-
Notes From the Field: Through Some of America’s Biggest Racial Dramas, Anna Deavere Smith Has Been Taking Notes
For over 25 years, Anna Deavere Smith has been observing us. Since the early ’90s, the Shakespearean-trained actress and playwright, best known for roles in The West Wing, Nurse Jackie and, most recently, Black-ish, has borne witness to some of the most painful moments in contemporary America’s racialized history. In the process, she has interviewed…
-
Whose World Is This? Black Panther Production Designer Hannah Beachler Walks Us Through Wakanda
If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve already visited Wakanda—maybe two or three times during Black Panther’s record-breaking opening weekend. Otherwise, I know you wouldn’t want to spoil your upcoming trip by reading the incredible conversation The Glow Up had with the film’s production designer, Hannah Beachler. (Consider yourself warned: There might be spoilers ahead.…
-
One to Watch: Clare-Hope Ashitey Makes Her Mark in Netflix’s Seven Seconds
It is indisputably a season of #BlackExcellence, filled with superheroes, anti-heroes and black characters taking us to fantastic realms accessible only in the imagination or via the groundbreaking films Black Panther and the upcoming A Wrinkle in Time. But when we leave the theaters, here we are, in the real world. A world where there…
-
The Wait Between Sade Singles? Just A Wrinkle in Time
It’s official: Sade is a goddess. She may not always come when you call, but she’s always on time. Or, if you’re Ava DuVernay, Sade may actually come when you call, just in time for your upcoming film, A Wrinkle in Time (premiering March 9). In keeping with the legendary chanteuse’s equally legendary elusive nature,…
-
Come Through, 30! Rihanna Celebrates 3 Decades of Bad Gyal Magic
How do we solve a problem like Rihanna? Truth is, we don’t want to. Sometimes we hate how much we love her, but what can we say? We found love in a hopeless place, and this Barbadian “rebelle fleur” remains a constant fave, shining bright like a diamond, always giving us wild thoughts and never…
-
Picture Yourself: How Michelle Obama Included Us in Her Portrait
It’s Presidents Day, and now a week since former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama unveiled their official portraits at the National Portrait Gallery. The portraits, by Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald respectively—both black painters—are such sharp departures from any previous depictions of a president and first lady that reviews were understandably mixed,…
-
BNYFW: Nigerian Label Maki Oh Made This Fashion Week #BlackGirlMagical
We really didn’t think last week could get any better—or blacker—as we prepared ourselves for the hype-worthy phenomenon that is Black Panther while also stalking New York Fashion Week 2018 to see what—and who—our best and brightest were sending down the runways in their Fall/Winter collections. So imagine our surprise that one of the most…
-
Digging the Dora Milaje? Then Love the Dahomey Women Warriors
It is all Black Panther everything all Presidents Day weekend here at The Root.(That’s no coincidence, by the way. Wakanda forever!) At this point, all of our staff has seen the film—some of us, multiple times. That said, we realize that not all of you have, so gird your loins, because we’re about to talk…
-
Legacy, Legacy, Legacy: What Best Befits a Civil Rights Icon?
As we wrap up the biannual phenomenon known as New York Fashion Week, we find ourselves overwhelmed by the amount of new fashion and trends we saw on the runways, forecasting what is to come in Fall/Winter 2018. But since we here at The Glow Up sit at the intersection of Fashion Week and Black…
-
Heavy Metal: How Jeweler Douriean Armored and Adorned Black Panther
“It’s surreal. I still don’t think I’ve fully processed or fully understand what impact this movie is going to have on people’s lives. So I’m excited.” —Douriean Jewelry designer and metalsmith Douriean Fletcher—who designs and retails simply as Douriean—is having the kind of breakthrough moment most artists can’t even begin to dream of. Handpicked by…
