Over on Black Girl Nerds, I pay tribute to a pioneer, a visionary, and a superhero in the truest sense of the word. My good friend and Patronus, the late Perry Moore.
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Character Study: Phil Coulson
It’s always the quiet ones. Even more so if they’re also the little guy. This is most certainly the case if that quiet little guy is one Phil Coulson.
Coulson isn’t exactly a character one would initially expect to have a loyal following, much less receive a spin-off tv series. Played flawlessly by the charming and handsome Clark Gregg, when Coulson first debuted in Iron Man, he made it a point to be as quiet and non-assuming as humanly possible.
Understandable, given that he is a secret agent.
All Hail The Chief
One of my favorite highlights of 2017 was being invited by the wonderful Monique Jones to participate in a virtual roundtable discussion with other Native Black peers over on Just Add Color.
The topic of discussion? How the inclusion of The Chief in Wonder Woman made a positive impact on a number of levels.
Gratitude to Monique for having me as well as the other lovely ladies who provided some most excellent insight to a wonderful discussion.
The Revolution and Evolution of Women’s Wrestling Is Just Getting Started
March may be over but Women’s HERstory continues to be written.
Over on Black Girl Nerds I discuss the latest renaissance in Women’s Wrestling and share how Hall of Famer Gail Kim and the other Knockouts of Impact Wrestling threw down the gauntlet in raising the standard of excellence which in turn has resulted in the WWE, NWA, and AEW and the rest of the industry responding in kind.
More Moments In Whitewashed History
Say what you will about the 2000 teen comedy film, Bring It On, its commentary on cultural appropriation, racism, privilege, white supremacy, and the exploitation of Black culture seems to be more relevant now than when the film was released nearly two decades ago.
Over on Black Girl Nerds, I give five more examples of Black Excellence Erasure.
Keep Beyonce’s Name Out Of Your Mouth
One reason you will never hear me complain about the Beyhive stanning for Beyonce. Aside from the fact that she’s awesome, it’s that even in the 21st century, celebrating phenomenal black women is still a revolutionary act.
Prelude:
Setting: A dream (?) from a few years back where I wake up and find myself strapped to a lab table. Everything is dark and blurry but I hear voices overhead.
Female Voice: Ladies, gentlemen, non gender binary individuals present. We can rebuild him. We have the technology and the magic. We have the capability to transform this candidate into a sleeper agent for the Beyhive. Dennis R. Upkins will be that agent. Ready to act on behalf of King Bey at a moment’s notice. Better than he was before. Better, stronger, faster, wiser.
Male Voice: Are you sure he’s the right candidate?
Female Voice: This comes from High Command. Apparently he’s been on the radar of the Illuminati for quite some time.
Male Voice: I think he’s waking up.
Female Voice: Oh crap.
Denny: [Groggy] Where am I???? What’s going on????
Male Voice: Back to sleep you. [Places anesthetic mask back on my face. Everything fades to black……..]
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Like countless others, you could count me as a fan of one Beyonce Knowles-Carter. Between her music, films, artistry, philanthropy, and activism, she is not only a role model and an inspiration but the personification of #BlackExcellence.
While I’ve been a fan of Bey’s, I never considered myself a member of the Beyhive. But you wouldn’t know it given how vocal I’ve been over the years am in defending Beyonce against attacks of white supremacy. But not all agents of white supremacy are of the caucasian persuasion. Many are other blacks all too eager to the devil’s bidding.
Which brings us to one Nnedi Okorafor.
As speculative fiction authors, she and I run in many of the same circles. And many white spec fic fans and authors kept recommending her to me. Always happy to support a sister (or so I thought), I read some of her stuff which was pretty solid and followed her on social media. However it wasn’t long before I realized why she was such a darling for white audiences. Okorafor began showing who she truly is. From petulant temper tantrums to unprovoked attacks, she would regularly abuse everyone from fans to other authors on social media and would then cowardly delete her comments to cover up her toxic behavior, usually aimed at other Blacks.
The Sinister White Lie About Black Films
Awhile back I was watching Hollywood Unlocked and Michael Jai White was the guest. I’ve been a fan of White and his body…….of work for most of my life ;-). However this was one of the first times I got the opportunity to hear him discuss a number of topics at length. To say I was floored by the genius and the wisdom this brother was dropping would be a massive understatement. In the course of an hour and a half, he broke it all the way down about the history, challenges and solutions concerning Blacks in Hollywood and the media in general.
The Lyin Lyon: The Case Against Jussie Smollett
Over on #BlackGirlNerds I explain why Jussie Smollett’s actions are not only reprehensible but just made life harder for myself and other Black LGBTQs.
The Rise of Afrofuturism
Today on #BlackGirlNerds I list some of the key reasons why #Afrofuturism has evolved into a global phenomenon.
These Moments In Whitewashed History
The celebration of #WomensHERstoryMonth continues. Today on Black Girl Nerds, I share five cases of #BlackExcellence erasure that you probably weren’t aware of.
