Let me just pause right here to say that Black people bring the spice everywhere we go. We add that little bit of razzle dazzle that is needed to level up any type of event or gathering.
Black Twitter makes everything better
writing
What’s wrong with taking Black Girl Magic everywhere we go?
LinkContinue readingThe Cardinal Divas are a majorette dance squad similar in nature to those mostly seen on the campuses of our nation’s HBCUs. Part spirit squad, part dance troupe, and always killing the game, these dance squads do something known as “j-setting,” a style of dance popularized by the squad at Jackson State University. Unlike white majorettes, Black majorettes do away with the traditional batons in favor of high kicks and mind-blowing choreography that can be done sitting in the stands as well as on the field.
Why are so many Black people bothered by the new Black majorette squad at USC?
‘Woke,’ ‘quiet quitting,’ and other word games the right plays
LinkYou see, those on the right have been engaged in a game of wordplay that has them redefining words and phrases to fit their various propaganda campaigns. Three very loud examples that come to mind are the word “woke” and the phrases “critical race theory” and “quiet quitting.” Stick with me and I’ll explain to you what I mean.
Word games and propaganda campaigns: The right is weaponizing language against us
When white institutions uphold white supremacy
LinkAs a Black woman, Anya was supposed to keep her thoughts to herself. This is how white supremacy works. You are supposed to endure the abuse and keep silent about it. Even raising the issue makes you a bigger problem than the issue itself. Remember selective offense?
Carnegie Mellon’s response to Professor Uju Anya’s tweet is an example of how institutions uphold white supremacy
Why are Black characters in fantasy stories such a controversial thing for white people?
LinkIt really bothers (some) white people that Black people get cast in their favorite make-believe stories. Maybe we are infringing on their ability to make believe that we don’t exist. Whatever the case may be, it’s seriously time to get over it, like Whoopi said.
When you can imagine dragons but not imagine Black people in fantasy stories, your racism is showing
Serena Williams is the greatest athlete of all time
LinkHave you ever watched Serena on the court? It is almost as if she has a choreographer who plots out her moves for her. She is aware of the ball and her body at all times. She moves around the court with a speed and gracefulness that almost makes it look easy. Almost.
There are no qualifiers needed. Serena Williams is the greatest athlete of all time, and here are a few reasons why
Selective offense strikes again, this time with Chris Rock
LinkComedian Chris Rock, who was infamously slapped by Will Smith while on stage at this year’s Oscars, recently made a very tasteless joke about Nicole Brown Simpson, who was murdered in 1994 along with her friend, Ron Goldman.
The responses to Chris Rock’s tasteless joke about Nicole Brown Simpson vs. Jada say a lot about how America views Black women
The PWI vs HBCU debate is old and tired and needs to stop
LinkWe live in a world where facts matter, and there are simple facts that could help people understand why a Black student may not choose to go to an HBCU—and they have absolutely nothing to do with wanting to be white.
Yes, David Banner, HBCUs are a treasure but not always an option for a lot of Black students
I have a new attitude to start the week. A new determination if you will. A new goal. Sometimes, we need to reset our own programs just so we can get things right.
Amazon’s ‘A League of Their Own’ Tells Black stories loudly and proudly
LinkAlthough the new show is also a fictionalized retelling of the World War II-era All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), that’s where the similarities to the original ends.
‘A League of Their Own’ is based on the 1992 movie, but has an identity all its own
I Love L.A.
Link“I Love L.A.” is not just a song and a phrase that appears on T-shirts bought by tourists on Venice Beach. It is both a motto and a mantra. People who are from here recognize the greatness of our city, and we will defend it to the bitter end because we love it here.
Los Angeles gets a bad rap, and it’s completely unwarranted
It’s OK to spoil yourself
LinkBecause when you get right down to it, why work every single day if you can’t enjoy the money you make from it?
Treat yourself, don’t cheat yourself!
‘Down in the valley where the girlies get naked’
Since season one, fans have been intrigued by the goings-on at the Pynk, the strip club owned and operated by Uncle Clifford (Annan) but commanded by the women who perform there, including Mercedes (Evans); Keyshawn, aka Mississippi (Thornton); and Autumn (Johnson). Every single scene of every single episode is jam-packed with action, drama, or both, and by the end of each episode, you are left wanting more of the characters and their brilliantly evolving stories.
If you are not already watching ‘P-Valley,’ here is a list of reasons why you should
Stan culture is scary
LinkThrough the power of the internet and social media, fans have now built themselves into legions of rabid mobs that attack anyone who has even the slightest criticism of their favorite artists.
Stan culture is a crazy, toxic and unforgiving world
Terrell Owens is the latest Black man to experience a white woman’s weaponized tears
LinkWho was the first white woman to lie on a Black man? Who was the first white woman to use her tears to try and get a Black man in trouble, or worse—killed? Who was the first white woman who realized if she put out her best crocodile tears, it could gain her the results she was looking for?
Terrell Owens finds out the hard way that white women have perfected weaponizing their tears against Black men
Jay Ellis got cyber-bullied over his marriage, and that’s not OK
As I watched this, I kept wondering why people felt the need to attack him. He had done nothing wrong. His bride had done nothing wrong. They were simply living their lives and sharing what is undoubtedly a very happy moment in their story. Why do people feel the need to ruin that (or at least try to) simply because they don’t want to see an interracial couple?
