culture
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Tidal Is the Streaming-Service Equivalent of My Ex’s Mom’s Runny Eggs
In my early 20s, I dated a woman (“Kim”) for a little over a year. We met at the Gap—she was working there and I entered the store while she was working there to pretend like I was buying a “sweater for my sister” with the hope that she’d ask if I needed any help…
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Black Lives in Germany: A Multigenerational Struggle for Acceptance
Who am I? It seems like a simple enough question, but it is one that thousands of Germans of African descent have to ask themselves every day. In a country that defines identity with a great deal of precision, those who fall outside the norm find themselves trapped in a kind of limbo, neither here…
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Meet the Creator of the Women Over 40 Be Like Video Series
It took a two-minute video for stand-up comedian Tyree Elaine to capture the hearts of women everywhere. Her three-part video series, Women Over 40 Be Like, took off because of her spot-on impersonation of women in the I’m-doing-me stage of life. Within three days, Elaine’s videos had racked up over 2 million views and thousands…
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The Price on Our Heads: New GapKids Ad Sparks Racially Charged Controversy
Editor’s note: This article contains social media posts that some may find offensive. But it was the scene in its entirety that, perhaps, troubled me the most. The degrading pain being inflicted upon the young black woman while everyone looked on, unwilling to interfere, serves as a prescient illustration of how black women and girls…
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Born, Bred and Buttered in Harlem: Chef Melba Wilson Talks About New Cookbook and How Soul Food Is American Comfort Food
When she speaks, chef and entrepreneur Melba Wilson has the same warm vibe that is found in her Harlem restaurant, Melba’s. Wilson fell in love with cooking watching her grandmother, but she didn’t pursue a culinary career immediately. She initially started her own business providing chauffeurs, but when her aunt Sylvia Woods, of the legendary…
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Blacks + Tech: ‘You Have Moments When You’re the Only Black Woman in the Room’
The tech industry has a long way to go in terms of adequately diversifying and incorporating the perspectives of different people from different backgrounds. However, one lawyer is making strides in the often white and male-dominated arena, smashing open gates not only for herself but also for those who will come after her. “You have…
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The Problem With ‘Respectability Memes’
Recently, I stumbled across an online poll cataloging the age at which women first noticed sexual attention from men. Actually, “women” might be inaccurate; the median age was 12. For me, I vividly remember my first awareness at age 10. I was walking home on the last day of school, eating a celebratory ice cream…
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Beyoncé’s Ivy Park Promo Video Makes Me Wish I Grew Up Near a Park
Because everything Beyoncé does is a thing, there’s a better-than-50-percent chance that you’re aware that she is dropping an “athleisure” clothing line called Ivy Park via Topshop and other high-end retailers, available later this month. If you don’t already have some s—t to do the yoga in—you do—you can now spend more money on something…
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On Nick Young and Kehlani: Cheaters Never Win … Unless You’re a Man
Disclaimer: That’s why there’s been zero discussion about Young admitting to infidelity on tape. Because someone must be blamed, the blame falls on his teammate for recording talk of cheating—not the actual, you know, cheater. The reaction is, “Well, he’s a basketball player,” which is about the same reaction Azalea gave when Young was accused…
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Scandal Recap: Olivia Crosses the Line
This week’s Scandal picks up in the middle of the first Republican presidential debate, with Hollis Doyle serving us his best Donald Trump impersonation—an all-you-can-eat buffet of deep-fried racism and sexism. Sen. Mellie Grant holds her own, but Vice President Susan Ross, still reeling from her breakup with Attorney General David Rosen, performs so poorly that President…