The full-time Harvard student, founder, and published author had to learn things the hard way while working to uproot the taboos around women discussing their periods — Nadya Okamoto has no problem talking about her period. Growing up in a household with a single mom and two sisters kept the floor open for all things menstruation. …

The 26-year-old activist is reimagining new social and political norms — At the time of Trayvon Martin’s murder in 2012, Brea Baker was only 17. The now 26-year-old racial and gender justice activist recalls the tragedy being a defining moment in how social media served as a catalyst for activism in the United States. Black Lives Matter proliferated on Twitter and…

The 29-year-old founder of Ethel’s Club had to make a hard pivot last year, but she knew it was important to stick to her vision — Naj Austin knows exactly what she wants and has no problem making it happen. Her high school classmates always knew this. “She’s a dog with a bone,” says a description in Austin’s high school yearbook. “She doesn’t let anything go. …

Excelling in the job isn’t enough. Our bosses expect us to be perky and socialize after hours to be a ‘team player.’ Can we just live? — If anyone knows what it feels like to be on the receiving end of gaslighting, it is Black women. Oftentimes our complaints are dismissed as being unreasonable and our experiences are treated as fiction. But on Twitter, where Black women are free to vent and express themselves and can easily…

Between the Black female activists in Georgia and Kamala Harris’ vice presidency, we are in good hands — It comes as no surprise that the demographic of women who are most likely to die from pregnancy-related complications, see their sons disproportionately incarcerated, and represent 22% of American women in poverty are the backbone of American democracy. …

An interview with 77-year-old Howardena Pindell about her new exhibition ‘Rope/Fire/Water’ — As a child, while visiting a friend whose mother was cooking meat for dinner, Howardena Pindell came across a recent issue of Life magazine. Inside the issue, a large photo of a Black man lying face-up on a log, set on fire, caught her eye. She took deeper notice of…

The sketch comedy series with a diverse cast pioneered funny television for both children and adults — This story is a part of our Back to the Future series on how key moments in the year 2000 influenced similar events in 2020. The year 2000 wrapped up an iconic moment in television history — the season finale of the original All That series. After six seasons of…

From Instagram Stories featuring unmasked boat parties to grids with black boxes — but no action — Black Americans are developing a clear understanding of who their friends are — A week after George Floyd’s death, I took it upon myself to call out my closest White friends who had yet to say anything publicly about the tragedy. By this time in late May, my favorite French band Ofenbach had posted a GoFundMe link for the Floyd family, and Timothée…