Welcome to the New Black Renaissance

If you’ve been living under a rock for the past year and a half, you probably haven’t heard about the many reboots of original animated movies that Disney has in the works – there are about 21 to be exact. With the astounding success of Beauty and the Beast, The Jungle Book, Aladdin, and others, Disney has found a formula that works and they’re sticking with it. The latest movie set to begin production is “The Little Mermaid,” and Disney has revealed its casting for their leading lady, Ariel. Halle Bailey, of the R&B duo Chloe x Halle, will be Disney’s newest princess in the upcoming live-action film. And while many fans of Halle’s vocal abilities are praising the media-powerhouse’s choice, others are clearly upset with the decision. Why is that? Why else? – race. To be clear, Ariel is a mythological creature whose story was written by a Danish author – Hans Christian Andersen – that does not make Ariel Danish. SHE IS A MERMAID. MERMAIDS ARE NOT REAL. If mermaids are not

  “The most disrespected woman in America, is the black woman. The most un-protected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in  America, is the black woman.”   -Malcolm X  It’s January 5 th , 2019. Parts of the nation have been engrossed and absorbed in “Surviving R. Kelly” – the six-part Lifetime docuseries that not only goes in to explicit details of the physical, mental, and sexual abuse of Kelly’s victims from Kelly’s victims, but it also features interviews and retellings from witnesses who seemed to sit around and watch a grown man take advantage of women and teenage girls. Having only one episode aired, R. Kelly and his legal team are already threatening to sue – probably claiming defamation of character. Lifetime and the victims remained steadfast in their notion that the stories needed to be heard and continued the six-night television event. And although I haven’t watched it, from the reaction of social media, R. Kelly’s sexual relatio

I’m sure we’ve all been anxiously counting down the days until Election Day 2020. But the mid-term elections take place this November, and this round of elections has the potential to dramatically shift the political party power of the US Congress. In these elections, we will choose House of Representatives members, Senate members, state governors along with state legislation, and other government positions on the state level. Although every vote cast is important, the elections for the members of the House and the Senate will affect us the most finishing off our last Trump years. Congress, which is made up of The House of Representatives and the Senate, is the Legislative branch of our government. It shares power with the Supreme Court (Judicial branch) and the president (Executive branch). Collectively, the three works together to keep this nation moving smoothly by running a sort of checks and balances for the government – keeping one branch from becoming too powerful. Fo

Summer 2018 has been quite a ride, I’m sure we all can admit. As if the political turmoil and international stresses of the world weren’t enough, the hip-hop community experienced one of the most tumultuous summers in quite some time. Childish Gambino recaps this summer with his video for “Feels Like Summer,” the single from his Summer Pack released in June alongside “Summertime Magic.” Starring MOST of hip-hop’s biggest celebrities along with the culture’s biggest influencers in animated form, Gambino creates a summertime vibe that is eerily reminiscent of Will Smith’s mega-hit from 1991 – “Summertime.” A casual stroll in the neighborhood takes the highs and the lows of the past four months and reimagines it in its most innocent form – summertime fun. Drama and feuds fade away as hip-hop collectively comes together to enjoy the weather. Summer is supposed to be the most relaxing season of them all, and that’s what summer is about and that’s what Gambino brings us back to wit