From being terrified by the nocturnal beasts to the harsh reality sundown towns during the Jim Crow era, HBO’s Lovecraft Country had me on the edge and under my covers the entire series. I’m not a big lover of horror shows or films — the most I usually watch are psychological thrillers — but once I heard all the rave about Lovecraft Country, I had to tune in. Plus, I love witnessing more Black women direct and produce groundbreaking shows and movies.

But as I began watching the series, my heart felt shaken. Though it’s a fictional series, it references…

The Narratives They Painted

Hypersexual. Unrapable. Promiscuous. These are only a handful of tropes that have been placed on Black women since slavery. Slave owners painted the image of Black women being more lust-driven and willingly open for their sexual pleasure. In 1944, Recy Taylor was kidnapped and raped at gunpoint by six white men while walking home from church. Her case was thrown out within five minutes on trial despite physical evidence and witnesses seeing her being kidnapped. Unfortunately, Taylor’s story is one of thousands of Black women’s stories regarding sexual assault or harassment. There’s Desiree Washington, Anita Hill, and countless others. For…

Black Is King, the visual film to Beyoncé’s 2019 album The Lion King: The Gift, reminds us that Black is regal. It is a music film and love letter to individuals across the African Diaspora celebrating “the breadth and beauty of Black ancestry.” As Beyoncé reimagines the story of Disney’s classic movie The Lion King, she takes us across the globe (including West Africa, South Africa, New York, Los Angeles, and Europe), to show us the narrative of a young boy’s journey to self-discovery.

Beyoncé has set a new standard of Black excellence through combining African American history and African…

The divide between Black and white feminists in America has occurred since chattel slavery and continues to the present day. During slavery, Black women weren’t treated as human — their bodies were utterly objectified and many white women justified the molestation, rape, and physical violence of Black women at the hands of white slave owners. To this day, white women’s cries get more attention and response than Black women’s pain.

Film and television has historically contributed to negative representations of Black women. Authors, Goldman and Waymer mention, “The uniqueness of the Black woman is that she stands in the crossroads…

Vul·ner·a·bil·i·ty — the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.

As Black people, we need to do better with being open to understanding each other’s pain without putting each other down and admitting where we fall short. Vulnerability is not weakness, it is strength and courage, and it’s the only way we can be open to growth. I’m tired of hearing stories of anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder being cured with weed, alcohol, or other substances.

We need to take off the mask and sit with ourselves to get…

Often the media highlights systematic racism when national cases of police brutality get exposed to the news. But truth be told, black people experience racism every day. Hello, racial microaggressions! Thrown out at the workspace, social outings, and anywhere else you can imagine. Black people should be more than just a “quota” met for employees to hire, just to say they’re diverse. It’s problematic that many colleges and universities still see black people as only prizes for their athletic teams or just a check off the box to say they’re an inclusive institution.

Enough with the second class citizen treatment…

Dear Black men,

You are allowed to be vulnerable. Remove the shield and stop hiding your pain. You can cry in front of me, and I won’t see you any less of a man. No less than any other human being going through anything that may pain their heart. You can tell me how you really feel, show me your sensitive side, and not tell me while masking your ego. How are you going to solve any generational curses if you’re doing nothing different to change them? …

A combination of licensed therapists and mental health advocate’s tips for obtaining a healthier mindset