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'This Is NOT Okay': Model-Activist Munroe Bergdorf Calls Out the Hypocrisy in L'Oréal's Anti-Racism Posts
As we reflect on the impact of the past week’s protests and #BlackoutTuesday, it might be considered as much a social experiment as a social justice movement. While prompted by black women in the music industry, scores of individuals and other industries quickly followed suit, prompting many a side-eye as some who’d previously remained silent,…
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To Sleep With Anger: Even as America Reckons With Its Racism, Black Pain Remains for Sale
He hadn’t even been dead a week. George Floyd, crushed under the weight of a Minneapolis police officer, hadn’t even been dead a week before at least one retailer found a way to profit from the pain coursing through America as cities literally burned with a rage simmering for 400 years. Not that there’s ever…
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'It's the Least You Can Do': Jackie Aina Rallies Brands Capitalizing on Black Culture to Stand in Support of Black Lives
Although we’ve become well accustomed to them as a fixture of the 21st century, the concept of the “influencer”—and the value of the influence itself—remain dubious. But while some YouTube stars were seemingly participating in the more opportunistic aspects of last week’s uprisings, one of our favorite beauty content creators and a 2019 Root 100…
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In a Rare Show of Solidarity, Competing Hollywood Heavyweights Join Forces in Support of Black Lives
In the outcries following the now-countless incidents of police violence upon black America, what is often most deafening is the silence—from non-black friends, influencers, politicians and, perhaps most importantly, from those who have the kind of massive platforms that actually reach into American homes and sway public opinion. The viral video of the murder of…
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'It Haunts Me': Rihanna and Beyoncé Issue Emotional Statements on Police Brutality and the Murder of George Floyd
Much of America is still in mourning and rage over the murder of George Floyd, and if you feel personally devastated, you are far from alone. Captured on video for the world to see police brutality in action, Floyd’s death under the knee of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been a visceral reminder…
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Safe Space: Black Imagination Offers a Necessary Respite From the Onslaught of Black Trauma
“A safe world, in my opinion, would be one where other humans are not an existential threat. Love and value would have to fall in line for such a world to exist.” — William Wallace III, Philadephia, Penn. text This is the sobering half-wish offered on page 57 of Black Imagination, an amalgamation of black…
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Icon x Icon: Naomi Campbell Is the 1st Global Face of Pat McGrath Labs
It was just over 18 months ago that we were marveling at the fact that legendary beauty Naomi Campbell, then 48, had just scored the first beauty campaign of her decades-long career for good friend François Nars’ eponymous line. On May 22, the still-stunning supermodel celebrated her 50th birthday, accompanied by another major milestone: In…
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Kamala and Maya's Big Idea Celebrates the Girl Power That Launched Two Political Powerhouses
Senator Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) is a consistent presence in our news cycle, currently due to being considered a frontrunner among Joe Biden’s potential running mates for the White House. Of course, Harris also made headlines before and during her own 2020 presidential run for her incisive and seemingly fearless delivery during hearings and debates, which…
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Thanks to Congolese Designer Hanifa, We've Glimpsed the Post-COVID Future of Fashion
“If you’re African, then you know about African seamstresses and how detail is so important, and color is so important, and prints are so important. So, I really wanted to make sure that I used that in this collection, just to give tribute to all the African seamstresses out there,” said Congo, Africa-born designer Anifa…
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Venus Williams vs. UV Rays: The Tennis Legend Launches a Sunscreen Line
It seems like only yesterday we were reminding you crazy quarantining kids (we hope) about the importance of sunscreen as we chatted it up with Black Girl Sunscreen founder Shontay Lundy. Oh, wait, Yesterday was Big Beauty Tuesday, right? Then, yes. Yes, we did. But since May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, it bears repeating…