Happy 4/20 and Viva Las Vegas!

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The city of Las Vegas welcomes you with a sign in their airport

I am out of office

I am currently out of office, enjoying the 4/20 holiday in Las Vegas with two of my best girlfriends. There has been lots of room service, lots of sun in front of the pool, and lots of alcoholic beverages.

Even though I’m out of office, I’m still working

I have had two pieces publish this week, and a third is going live tomorrow. When you work for yourself, there truly are no “off days.”

black-ish had its series finale last night

In advance of the series’ last episode, I had a chance to speak with series creator Kenya Barris and actors Anthony Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross and Jenifer Lewis about the impact and the legacy of the show.

Black culture dictates so much of popular culture that for many people who are not Black, those lines can become blurred to the point of erasing its origins. At its best, black-ish was adept at showcasing Black culture in a way that was consumable and understandable for everyone, and Barris says that was intentional.

me, on black-ish

Kenya Barris told me, “I would be a liar if I said the goal wasn’t to get an episode two and a little bit more money in my bank account, but as the show went on, we realized we wanted to talk about things. It got to a point where we realized the show was too important, and we had to stand for something. And it stood for something, because people started trusting us, and we had to talk to them about things other people wouldn’t talk to them about. It became sort of like journalism.”

It’s 4/20!

As you toke up today, please remember that many Black people have been locked up on simple possession charges while white “ganjapreneurs” continue to profit from sales.

I discuss this in my latest for theGrio.

One thought on “Happy 4/20 and Viva Las Vegas!

  1. Lynda Deal Williams

    You had me at the Oxford comma. As they say “Been there, bought the tee shirt.” I do have the tee.

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