black feminism
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‘Save Yourself’: Oprah Joins Stacey Abrams, Mae Jemison and More at the 10th Annual Women in the World Summit
“We women people, we are used to saving other folk; we’ve been doing it a very long time,” said Oprah Winfrey, keynote speaker of the 2019 Women in the World Summit on Wednesday night. “And we need to first and foremost honor the sacred time of saving ourselves because that is where our greatest power…
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Book Excerpt: 'Love as Political Resistance' From adrienne maree brown's Pleasure Activism
Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from adrienne maree brown’s Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good, a collection of original and curated works drawing from the black feminist tradition to challenge us to rethink the ground rules of activism. Audre Lorde taught us that caring for ourselves is “not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and…
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Actor Lorraine Toussaint Tells the Revolutionary Story of Black Feminist Florynce 'Flo' Kennedy
Actor Lorraine Toussaint got a call from director Julie Taymor, who was working on a biopic, The Glorias: A Life on the Road. The forthcoming film is centered around the life of famed activist Gloria Steinem, and Taymor was clear that she wanted Toussaint to be involved. “I want you to play Flo,” Taymor said…
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‘I Love Femininity’: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Is a Fashion-Loving Feminist—Just Like Us
Real talk? One of the funniest, yet most common misconceptions about feminism—aside from the lie that we are “man-hating” instead of female-advocating—is that somehow so-called “true” feminism rejects any trappings of femininity or care for one’s appearance. Women who enjoy makeup and fashion are often deemed superficial as if aesthetic pleasure can’t authentically and equally…
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As the 2019 Women's March Dawns and the DNC and Others Pull Support, Tamika Mallory and Co-Leaders Confront the Divide Within
As feminist activists and allies across the country prepare to join the third wave of Women’s Marches in as many years on Saturday, a well-publicized shadow has been cast over the event. The concern? Longstanding accusations of anti-Semitism and exclusion within the ranks of the Women’s March, with national co-president Tamika Mallory at the center…
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Unapologetic: Activist and Author Charlene Carruthers Says Radical Movements Require Radical Honesty
If you ask activist and author Charlene Carruthers whom she hopes will read her new book, she’ll mention teenagers and veteran activists—but first on her list is black women and girls. “My greatest hope is that black women and girls love this book, and appreciate this book. Because if black women and girls like it…
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Phenomenal Women: On the Transformative Power of Black Women
Editor’s note: This story was written for an event where The Root was a media sponsor. On a rainy afternoon in August, Valerie Jarrett, April Ryan, Alicia Garza and the Rev. Dr. Renita Weems—truth-tellers, as I refer to them—descended on Lola’s in Martha’s Vineyard to discuss the intersections of race, gender and power in America.…
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The Exhibit ‘Black Women: Power and Grace’ Shows the Timeless Strength and Beauty Within Us All
Long before social media liberated unadulterated images of black women’s beauty, there was Kamoinge. The Kamoinge photographers collective, founded in Harlem in 1963 under the direction of the venerable photographer Roy DeCarava, author of The Sweet Flypaper of Life, is officially opening its newest exhibition, “Black Women: Power and Grace,” Thursday night at the National…
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Yes, Yara! Yara Shahidi Covers June Issue of Harper’s Bazaar Arabia
Now, this is what we call pretty in pink: Perennial fave Yara Shahidi looks poised to take flight on the cover of June’s Harper’s Bazaar Arabia, wearing powder-pink-feathered Chanel, with her glorious curls teased to voluminous perfection by go-to stylist Nai’vasha Johnson. Inside the issue, the actress and activist continues to think pink in an…