In celebration of Dr. King’s Birthday I wanted to share some of my favorite speeches from him as well as a few films, documentaries, and television series that feature his life and legacy. I wanted to make sure I shared some hidden gems, along with a few speeches and films that I have learned about through my time as a student and now professor. Check them out below:
“Be a bush if you can’t be a tree. If you can’t be a highway, just be a trail. If you can’t be a sun, be a star. For it isn’t by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are.” ~Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
With the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the anticipated FX series Kindred, the emergence on online Black & Brown shopping directory (Harlem Fashion Row) created by a Black woman Brandice Daniel , and so much more Black Girl Magic is in full effect…I would even say overload!!
Black Girl Magic in Media is a “curated site that shows the vast, creative representations of Black girls and women in media.” This project was launched in response to the many reactions after “The Little Mermaid” trailer dropped. While there were numerous reactions of excitement and joy, sadly (but not surprisingly) there were quite a few visceral reactions. Thus, the light bulb went off and I wanted to make sure I played a part in changing the narrative of how Black girls and women in the media are truly magic!!
Through out the week this space will provide an array of features including: spoiler-free television and film reviews, “Black Girl Magic” Highlights, monthly staff picks, recommended book, television, and film lists!!
So if you want to hop on the ride, check us out on Instagram at @blackgirlmagicinmedia !! And if you would like to contribute your thoughts on Black Girl Magic, please feel free to share here! You never know we might feature you :-)!
One more month and we will be closing out 2022….but hold tight!! Got another list for you to stock your bookshelves. Check out this month’s recommendation below:
Nothing like some mid-week goodies!! Check out this week’s Hot Topics, see below:
Preparing for Spring 2023 Festival Season … “Something in the Water” festival is coming back to Virginia Beach, VA in 2023!! On Saturday November 5th, VA Beach native Pharrell Williams along with VA Beach mayor Bobby Dyer made the announcement during Williams inaugural Mighty Dream Forum.
In a statement made by Williams, “The demand for the festival in Virginia Beach and The 757 – among the people – has never wavered. If anything it has only intensified.” Well folks will not have to wait long!!
The full line up and details will be announced soon. Tickets have gone on sale starting Saturday, 11/5.
This is for you Sneakerheads!! … Need some new sneakers…Going to be visiting New Orleans (NOLA) well I have a spot for you!! Check out the only Black-owned sneaker shop in Kenner (a suburb of the crescent city-New Orleans), Peddlers Ave. Birthed out of a hustle and love for shoes, owner Lawrence Wilright launched the sneaker shop in 2010 with a brick-and-mortar building in 2017.
There’s Power in a Name …One of my favorite authors Octavia E. Butler is getting a school named after her, matter fact, it’s her alma mater. Washington STEAM Multilingual Academy in Pasadena, CA will be renamed “Octavia E. Butler Magnet,” the only school in the nation named after the late author. Adding to the excitement, fellow sci-fi and horror author Tananarive Due exclaims, “It feels like a prophecy fulfilled almost…I mean, here she was learning to dream when she was a child attending the school, and now it’s turned into a school that would have been something beyond her dreams.” The decision to rename the school was first made this spring and comes the same year as the new FX television series based on Butler’s 1979 novel “Kindred” is set to debut (December 13th on Hulu).
PUSD leaders and local officials pose in front of the school’s new name and logo.
New Postage Coming Soon in 2023!!… It was announced late October two Black literary giants Toni Morrison and Ernest J. Gaines will be honored with USPS stamps!! Both trailblazers used their craft and literary gifts to amplify stories that provided a lens into the Black experience in America. The “Toni Morrison” stamp features a photograph of Morrison taken in 2000. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamp with photography by Deborah Feingold. And the stamp of “Ernest J. Gaines” features an oil painting of Gaines, based on a 2001 photograph. Mike Ryan designed the stamp with art by Robert Peterson. Greg Breeding served as art director.
Broadway Legacy!!… Broadway has something new to celebrate!! The former Mansfield Theater in New York City will now grace the name of the legendary actress and civil rights activist Lena Horne. Horne becomes the first Black women in American history to have a Broadway theater named in her honor. As noted by her granddaughter Jenny Lumet, “My grandma’s a Bed–Stuy girl, and we’re a New York family. So to have her always be in New York City in the theater district, it means everything.”
