You may have heard about the viral video popularized on World Star Hip Hop and commonly known as the “Sharkeisha video.” The video is a disturbing depiction of a young blackgirl being ambushed and brutally beaten by another blackgirl, identified as Sharkeisha, while a third accomplice videotaped the incident on her phone (it was later […]
Author: rboylorn
Being Single: On Mary Jane, Gabrielle Union & Those of Us Who Are Imperfect
Last year, Gabrielle Union received the Fierce and Fearless Award at Essence magazine’s sixth annual Black Women in Hollywood pre-Oscars luncheon and gave a dope speech about her journey in Hollywood and learning to love herself and other black women. She opened up and shared the truth of her experience, her pain, her insecurity, […]
(Black First) Ladies First
I’ve been reflecting, this week, on black first ladies. FLOTUS Michelle Obama seems like an anomaly but black first ladies are commonplace in black communities. While Obama is the first black lady of the White House there have always been black first ladies of black churches. The wives of preachers, these big hat wearing, first […]
Mama’s Feminism
I don’t have a lot of feminist friends, at least not the kind that self-identify as such. My non-academic friends don’t see themselves as feminists, don’t call themselves feminist, don’t all the way understand my relationship with the term. They spend a lot of time trying to resist myths around being black and a woman […]
Blackgirl Blue(s)
The first time I decided I wanted to die it was because I felt the weight of so much sadness blues as deep as navy mixed with black I was too black to be happy Too black to be pretty Too black to be worth anything I convinced myself no one would care if I […]
(Why) Does It Matter?: Raven Symoné’s Quiet Coming Out
As a close-enough-to 80’s baby I knew Raven Symoné as adorable Olivia on The Cosby Show. She was like the new Rudy, a yellow skinned toddler beauty to share banter and cute humor with Cliff once his fictional offspring were too old to pull it off. By the time Symoné emerged the star of her […]
How to Not Die: Some Survival Tips for Black Women Who Are Asked to Do Too Much
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” –Audre (the) Lorde High blood pressure runs in my family. I have been taking medication to regulate it for six years and I recently started getting intense headaches and migraines that I realized were related to hypertension. Deadline-driven […]
Love and Basketball: 5 Reasons You Should Be a Brittney Griner Fan
Brittney Griner is not the first female athlete to come out about her sexuality, nor is she the first black woman in the WNBA to do so. What she is, though, is the first black woman athlete of her caliber (she is compared to the late great Wilt Chamberlain) to come out on the front […]
Baby Hair: For Gabby, Blue Ivy & Me
All blackgirls have a hairstory. I have always had a love-hate relationship with my hair. When I was little my mama called me tender headed when I shrieked at the harsh brush bristles pushing my hair and scalp together until it laid all the way down, or enough to keep the inevitable frizz at bay. […]
Some Thoughts on ‘Accidental Racist’
Thought #1: When I first saw the name of this song go across my Facebook feed a few weeks ago I didn’t know what to make it of it. I assumed, at first, that it was an unfortunate spoof or offensive rant. I was disinterested in either so disregarded it. Thought #2: When I realized, […]