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. Kel...

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...

My mother named me Enjonai Jenkins. It's obvious that whenever my name has come across the desk of any employer, teacher, or Census worker, these people were not fooled into thinking my race was anything other than ‘Black, African American.’ I didn’t grow up knowing the lack of race anonymity in comparison to my peers due to my moniker, but once I grew to that conclusion, I simply utilized the resources that I had at my disposal to influence deceive those who I needed in my favor. My biggest weapon was my “white voice.” It didn’t start off that way though. I didn’t particularly notice that I “talked white” until I was well into elementary school. Oddly enough, the first person to point it out was the same person who forced proper enunciation on me as I grew up, my dad. “Why do you talk so white? You talk so fast, just like a little white girl,” he would pester as my voice rang out in flute-like melodies and the words sprinted through my open lips. Apparently, the only compara...

I told you, this is our time. I started this blog for a variety of reasons, but my main one was for moments like this. Quietly watching from the sidelines, I knew that people of color were making their way back into the artistic realm, capturing the adoration of many. On top of that, we were slowly being recognized more for it. And now, with a whopping 28 nominations for African American actors, I think I can definitively say: “I told ya so!” The Emmys will not get caught with the “so-white” stigma that plagued the Oscars. Nope, not for Television’s biggest night. Now, let’s jump into these nominations and acknowledge the sheer magnitude of the list: Sterling K. Brown (Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series – This is Us ), (Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy – Brooklyn Nine-Nine ) Jeffrey Wright (Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series – Westworld ) Thandie Newton (Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series – Westworld ) Issa Rae (Outstanding Lead Actress in a Co...