Jay Ellis and his new wife are not harming you, so why the vicious social media attacks?
Conversations about racism should not be getting stuck on ‘not all white people’
LinkAnyway, the other subset of people were white people who generally agreed with what I said about Bodega Bro, but they were given pause because in my headline I said “Bodega Bro is the epitome of everything white people do wrong on a daily basis.” They all got stuck on the “white people” part, and they all wanted to lecture me about how I shouldn’t lump everyone together in one category.
Selective offense and ‘not all white people’: We shouldn’t have to keep coddling y’all
Why is Josh Hawley always being a goofy?
LinkAt this point, he should have realized he was in over his head, but you know white people, they gonna keep pushing it. He didn’t even really have anything “good” to say back, so he just stammered, “Uh, so, uh your view is that the core of this right then is about what?”
Josh Hawley messed around and found out, or how to ‘professionally’ read someone who is playing in your face
Black people with guns is scary business, apparently
LinkExcept as we all know, people’s attitudes about who should and shouldn’t be able to bear arms and carry them in public tend to shift greatly when it comes to Black people owning guns. And we all know this is due to the implicit bias buried deep in this country’s DNA that causes white people to view Black people as some sort of ongoing threat.
Why is open carry only an issue when it comes to Black folks?
I got to interview Prentice Penny and Sam Jay!
If the first season was the test, then the second season was the fully actualized product. Jay pulled the curtain back on her own life, focusing an entire episode on her infidelity and its impact on her relationship with her fiancée, Yanise Monet, affectionately called “Ya.”
‘PAUSE with Sam Jay’ is the weekly house party we didn’t know we needed
Dear white people: Please don’t be like Bodega Bro
Obviously, white privilege and entitlement have made Green completely unaware that there is a such thing as food deserts, and the Bronx is clearly one of them. People in that neighborhood rely on bodegas, as eccentric as they may be because there are no other options.
Bodega Bro is the epitome of everything white people do wrong on a daily basis
My name is Monique, and I am a Black woman who loves watermelon
Now, I am fully aware of the stigma and the stereotype that is attached to Black people and watermelon. It was my mother who informed me that the stereotype and stigma were entirely manufactured by white people who were both threatened and envious of the success Black farmers were having with watermelon.
I am unapologetically Black, and I will never be ashamed of eating watermelon
Some of our favorite songs have some really wild lyrics
LinkBecause of my close relationship with music, I have had the opportunity to repeatedly listen to songs and analyze their lyrical content. I have to say, what passed for good music back in the day would really get the side-eye today—not because the music is bad, but because at times the subject matter or the lyrics raise some eyebrows and questions.
So-called ‘romantic’ songs with very questionable lyrics
Who are some of your favorite storytellers in hip-hop?
LinkWhile there is plenty of posturing and one-upmanship in hip-hop, the genre is at its best when the artists are telling us compelling stories from the streets—or wherever else they may occur.
6 of the best storytelling rap songs ever
Independent journalism is where it’s at
When your newsroom is owned by a corporation—or worse yet, a private equity firm—you find that it is sometimes hard to do your job as you envision it. Corporations often answer to advertisers, and advertisers often don’t want hard-hitting journalism. They want content that won’t hurt people’s feelings or force them to face uncomfortable truths.
Why I Love DAME Magazine
When will the truth about Uvalde come out?
LinkThis is the problem when outlets simply report what the police are saying and use that as the narrative. The police don’t always get it right, and as stated earlier, sometimes they flat out lie. The narrative from law enforcement in Texas has shifted so many times, it’s almost as if they are making it up as they go along.
What Really Happened in Uvalde?
This summer’s anthem is…
LinkListen. If Kandi doesn’t do anything else, she is going to give you a catchy bop to sing along to. After all, this is the woman who penned “No Scrubs,” “Bills, Bills, Bills,” “Tardy for the Party,” “The Ring Didn’t Mean a Thing,” and who has writing credits on “Bug a Boo,” “There You Go,” and “U and Dat.” She knows her way around a hit.
‘Legs and hips and bawdeeeeee’: Kandi Burruss has given us our summer earworm
These corporations don’t care about Black people
LinkSo please explain to me why Walmart had the unmitigated gall to put out a “Juneteenth” flavor of ice cream under its Great Value label? And why was there a trademark symbol next to the flavor’s name?
Walmart was wrong AF for that Juneteenth ice cream
When I tell you O-T Fagbenle is a delight, please believe me
Link“I’m a man whose greatest wealth and honor is my family. That’s number one. I’m a person who cares a lot about young people,” he says. “…I guess I’m an artist. I’m a person who is driven to contribute stories to people, and I think in some ways the job of the artist is to reflect the most intimate parts of themselves to others.”
O-T FAGBENLE IS SHOWING US A DIFFERENT SIDE OF BARACK OBAMA ON THE FIRST LADY
I have a new weekly column at DAME
LinkI’m not saying that journalism as a whole is completely fucked up, but it is trending in that direction. And this is scary because journalists are supposed to be the watchdogs of society. We have an obligation to be truthful and tell the people what is happening. That doesn’t always happen these days.
U.S. Journalism is a Hellscape Right Now