#black is beautiful

afroklectic:

OXOSI — IN BLOOM featuring St. Beauty
photographyTyraMitchell
styling Sakinah Séla
as told by Kindra Moné

Word Up! Magazine

 is an American weekly The magazine mostly covers information on mostly rap, Hip-hop and R&B music. Its main focus is African American teen singers, rappers, models, and prodigies.  It was very popular in the 1980s until today The magazine comes out monthly and usually has many posters and contests for fans of famous “To Die For” celebrities. The rapper Notorious B.I.G. referenced the magazine in his song “Juicy”. He opens with the line “It was all a dream, I used to read Word Up magazine”. He then refers to a specific photo appearing in the magazine portraying Salt N Pepa up in a limousine with Heavy D This lyric of “It was all a dream, I used to read Word Up magazine” also appears in Biggie’s verse in Jay-Z’s song, “A Dream”.This entertainment magazine or journal–related  contains fashion and beauty tips, entertainment news, dating advice, political coverage, health tips, and diet guides, in addition to covering events such as fashion shows. The cover photo usually corresponds to the focus of the main story. Some examples of cover stories might be a celebrity’s recognition of the achievements of a notable African American. Many issues are given coverage to show the African-American community that if they want to reach a goal, they have to be willing to work for it. Wordup! Magazine is apart of our  Black History.

Uhura ~ The Moon ~ XVII

Second piece in my series focusing on some iconic Black characters

“What I think is exciting is that to a certain extent, there is a revolution happening where black women are owning their own beauty, despite the standard of beauty that in the past has not had space for it. Our culture has created a very limited view of what beauty is and can be. I think right now television is one of the places where women are pushing up against that and saying, ‘You know what? I don’t need to play this game anymore in order to be considered beautiful’” Tracee Ellis Ross

Don’t Miss Black-ish Star Tracee Ellis Ross on Our Featured Storytelling Panel with Director Justin Simien, Actor Mo McRae and More at Blackout Music & Film Festival on Saturday, August 29: http://bit.ly/1NviXBK! In the Meantime, Check Out These Articles Below on the Beauty of Black Women and the Power of Diversity in Media Representation PLUS an Article by Tracee:

• “I am keenly aware of how we as women (and most specifically women of color) are presented and portrayed in media and how we present ourselves. And here was my mama from almost 30 years ago on the surface doing something that often snags me in videos today but why did I feel differently about it?” Continue Reading Tracee Ellis Ross’ Article Here: http://bit.ly/1hB34Qz
  
• “Black Women Are Leading a Cultural Movement through TV” For Harriet: http://bit.ly/1h4JAmq
  
• “We need stories for and about black youth. We need stories where they are painted in the same light as their white counterparts. “I turned to books to figure out how to navigate life and relationships,” said I.W. Gregario, a founding member of the We Need Diverse Books campaign. As a result of not seeing her identity as an Asian woman represented in the literature she loved, she says she became self-hating. We live in a society that sees black kids as both less innocent and older than white children. A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that “black boys can be seen as responsible for their actions at an age when white boys still benefit from the assumption that children are essentially innocent.” The U.S. Department of Education revealed in a report that black children face discrimination as early as pre-school. This systemic dehumanization has life-altering results in the case of, say, Dajerria Beckton who was tackled at a pool party, or the life-ending case of Tamir Rice” Continue Reading For Harriet’s Article Here: http://bit.ly/1MHfHWX
  

shanellll:

Living

shanellll:

Focusing on meeee

skulsakz:

Zaina Miuccia photographed by Ivar Wigan for Gut Magazine