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Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on the author’s Substack. On September 2, 2022, under the bright lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium, Serena Williams lost at the U.S. Open for what is likely the final time. At 40 years old, after only playing in six previous matches the whole year and beating the world No. […]
On Friday, September 2, Amazon Studios will dazzle audiences with quite possibly the most ambitious (and verifiably the most expensive) episodic undertaking in all of screen-adapted geekdom. I had the honor of seeing the first two episodes of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power in an advance screening, and let me tell you: […]
Note: This article contains descriptions of Bridgerton that some readers might consider to be minor spoilers and links to articles that contain spoilers.Can Black folks get a moment of peace? Can we exist without always having to address our collective trauma? Since the start of the pandemic, I have found myself implementing every imaginable method […]
Good day everyone. There has been a lengthy break in my writing, but now I am back. I pray that you all are in good health and prospering in the ways that are meaningful to you. I must confess that sitting down to write something on Kevin Samuels, particularly after his death, feels strange. I […]
By now, everyone has heard, and seen, the moment forever enshrined in television history as “The slap heard around the world”. Will Smith’s physical response to Chris Rock’s comedic attack on Jada Pinkett Smith was viewed in real-time by millions and rewatched and remixed countless more times. Presently, a version where Mr. Rock sheds gold […]
As I’ve walked the streets of places like San Juan, Havana, the Bahamas, I have become aware of a Black culture that I reside just outside of. There is a dash or dollop of Africa that you can hear in the music, see in the radiant colors of the people’s skin, and taste in the […]
In junior high and high school whenever the teacher would assign a group project, typically only a couple of people in the group really did the work. The rest of the group found ways to extricate themselves from actually contributing to the project and simply celebrated when a good grade came back. Now that Juneteenth […]
Whenever someone significant to the Black community passes away, my whole world stops. My heart starts beating in a different rhythm and I have to drop everything I’m doing, sometimes even if I can’t afford to. I constantly refresh my social media feed and take in every tribute I can find from people who loved […]
If your inbox looked anything like mine in 2020, almost every email you got—save maybe the ones from Target—greeted you with, “I hope this email finds you well in these unprecedented times.” If your church was anything like mine in 2020, many of the prayers your pastor prayed started with something like: “Lord, your people […]
We started the Cultural Artifacts episodes in 2015 because we wanted to encompass the awesome things — books, albums, podcasts, sermons, people, events, movies, TV shows, and so on — that we’ve consumed in a given year. (Here’s the kicker: it doesn’t have to come out in the given year. It just has to be consumed in the given year.
Black un-dignity is a gift from God because it’s a stumbling block to the indignity of racism. God has given Black people the beauty of our culture for the ashes of oppression.
With COVID-19, this election, voter suppression, racism, brutality, and natural disasters, 2020 has been brutal. Adding to our trauma is the collective grief of losing many of our notable figures. On Saturday, October 31, Gospel music legend Rance Allen was added to that number. It’s important that his death not be lost in the sea […]
