The Sun fell behind you and never stood up.

The word “problematic” was never meant to be the auto-win card of social justice discussions. Problematic is not a synonym for bad or wrong. Problematic literally means that an issue is complicated, open to debate, and raises important questions about an issue, questions that should be analyzed, discussed, and unpacked.

So when you say something is problematic, don’t just lean back in your chair, pat yourself on the back, and call it a day. Go deeper. Get a discussion going. Analyze that shit. Hear from others and come to some tough conclusions.

She’s a journalism major and her tour and documentation was basically her fucking final. Nobody GAVE it to her. They picked it up after the fact and she’s going to continue the tour and screen her documentary

And before her big chop her Afro was fucking HUGE and untamed. She wore it loud proud and wild as fuck.

The same shit that type 4 folk be shit on for.

I want to see black women in film and TV with characteristics that may be deemed ‘ghetto’ but aren’t just used as comedic relief. I want these women to be given real storylines, with depth and emotion. Black women with colorful hair, long nails, loud voices, and strong opinions exist in real life and I don’t want to write them out of media.

I want black women in horror! I want characters such as Angela Bassett’s and Gabourey Sidibe’s in AHS to be frequented. I’m of the belief that women master horror because we live through horrors of everyday life that aren’t too far off, and with that logic, this goes doubly for black women.

I want to see black teen dramas that actually tackle what it’s like to be a black teen girl. How we are policed and sexualized by everyone for our bodies and the perceptions of us (perpetuated by the media, ironically). I want black girlhood displayed beautifully: dance battles, playing double dutch with phone cords, getting our hair done, etc. Black girls, if they aren’t simply portrayed a best friend, they’re rarely shown in a relatable light.

Nine Black YouTubers You Should Watch & Support (Because It’s Time for The White Girls to Share the Brand Deals)

Yas and Hals - Beauty/Fashion, Pranks, Reactions, Vlogs, Challenges. Two London Sisters who are always lit while SERVING face. 

HeyParis - Storytimes, Beauty, Reviews. A Canadian babe who isn’t afraid to speak her mind and make us laugh as well. 

ThePatronnes - Fashion, Reviews, Advice. Two best friends who love fashion and helping us out while running their makeup line Patronne Cosmetics.

Nella Rose - Chit Chat / Relateable, Fashion/Beauty, Q&A - Nella is hilarious and says everything we’re thinking out loud with topics she discusses.

Mimi Missfit - Fashion/Beauty, Advice, Vlogs, Reviews - Mimi loves to show her fashion sense and give advice with the always wise African Mums.

Rachel Bada - Fashion/Beauty, Advice, Chit Chat - Rachel always slays her looks and makes us laugh with her talk series.

Aliyah Maria Bee - Fashion/Beauty, Advice, Storytime, Chit Chat - Aliyah is the best friend we all want as well as being funny and stylish. 

Daina - Music, Fashion, DIY, Vlogs - Daina makes music that we all need to be hearing on the radio and her makeup and vlogs keep you entertained. 

Gigi Beauty - Beauty, Hair, Vlogs, Family - Gigi will have your face beat and looking stylish while being adorable with her daughter and her man.

Your apartment has no windows. Or doors. Or walls. You awaken one night with no money or clothes in a featureless white room.

There are so many things to do, and so many places to go, that you lie awake at night, haunted by the opportunities you’re missing. 

You are lost. The only people who stop to help you are lost, as well.

“Where are you from?” You ask. Everyone you meet came here from somewhere new; Paris, London, Chicago, Mexico City. You have never met a local. You wonder where they went.

Every night you hear a strange, steady thumping. You thought at first it was your upstairs neighbor playing music, but every night, the sound comes from a different place. One night, the sound comes from your door.

You have bed bugs. You have roaches. You have mice. You have centipedes. You have spiders. You have ants. You have moss. You have mold. You have vines breaking through the cracks in your ceiling. You have saplings growing through your floorboards. You have birds nesting in your ceiling. You lock your door every night, but you can’t keep all intruders out.

One day, you collapse in the middle of a busy street. You are afraid that people will trample you, but everyone moves to avoid you. You relax. You are safe, here, where no one will notice you.

You discover a new restaurant. It is named in your honor. Magazines herald your discovery, and you are given a book deal and a speaking tour to educate people on the details of this new restaurant. Alone in your new penthouse, the day of your discovery plays over and over again in your mind. You lay paralysed as you try to remember the faces of everyone who was there when you entered. Other patrons, staff, the hostess-  you must remember, so you can silence them before they denounce you. “You know you didn’t ‘discover’ us,” He whispers menacingly.

me, a northener: