The Conscious Voice

Malcolm X photographed by Gordon Parks for LIFE magazine promoting the Muhammad Speaks newspaper, 1962.

Happy Black History month!

We’ve been working on something special and are so excited to announce that we’re partnering with Tumblr to bring the best of Black excellence straight to your dashboard. How is this February different from the usual BHM celebrations? This time around, we won’t stop on the last day of February. We and Tumblr are committed to shining a light on the Black community throughout this entire year. This is #BlackExcellence365.

Our goal for #BlackExcellence365 is to the showcase the importance of diversity in Black history, present, and future. The Black community is not monolithic. It is a pan-African community, one consisting of a myriad of ethnic identities from African-American, African, Caribbean, Latinx, etc. Blackness encompasses different religions, sexual and gender identities, socioeconomic statuses, and more. Celebrating these identities and their successes is what #BlackExcellence365 is all about. We’ll be doing this by showcasing the continuous achievements of and contributions by Black people in history, science, music, art, media, social impact, fashion, gaming, poetry, and so many other areas of prominent cultural and historical importance.

Here’s a peek at just some of the things you can expect to see from @action (unless otherwise indicated!), Tumblr’s official blog for social impact:

February

2/4 — Artist Spotlight: Artist Jessica Spence - @jessmyart

2/7— MAKERS Conference livestream - @makerswomen - with:

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, Ciara

CEO & founder of Times Up, Lisa Borders

Actor, Producer, Entrepreneur, Jada Pinkett Smith

Founder and CEO of Backstage Capital, Arlan Hamilton

2/11 — Artist Spotlight: Photographer Josef Adamu - @josefadamu

2/18 — Artist Spotlight: Artist Pea the Feary - @peathefeary

2/20 — “My Black Is Beautiful” livestream, a panel discussion featuring NaturallySheIsDope, Kennedy, Tarynn, Kahlana Barfield Brown, Minda Harts, and Ashley Akunna, streaming on @action at 6 p.m. ET.

2/25 — Artist Spotlight: Artist and Filmmaker Asaph Luccas - @asaphluccas

March

#BlackExcellence365 video series, a round-table discussion of important issues in the Black community. March’s theme is Black Girl Magic: The Importance of Black Women’s Work in the Media.

June

#BlackExcellence365 video series X #TheBlackout: Content & Conversations Surrounding the Black LGBTQ+ community

August

#BlackExcellence365 video series X #TheBlackout: Music in the Black Community

December

#BlackExcellence365 video series X #TheBlackout: Mental Health in Communities of Color

Next up in our Top 2018 Moments is the Opening Celebration of Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power. Coming in as #3, the sold out event featured a daylong symposium that brought together many of the revolutionary artists in the exhibition. Afterwards, we closed out the night at our horn-infused dance party with @soulinthehorn.

We want to know your favorite 2018 Museum moment and why it was so memorable! Comment below or take it one step further by posting a photo on your feed for a chance to be featured on ours—just give us a tag and be sure to include #mybkm.

DONYALE LUNA | VINTAGE BLACK GLAMOUR & GRACE Donyale Luna became the first black model in the world to appear on the cover of a major fashion magazine…..the  March 1966 British issue of Vogue. It took another eight years for the magazine’s American counterpart to do the same…..Beverly Johnson in 1974.

BAUBLE OF THE DAY

ALL IN YOUR HEAD