I used to think the phrase Black Girl Magic was dangerous. As a grad student at an elite, predominantly white university, I’ve had firsthand experience with how words, even your own, become distorted and used against you. I feared that white folks would grab hold of Black Girl Magic and use it as another […]
One of this month’s MVPs was, without a doubt, Colin Kaepernick. Throughout the year, the Milwaukee native has been simmering in the headlines with play-by-play updates regarding interest among teams who may have needed him on their week roster with Kaepernick continued turning down offers from other teams who would sign him if he would only let go […]
A friend of mine sent me a text message after the passing of Aretha Franklin: “I find it interesting that someone we have never met, one who had no economic impact in our lives can have such an emotional impact when they are gone. Richard Pryor made us laugh but somehow the emotional grip on the nation […]
Sorry to Bother You is exactly what the world needs right now. Directed by Boots Riley and starring Lakeith Stanfield and Tessa Thompson, the film creates a space for eccentric blackness to thrive in, and doesn’t rely on trite stereotypes based on what we’re expected to be like. This may be uncomfortable to viewers who […]
I am about 25 episodes into the 80 episode long telenovela Celia, loosely based on the life, love, and music, of the legendary Celia Cruz. When I told a friend about my recent binge obsession, she asked me a simple question: why? All I could think of was that Celia did something for me and […]
Michelle Wolf went straight for the jugular at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. From hitting 45 where it hurts by declaring him broke to calling out all the journalists in the room for buying into the Trump spectacle in exchange for ratings, no one was safe. While her performance is being championed by liberals […]
As a humorist who focuses predominantly on African American male comedians, it is quite likely that I have reached my saturation point. It is no surprise considering that I spend my days and nights (re)watching the works of contemporary greats like Paul Mooney, Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle, and Chris Rock. I mention all this to […]
In his latest special Equanimity, Dave Chappelle takes on what feels like an arrogant tone to defend and explore the evolution of his relationship to fame, fortune, and Hollywood. He cites class struggles and divisions, the 2016 election and the resulting president, and transgender issues to assert what he feels is the biggest problem plaguing […]
The following recap contains spoilers from season one of The Chi. Proceed at your own risk. In Lena Waithe’s The Chi, relationships are the primary currency. We watch them grow, invert, and blow up. We suck our teeth, laugh, and get straight up pissed at the results of each bond, as the most seemingly inconsequential […]
The following review contains spoilers from season 1 of Grown-ish. Proceed at your own risk. Just as its title suggests, Grown-ish is not for the fully grown. So in order for me, a woman whose college days are a little over a decade behind her, to understand the significance of this show, I had to think […]