Welcome to the New Black Renaissance

Beyoncé’s return performance just happened to be the headlining set that she had to skip out on last year due to her pregnancy with her twins, Rumi and Sir. The world anticipated what she would do, but we KNEW that we wouldn't be disappointed. Beyoncé came and sat back down on her throne with a performance that broke all types of records and earned accolades galore. And while we ALL thoroughly enjoyed Beychella, I feel as though Black people enjoyed it much, MUCH more. “Coachella, thank y’all for letting me be the first Black woman to headline Coachella. Ain’t that bout a bitch!” The first Black woman to headline Coachella. That’s a crazy concept to me. The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival inaugural weekend was back in 1999. While there may not have been scores of Black women who could be deemed headliners in the past 19 years, I know Janet Jackson should have had the honor at least once. Beyoncé took this platform and this lifetime chance and let loose on one of ...

I take pleasure in being, what I like to call, a Cultural Consultant for the African American race. I believe that my values are deeply rooted in notions that are mainly objective so I can understand when my melanin-less friends ask me about certain topics dealing with race – I live in a judgment-free zone and I’m fair, sometimes to a fault. The topic of my latest conversation was cultural appropriation. My friend Wendy is a cosmetology student, so she’s learning about all hair types and the differences in hair routines. We bond over our knowledge of natural hair.  She was confused about whether fashion head-scarfs were an accessory that only Black people should wear. My answer was a skeptical no. But I needed more info on the situation. One of her fellow colleagues of Hispanic descent wore a fashion head-wrap over her hair one day and was met with contempt from a Caucasian woman. “Why are you wearing that?” she was asked. And after she tried to explain the concept of a protec...