog |date=July 3, 2017 |url=https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2017/07/03/25262759/a-response-to-the-uproar-over-my-piece-the-detransitioners |newspaper=The Stranger |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808130046/http://www.thestranger.com/slog/2017/07/03/25262759/a-response-to-the-uproar-over-my-piece-the-detransitioners |archive-date=August 8, 2017 }}
{{Citation |url=https://westerntoday.wwu.edu/news/wwu-alumna-ijeoma-oluo-to-speak-feb-23-on-social-change-and-politics |title=WWU alumna Ijeoma Oluo to speak Feb. 23 on social change and politics |publisher=Western Washington University |date=February 15, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203124038/https://westerntoday.wwu.edu/news/wwu-alumna-ijeoma-oluo-to-speak-feb-23-on-social-change-and-politics |archive-date=February 3, 2018 }}
{{Citation |title= Admit It: Your Fave Is Problematic; Trevor Noah is the latest on the rack for blundering comments. But it's how we deal with our flaws that really matters |first= Ijeoma |last= Oluo |url= https://medium.com/matter/admit-it-your-fave-is-problematic-2dfa692f557b |date= March 31, 2015 |website= Medium |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180205072820/https://medium.com/matter/admit-it-your-fave-is-problematic-2dfa692f557b |archive-date= February 5, 2018 }}
{{Citation |title= We're misunderstanding due process |first= Christine |last= Emba |date= December 1, 2017 |newspaper= The Washington Post |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-due-process-assault-freak-out-is-a-fever-dream/2017/12/01/8f14cd80-d6d5-11e7-a986-d0a9770d9a3e_story.html |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180205072357/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-due-process-assault-freak-out-is-a-fever-dream/2017/12/01/8f14cd80-d6d5-11e7-a986-d0a9770d9a3e_story.html |archive-date= February 5, 2018 }}
}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{official website|http://www.ijeomaoluo.com/}}
- {{IMDb name|7776190}}
- {{C-SPAN|130425}}
- [https://www.thestranger.com/archive/ijeoma-oluo Article archive] at The Stranger (2015–2017)
- [https://www.theguardian.com/profile/ijeoma-oluo Column archive] at The Guardian (2015–2017)
{{Black Lives Matter}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oluo, Ijeoma}}
Category:People from Denton, Texas
Category:American people of Nigerian descent
Category:Black Lives Matter people
Category:21st-century American women writers
Category:21st-century American writers
Category:The Stranger (newspaper) people
Category:American queer writers
Category:21st-century African-American women writers
Category:21st-century African-American writers
Category:African-American atheists
Category:African-American LGBTQ people