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For Women’s History Month, Queen Latifah Honors Her Mother, Rita Owens
It takes a queen to teach a queen. If there was one woman who unequivocally made an impact on Queen Latifah’s life, it would be her mother, Rita Owens. “She taught me how to be the Queen. Anything you see in me that is womanly, feminine, powerful—that all came from her,” the multihyphenate told The…
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Icon, Unfiltered: Stephanie Mills Talks Michael Jackson, R. Kelly, and Why the Music Industry Doesn't Honor Black Artists
Stephanie Mills has got opinions. Lots of ‘em. The Grammy-award winning singer and actress best known for playing Dorothy in the original Broadway production of The Wiz is not one for holding her tongue. She’s now a woman of a certain age—read: She has no time for the BS. “I’m not apologizing about anything I…
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Alfre Woodard Proves the Party Don’t Stop after Motherhood in Netflix’s Juanita
Who said that life ends after giving birth? And furthermore, why are adult children so damned ungrateful to their mothers in the first place? I’m no mother, but if Beyoncé can head a clothing line, a production company and sit on top of an empire, all while having have three kids, then your kids can…
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For Women’s History Month, Misty Copeland Tells the Story of Trailblazing Ballerina Raven Wilkinson
“To be a black ballerina today … is extremely difficult. So I cannot imagine what it was like for Raven in the 1950s,” said Misty Copeland when reflecting on her friend, mentor and shero, Raven Wilkinson. In 1955, Wilkinson became one of the first black women to dance with a classical ballet company. Pursuing a…
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The Mane Attraction: For Queen Kelly Rowland, Her Hair Is Her Crown and Glory
“The first message that I honestly remember receiving about my hair was that it was hard to manage,” singer-songwriter Kelly Rowland told The Root. As a black woman who has hair that’s been referred to as “a rat’s nest,” I can relate. First question: Do rats even have nests?! Follow-up question: Why are you concerned…
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In an 'Insular, White, Calcified World,' Misty Copeland Centers Black Women
Every time I’ve been in a room with Misty Copeland, she has made it a point to acknowledge black women. I’m not referring to a warm smile, a greeting, or even the timeless black folk head-nod (y’all know what I’m talking about)—though I’d guess Copeland certainly does that, too. Beyond saying “hello,” she makes it…
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20 Years of Twerking: A Retrospective of ‘Back That Azz Up’
One thing’s for sure: The words “Cash Money Records taking over for the ‘99 into the 2000″ will always yield a visceral reaction, a sense of urgency. Move or be moved, because it’s about to go down. But ahead of (what has now become) an iconic phrase, there’s a trigger warning, if you will. Let’s…
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Black Ass Game Show: Bodega Boys Edition
As a Queens native, I am mature enough to objectively say that it’s a good time to be from the Bronx. Cardi B recently made history as the first solo female rap artist to win best rap album. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is “taring ‘ish up” in the House of Representatives. One can still rent…
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Hollywood Has a Problem With Inclusion and These Celebrities Are Trying to Solve It
It’s no secret that Hollywood has a problem with inclusion. As April Reign pointed out with her viral #OscarsSoWhite years ago, Oscars have been white and, might I add, damningly male. Guess what? The greater Hollywood industry isn’t any less pale (or male, for that matter). USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative did some research and found…
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Black Love On The Big Screen, From the First On-Film Kiss to Today | Unpack That
Love, in its purest form, makes all of our hearts smile. As a black person, I must say, that there’s something so special, so unequivocally sincere about seeing black people being in love on the big screen. Sorry, not sorry. Here’s the thing: Unbeknownst to many, black love in film dates back to the beginning…
