Nathalie Emmanuel’s role as Ramsey shows intelligence is the not-so-secret ingredient in Black girl magic — The Fast and the Furious is 20 years old. That means an entire generation has grown up on this franchise revolving around cars, family, loyalty, and improbable yet thrilling stunts. And that’s not a bad thing. It means that today’s generation has come of age with a summer blockbuster staple…

What Black Women Filmmakers Dawn Porter, Deborah Riley Draper, and Salima Koroma Are Teaching Us About Tulsa and the “Future of Black Freedom” This Juneteenth and Beyond By Ronda Racha Penrice Because the official centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre happened over Memorial Day weekend, culminating in the first-ever appearance…

The popular TV series opened eyes about basic American history — Prior to the fall 2019 premiere of HBO’s Watchmen, far too few people had heard of the Tulsa Race Massacre, as it is now known. And a show, even one starring Academy-awarding actress Regina King and based off a cult comic series of the same name, yet far removed from…

When racialized horror gets too deep, some viewers tune in while others tune out — Amazon’s Them (officially Them: Covenant) is out, and let’s just say Twitter has largely not been here for it. Over the weekend, the series trended heavily. Executive producer Lena Waithe was dragged relentlessly as many erroneously pegged her as the series’ creator and writer. (Let’s be real: Some of the…

The legendary costume designer talks power, beauty, and film — When it comes to representing how Black people dress on the big screen, Ruth E. Carter is unparalleled. Her gift and passion for the craft makes her among the best costume designers to ever do it. Thanks to her hard work, talent, and diligence, we show up — even in…

White people solo-judging television and film is so normative for them that it didn’t even seem wrong until recently — It’s easy to get swept up in the big emotions of it all. Daniel Kaluuya’s Golden Globe win for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture–Drama for playing Black Panther Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah helped kick off the show. Fellow Brit John Boyega followed him with…

‘I think the reason her story is still relevant is because it’s never truly been told’ — If you’ve seen Lady Sings the Blues and think you have The United States vs. Billie Holiday figured out, you are in for a surprise. A shock even. For decades, the picture most of us have had of Billie Holiday is one of a hopeless drug addict with awful taste…

In a new book, Michelle Duster shares intimate details of her great-grannie, Ida B. Wells — Ida B. Wells isn’t the household name she should be, especially when it comes to her place alongside other early civil rights activists. Very much a contemporary of W.E.B. DuBois, who was six years her junior, and Booker T. Washington, six years her senior, Wells was a suffragist, anti-lynching activist…