Janelle Harris
ARTICLES:
Whoopings Ain't Working, Y'all
Essence's Janelle Harris makes the case that corporal punishment that leaves welts and open sores is going to exacerbate the problems that exist and create some new ones, too.
Colorism: Archaic, a Hot Mess and Worse for Dark-Skinned Women
In a reflection on the recent flap about India.Arie's alleged skin bleaching, Essence's Janelle Harris says that complexion craziness is tough on everyone but especially painful for darker black women -- and it's our collective responsibility to put a stop to it.
Reality Show Takes Slut Shaming to New Level
Lifetime's new Preachers' Daughters focuses on church girls and sex while letting boys off the hook.
Baby Rappers and Why Little Boys Grow Up Too Fast
Reflecting on the online infamy of 10-year-old rapper "Lil Poopy," Clutch magazine's Janelle Harris wishes we'd encourage boys to respect their bodies and sexuality the way we do girls.
We Have All the Information We Need to Be Wives, Thank You
Essence's Janelle Harris takes her turn slamming the all-too-common male armchair relationship expert -- and his advice to black women.
The Pine-Sol Lady and the Whens and Wheres of Talking Black
Clutch magazine's Janelle Harris admits that she's at least partly guilty of "pandering to the social convention that dismisses the way black folks speak as sounding uneducated."
I'm Still Foolish Enough to Believe in God
Contemplating her own history in the church and reports on the increasing number of young people without religious affiliations, Essence's Janelle Harris says she's going to hold on to her beliefs, even if they don't make sense in the eyes of others.
I Didn't Know My Father, but My Granddad Was Great
In a poignant essay about her own family, Clutch magazine's Janelle Harris encourages all of us to spend time with -- and celebrate -- our elders.
Celebrating the One and Only Ms. Zora
At Clutch magazine, Janelle Harris paid tribute to Zora Neale Hurston on what would have been the writer's 122nd birthday.
Is the Debate Over Who's 'Black Enough' a Bad Thing?
Essence blogger Janelle Harris takes up the question of black authenticity in light of the "cornball brother" comments ESPN2's Rob Parker made about Robert Griffin III. Parker may not have expressed it the right way, she argues, but she gets his point.