Trailblazing Black feminist and social critic bell hooks dies at 69

By Harrison Smith, Washington Post Trailblazing Black feminist bell hooks, whose graceful, probing and wide-ranging books sought to empower people of all races, classes and genders, anticipating and helping shape ongoing debates about justice and discrimination in the United States, died Dec. 15 at her home in Berea, Ky. She was 69. The cause was…

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Model goes viral after exposing NYFW’s failure to hire Black beauticians

“And this is why I carry a full makeup kit wherever I go for work,” British-Jamaican model Leomie Anderson wrote. This weekend, British-Jamaican model Leomie Anderson went viral after she shared a video exposing how poorly prepared New York Fashion Week organizers are to accommodate the beauty needs of Black models.

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Ladies First: Smithsonian Hip-Hop Anthology Honors Women’s Contributions To The Genre

Lauryn Hill a hiphop artist

Kierna Mayo, a media maverick and an original staffer for groundbreaking hip-hop magazine The Source, has been one of the premier record-keepers of rap music. With an especial focus on the women of the genre (the debut 1999 issue of Mayo’s late magazine, Honey, featured Lauryn Hill on the cover), she has lovingly bridged the gap between lyricists and fans. Her essay “Hip-Hop Heroines” is a celebration of women’s contributions to hip-hop and is featured in the Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap, which is available now.

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