Words & Music by Pearl Bailey

"You must change in order to survive. "

Singer, actress and 1968 Tony award winner. (photo: google.com)

-Pearl Bailey

Born: March 29, 1918, Southampton County, VA

Died: August 17, 1990, Philadelphia, PA

The Black Excellence of Ulysses Dove

In 1984, Bad Blood by Ulysses Dove made its world premier at Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal.  The  powerful performance choreographs the "emotional passion and kinetic energy encapsulating the powerful yet extremely tender war between the sexes." Still an audience favorite in the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre reproduction, one of its original cast members and Ailey vet, Renee Robinson, retells a candid moment of rehearsals, with Dove saying:

Melanin March Madness with Lupita Nyong'o

Lupita Nyong'o loves her skin and teaches us why we should too.

"To Pimp a Butterfly" by Kendrick Lamar

We will be reviewing Kendrick Lamar's latest album, To Pimp a Butterfly, next week! :D

Listen on Spotify:

KENDRICK LAMAR - "TO PIMP A BUTTERFLY"

Why #BLACKOUTDAY Was So Important

Representation is crucial to the layered dynamics of our society. As Shonda Rhimes said, it is important for people "to see their tribe." Rhimes has been instrumental in constructing a better picture of the world's people on television. And now, with Lee Daniels broadening the lens even more, we have a show like Empire, which for Black people, is a very big deal. Seeing so many shades and faces of color pouring their talents and struggles into the lives of over 14 million viewers every week speaks volumes to Black people. Its historic.
#BlackOutDay was also historic, as an online event that made a

Melanin March Madness, #BLACKOUT Edition

Shout out to the first ever #BlackOutDay on Tumblr this month! 

buzzfeed.com

The widely praised phenomenon that celebrated all things black and beautiful, trended across all social mediums (see receipts A, B, C, and D). Birthed straight from the dark blue depths of Tumblr, the numbers for #BlackOutDay on March 6, 2015 soared and

Why Shonda Rhimes "Really Hates the Word, 'Diversity'"

Source: Jordan Strauss/AP

Shonda Rhimes has changed the entire landscape of television. From Grey's Anatomy to How to Get Away with Murder, she has welcomed interracial dating, minorities in leading roles, homosexual love scenes and an overall diverse spectrum of characters into our homes every week. In a speech for The 2015 Human Rights Campaign Gala in Los Angeles, she explained,

"Nothing else provides that singular hum in my brain, that special trip to the imagination. Writing was…well, for me