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Mélusine: The Devil’s Daughter, the Serpent Woman, and Another Man Who Couldn’t Mind His Damn Business
Every now and then I fall down one of my historical rabbit holes and come across a woman—real, legendary, mythical, whatever—who makes me stop and say, now who the hell is this? Today that woman is Mélusine. And baby, Mélusine has a story. She has been called the Devil’s daughter, a fairy, a water spirit,…
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Winsome Witch and the Town That Forgot Women
If you’ve never seen Winsome Witch, you’re missing one of Hanna-Barbera’s most charming and underrated cartoon characters. I had forgotten all about this cartoon until MeTv Toons started playing it again. My favorite episode is the one where Winnie lands in a lonely frontier town where the men have gone twenty years without seeing a…
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Masters of Mischief: The Tricksters of Old-School Cartoons
When I think back on old-school cartoons, I realize they were absolutely crawling with tricksters. I loved those characters—the ones who lied, schemed, disguised themselves, broke every rule in sight, embarrassed authority figures, and somehow still had me rooting for them anyway. Some of the best trickster characters from cartoons of yesterday: What makes these…
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The Tradwife Movement: A Pretty Apron Wrapped Around an Old Idea
I’ve never understood the appeal of tradwife content. Watching a woman bake sourdough bread in a spotless farmhouse kitchen while wearing a ball gown has never been my idea of compelling entertainment. Yet it’s wildly popular, especially the content of Nara Smith. Nara Smith is a model with more than 12 million followers on TikTok.…
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The Paradox of Race
I’m not going to lie—I’m tired of white people. I’m tired of the wealthy ones who are destroying the planet through greed, exploitation, and an insatiable hunger for more. And I’m tired of the everyday ones with their astonishing lack of curiosity and critical thinking. Many of them benefit from white privilege, yet they’re still…
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George E. Johnson Didn’t Just Sell Hair Products. He Sold Possibility.
A living icon has become an ancestor and his name was George R. Johnson. Every now and then, somebody leaves this earth, and you realize they weren’t just successful.They changed the damn landscape.George E. Johnson was one of those people. He didn’t build Johnson Products because it was trendy. Hell, back then Black folks weren’t…
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The Everleigh Club: From Silk Sheets to Section 8
Chicago has always had a talent for reinventing itself. Sometimes it builds a skyscraper. Sometimes it tears down a brothel. And sometimes it tears down a brothel…and builds public housing on top of it. You really can’t make this stuff up. If you had wandered into Chicago’s Levee District around 1900, you would have found…
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The Many Ways in Which the United States Ain’t Shit
I was sitting here thinking about America, a country that is often described as the greatest nation on Earth. It is a nation that has accomplished extraordinary things. It has sent human beings to the Moon, produced some of the world’s greatest innovations, and given birth to cultural treasures such as jazz, blues, gospel, and…
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If I Was Black and Male For A Day
First of all, before I write this essay, I would like to state that I love being a Black woman. I love the beautiful brownness of my skin, my hair which is a crown that has anointed me Queen of my universe, my full lips, slanted eyes, and the strength of my ancestors who endured…
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The Older I Get, the More I Wonder
I’ve never been a religious person, but I do believe there’s something out here that’s higher than us lowly mortals. Something. I don’t know what it is. Is it a person? Is it male or female? Is it both? Is it neither? Or is it pure spirit, moving through the universe in ways we can’t…
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The Potty Mouth Granny 