black excellence
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Sculptor Simone Leigh Becomes 12th Artist to Win Guggenheim’s Hugo Boss Prize
Black excellence has been awarded again. On Thursday, the Guggenheim Museum awarded its coveted Hugo Boss Prize to Brooklyn, N.Y.-based artist Simone Leigh. The Hugo Boss Prize recognizes achievement in contemporary art. Leigh, a Chicago native of Jamaican descent, works in various media but was recognized for her work in ceramics, which incorporates traditional African…
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Cicely Tyson Will Be the 1st Black Woman Awarded an Honorary Oscar—But She's Always Been 1st to Us [Updated]
As Cicely Tyson clearly demonstrated during Aretha Franklin’s funeral, she can elevate any moment. But of course, we knew that already. At 93, Tyson has been chosen to receive an honorary Oscar this fall by the the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She’ll be the first black woman…
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What is a Fuckboy and How Does One Avoid Them?
One of Amanda Seales’ best and most reliable qualities is her ability to tell it like it is. The actress (Insecure), comedian and creator of the Smart, Funny and Black traveling game show has this delightful talent of jumping on a topic, giving her opinion and then shaping thought-provoking conversations about said topic. If you…
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This Is How We Do It: Essence's September Issue—Starring Naomi!—Is a Study in Black Excellence
Leave it to Essence to remind us what black excellence looks like on both sides of the camera. Making their contribution to a season of intense black girl magic—where we are covering a full 50 percent of the 2018 fall fashion issues—the legendary black women’s magazine shows us exactly how excellent a product by a…
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She Did That: Because of Beyoncé, Tyler Mitchell Is the First Black Photographer to Shoot a Vogue Cover
Say what you want about Beyoncé, but what we’re not going to do is act like she doesn’t use her power to champion black excellence, prosperity or artistry. Case in point: According to the Huffington Post, when Beyoncé agreed to cover American Vogue’s September issue, she was contractually given “unprecedented control” over her images and…
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Black Student Wins Harvard Debate Tournament After Atlanta Students Dominate Competition
Because most people are unaware of the long history of debate in the black community, when Harvard brought 400 high schoolers to the university to compete in its prestigious debate competition, the group of black teens from Atlanta was probably considered a long shot. After all, most of the Atlanta students were inexperienced debaters. This…
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Determined College Student Walked 20 Miles to New Job, So His Boss Gave Him a Car
There are people (slowly raises hand) who gripe about having to get up before the sun is up to jumpstart their workday. Then there are people like Walter Carr, who start walking at midnight in order to arrive at their job — located 20 miles away — on time. I kid you not. Walter Carr…
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Set It Off Has One of the Blackest Scenes in All of Cinema That Nobody Ever Talks About
Set It Off is a movie I love watching. It’s such a nonsensical movie for so many reasons that it all blends perfectly, if you let the liquor tell it. It’s one of the greatest mediocre movies in the African-American Cinematic Theater canon. Once you add in the soundtrack, it really is iconic for so…
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11-Year-Old Nigerian Artist Creates Stunning Portraits of Figures in His Community
The youngest professional artist in Nigeria is gaining international exposure for his stunning lifelike portraits. Eleven-year-old Kareem Waris Olamilekan draws family members, friends and other community members from his makeshift art studio in Lagos. He also recently caught the attention of French President Emmanuel Macron. Watch the video above to learn more about this amazing…
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Man Arrested for Threatening to Bomb ‘Black’ Harvard Graduation Ceremony
An Arizona man was so incensed, so filled with burning hatred for the black Harvard students who had the audacity to hold their own, separate graduation ceremony last year, that he allegedly threatened to bomb the school and shoot the students who partook in the event. That man, Nicholas Zuckerman, was arrested Friday. USA Today…