Blavity Fam, 2018 did the complete most. From celebrity feuds to Trump’s revolving door of government officials, this one has been a doozy. Despite the shenanigans, there were a lot of moments that made us even prouder to be Black. Take a look at this list and reminisce. We can’t wait to see how 2019 will try to top these moments.
1. Coachella Beychella
Beyoncé was originally set to perform during the 2017 Coachella Festival but backed out because she was pregnant with her twins. She promised to perform at this year’s event and the Beyhive shook with anticipation. The queen did not disappoint. Beychella was unapologetically Black at the notoriously lily-white Coachella. From her stirring rendition of Lift Every Voice And Sing to the HBCU marching band theme, Yoncé reminded us she was Black with a capital B.
2. Black Girl Magic dominated newsstands
Speaking of Beyoncé, she was one of several Black women who graced magazine covers across America. Several of our faves including Rihanna, Issa Rae, Tiffany Haddish and Zendaya were featured faces. Yoncé and Rihanna both scored Vogue covers. Not only were there Black women on these covers, they were the faces of coveted September issues which are typically the most important issues of the year. The Black girl reign just won’t let up.
3. It’s a bird! It’s a plane! Nah, it’s just someone’s pastor.
The saints couldn’t take it when Pastor Bartholomew Orr of Brown Missionary Baptist Church in Mississippi entered the sanctuary from the air. He was suspended using strings that looked like they would snap if a good gust of wind went through the building. He had an explanation for the stunt. “Just as Christ’s return is going to be unexpected, my flying in this morning was unexpected. But we must be ready,” he stated. Well, alrightie then.
We wonder how much money he had to pull from the building fund for those theatrics.
4. Like Bone Crusher, Auntie Maxine ain’t never scared.
Last month, Maxine Waters visited Blavity’s offices to chat and made a declaration to be heard around the world. When asked about the constant threats toward her, Auntie was quick to let us know she wasn’t pressed. "I don’t know whether the bombs are real or not, but we should not crawl under the bed, close the doors, not go out, be afraid to go to rallies," she said.
"We have to keep to doing what we’re doing in order to make this country right; that’s what I intend to do, and as the young people say, 'I ain’t scared.'"
5. Grandma got arrested for smacking her granddaughter into 2019 over air conditioning.
If you were raised around a Black grandma, you know there is a list of actions that will get you molly whopped. Letting out Big Mama’s good air is probably in the top five of the worst offenses you can commit against a Black woman over the age of 60. 95-year-old Hattie Reynolds was arrested in May after she went upside her granddaughter’s head with a slipper for running her air conditioner all day. Hopefully, sis learned her lesson.
6. Smino invented the best thing for Black hair since the pick
Everyone loves a good hoodie. They’re comfy, functional and can make up half an outfit when you’re feeling lazy. The 26-year-old musician came up with the idea for satin-lined hoodies when he wasn’t able to get his hair done by his girlfriend during a tour.
The best thing about these garments is they’re unisex so ladies, if you and your boyfriend get one, you have TWO hoodies. As he told Blavity back in April, “a hoodie is a hoodie!"
7. North Carolina honors thy durag
Charlotte, North Carolina, had a whole festival dedicated to durags in June. Attendees were encouraged to wear their rags and drown others with their waves. On top of that, a few students at North Carolina A&T had a “wave check” on campus, sparking a digital swim meet that attracted the likes of Missy Elliot.
8. We finally went to Wakanda
The release of Black Panther was the more anticipated than the first rib at a cookout. When the first trailer dropped, we were ready to get in formation. When we found out it would open during Black History month, we knew it’d be a bonafide celebration. The movie started breaking records before its release due to high ticket sells. The day finally came and many theaters looked like church because we went to the back and front of our closets to make sure we looked fly. Black Panther was more than a movie, it’s a movement.
9. Cardi gave birth to the Kulture
We know many people are sad (or glad) Offset and Cardi broke up. Despite the trouble in paradise, they produced a beautiful baby girl with a Black ass name: Kulture Kiari Cephus. The Migos are big on the culture so the name should have been expected, to be honest. Cardi said it best.
