a little link love

happy monday family!  here’s what i’ve found interesting, inspiring and perplexing from around the web:

1.  mtv’s vmas were really white.  no, i mean WHITE.  macklemore won the award for best hip-hop video, justin timberlake won the michael jackson vanguard achievement award and miley cyrus conducted a performance that made black twitter shake its proverbial head.  colorlines posted the video of miley’s minstrelsy and the priceless photo of the smith family’s alleged reaction.  note, the huffington post is reporting that the image is a bad still shot of a video camera’s live feed, and the smiths were actually watching lady gaga perform.  apparently, they didn’t have looks of shock and disgust on their faces — but i’m sure someone in the audience did.

2.  have you heard about this harriet tubman sex tape mess?  evidently, some you tube vloggers got together and created a comedy routine about harriet tubman bribing a white slave master with a tape of their sexual escapades in exchange for her freedom.  right…that’s no where near funny.  writer frantz fanon was very clear about the role neocolonialists play in uplifting the power structure and perpetuating hegemonic forces; his analysis is brought to mind when black and brown folx are consumed with coonery for their sole economic benefit.  unless you think freeing slaves is funny, there is no reason that harriet tubman’s image should ever come to mind when putting together a comedy routine.  oh, and russel simmons produced the tape. hear chescaleigh speak on the need for conscious comedy below:

3.  last week, news reports circulated interviews where macklemore said he wouldn’t be as successful if he was black and j.cole said he wouldn’t be as successful if he had darker skin.  slow clap for rappers speaking with some clarity on racism and colorism and how it affects our everyday lives, including the entertainment industry.

4.  white entertainers have lost their minds.  hide all your customs and traditions — it’s open season for cultural appropriation.  don’t believe me?  behold lady gaga and her burqua obsession.  her look has inspired her fans to post pictures of themselves on social media with scarves covering their faces and ridiculous captions like “burqua swag.”

5.  #thedarkskinredlip project was started by beauty blog for brown girls and celebrates dark skinned black women who rock bold lip colors.  check out the blog and be sure to submit your picture!