d. tafakari

The Best R&B You Probably Never Heard in 2013

A few weeks, back, I wrote about the comatose state of R&B music these days. It was lucky enough to be Freshly Pressed, which inspired a dynamic conversation in the comments section about the evolution of R&B in particular and music in general. I gained a broader perspective discussing and thinking more about the topic. MyContinue reading “The Best R&B You Probably Never Heard in 2013”

Man up? No, Man DOWN.

We’re so busy telling men to MAN UP that we can’t hear them when they’re trying to tell us MAN DOWN. @dtafakari

Jonathan Martin and the Loud Silence of Bullying

A set of twin boys brought my life double trouble in the 4th grade. They had skin like rich soil and thick bellies that jiggled when they laughed at me. I met them at the bus stop on the first day of school. I suppose they chose me because I looked 7 when I was 10,Continue reading “Jonathan Martin and the Loud Silence of Bullying”

My Top 3 “Black Girls Rock” Moments

Finally! That’s what I thought while watching BET’s Black Girls Rock program last Sunday. Finally, black women are allowed space in the media to celebrate the best in themselves and other black women. It was gratifying to see a program that proclaimed we are all that, black girls and women who rock, diamond-strong in the face of adversity.Continue reading “My Top 3 “Black Girls Rock” Moments”

My Secret Reason for Avoiding Beauty Salons

Black people have long respected the sacred spaces of beauty salons and barber shops as locations of empowerment and freedom. We don’t go just to get our hair “did”; we go to get our life right and to testify when it, like our hair, is perfectly laid. We trust our beautician to talk us offContinue reading “My Secret Reason for Avoiding Beauty Salons”