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The Cast and Crew of Queen & Slim on Black Love Being 'An Act of Resistance, Protest and Resilience'
Beyond the political allegory of two black people going on the run after killing a cop, Queen & Slim is a love story. Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) and Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) have bounties on their heads for the crime they’ve committed and throughout all of their trials and tribulations, they find a special sense of connection…
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'There Was Silence. It Was Understood': Reflections About 'yasiin bey: Negus,' the Listening Installation at the Brooklyn Museum
A few weeks back, I wrote a piece that was critical of “yasiin bey: Negus,” the traveling art exhibit/listening installation curated by yasiin bey, the artist formerly known as Mos Def. My overarching point (perhaps fairly called “mean” in the comments on the actual piece, and disregarded as closed-minded on Facebook) was that the idea,…
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'Oppressors, Not Protectors': The Cast of Queen & Slim Reflect on Policing
As Solange once crooned, “this shit is for us.” At the time of this article’s posting, I’ve seen Queen & Slim three times and I have no doubt this film was primarily created for us. Still, like any movie, you want as many eyes on it as possible, so I had to give writer Lena…
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The 2019 Rules and Revisions for Black Thanksgiving
For black families, Thanksgiving is an entirely different holiday than the traditional feast enjoyed by the dominant culture. When the Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving in 1621, most black families in America weren’t invited to the festivities. In fact, legend has it that a particularly unruly enslaved African whispered to a Native Americans as they…
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Joycelyn Savage Now Says She’s a Victim of R. Kelly, Selling Story Through Online Subscription Service
Joycelyn Savage, the girlfriend of R. Kelly who has been widely regarded as his “sex slave,” is telling her story—through a digital crowdfunding platform. The 24-year-old Atlanta native has been a staunch defendant of the Grammy Award-winning crooner, currently in prison on allegations of enticing minors to engage in criminal sexual activity, racketeering and producing…
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History Making Gymnast Simone Biles Learns Her Sexual Assault Claims Were Swept Under Rug by USA Gymnastics Officials
In another example that there are systems in place to protect evil power wielders, Simone Biles has expressed “pain” in learning that her initial sexual abuse claim against team doctor Larry Nassar was basically ignored. The 22-year old gymnast—who made history on Oct. 13 as the gymnast with the most medals earned at the world…
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In a New Revival of Oedipus Rex, Ancient Greek Gets a Relevant Refresh
It’s been a year full of revivals in Chicago, and in an era where the Greek chorus has been replaced by the legions on Black Twitter, some might wonder what relevance a revival of Sophocles’ circa-429 B.C. tragedy, Oedipus Rex, holds for contemporary audiences. But as a new production at the University of Chicago-based Court…
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21 Bridges: Yes, Chadwick Boseman Was Conflicted Portraying a Black Cop
Throughout their careers, actors tend to portray characters that challenge their beliefs and/or have morals that they might not necessarily agree with. To some extent, however, most actors tend to at least attempt to connect with their character. So what happens when the character represents a larger sociopolitical structure, especially from the perspective of a…
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Africa's the Future: Why Akon Says That African-Americans Should Invest in the Continent
“When you combine African-Americans and diaspora Africans, that unity itself is what’s gonna make Wakanda actually possible.” —Akon text After his his single “Locked Up,” Akon was determined not to be your run-of-the-mill one-hit wonder. The artist and producer had some foresight, understanding that the shelf life of an artist in a super-fickled entertainment industry…
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5-Year-Old Drumming Prodigy Receives Scholarship Offer From HBCU Alcorn State University: 'It's Mind-Blowing Every Day'
Musical prodigies showcase their otherworldly abilities at a young age, but Jeremiah Travis is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. And the historically black Alcorn State University apparently feels the same way, as it has offered the 5-year-old wunderkind a full band scholarship well over a decade before he even graduates high school. USA Today…