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PAPER •

Women in Hip-Hop: The Voices of Our Generation

Hip-hop, a genre which bloomed out of a counter narrative in response to a system whose hands were wrapped tightly around the necks of its people, is one of counter culture's greatest byproducts. Long before the term hip-hop was coined, it was happening. And throughout the years, women in hip-hop have driven the culture forward, watering it into full bloom. Women who have helped develop the art form and shape cultural legacies that outwear the test of time and collectively make up what can be th
Harper's BAZAAR •

Real-Life Urban Cowboys Are Standing Up to Gentrification

Gentrification, or what can also be described as modern-day colonialism, has always been an invasive parasitic process and a severe detriment to the Black community. In North Philadelphia’s Strawberry Mansion neighborhood, gentrification and harmful city mandates are threatening the survival of the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club (FSURC), a Black-owned and -operated horseback-riding group that mentors neighborhood children by teaching the century-long tradition of urban horsemanship. The commu
ELLE •

Devery Jacobs on the Power of Indigenous Communities Owning Their Stories

“I grew up inherently political and fueled with Mohawk pride.” Resistance and revolution have always been instinctive to actress Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs. Like so many BIPOC women across the globe, she has a passion for creating space for her community and dismantling the systems that hold back many women like herself. Though we chat to discuss her role in the groundbreaking new show, Reservation Dogs, Jacobs is sure to shed light on missing Indigenous women, protests to build a pipeline in Mi
PAPER •

Serena Williams, Body Shaming and the White Gaze

Dating back to slavery, Black women have been assigned masculine attributes in an effort to detach us from our feminine qualities. In many cases, both Black women and men have been "othered" to justify mistreatment, including large amounts of physical labor. This historical, systemic racism has trickled down to the modern spheres of media, film, television, and press coverage. The stereotype of Black women being somehow forever strong, indestructible, invulnerable to pain, and otherwise able to
Harper's BAZAAR •

For Danielle Brooks, Playing Mahalia Jackson Was a "God-Ordained, Universe-Sent Type Thing"

“Tell them about the dream, Martin!” From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Mahalia Jackson called out to a young Martin Luther King Jr. before his legendary “I Have a Dream” speech. On that hot day in 1963, she not only changed the direction of King’s address, but also changed the trajectory of history forever. Known as the voice of the civil rights movement, the legendary gospel singer has been ever present in shaping the soundtrack of change. From her support of the Montgomery, Alabama, bus
NYLON •

Samantha Smith On The Loss Of Her Brother Nipsey Hussle, Skin-Care, And Healing

As Queen Afua once said, “There is a cosmic conversation going on within you, but you have to be quiet to hear this sweet language of the unspoken.” Samantha Smith is a living testament to this. Sister to the late Ermias Asghedom (professionally known as Nipsey Hussle), she has mastered the art of listening to her own spirituality and using her voice as a means to heal others, working daily to push the wellness world beyond the surface level. As an LA-based holistic esthetician, she works to in
NYLON •

Boys Do Cry: How Men Of Color Are Getting In Touch With Their Emotions For All To See

In a culture where black and brown boys are unfairly expected to be stoic and ultra-masculine, we thought we'd talk to three from different backgrounds, about how they're breaking this mold, through their personal presentation and lifestyle, and proving that defying hypermasculinity is not about appearance, but about changing how we think. Hypermasculine ideals and pressures are often pushed onto black and brown men from all angles of society, including media, inside of classrooms, and within f
Business Insider •

Inside YouTube VP Malik Ducard's push to fund Black creators and amplify their voices online

• Under Malik Ducard, YouTube has launched several initiatives to support underrepresented creators. • In June 2020, YouTube created a $100 million fund to back Black creators around the world. • This year's recipients consisted of 132 creators from six countries. • See more stories on Insider's business page. Malik Ducard understands and values the importance of storytelling — it's something he's dedicated his entire life to. At just 20 years old, while he was a student at Columbia Universit
PAPER •