Kulture ❤️❤️anything else woulda been basic ????????♀️????????♀️????????♀️Okrrrrr
— iamcardib (@iamcardib) July 12, 2018
After months of waiting, we finally got to see Kulture’s sweet little face. It was definitely worth the wait.
10. Childish Gambino put America on blast
The music video for “This Is America” premiered while the rapper was performing the song on Saturday Night Live. The video’s violent imagery sparked a heated debate and theories about Gambino’s intended message were dissected. “This Is America” also sparked countless parodies from people who wanted to talk about issues in their own hometowns and countries.
11. Don Lemon pissed off white men across America
Lemon’s ideological transformation has been interesting to watch. The CNN anchor went from peddling respectability politics to going toe-to-toe with Team MAGA. A tidal wave of white tears ensued when he said “the biggest terror threat in this country is white men.” Despite the uproar, Lemon didn’t apologize. He pulled out receipts. “So people who were angered about what I said are missing the entire point,” Lemon said about his earlier statements. “We don’t need to worry about people who are thousands of miles away. The biggest threats are homegrown. The facts prove that.”
12. Eric Reid kept Kaep’s campaign going while playing in the NFL
Reid was by Colin Kaepernick’s side when he began protesting during the national anthem. His support resulted in him being out the league for a year until he was retained by the Carolina Panthers in September. Reid threw up the Black power fist as he signed the papers. Even though he is back in the league, the safety is still protesting and checks anyone who tries to get in his way. Reid still has an open collusion case against the NFL and recently called them out for excessive drug tests.
13. Colin Kaepernick teams up with Nike and continues to piss racists off by winning
Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt
pic.twitter.com/x5TnU7Z51i— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) September 5, 2018
Kaep isn’t back in the NFL yet but that hasn’t stopped his bag. The former quarterback signed endorsement deal with Nike and sparked the dumbest trend since wavy eyebrows. Upon hearing about the deal several people, mostly white men, filmed themselves destroying Nike merchandise they already own. Nike nor Kaep backed down and eventually released a touching commercial featuring sports greats like Lebron James and Serena Williams.
14. South Africa takes back their land from white farmers
South Africa was ravaged by colonialism that lasted until 1994 and still affects their society today. The nation is taking steps to reclaim land occupied by white farmers. Despite legal action and claims it won’t work based on a similar act in Zimbabwe, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is going forward. In late November, South Africa’s High Court rejected the farmer’s lawsuit. “The relief sought by the applicants … is dismissed,” Judge Vincent Saldanha said.
15. Spice finesses the world to share a powerful message
The internet was shook when a picture of dancehall singer Spice with significantly lighter skin and blonde hair popped up. Everyone proceeded to drag the Love and Hip-Hop: Atlanta star but she had the last laugh. Thankfully, Spice didn’t alter her complexion. It was all an act to promote her song “Black Hypocrisy,” a critique of colorism in the Black community. She did that!
16. Aretha Franklin had the Blackest home-going service ever
The Queen of Soul’s funeral gave the world a glimpse of the good, bad and ugly parts of Black American church culture. When it was time for a musical selection, they didn’t hire singers. Instead, they brought out SANGERS like Fantasia, Chaka Khan and Jennifer Hudson. Everyone had on their Sunday best, some with the trademark church mother hats. There were some low moments like critiques of Ariana Grande’s hemline, the pastor who inappropriately touched her and that horrible sermon from Jasper Williams. Also, as everyone expected, the funeral didn’t end “on time” because there is no such thing at a Black church. The only thing missing was a granny handing out purse peppermints.
17. Van Lathan tried — and failed — to pull Kanye West from the sunken place
Yeezy spent the majority of 2018 talking out the side of his neck and disappointing the Black community. West visited the offices of TMZ for some inexplicable reason in May and declared slavery was a choice. While the majority of TMZ’s staffers were silent, producer Van Lathan spoke for everyone who was sick of the rapper’s shenanigans.
“While you are making music and being an artist and living the life that you’ve earned by being a genius, the rest of us in society have to deal with these threats to our lives," he told West. "We have to deal with the marginalization that has come from the 400 years of slavery that you said for our people was a choice." *starts slow clap*
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