blackness
-
I Went to UC Berkeley and Apparently Saw More Black People Than Anybody Ever Has There
I recently got back from attending a race and policy symposium sponsored by the Students of Color in Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy. I had the distinct pleasure of being the keynote speaker for their conference, titled, “Reclaiming Our Time: The Importance of Identity in Policymaking.” I…
-
A Friend of Mine Asked Me to Explain Some White Shit to Her and Now I’m Offended
All my life I had to fight. That’s not true, but you can’t say “all my life” and NOT add “I had to fight” if you’re black and over a certain age. Shoutouts to The Color Purple and Miss Sophia. Hey, Oprah, boo. Anyway, all my life I’ve been black. Only recently have I become…
-
Are You Black Enough to Watch Black Panther? A Quiz
Black Panther premieres to the general public this week. And as we all already know, it will be the blackity, black, black, black, black, black, blackest thing that will ever happen in the history of black people, blackness and people. So black that instead of ticket stubs, the box office will give you a reparations…
-
10 Black-Ass Things That Were Awesome About the 1st 2 Episodes of Grown-ish
Last night, the Yara Shahidi-led vehicle Grown-ish debuted. For those not in the know, it’s a spinoff from hit ABC show Black-ish that focuses on Shahidi’s character, Zoey, and her journey from super-sheltered private school student to college freshman in this millennial world. Comparisons to A Different World will undoubtedly exist, but fuck that shit.…
-
AfroArt: Immortalizing a New Generation
A few weeks ago, the fashion world swooned upon learning that Rihanna would be a host of the 2018 Met Gala, themed to coincide with the Costume Institute’s upcoming exhibit, “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.” Imagining how “Bad Gal RiRi”—first of her name, currently ruler of three simultaneous covers of Vogue Paris (and…
-
Winged Victory: The Victoria’s Secret Runway Got More Colorful This Year … but Is It Enough?
“I’m rooting for everybody black.” Issa Rae’s now-famous quote from the 2017 Emmys is the gift that keeps on giving. Case in point: Now, in the season of giving, it was the exact phrase that came to my mind while watching the 2017 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, which aired last night on CBS. This year’s…
-
Black Folks Who, Though Invited, Probably Wouldn’t Come to the Cookout
Ah, #TheCookout. That grand bastion of blackness where nobody ever reneges during spades, and the brown liquor, Popeyes chicken and red Kool-Aid or McDonald’s sweet tea never runs out. The cookout is a mythical place where all are gathered in both Jesus’ (and Allah’s and … well you get the point) and blackness’s names to…
-
7 Things That Make White People Interrupt You When You’re Minding Your Own Damn Business
One truism in life, my brother, is that white people do not believe in personal space. Another, my brother, is that white people love to speak to black people (not sure how the other colored communities fare) about lots of random shit that we probably don’t feel like talking about ’PACIFICALLY when we don’t feel…
-
10 Thoughts About Queen Sugar and Last Night’s Season Finale
Warning: There will be spoilers. You have been warned. If you haven’t seen it yet, get your life. 1. It was fun watching the postshow special and trying to see myself in the crowd (I didn’t, but I also didn’t watch the whole thing—had to get the babies to sleep and whatnot). The experience of…
-
Amazon Key Is Some, Like, Extra-White Shit
In the 16 years that I’ve lived in the Washington, D.C., area, I’ve witnessed it go from Chocolate City to Latte City. Sure, the blackness for which the city is known is still present symbolically, but ain’t nothin’ but white folks at the Brixton, living in the Ellington and hangin’ at Marvin on every other…