Last week, GOP staffer Elizabeth Lauten attempted to shame first daughters, Sasha and Malia Obama, for not smiling enough at their father’s White House annual turkey pardoning ceremony. While the backlash against her words was inspiring, what was most heartening was universal disregard for her (uninformed and invalid) opinion about how the young ladies should behave. No one was having her holier-than-thou respectability tactics. It was a wonder to witness. [Read more…]
Black Girls Matter, Even When They Are in the White House
Keke Palmer is Heading to Broadway as Cinderella
We all fell in love with then thirteen year-old Ms. Keke Palmer when she starred in Akeelah and the Bee (2006) opposite Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett. The gorgeous actress and singer is the youngest person in history to have their own talk show. Now, she is making history again as she will be playing the lead role in ‘Roger and Hammerstein’s Cinderella’ on Broadway starting September 9. [Read more…]
LaVerne Cox is First Openly Trans Woman to Get an Emmy Nod Ever
Thursday’s Emmy nominations were exciting for many reasons. But, one of the most notable reasons is Laverne Cox, transgender actress who plays a transgender inmate, Sophia Burset, on the hit Netflix show Orange is the New Black, became the first openly transgender person to be nominated for an Emmy award ever. In this moment, she is making history. [Read more…]
Misty Copeland is More Than Just a Ballerina
Misty Copeland is only the third black woman in history to be named a soloist in the American Ballet Theater (ABT) and the first in the last two decades. Though she is now one of the most recognizable names in ballet, her humble beginnings are what make her an empowering example for young girls everywhere. To think, she once considered giving up. [Read more…]
Alexis Wilkinson Leads Harvard Lampoon Amidst #ITooAmHarvard Dust Up
You may or may not have heard the name Alexis Wilkinson recently. She is the first black president of the iconic humor magazine “The Harvard Lampoon.” Sadly, her history-making appointment comes at a time when the ivy-league university is struggling in response to calls for more diversity. Recently, the #ITooAmHarvard hashtag was born begging the question: When will these historic institutions make racial and gender diversity a priority? [Read more…]
Jill Scott’s Honorary Doctorate Should be an Inspiration to Young Women
It’s graduation season. While many graduates took the traditional route – graduating high school, heading to a four-year college, then walking the stage to receive their undergraduate diplomas – some folks weren’t so lucky. Songstress and Philly native Jill Scott is one such person who never got a chance to finish her academic career at Temple University. But, the school recently awarded her an honorary doctorate anyway. Stories like these underscore how valuable it is to continue working toward one’s goals even after setbacks happen. [Read more…]