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TGU50: The Dap Award
The category is: Icon. There are designers, there are influencers, there are activists…and then, there are changemakers. The innovative couturier fondly known as Dapper Dan is all that and more. Like Madam C.J. Walker, the historic black icon and heroine of Netflix’s upcoming series Self Made, Dapper Dan’s enterprising genius and ingenuity propelled him from…
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Translating Trauma: With a Pair of Powerful Plays, Director Wardell Julius Clark Explores the PTSD of Police Killings
“I like things that subvert the audience’s expectations,” actor/director Wardell Julius Clark told The Root when asked why he gravitates to certain narratives. “We’re going to the theater for a visceral emotional experience; to learn something about ourselves and about humanity.” Clark is at the helm of two very visceral and emotional productions making their…
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End of an Era: CEO of Essence Communications Michelle Ebanks Steps Down
The leading voice in America’s leading publication for black women is making way for new leadership. On Monday, Essence Communications made the unexpected announcement that as of March 31 its CEO, Michelle Ebanks, will be stepping down from the role she’s held since 2018, prior to which she had been in leadership roles within the…
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The Black Maternal Health Momnibus: A Historic Legislative Package Aims to Reduce Maternal Risks
Giving birth has always put women at risk, but for women giving birth in America, it has become a deadly proposition, as the United States has become the most dangerous place to give birth in the developed world. For black women, the risk has been rightfully classified as a crisis, as black expectant mothers are…
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Bundles of Trouble: How Coronavirus Is Impacting the Billion-Dollar Hair Import Industry
In just a few short weeks, the coronavirus epidemic has affected not only public health but travel, education and trade. But among the goods affected by the spread of the virus, one has escaped mention: as reported by Black Enterprise last week, with China as one of the top exporters to the United States, the…
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Camera-Ready: Rihanna Built a Fenty Beauty House Exclusively for the TikTok Crowd
Rihanna may not always come when you call for a new album, but she’s always on time with a trend. Case in point: The multihyphenate just made her mark on a social media phenomenon; as Allure reports, last week, the star hosted the opening of Fenty Beauty’s first “TikTok House,” a Los Angeles-based destination custom-designed…
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As Meghan and Harry Wrapped Up Royal Duties, an MSNBC Guest Called Meghan '5 Clicks Up From Trailer Trash'
This is why you can’t just let anyone appear on your network: the classism (and underlying racism) might just jump out—on-air. As has been widely reported, the royals formerly known as Prince Harry (just kidding; he’ll technically always be a prince) and wife Meghan Markle made their final appearances as members of the British monarchy…
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Great Moments in Black Her-story: 10 Books That Celebrate the Presence, Power, and Legacies of Black Women
Black History Month may be over, but for black women (and those who love them), the party’s only half-over, because March is Women’s History Month—and ain’t I a woman? Nestled at the intersection of blackness and womanhood, we know black women’s histories are rich and varied; we may not be anyone’s mules, but we are…
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Black History, Black Stories: 7 Books That Center Our Legacies for Longer Than a Month
“No scene from African American literary history is more familiar than that of Frederick Douglass’s learning to read,” reads the opening line of the introduction of Forgotten Readers: Recovering the Lost History of African American Literary Societies, an educational tome that unpacks the long legacy of black literacy and literary acumen; one that began while…
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You Want Fries With That? Nike Fuels the Coming 2 America Craze With a McDowell's-Inspired Blazer Mid
Of the numerous reasons we’re looking forward to the long-awaited follow-up to the late-’80s classic Coming to America—the cutely-named Coming 2 America—how the iconic style of the original will be reimagined for a new generation is high on the list. Award-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter will no doubt bring the heat onscreen, but plenty…
