High-kicking through the color barrier since '87
As part of my weekly LYBLABCs series -- which rolls-out a core value aligned to Oprah's Live Your Best Life philosophy found in O, the Oprah Magazine -- here’s the latest virtue! A is for Altruism! Altruism makes good on a promise to yourself to help and defend others guided by faith, love, mercy, and …
This past weekend's NYTimes T Magazine Design Issue featured a total dream home crafted by Italian director/filmmaker, Luca Guadagnino, most recently of last year's "Call Me By Your Name" fame. Through his films such as "I Am Love" (2009) and the upcoming "Suspiria" (a remodeling of Dario Argento's campy cult 70s horror flick), he evokes …
Tonight in Harlem, Mented Cosmetics celebrates its new collection of highly-pigmented lipsticks and lip liners at its Mattes + Liners Launch Party! The black-owned luxury cosmetics brand, co-founded in Spring 2017 by Amanda E. Johnson and KJ Miller, believes in inclusive beauty with a conscience: its products are made in the USA, cruelty & paraben-free, …
Continue reading "Matte Madness! Mented Cosmetics’s Mattes + Liners Launch Party"
On today's second anniversary of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, I took a moment to explore its rich collections, which has grown to over 37k artifacts in just a couple years. Located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the NMAAHC is the largest cultural organization devoted to exploring and …
I'm still thinking about an outstanding, inspirational piece from last weekend's NYTimes that asked women actresses, directors and writers among this fall's cinematic bumper crop about the heroines they most admired and why: Movie Stars Have Heroines, Too. Rashida Jones, who co-wrote and co-directed "Quincy", the upcoming Netflix documentary about her father, cited Lena Horne, …
Continue reading "Rashida Jones on Lena Horne: “That’s what God must be like”"
On today's passing of the virtuoso ballerino, Arthur Mitchell, it's important to understand the deeply-exclusionary history of American dance in order to appreciate the enormity of his legacy, how he re-charted the stars, and the tremendous debt that African American pioneers – particularly performers like myself – owe him. My own milestone as the first …
Continue reading "Arthur Mitchell: Farewell to a Ballet Legend and a Color-Barrier Breaker"
There's nothing like sitting down with your favorite glossy and reading it cover-to-cover! I took a nice, long moment over the weekend to enjoy the latest O, the Oprah Magazine October edition, and wanted to share my most inspirational take-aways. It gave us three covers (!!), lensed by Ruven Afandador, with the dream-team styling of …
Continue reading "O is for October! O, The Oprah Magazine’s October Issue"
"On This Runway, Black Lives Matter." So begins Vanessa Friedman's final recap of the Spring '19 RTW collections from the NYC-leg of September fashion week, which just wrapped for its London/Milan/Paris chapters. The NYTimes's head style writer noted the surge of political mottoes on the runways, such as Christian Siriano's passionate plug for NY primary …
Continue reading "The Color of Fashion: Diversity is More Than Just an Accessory"
It's an easy sell: I like movies, I like movie soundtracks, and I like live music. I mean, who doesn't? With the New York Philharmonic's "Art of the Score" series, the historic Manhattan symphonic org has struck programming gold. Under last night night's rain at Lincoln Center's David Geffen Hall, I took-in a sold-out screening …
Continue reading "Movie Night at The NY Philharmonic! Art of the Score: There Will Be Blood"
The traumatic events of September 11, 2001 changed America forever. On today's 17th anniversary, we're reminded of the resilience of the American people, and the power to unite in a time of tragedy and hopelessness. Just as the 9/11 Memorial is powerful in its simplicity and sweep, so is the annual commemoration ceremony of reading …
