Young, Gifted and Black. The title of playwright Lorraine Hansbury‘s unfinished work spawned feel good anthem after anthem during a time when African Americans were not only claiming their identities, but were proud to proclaim it.
Yes, our First Lady Michelle Obama is flawless, and Olivia Pope (who we love) is a force every Thursday night, but there’s room for even more black women in pop culture that would make us proud. Grab your remote and you’re sure to find women of color fighting, usually for the attention of a man, a record deal, or some combination of the two, for the sake of fame. And as I look around at the brilliant women I work with, the ones I call friends, and the extraordinary woman I call mom, I see no reflection of their brilliance in any of these shows. So I’ve decided to create a space for us with music.
At the close of Black History Month, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate the songs that celebrate us, during the era when young people with much heart and strength fought for the freedoms we have today. Whether you’re brown, beige or Asian, or any combination. The truth is, they sang and fought for all of us. Celebrate you.
Enjoy the Young, Gifted and Black edition, and please add to the list.
Dedicated to you.
-Jada Gomez-Lacayo
StyleBlazer Must Reads:
- Fun and Sun: 15 Summer Beauty Must-Haves
- Blue Carpet Rundown: The 2013 Billboard Music Awards
- Gifted and Talented: 15 Musicians Who Have Made Their Way On Screen
- Winners Circle: The Best Dressed StyleBlazers Of The Week (Misty Copeland, Kerry Washington And More)
- Modelizers: Leading Men Who Chose Models
- The Sequels Being Fast Tracked That You Didn't Expect: 15 Upcoming (And Surprising) Franchise Follow-Ups
- Billboard Music Awards: Best Dressed History
- Fitspiration: Brown Girls DO Work Out! (Our Fave Celebs Getting It In At The Gym)
