Modern Griots Reviews: Nichol Bradford’s The Sisterhood

“Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds…” – Marcus Garvey/Bob Marley Everyone wants to be free, but most people don’t know how to be free. Either we are physically enslaved and imprisoned, or we are mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and financially in bondage. The latter are mostly invisible chains; it is harder to be conscious of their […]

Modern Griots Interviews: Nichol Bradford and The Sisterhood Part 1

Syncing up with my work as the literary director of the Queens Book Festival, my first official return post is my long overdue interview with Nichol Bradford, author of the novel, The Sisterhood! Nichol Bradford has had an accomplished career, first as an executive in the gaming industry, and now as founder and CEO of […]

Modern Griots Interviews: Renina Jarmon and Black Girls Are From the Future Part 2

Here is part two of the Renina Jarmon interview from yesterday. Below Jarmon talks about the significance of Erykah Badu, Octavia Butler and Janelle Monae, her future plans for Black Girls Are From the Future and the future she dreams of for Black girls: 6) The book includes discussions on Octavia Butler and Janelle Monae. […]

Modern Griots Interviews: Renina Jarmon and Black Girls Are From the Future

Renina Jarmon is a writer, cultural critic, blogger and educator whose work centers on Black women’s sexuality and pop culture, as well as race, technology and the concept of self. She recently released her book, Black Girls Are From the Future, a collection of essays based on her popular posts from her blog New Model […]

Moving on the Wires: Black Girls Code in NYC +Afrikadaa/Afrofuturism +Afrofuturism 2070+Black Girls Are From the Future+Blogging While Brown…

*On Thursday in Brooklyn, Black Girls Code will have a free screening of their documentary with founder Kimberly Bryant. “The event will help support our expanded Summer of CODE 2013 and bring our mobile lab to 10 new cities and reach 2,000 more girls. In addition, we will discuss the development of New York City Chapter of […]

Black Girls/Black Women Are from the Future: Q.U.E.E.N., Black Girls Code and MBIB

Janelle Monae’s “Q.U.E.E.N.” featuring Erykah Badu. This song is a much better anthem than, dare I say, “Run the World (Girls).” It is funky and fierce with thoughtful commentary about those who judge and put others down. Check out Monae interview yesterday on 106 and Park. Black Girls Code Trailer — the short film about […]

Black Girls/Black Women Are From the Future: Something Men Like Rick Ross Need to Know

As you may have heard, Rick Ross came out with the controversial line from his latest song, “U.O.E.N.O.” : “Put molly all in her champagne, she ain’t even know it / I took her home and I enjoyed that, she ain’t even know it.” A few days later, he addressed the lyrics with an “apology” […]

Black Girls/Black Women Are From the Future: Thoughts on LaBelle and “Lady Marmalade”

When some think of the song “Lady Marmalade,” one of their first thoughts is that it is a song about a New Orleans prostitute. On the surface it may be, but the song is much more nuanced and has deeper meaning beyond that. Listening to the song, I realized how ambiguous it is. First, the […]

Black Girls/Black Women Are from the Future: Free Angela

Angela Davis is more than an afro and if you think wearing an afro is radical and revolutionary enough, then you do not know much about Angela Davis’ life. Having grown up in Birmingham and knowing the girls who were murdered in the Birmingham church bombing, Davis seemed destined to want to make a change […]

Black Girls and Women Are From the Future…

Since yesterday was International Women’s Day and today is International Fly Girls Day, here is post dedicated to some topics, news and resources about us black women. But first, “I’m Every Woman” from Chaka Khan, one of the first music videos: