Welcome to the New Black Renaissance

“I can testify, from my own experience and observation, that slavery is a curse to whites as well as to the blacks. It makes the white fathers cruel and sensual; the sons violent and licentious; it contaminates the daughters, and makes the wives wretched.” I’d rather be reading Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs instead of going to the gym. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is an autobiography by a young mother and fugitive slave published in 1861 by L. Maria Child, who edited the book for its author, Harriet Ann Jacobs. Jacobs used the pseudonym Linda Brent. The book documents Jacobs' life as a slave and how she gained freedom for herself and for her children. What differs with this narrative from many other fiction or non-fiction accounts of slavery is that this book gives a look at how this dismal institution affected the enslaved but also others involved directly and indirectly. We know that slavery hardens and desensitizes white men, and make...

With the record-breaking release of The Black Panther, comic book fans and the rest of the Black population have come to theaters to witness the first movie about an African hero who is also the leader of the African kingdom, Wakanda. The movie has strong feminist overtones and depicts the Dora Milaje – T’Challa’s corps of female warriors –  as equal to men. They can share the same knowledge and opportunity as their men counterparts; they are the Black Panther’s bodyguard for crying out loud! It’s representation that is important to see and recognize. Although the creation and reception of the movie have been an epic feat, there is still more progress to be made. There are too many black superheroines that are unknown to the commercial world (think about how many people didn’t know about T’Challa before this movie’s debut) and it would be awesome if we could get an opportunity to experience them in the same way that we’ve now experienced Okoye, Nakia, and Shuri. Wonder Woman...

I jumped at the opportunity to take a trip to Washington D.C. I knew that I needed to see the National Museum of African American History and Culture. My friends who had traveled to the nation's capital arrived before the museum's opening date and those who visited previously made it seem as though it was my rite to experience it. The museum took me on an emotional journey through a time that I didn’t know affected me so strongly. It's the most beautiful structure that I’ve ever seen; its magnitude is breathtaking. The one thing that I noticed immediately was the pattern on surrounding of the building; it was odd but familiar. This thin screen or "scrim" perforated by geometrical patterns is based on historic iron grilles found in African-American communities in Charleston, South Carolina, and New Orleans, Louisiana. The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African Amer...

If you don’t remember songs such as “In My Own Little Corner” and “Impossible” we gotta sit down and get you caught up on an iconic Disney moment! And I don’t mean the versions sang by Julie Andrews or Lesley Ann Warren – I honestly didn’t know that there was an earlier version of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic. It’s the “Impossible” in which Whitney Houston and Brandy serenaded us. I’m talking about the “Impossible” that seemed to refer not only to the idea of Cinderella attending the ball but also to the conception of a black Cinderella and Fairy godmother itself. The very first time that Cinderella was depicted as an African American princess was in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1997 rendition of Cinderella. The plot remained the same but, in the most obvious of ways, the story changed, and the changes are what made the tale fresh and new. This version was the third of the musical and cost Disney more money than either of the other two – about $12 million, more than three times ...

One of my favorite shows growing up was Gullah Gullah Island . I don’t know if it was because I instinctually recognized cultural similarities with the cast (I like to think that I didn’t see race in the way that I do now) or because they always provided me with songs that I loved to sing along to, but Gullah Gullah Island was a strong staple in my TV lineup as a kid and I think it’s time to stroll down memory lane. Gullah Gullah Island  is an American musical children's television series that was produced by and aired on the Nickelodeon network from 1994 to 1998. Categorized as a live-action show, it stars a Gullah family – Ron and Natalie Daise (real-life spouses), their sons James and Simeon, their daughter Shaina, their niece Vanessa, and everyone’s favorite pollywog Binyah Binyah – living on an island off the coast of South Carolina. It was the first show of its kind to star an African-American family set in an indigenously black community...

Today marks the beginning of 2018’s Black History month! I’m always curious to see how others choose to celebrate the month and black culture in general. I think the mandated public-school curriculum during February is always the worse. The teaching of Black American history passed down from the perspective of those who enslaved us can be slightly skewed. And the little-known black history facts, made popular by Tom Joyner, are no longer as scholarly and interesting as they once seemed. So, unless I choose to take suggestions from online – which include reading Dr. King’s ‘I have a Dream’ speech while eating sweet potato biscuits – I need to figure out how to celebrate. How can I celebrate the black culture that I live every day while acknowledging the past and how its events elevated an entire race from destitution? I have a few tricks up my sleeve. It won’t be anything too flashy or unlike what you normally see here on my blog, I guess it’s because  I attempt to...