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Mic Drop: A Melodious Start to Black History Month
It’s officially Black History Month, and all I can say is that this month’s music is starting us off with a bang. The diversity of music produced and released is always astounding, and this week is no exception. Bringing us their A-game are artists who I wished I’d heard of sooner, artists I’ve been obsessed…
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PageTurners: Historic Black Women and the Literary Legacies They've Paved
It has already been a historic year for Black women, and this week we can reflect on the legacies of history-making women who paved the way for our successes today. The long-awaited biography Ida B. the Queen: The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Ida B. Wells; Cicely Tyson’s, Just as I Am: A Memoir; and…
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Mic Drop: Are We on the Come-Up?
We all know music can be a useful outlet for all of the pent-up shit we deal with, whether we’re simply listening to it or actually making it—and on the subject of “making it,” this week’s music releases all had a major “come-up” vibe to them. For instance, I was really excited when I saw…
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One Moment in Time: Black Excellence, Joy and Honor at the 59th Presidential Inauguration
We did it, y’all. We half-survived. On Wednesday, Joe Biden was sworn into office as the 46th President of the United States, swiftly and effectively removing the orange dictator out of that undeserved position of power. But I’m not here to recap the rollercoaster that was the last four years. No, I’m here to revisit…
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PageTurners: In With the Old and In With the New
Today has been really emotional. My own moods swung from pure delight to pure anxiety as I woke up this morning and realized that #45 had left the White House as President for the last time—then pessimistically waited for something bad to happen during the Inauguration—but then tearing up the moment Vice-President Kamala Harris was…
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Mic Drop: Music for Every Mood
This week, fire-ass artists were coming out of the woodwork. Some released music videos that had me scratching my head and saying, “aren’t we in a global panorama?” While others released chill EPs and albums that had me laying on my floor and staring at the ceiling for a bit, contemplating the universe and also…
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PageTurners: We’re in for a Helluva Literary Year
One of my New Year’s resolutions is to find joy in reading again. I had this same goal last year–and let’s face it, every year for a while now–and even felt the hope of achieving that goal when we all went into lockdown, assuming I would have plenty of time to read and get back…
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Mic Drop: Music Releases From the First Week of January to Get You Ready for 2021
2021 started off with a bang, literally and metaphorically. From the insanity that happened in D.C. last Wednesday (January 6th, 2021) to KimYe’s split to every other random act in between, it was hard for me to stay on top of the new music that I was dying to hear as it dropped. Because we’ve…
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Having Faith: Giving Back in the Spirit of Imani, the Seventh Day of Kwanzaa
Having faith in those around us is the backbone of building community. In a year that has kicked Black people down over and over again, it is crucial that on Imani, the seventh day of Kwanzaa, we continue to build faith in the places that build up the community around us. The following places focus…
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Creativity and Craftsmanship: Celebrating Kuumba, the Sixth Night of Kwanzaa
Black-owned businesses breathe creativity. The sixth day of Kwanzaa, Kuumba, represents creativity and is a time for celebrating the radical Blackness that comes from multiple countries and cultures across different platforms. The following Black-owned businesses show their creative instincts in their hand-made and hand-picked products that represent the beauty of Blackness and cultural backgrounds. …
