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'I Had to Shave It Off': Halle Berry's Daughter Learned About Hair Maintenance the Hard Way With a Quarantine Cut
I remember well the age I was when I demanded to take over the maintenance of my own hair. I was 8 and a soon-to-be latchkey kid (with minor supervision from our landlords upstairs), and felt it was high time that I graduate into doing my own hair since my TV journalist mother rarely had…
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The Gift: Beyoncé Donates $6 Million to COVID-19 Relief Through Her BeyGOOD Initiative
April 23, 2020 might mark the fourth anniversary of the release of Beyoncé’s magnum opus, Lemonade, but there’s clearly no “Love Drought” when it comes to the singer’s philanthropy. (Yeah, we saw y’all making the song trend today—and agree it’s a perennial fave.) After making a noteworthy appearance on last Saturday’s live-streamed Global Citizen event,…
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Undercover: Stay Safe—and Chic—in Masks Made by Black Designers
We’ve now lost count of the days that we’ve been sheltering-in-place, but as the blooms emerge and the days grow longer, we are understandably longing to spend time basking in the spring sunshine—but safety first. And news flash, Beloveds—when the day comes that we finally venture back outdoors en masse (Alexa, play “Brand New Day”…
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Parable of the Songwriter: Toshi Reagon Explains Why an Octavia Butler-Inspired Opera Is More Relevant Than Ever
When Octavia Butler published Parable of Sower in 1993, she fictionally forecasted the year 2024 as a dystopia under immoral and ignorant leadership, wracked by climate change and corporate and political avarice. In Butler’s vision of America, our so-called civilized society buckles under unbearable wealth inequality, a lack of basic resources like clean water and…
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The Truth Comes Out: Meghan and Harry's Pre-Wedding Texts to Thomas Markle Reveal His Lies
It’s been mere days since it was reported that Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle are severing all ties with several British tabloids, due to the ways the outlets “sought to insulate themselves from taking accountability for what they say or print—even when they know it to be distorted, false, or invasive beyond reason.” On…
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The Blacker the Sugaberry: Tika Sumpter and Thai Randolph's New Platform Savors the Sweetness of Black Motherhood
In a single season of playing altruistic attorney Alicia Johnson on ABC’s Mixed-ish, Tika Sumpter has quickly joined the ranks of television’s black moms—a role that followed star turns in The Haves and Have Nots, opposite Tiffany Haddish in Nobody’s Fool, and her endearing portrayal of a pre-White House (and pre-marriage, Malia, and Sasha) iteration…
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As the COVID-19 Crisis Continues, Retail Takes a Devastating Dive
As we measure the ongoing effects of COVID-19, loss of life and public health should remain chief among our concerns—despite any GOP rhetoric to the contrary. But America’s economic health is also in jeopardy, as evidenced by what the New York Times writes are “a number of reports that highlight just how badly the economy…
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Essence Fest 2020 Is Officially Canceled
In a year in which the outbreak of COVID-19 has not only threatened the lives of millions but life as we’ve known it (because rather than “going back to normal,” we’re likely looking at a “new normal”), another highly anticipated cultural event has become a casualty. To the chagrin of aunties and Flossy Posses everywhere—not…
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Untangling History: A Rebranded Edition of A'Lelia Bundles' On Her Own Ground Adds New Chapters to the Story of Madam C.J. Walker
When it comes to the seemingly inexhaustible stream of films adapted from books, an age-old question inevitably arises: Do you read the book first or see the film? As one who finds merits in both approaches—as well as that rogue third option of picking one or the other and leaving it at that—I’m not here…
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Spin Cycle: Are Meghan and Harry Considering a Tell-All Interview for $1 Million?
Ever since Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle announced they’d be stepping down from their role as senior royals in the British monarchy—a designation that became final on March 31—as well as their intention to be financially independent, royal watchers have rightfully been asking, “How, Sway?” Meghan’s residuals from Suits and any possible military…
