Four Signs That You Might Subscribe to the Politics of Respectability
One of the most irritating byproducts of this new era of being “woke” is the increased numbers of people who read one Martin Luther King, Jr speech or saw one...
Author: Jenn M. Jackson
Anxiety, Death and The Moments When ‘This Is Us’ Gets It Completely Right
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a conflicted piece about NBC’s “This Is Us.” Befuddled by the dissonance I experienced between the show’s resounding praise and my own thoughts...
Why saying ‘the Oscars are about the white gaze’ misses the point
I have long been critical of national awards shows. I have also long been critical of the white gaze. I learned in my twenties that neither of them were for...
Why White Guilt Is The Least Important Consideration In My Work
One of the most common refrains I hear from white readers of my work is, “I really liked this piece because it didn’t make me feel bad about being white.”...
Why, As A Queer Black Woman, It’s Important That I Write About Culture
Growing up, my mother never had a shortage of Ebony and Essence magazines splayed across our coffee table, a fact that has shaped me into adulthood. When I was bored, I...
Trump just gave the longest Black History Month speech with no knowledge of Black people or our history.
Today is February 1. Donald J. Trump took office 12 days ago. During that time, he has done everything in his power to exclude marginalized people, undermine civil rights, and...
Here’s what’s next for Water Cooler Convos and how you can support
You may have noticed over the past few weeks that we have been talking about some exciting new changes for Water Cooler Convos. Here is a brief summary of our...
Why relationships with emotionally unavailable people never work
Growing up, one of the most consistent messages I got about women, specifically Black women, was that we were golddiggers. Concerns about women “always wanting something from a man,” and...
Why We Don’t Need Donald Trump To Apologize To Civil Rights Icon Rep. John Lewis
Public apologies are overrated. There was that time when Dr. Henry Louis Gates was arrested in his own home and demanded an apology for it only to have the Cambridge...
Serena Williams’ new underwear ad is the ‘who ‘gon check me boo?’ of underwear ads
Y’all know that I have loved Serena Williams for ages. This is not to be questioned. And bae apparently wants me to love her even more after starring in a...
Why young people were leaving the Black Church before Kim Burrell went viral
I have been watching the nuclear fallout following gospel singer Pastor Kim Burrell’s viral video posted last Friday for almost a week. I have seen responses from others in the...
If you can’t be happy for Ciara and Serena, it’s probably because you’re a misogynist
Let’s be honest, most of y’all couldn’t get with Serena or Ciara (or any level-headed woman) on your best day. And, yet, you stay pressed about who these women date,...
I’m Not Writing New Year’s Resolutions For 2017 And You Shouldn’t Either
Every year during this time, I share my goals for the upcoming year. I have had goals to be more discerning and recognizing my own worth. I have had goals to focus...
Why I have to lovingly disagree with Denzel Washington’s colorism comments
One of the disappointing things about being a Black consumer of popular culture is the number of problematic Black faves. From folx like Common to Pharrell to Raven-Symoné, there are many...
4 Podcasts That Reflect The Fullness Of Black Millennial Life
If some one had of told me fifteen years ago that most of my favorite journalists, talk radio personalities, and content producers would be other Black millennials, I would have...
Snoop Dogg’s and Martha Stewart’s New Show Is A Little Problematic
A couple of months ago I heard some murmurings about Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart teaming up for a daytime talk show. Knowing Stewart’s brand, I figured it would somehow...
Daren W. Jackson
Jenn M. Jackson
Staff