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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…
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Kelly Rowland Takes Us Through Her Iconic Mane Moments
One thing’s for sure: Kelly Rowland’s got lewks. From her pixie cut of the early 2000s, to her blunt bobs and now her natural ‘fro, Kelly’s hair has always made a statement. It is clear the singer-songwriter has a great sense of pride in her hair—in all of its forms. So naturally, Rowland is the…
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An Unexpected Adonis: Actor William Jackson Harper Has Found His 'Good Place'
By now, perhaps you’ve heard the name William Jackson Harper. For those of you who unfamiliar with him, allow me to offer this introduction: William Jackson Harper is best known as the actor who plays Chidi Anagonye—an indecisive, neurotic philosophy professor—on NBC’s The Good Place. After a decade of paying his dues on and off-Broadway,…
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Why Do We Silence Black Girls and Women Who are Survivors of Sexual Violence?
Today, conversations about sexual violence and harassment towards women have infiltrated popular culture, the news and beyond. But despite the prevalence of sexual violence towards black girls and women, we remain almost invisible in these conversations. You see, the legacy of sexual violence towards black women and our subsequent silencing runs deep. In her seminal…
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Beale Street’s Regina King Breaks Down What It Means to Be a Vulnerable Black Woman
We often speak about the “strong black woman” archetype, but what does it mean to be a “vulnerable black woman?” The reality is that the two characteristics are a bit symbiotic—after all, it takes a great deal of strength to make one’s self vulnerable. As Sharon in If Beale Street Could Talk, Regina King so…
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’Tis the Season: Here’s How Jesus Became So Widely Accepted as White
It’s no secret that Jesus Christ, known in Christian circles as the Son of God, is often depicted as a white man. But, how did the Son of God become so widely accepted as a European? After all, there are very few physical descriptions of Jesus in the bible. Keri L. Day, an associate professor…
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Fried, Dyed and Laid to the Side: Hazardous Hair Products Are Being Marketed to Black Women
From deep conditioners, to relaxers and gels, on any given day black women put tons of products in our hair. We don’t just wake up like this. Well, sometimes we do, but. Wait. OK. Back to the story. African Americans have tremendous spending power. In fact, according to Nielsen we spend about $1.2 trillion a…
