Whenever we would see sisters around town rockin’ a black burqa in the August swelter, we would wonder aloud: Why would a modern Western black woman become a Muslim? It just seemed to us like trading one form of slavery for another, especially for women. And then we heard an NPR interview with a Muslim sister that asked this very question and her answer, transcribed from memory, had a sad but compelling logic: In a world where I walk around unveiled and get called ‘bitch’ & ‘ho’ routinely, Islam offers less freedom but more respect. Word, that. However, it depresses the hell out of us to think how little we have evolved from the time we lived in caves, that the only way women can walk around on the dark end of the street in the 21st Century and not be seen as fresh rape meat is to cover themselves like old furniture in the attic. City Paper, nice work illustrating a story that is well-nigh un-illustratable, but desperately needs public attention and the disenfecting sunlight of transparency. However, this just ain’t your week, Kid. This week, you take a dive. WINNER: PW