jamaica
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Jamaica's Supreme Court Rules That School Can Ban Child With Dreadlocks (No, We're Not Kidding)
If you’ve ever heard the statement ‘anti-Blackness is global’ and wondered what it truly meant, consider this news: the Supreme Court in Jamaica, an island whose population is around 80 percent Black people, has ruled in favor of a school that said a seven-year-old could not attend their classes unless she cut her dreadlocks. “I…
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Viral Sensations Young T & Bugsey Don't Plan on Rushing Their Journey to the Top
If you’re a fan of trying to keep up with what’s hot on social media right now, odds are you know about TikTok. The video-creation app has been all the rage for the past few months, and during quarantine, dance and comedy videos have been keeping many people busy and entertained. One of the most…
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Beenie Man and Bounty Killer Gave Us the Best Verzuz Battle So Far
If there’s one thing Jamaicans know how to do, it’s put on a show. And if anyone can put on a show it’s veteran dancehall artists Beenie Man and Bounty Killer, whose Verzuz battle on Instagram Live last night was reminiscent of a clash at a real life Jamaican concert. Before you accuse me of…
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Black Movie Fridays: A Fun Story About Cool Runnings, 'Gummies' and a New York City Evening in 2017
I’d like to tell you a fun story about one of my favorite black movies, Cool Runnings. If you don’t know, Cool Runnings (released in 1993) is the “based on a true story” movie about the Jamaican bobsled team’s journey and ultimately their debut appearance at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It’s…
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Jamaican Beauty Toni-Ann Singh Crowned Miss World, Encourages Girls to Believe In Themselves
Black women across the world are being recognized as the royalty they are. On Saturday, Jamaica’s Toni-Ann Singh was crowned as Miss World 2019 in London. The St. Thomas native’s crowning achievement joins a historic group of black women—2019 Miss USA Cheslie Kryst, 2019 Miss Teen USA Kaliegh Garris, 2019 Miss America Nia Franklin, and…
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30 Days of Musical Blackness With VSB, Day 14: Sister Nancy, 'Bam Bam'
I literally have zero recollection of the first time I heard Sister Nancy’s “Bam Bam.” I don’t remember it at all before college though, so I’ll just go ahead and assume I heard it at the same place I heard so many dope songs during my college tenure: (what we called) “Fashion Fridays” at Spelman…
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Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz Become First Caribbean Team to Make Women’s World Cup, Thanks to a Big Assist from Bob Marley’s Daughter
Twenty years ago, the Jamaican mens’ soccer team made history by qualifying for its first World Cup. Now, Jamaica’s women’s team—known affectionately as the Reggae Girlz—have next. On Wednesday night in Texas, Jamaica beat Panama 4-2 on penalties after playing their opponent to a 2-2 draw. With the win, the Reggae Girlz took third place…
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Loc’ed Out: In Jamaica, a Battle for Equality Rests on a 5-Year-Old Girl’s Head
Come January, Jamaica’s highest court will hear the case of “Z,” a little girl with dreadlocks who was told she couldn’t attend a prestigious public school unless her hair was cut. Z’s mother, Sherine Virgo, wasn’t having it. As the Washington Post reports, Virgo refused to cut her daughter’s hair, telling the paper that the…
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Good Vibrations: Solange Writes About Jamaica, Grace Jones and Her New Album
It’s a marvel to grow up alongside an artist, and even more wonderful to see the ways in which she or he continues to evolve and shape—and be shaped by—the world in turn. Solange is very much one of those artists for me: a woman whose journey has been far from predictable, whose gifts are…
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Spread Love: Jamaican-American Bobsledder Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian Loves the Babies
Today’s a day we celebrate love—typically romantic love, but since what the world needs now is most definitely more love, sweet love, in general, today we’re celebrating all kinds of love: love of self, love of culture, love of country and love for our legacy. That’s why this week’s #WomanCrushWednesday is Jamaican-American Olympic bobsled pilot…