culture
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Digitalundivided Launches BIG Innovation Center in Atlanta for Black and Latina Women in Tech
Kathryn Finney just made a huge announcement at South by Southwest 2016, one that she hopes will change the scope of tech for women of color. Let’s start at the beginning. In 2003 Finney started the Budget Fashionista, a blog all about being fabulous on a dime. By 2004 Finney’s site had become one of…
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If ‘Thick Thighs Save Lives,’ Why Are You Fat-Shaming Women? 5 Reasons You Should Stop
“You probably shouldn’t call yourself ‘an amazon’ in your profile,” he messages me. “Oh, really? And why is that?” I respond. After all, at a smooth and stacked 5 feet 10 inches—with a penchant for heels—I find that most men I match with online aren’t even at my eye level, let alone taller. I figure…
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How I Found Inner Peace Through Ballet
A few weeks ago I walked into Broadway Dance Center and bought a 10-class card, ending months of wanting and planning and needing to get back into dance, specifically ballet. I promised myself that I would dive back in when I landed in New York City in July, and then life happened. But still I…
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How a Woman’s Startup Is Helping Sow Seeds for Kids’ Financial Future
Usually, when we think about teaching kids the importance of saving and handling money, it starts with a piggy bank into which they stuff a dollar or two until they reach a particular goal, smash it open and spend it all on that one thing. However, Brooklyn, N.Y., mom Tanya Van Court came up with…
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Obama at SXSW: Tech Isn’t Just About the Next Cool Thing; It’s About Creating Opportunity
President Barack Obama arrived at the annual South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas, on Friday to call on the tech industry and other digitally savvy folks to help with solving some of the country’s biggest problems. Obama took the stage and fielded questions from Evan Smith, the co-founder and editor of the Texas Tribune.…
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‘Post-Racial’ Racism, Explained
What is Joe’s Crab Shack? Joe’s Crab Shack was, until Wednesday, the place you took a date if she was in the mood for chain store crabmeat but thought Red Lobster was too bougie. Since Wednesday, however, I’m sure it’ll be the preferred space for Donald Trump rally after-parties. Why? What happened Wednesday? While dining…
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Black Stereotypes in White Hollywood: Leslie Jones’ Ghostbusters Controversy More Complicated Than Meets the Eye
Editor’s note: This article contains tweets that some may find offensive. In the Ghostbusters reboot, Saturday Night Live’s Leslie Jones plays a street-savvy transit worker in New York City who joins a merry band of scientists played by Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy and Kate McKinnon. Notable for both its nostalgia and its all-female ensemble cast, the film…
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Zootopia: Yes, Disney Made a Movie About White Supremacy and the War on Drugs
Last week Zootopia, the 55th animated Disney film, debuted in theaters to critical appraise and a huge box office. The previous 54 were mostly about either plucky young girls or talking animals, and Zootopia is no different in that regard, except this time it’s a plucky young girl who happens to be a talking animal.…
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Scandal Recap: The Fish Rots From the Head
This week’s episode of Scandal operated in a twilight zone where slut-shaming was OK, sneaking into women’s bedrooms at midnight was all good and no one cared about a dead hooker. Fitz’s endorsement. First, let’s level set. Fitz has been busy, guys. Busy gettin’ busy. He’s picking women out of the rope line at events and having them delivered…
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Why I’m Over the ‘Carefree Black Girl’ Label
The advent of the social media era has brought about a great many things—some good, some bad—and notably, it has facilitated the emergence of safe and thriving spaces for underrepresented people of color, both men and women. Worldwide, communities of black women have been able to stand in their glory and showcase their worth in…