Another weekend gone, #BlavityFam! Before you rev up for the week ahead, take a minute and check out some of the best work from around the Internet this week. Experience the mind of a Trump supporter, read about the POC experience in Hollywood, or get in Formation — and let us know what you’re reading!
1. “The New Black Power” (via Chicago Magazine)
Darryl Holliday writes about Chicago movement BYP100, a group of young activists who are making waves and clashing horns with members of the Chicago establishment- both government figures and other grassroots groups. In the aftermath of the Laquan McDonald video, BYP100 is learning which of their tactics work, and which ones are hurting their cause.
2. “On Learning to Code Switch and Falling In Between Identities” (via Blavity)
Blavity contributor Nastassja Schmiedt is a biracial former model who has been translating and transforming their identity for the benefit the world around them since they were a child. In this moving essay, Nastassja explores the effects of their chameleon-like life and how they came into their truth as an adult.
3. “What’s It’s Really Like To Work In Hollywood (If You’re Not a Straight White Man)” (via NYT Mag)
This interactive piece from the New York Times Magazine explores the experiences of minority actors, directors and producers in Hollywood. In light of tonight’s Academy Awards, the second in a row with no people of color nominated in major categories, the words of underrepresented and underemployed entertainers ring truer than ever.
4. “How America Made Donald Trump Unstoppable” (via Rolling Stone)
Even if you haven’t been paying attention to the circus that is the presidential campaign, you have an opinion on Donald Trump, current GOP front-runner and top news story for the past 6 months. Matt Taibbi outlines the disintegration of the electoral process that was needed in order for the Donald to come out on top- and stay there.
5. “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Get in Formation” (via Seven Scribes)
Prolific tweeter Vann R. Newkirk (aka @fivefifths) wasn’t always a Beyoncé fan, in the way that so many Black men dismiss the greatest entertainer of our generation. In this essay for Seven Scribes, he explains how he came around to the power of Beyoncé and her intrinsic value to the Black narrative of musical liberation.
