Since Oprah launched her cable network, OWN, back in 2011 many have wondered if the media mogul would be able to replicate the massive success of her powerhouse talk show. But the transition from Queen of Daytime to Network Honcho was a bumpy one. Despite her commitment to positive programming, viewers were unresponsive to the…
After a recent report by the United Negro College Fund found that black women are enrolling in college at higher rates than every other race/ethnic group, the reaction was mixed. While many were elated to hear that sisters were strapping on their backpacks and hitting campuses across the country, others wondered if the spike in college…
When it’s all said and done, Michelle Obama’s presence in the Oval Office may rival her husband’s. To me, right now, she surpasses him. Many remember that day in 2008, when the country elevated the first son of an African man into the top seat. Emotional. Overdue. Progressive signs on the horizon. At the moment…
We’ve all heard the old adage “black don’t crack” and more than a few of us believe it’s true, according to a recent survey by Allure Magazine. The glossy polled 2,000 women and men about aging and learned that 86% of the African-American participants believed they age the best (only 81% of Asians, 53% of…
Recently, a documentary made its way into my Gmail inbox. Frustrated: Black American Men in Brazil expounds on a piece published a few years ago in Essence about Black men finding in Brazil what they “can’t” in North America: love, or a more easily manageable version of it. It’s the same story about black men…
We’re more than a decade into the 21st century. I’d hoped– in vain– that some basic understandings of how non-Black people should interact with Black people could be something I could take for granted. But no. Somehow there are “those people” who remain entirely clueless, so much so that they will call a 9-year old…
After feeling pain in her chest and shortness of breath, Laverne Wilkinson went to the emergency room at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn afraid she was having a heart attack. Doctors quickly checked Wilkinson, ordered an EKG and a chest x-ray and sent her home. Their diagnosis? Take two Motrin and call her doctor if…
This year has been another interesting one for black women. While the media continued its assault against us, printing articles about our health, marital status, and education, sisters around the globe continued to achieve remarkable accomplishments. And while we’ve been here reporting on it every step of the way, we thought that it would be…
Last year, the film Red Tails shined a light on the oft-forgotten story of the Tuskegee Airmen, an all-black group of fighter pilots during World War II. Despite the inspirational story, many were a bit perturbed by the lack of black women in the film. While black women were an integral part of that time…
Much has been said, written, and discussed about black women the past few years. From how our education levels affect our marriage prospects to whether or not our hair plays into our fitness routines, black women have been at the center of the media’s attention. In the midst of this focus, many black women and…
