I Rise
Like the phoenix rising from the ashes
Popstar Lizzo will be the subject of a new documentary coming to HBO Max later this year. Lizzo announced the project at Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront in New York. Directed by Doug Pray (exec producer of HBO’s The Defiant Ones), the documentary follows Lizzo’s meteoric rise to fame from her humble beginnings. Her success, love, …
Five new original projects are coming to YouTube as part of its Black Voices Fund. Amongst the new projects are Recipe for Change: Amplifying Black Women. Mary J. Blige, Saweetie, Tabitha Brown, and Jackie Aina will come together to celebrate Black women’s stories, traditions, identities and experiences as they gather around the dinner table, Deadline …
The Hawaiian Islands are among the most popular vacation destinations in the world. They offer travellers many beautiful sites and a wide variety of activities to enjoy. Couple that with the fact that Hawaii is the most popular travel destination in the United States, and you’ve got a recipe for overtourism. Hawaii’s nickname is the …
Black women’s empowerment is not a new movement. However, in recent years, it has gained even more traction. This is likely partly due to the powerful voices of black women who are using their platforms to uplift other black women. Black girl magic is a term used to describe the power and beauty of black …
Singer, songwriter, actress, record producer, entrepreneur, and pop icon Mariah Carey will teach a masterclass on how to use voice as an instrument. Carey has joined the likes of Issa Rae and Alicia Keys in offering a masterclass on the streaming platform where anyone can learn from the world’s best across a wide range of …
In the past few years, fascism has been on the rise all over the world. From Brexit to Trump, far-right ideologies have been gaining mainstream traction in a number of countries. Many people are asking how we got here and what can be done about it. In this blog post, I will try to answer …
The fitness industry is a booming $160 billion market. With this much money at stake, it’s no surprise that social media platforms are saturated with fitness celebrities and “fitfluencers.” These influencers have enormous power to shape our body image and perceptions of what it means to be fit and healthy. However, the line between healthy …
bell hooks, the activist, poet, feminist and author, died on 15 Decemberat her home in Berea, Kentucky of an undisclosed illness. She was 69. She was surrounded by friends and family at the time of her death. Her niece, Ebony Motley, posted a statement on Twitter confirming the news of her death. “The family is …
Depression is one of the most common mental health problems. It can lead to a wide range of emotional and physical problems. Fortunately, there are many ways to treat depression. Some people may need medication, but others can get relief from treatments like therapy or exercise. Walking in nature is one way to treat depression …
David Chappelle received substantial criticism for his jokes and comments about trans people in his Netflix special, The Closer, which aired on 5 October. The backlash goes beyond comments in the media and on Twitter: Netflix employees have also criticised the company for airing the special. The day after The Closer’s release, Netflix senior software …
In a world full of cancel culture, it’s hard to know what to do. We’re constantly being told that if we don’t agree with someone or something, the best thing to do is cancel them from our lives. Many celebrities have been ‘cancelled’ online having done something that their fans don’t agree with. These include …
A teaser trailer for Colin Kaepernick and Ava DuVernay’s upcoming Netflix limited series Colin in Black & White has been released. The six-episode scripted drama chronicles Kaepernick’s coming-of-age tackling the obstacles of race, class, and culture as the Black adopted child of a white family in Central California. Kaepernick narrates the tale as high school …
The autonomic nervous system controls all the involuntary actions in the body, like heart rate, digestion, and urination. When something goes wrong with the autonomic nervous system, it’s known as autonomic dysfunction. One common type of autonomic dysfunction is postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). POTS is a condition that causes an abnormally high heart rate …
The brutal abduction and murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till on 28 August 1955, brought nationwide attention to the racial violence and injustice prevalent in Mississippi. It also spurred the emerging civil rights movement in America. Emmett Till – Early life Emmett Louis Till was born on 25 July 1941 the only son of Mami Carthan …
Madam C J Walker was an entrepreneur best known for inventing Black haircare products. She was a political social activist, philanthropist and the first female self-made millionaire. Early years Born Sarah Breedlove on 23 December 1867, Madam C J Walker was the first child in her family to be born into freedom after the signing …
Last year, Sir Steve McQueen impressed audiences with Small Axe, a five-part anthology series set within London’s West Indian community during the late 1960s and early 1980s. The five short films, which starred Letitia Wright, John Boyega, Michael Ward and Rochenda Sandall, portray various true events that shaped and influenced UK race relations during this …
For over 70 years, the Palestinian people have suffered under Israel’s occupation. And today, the humanitarian crisis in Palestine is worse than ever. Over 2 million Palestinians live in Gaza, which is now the world’s largest open-air prison. Israel has imposed a land, air, and sea blockade on Gaza, making it impossible for civilians to …
Onesimus was an enslaved West African man whose African teachings helped to reduce the impact of the smallpox outbreak in Boston, Massachusetts. Little is known about Onesimus before he was enslaved other than he was Coromantee (also known as Akan people from modern Ghana). Like many enslaved people his original name, age and date of …
What is Juneteenth? Juneteenth is a holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. It is observed annually on 19 June. It is also called Emancipation Day, or Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day. The term Juneteenth is a combination of the words June and nineteenth. History of Juneteenth During the American Civil …
Viola Fletcher, the oldest survivor of the racist attack on Tulsa’s “Black Wall Street”, testified at a House Judiciary Committee hearing to mark the centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Viola Fletcher was 7 when a white mob destroyed the all-Black neighbourhood in Tulsa and killed 300 Black people. For nearly a century the …
The United States is currently in a heated debate over transgender rights, specifically about which public restrooms transgender people should be allowed to use. On one side of the debate are those who argue that transgender individuals should be allowed to use the restroom that corresponds with their gender identity, while on the other side …
The Selma to Montgomery march was part of a series of civil rights protests that occurred in 1965 in Alabama, a Southern state with deeply entrenched racist policies. Death and discrimination Even after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination in voting based on race, efforts by civil rights organisations such as the Student …
The government have set out their roadmap out of lockdown. If all goes well, things should be back to normal on 21 June. We’ve still got a few months to go before we can go out and enjoy the outdoors to the fullest, so here are five fun things you can do at home. Check …
Here are seven Caribbean and American women who were abolitionists, revolutionaries and activists. These women fought to free their people from the chains of slavery, discrimination and the lasting effects of slavery. Some took up arms, some used strategy and some used the pen. The women discussed in this video are: Sojourner Truth Sojourner Truth …