Photo credit: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
New Exhibition in Oakland, CA… A new exhibition project “Angela Davis—Seize the Time” is on view at the Oakland Museum of California. The exhibition provides a lens into Davis’ revolutionary quest for change, her incarceration, and the “Free Angela Davis” movement that followed. It will compose of of artwork, sketches, literature, stickers, buttons, postcards, and letters from the “Free Angela and All Political Prisoners” campaign, Davis’ writings, and other multi-media elements to encapsulate her story. The exhibition was cultivated by the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University, and curated by Donna Gustafson and Gerry Beegan of Rutgers University and Lisa Silberstein and Peggy Monahan of OMCA. “Seize the Time” is on view now through June 11, 2023.
A new exhibition honoring the life and legacy of the legendary activist Angela Davis is currently on display at the Oakland Museum of California Art. It is titled "Angela Davis: Seize the Time". Read more on EBONY. #EBONYMag#AngelaDavis#Californiahttps://t.co/SGJIHKXghW
Today’s celebration is about showcasing various interviews with the director and cast members…Nothing like hearing the thoughts and feelings from those involved. Check them out below:
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star Tenoch Huerta on what he learned as Namor in the MCU
ScreenRant interview with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star Lupita Nyong’o discussing her character Nakia and how she has changed after losing T’Challa, and her ties to Shuri and Ramonda.
ScreenRant interview with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star Danai Gurira breaking down Okoye’s emotional arc and her relationship with the royal family.
ScreenRant interview with Black Panther:Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler as he talks Chadwick Boseman’s Legacy & Talokan’s Origins
Behind-the-scenes featurette from director Ryan Coogler
In preparation for the November 11th release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Marvel partnered with three artists across the United States and asked them to create murals to connect to the film!
The cities featured include Los Angeles, Chicago, and Harlem. Check them out below:
Today’s tribute/celebration is a collection of magazine covers featuring many of the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever cast members!! Simply stunning!!
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever cast members [Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Dominique Thorne, Dominique Thorne, Danai Gurira, & Lupita Nyong’o] on the November/December 2022 issue of “EBONY”
Angela Bassett on the November 2022 issue of “Essence”
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever cast members [l-r Angela Bassett, Letitia Wright & Tenoch Huerta] (above) and tributes to Talokan and Wakandan culture (below) on the November 2022 issue of “Empire”
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever cast member Lupita Nyong’o, Letitia Wright, & Danai Gurira [above] and individual covers [below] on the November 2022 issue of ELLE
Lupita Nyong’o on the cover of The Hollywood Reporter
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever cast members Angela Bassett, Winston Duke, Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong’o, Dominique Thorne, Letitia Wright, and Tenoch Huerta on the cover of “Entertainment Weekly”
Michaela Coel on the cover the November 2022 issue of “VOGUE”
We are in countdown mode for the premiere of Marvel StudiosBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever!! So everyday this week I just want to drop some information that relates to the film to get you ready!!
Today, to get you hype I’m dropping the the official film playlist for you from Spotify!! This past Friday (11/4) the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Music From and Inspired By soundtrack, executive produced by director Ryan Coogler’s Proximity Media was released, it features over 40 international artists recorded in Lagos, Nigeria, Mexico City, London and Los Angeles.
The soundtrack includes a plethora of Black and Brown artists such as Rihanna, Burna Boy, Tems, Fireboy DML, OG DAYV featuring Future, CKay featuring PinkPantheress, E-40, Alemán featuring Rema, Blue Rojo, Snow Tha Product, and more.
In addition to the playlist, listeners will be able to take part in immersive options, which includes in-app Black Panther-inspired coded puzzles and exclusive clips from the cast detailing their superhero songs to the Black and Latin artists inspiring them daily.
It’s the FIRST OF THE MONTH!!! NOVEMBER 1st!! I’ve missed you all for a few weeks, but I wanted to make sure I started out the new month with a BANG!! So thankful for your support and hanging in there with me!! Check out the new-new below:
Black Future Feminist 