Arts

The Arts

Barry Jenkins served as showrunner, executive producer, writer and director to the 10-part Amazon series, The Underground Railroad. CREDIT: Atsushi Nishijima/Amazon Studios

TV REVIEW: ‘Underground Railroad’ Is A Hard But Beautiful Reflection On Black Pain

For this Black TV critic, completing Barry Jenkins’ ambitious, beautifully brutal, 10-episode adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad was an emotional journey that touched every nerve of what it feels like to be a person of color striving to matter in America. Continue Reading TV REVIEW: ‘Underground Railroad’ Is A Hard But Beautiful Reflection On Black Pain

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Engaging With Asian American And Pacific Islander Heritage Month: A Reading List

In the past year, and throughout history, narratives surrounding Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have been rife with violence, hardship and grief. Yet they are so much more than their experiences of suffering — beyond tales of war and isolation, there is joy, confusion, anger and relief. Continue Reading Engaging With Asian American And Pacific Islander Heritage Month: A Reading List

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A mural of George Floyd at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue S. in Minneapolis, United States, on January 18, 2021. (Photo by Tim Evans/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The Artist Behind A George Floyd Mural Reflects On How It Became A ‘Ubiquitous Icon’

One of the most recognizable images of Floyd sits just above the spot where he drew his last breath – at the corner of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in South Minneapolis. It’s a haunting, 12-foot mural of Floyd, painted in black and white by Minneapolis-based artist Peyton Scott Russell. Continue Reading The Artist Behind A George Floyd Mural Reflects On How It Became A ‘Ubiquitous Icon’

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Book cover of 'While Justice Sleeps' novel by Stacey Abrams

A Constitutional Quirk Inspired Stacey Abrams’ New Fiction Thriller, ‘While Justice Sleeps’

A Supreme Court justice is gravely ill, ideological control of the court hangs in the balance — throw in a ruthless president and an international conspiracy, and what you have is the plot of Stacey Abrams’s new novel, While Justice Sleeps. Yes, that Stacey Abrams, the Georgia politician, and she’s written a thriller ripped straight from the headlines — inspired by a conversation over lunch with her mentor. Continue Reading A Constitutional Quirk Inspired Stacey Abrams’ New Fiction Thriller, ‘While Justice Sleeps’

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Book cover - Things We Lost to the Water, by Eric Nguyen

BOOK REVIEW: ‘Things We Lost To The Water’ Is A Literal And Allegorical Look At Dislocation

Nước — the Vietnamese word for country and water — permeates Eric Nguyen’s haunting debut. Signifying both a place of origin and the means by which a boat refugee departs from such place of origin, Things We Lost to the Water poignantly explores all the ways in which Vietnamese refugees are affected by country and water — in sum, by dislocation. Continue Reading BOOK REVIEW: ‘Things We Lost To The Water’ Is A Literal And Allegorical Look At Dislocation

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Tina Turner on stage during her concert at Wembley Stadium in London, England, as part of her Wildest Dreams World Tour, 20th July 1996. Commencing in the spring of 1996 The Wildest Dreams Tour would last for 16 months, and included more than 250 concert dates in Europe, North America and Australasia. (Photo by Duncan Raban/Popperfoto via Getty Images)

How Racism Pushed Tina Turner And Other Black Women Artists Out Of America

Black women artists like Josephine Baker, Nina Simone and Eartha Kitt contributed to those social gains. Their suffering came not only from their personal battles against day-to-day racism in America, but also having their careers struggle when they spoke out against it. Europe eventually became home to them as well. Continue Reading How Racism Pushed Tina Turner And Other Black Women Artists Out Of America

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