Project Period Is Giving Menstrual Products to Homeless Women

While menstruation is a normal and healthy part of almost every woman's life, 40 states across the United States have chalked it up to something as simple as a non-essential sales tax. Basic medical necessities from pads to tampons to menstrual cups all receive a high price spike in comparison to their tax-free male counterparts. Throughout her cycle, an average woman will spend an upwards personal budget of $70-100 dollars a year on menstrual products. Keeping up with a recurring budget like t
NYLON •

Awol Erizku Is Fixing The Modern Art World

As in most other cultural spheres, the art world has a major inclusivity problem. Only a small amount of African Americans hold positions as art curators, while an even smaller number has their work shown with any frequency in solo exhibits. And historically, people of color have been kept on the margins of the works of art themselves, often depicted as sidekicks to white people in the foreground, with women of color, more often than not, shown under a doubly oppressed racist and sexist male gaz
The FADER •

G Herbo on the neglect and courage that inspired his new album PTSD

The FADER: What has been your own personal experience with PTSD, and what sparked you to create a body of work surrounding the topic? G Herbo: What inspired me to make it was trying to bring awareness to a situation that people are desensitized by. We don't really know that we suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. We don't notice a mental illness. It's normalized. Stuff that we endure on a day-to-day basis. And I think that this project could really help people address their problems. Tha
Observer •

Maxine Waters vs. Bill O’Reilly: Why It’s Never Just About the Hair

“It’s never about the hair. It’s about the need to disparage and control black women. So they fit neatly into a ‘box'” – Stökes, Byrön (@byst). The above is an excerpt from one of Twitter’s top required spring readings: #blackwomenatwork. The latest trending hashtag sprung up after Bill O’Reilly stated he could not focus on Congresswoman Maxine Water’s congressional floor speech, in which she called for an independent investigation into President Trump’s ties to Russia, due to her “James Brown
Observer •

Are Women of Color at Greater Risk of Street Harassment?

Call it whatever you want—leering, honking, whistling, sexual harassment, catcalling—it’s an all-too-common experience for women everywhere. According to a survey conducted by Stop Street Harassment, 99 percent of women said they have experienced some form of street harassment in the past, while over 85 percent of women claimed that on the street, they were the target of sexist comments. Public sexual harassment is a way of establishing dominance. It’s an assumption men impose on women that the
ELLE •

Sierra Capri Gets Candid About the Final Season of 'On My Block'

For Sierra Capri, saying goodbye to On My Block after four seasons was bittersweet. The actress who plays the lead role of Monse Finnie on the groundbreaking Netflix series tells ELLE.com, “We [the cast] were trying to absorb the last few moments that we had together, but at the same time, it's not like it's the last time I'm going to see them because they're truly my family off screen.” Although this marks the ending to an iconic television show, it’s just the beginning for 23-year-old Capri a
Harper's BAZAAR •

Logan Browning Says 'Dear White People' Made Her 'Think Deeply' About Colorism

Since its premiere in 2017, Netflix’s Dear White People has been unafraid to tackle today’s most pressing racial, social, and political issues—all through the lens of its signature sarcastic humor. The show has become a cultural force, garnering awards attention ranging from nominations for the 2017 Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Breakthrough Series - Long Form to the 2020 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comedy Series. With the fourth and final season launching today on Netflix, BAZAA
XXL Mag •

The New New: 11 Los Angeles Rappers You Should Know

Where would hip-hop be without the West Coast? Sure, the art form was born across the country in the Bronx, but the Westside helped walk it through adolescence. The Los Angeles scene, in particular, has been especially impactful, bringing legends like N.W.A., Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre to the forefront and helping the shape the sound and feel of G-Funk and gangsta rap. That tradition of hip-hop greatness in the City of Angels lives on to this day, as proven by artists like YG and Kendrick Lamar. Bo
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