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Madam C.J. Walker, the Activist: A'Lelia Bundles Shares a Little-Told Story of Her Great-Great-Grandmother
“Activism is a very little-told story of Madam Walker’s life. She [Madam C.J. Walker] knew when she created hair care products that women needed some solutions for the infections—the scalp infections—but she knew that they needed, even more, education and financial independence.”—A’Lelia Bundles text It’s fairly well known that Madam C.J. Walker was the nation’s…
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Your Racism Is Showing: Coronavirus and the Racist History of Pandemics
“There are some members of the Trump administration who continue to refer to [COVID-19] as the ‘Wuhan virus,’ and I think this continues to perpetuate this very strong link between Asian people more generally or Chinese people more generally and the virus itself…And this tendency to kind of shift it, to reduce it to this…
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Self Made and Snatching Wigs: How Netflix's Madam C.J. Walker-Inspired Series Authentically Styled Black Hair on Set
She did everything with the products that would have been available to Madam. She didn’t use hot combs, when she rolled the hair it would be with a paper bag or with cloth. So she was very innovative in how she styled me. — Octavia Spencer text Madam C.J. Walker is a history-making black woman.…
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'We Can Control Our Destiny': Michael B. Jordan, H.E.R. and More Reflect on the Power of the Black Vote
“We can control our destiny. We can control our circumstances. We just have to educate ourselves and get out there and do something about it. Don’t feel like you as an individual don’t have the power to make a change, because you do.” —Michael B. Jordan text It’s Super Tuesday, y’all! Why is Tuesday so…
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ABFF Honors 2020: The House That Black Hollywood Built
The “category” was excellence, and Black Hollywood showed up and showed out. On Sunday night, the Beverly Hilton was bustling with black actors—I like to call them blacktors—producers and press gathered for the ABFF Honors, a space that Black Hollywood built to recognize our excellence in film and television. (After all, if we don’t, who…
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My Quirky Valentine: Luke James has a Love Letter for Black Women
“Thank you for telling me when I’m wrong. Thank you for celebrating me when I’m right. Thank you for loving me through my ups and my downs. Loving me from my downs to my ups.” —Luke James text There’s nothing quite as powerful as feeling acknowledged, valued and loved. As black women, we are often…
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Luke's Game of Love: Watch Musician Luke James Talk Love, Sex and Attraction
First things first: don’t call singer-songwriter Luke James a thirst trap. “I honestly think I’m a goofball and people don’t know that about me. I play it well.” The Grammy-nominated singer continued, “I’m not doing anything on purpose. It’s all in your head. If I’m a thirst trap, it’s all in your head.” OK, okay.…
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Hoodwinked History: How False Civil Rights Narratives Distort Modern Freedom Struggles
Black history is American history. Full stop. But somehow the narratives we’re taught often grossly misrepresent the history of black people in America. After all, a true and full history of the United States would require a reckoning of a not-so-great country, one that’s mired in hate and fear. The history of the civil rights…
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Oscars Still White: April Reign Explains Why 'Diversity' Alone Isn't Cutting It
“If you’re throwing a party and you want everybody to come, equity is ensuring that there are different price points. Diversity is inviting everybody. Inclusion is actually asking people to dance once they’re at the party.” —April Reign text It’s 2020 and this awards season is looking real white. What happened to all of those…
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A Quest for Justice: Just Mercy Cast on the Racial Inequality in the Criminal Justice System
“Slavery doesn’t end in 1865, it evolves. It’s that century of lynching and terrorism. And then it becomes racial apartheid and Jim Crow segregation. And now it has become over-incarceration and excessive punishment.” —Bryan A. Stevenson text Bryan A. Stevenson is a gift. As an attorney and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative—an organization dedicated to…
