black-busters

[black-busters]

Foreword

Our group’s project is centered around Black women as cultural producers. Cultural producing ranges anywhere from literature, to visual arts, to music. We are focusing on Black women in these fields because, like in many other fields, they are overlooked, or not as well-known as their white counterparts. Black women contribute an immense amount of knowledge, experience, and culture to the world of media production, and we want to recognize who does, how they do it, and how they impact society.

Historically, white people have gotten more opportunities to excel in any given area, and the Black people who succeeded were not recognized in the same way their white counterparts were. This is still going on today. If we asked 100 people on the street to name a few white producers or directors, I’m sure they could rattle off Quentin Tarantino, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Tim Burton, Michael Bay, or Woody Allen. If we asked to name some Black directors, they would probably name Spike Lee, Tyler Perry, Jordan Peele, or Ryan Coogler. Now, if we asked them to name some Black female directors or producers, this would be the most difficult category. Before taking our Introduction to Black Women’s Studies (WMST263) class here at UMD, we wouldn’t confidently be able to say that we could list someone other than Ava DuVernay or Shonda Rhimes. That is the root of the problem, and that is our focus.

Through our Tumblr blog, we have gathered sources in a variation of mediums (i.e. academic journals, videos, pictures, gifs, etc.) to recognize and highlight some Black women who have contributed in the creation and shaping of our media culture as it is today. This includes things like songs about Black women’s natural hair, skin, or bodies, and how it is seen or represented by other people in society. Our project is on Tumblr.com, with our page titled “black-busters.” We chose this name as a play on words of “Blockbusters,” in reference to the film industry and how Black women have contributed to the success of film, music, and visual arts. To navigate our page, all you have to do is scroll down! Each one of our texts, pictures, GIFs, videos, or songs is categorized by medium, numbered, and cited and/or hyperlinked to reference from the original source. Feel free to explore outside of our page to research other work from these actresses, musicians, or cultural producers, we encourage it and hope you learn something new! We implore you to share any source you find interesting, or even send the link to our page to a friend!

We hope our page is uplifting, encouraging, and empowering, as well as full of new information, or an old song you forgot about. Overall, we want to share with you the amazing work that was made by Black women, and give them the recognition they deserve but haven’t gotten on courageously pioneering the art of presenting people of color as who they are– human beings. Thank you for giving us your time to let us share the valuable knowledge we found interesting. We hope you enjoy, and again, feel free to comment your thoughts, share with friends, and have fun!

[black-busters]

Web Articles

66. How to Get Away with Subverting Racial Aesthetics: The Politics of Viola Davis’s Hair and Skin by Nichole Zhu

67. My Anaconda Don’t: A Black Feminist Analysis of Nicki Minaj by Aliza Vigderman 

68. In its strongest season so far, ‘Orange is the New Black’ yells ‘Say her name!’ by Soraya Nadia McDonald

69. Solange Explained The Importance Of Intersectional Feminism Perfectly In This Month's "Bust" by Sylvia Obell 

70. Three Black Women In Media Get Real About Identity And Career by Essence Gant

71. The "Black Panther" Women Of Wakanda Are The Superheroes You Never Knew You Needed by Morgan Murrell

72. Black Women's Voices Are Often Unheard—Here's How Orange Is the New Black Is Trying to Change That by Sherri Williams

73. “Black Lightning” Just Introduced TV’s First Black, Female, LGBT Superhero by Lauren Gallaway

74. Daughters of Lightning: How Anissa and Jennifer Pierce Are Setting The Standard For Black Women Superheroes by Tai Gooden

75. How Beyonce's 'Lemonade' Exposes Inner Lives of Black Women by Zandria F. Robinson

76. Mickalene Thomas' Photography: The Epitome of Black Girl Magic by Jasmin Hernandez

77. US artist Mickalene Thomas shines light on black women’s plight in first Hong Kong show by Enid Tsui

“As an artist I ask myself how I can have an impact... I have looked at Western art history and its notions of beauty and relationship – think Manet and Courbet – and found that images of women deemed iconic did not resonate with me. I wondered how I could change those discourses and attack an art history that has never deemed black women important enough to put forth.” - Mickalene Thomas

78. Ava DuVernay On Black Women Directors: "There's A Short Window For Me In The Business" by Sydney Scott

79. Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou

80. Issa Rae: 'So much of the media presents blackness as fierce and flawless. I’m not' by Jane Mulkerrins

“I just wanted to see my friends and I reflected on television, in the same way that white people are allowed, and which nobody questions,” continues Rae. “Nobody watches Divorce [a HBO stablemate] and asks: ‘What is the political element, what is the racial element driving this?’” - Issa Rae

81. Shonda Rhimes’s Powerful Message on Receiving Her PGA Award: ‘I Deserve This’ by Carita Rizzo

“There was no blazing and no trails. It’s not trailblazing to write the world as it actually is. Women are smart and strong. They are not sex toys or damsels in distress. People of color are not sassy or dangerous or wise. And, believe me, people of color are never anybody’s sidekick in real life.” - Shonda Rhimes

82. Black Lightning breakout talks playing a black lesbian superhero by Chancellor Agard

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Black Women on Youtube

61. TAKE ME TO WAKANDA! | Black Panther Movie Review 🙅🏿🙅🏾🙅🏿- Evelyn From The Internets

62. Calling ALL Non-Black YouTubers! New Makeup Challenge! - Jackie Aina 

63. Top Black Influencer Collabs You Need NOW! - Alissa Ashley

64. Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Foundation Review #thedarkestshade - Nyma Tang 

65. FASHIONNOVA WHY?! I SPENT $314 HERES MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS & HONEST REVIEW - Patricia Bright

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Natural Hair Youtube

57. I Don't Care (About My Frizzy Hair) Official Single - Shameless Maya 

58. Twist Out Hairstyle for Curly Girls!!! - Shameless Maya

59. UPDATED ROUTINE + STAPLE PRODUCTS & HAIRSTYLES FOR MY NATURAL HAIR - Evelyn From The Internets 

60. (Wash Day) Curly Routine // Wash, Condition, Detangle - SunKissAlba

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Black Hair in Film/Music

49. The Black Panther (2018) - Letitia Wright, Michael B. Jordan, Connie Chiume, and Angela Bassett

50. The Black Panther (2018) - Chadwick Boseman and Lupita Nyong’o

51. Grown-ish (2018) - Yara Shahidi 

52. Grown-ish (2018) - Yara Shahidi 

53. Grown-ish (2018) - Tracee Ellis Ross

54. Grown-ish (2018) - Chloe and Halle Bailey 

55. The Cosby Show (1984) - Lisa Bonet 

56. The Cosby Show (1984) - Lisa Bonet

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You Have to Be Twice as Good, to Get Half as Much.

48. Scandal - Joe Morton and Kerry Washington 

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42. I Am Not My Hair (2006)- India Arie

43. Brown Skin (2001) - India Arie

44. Video (2001) - India Arie

45. Beauty Within (2010) - Dead Prez

46. Queen Latifah On Uplifting Women With Her Music - MAKERS

47. Faith Ringgold: Artist & Activist - MAKERS

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Videos

37. Shoop (1993) - Salt-n-Pepa

38. Don’t Touch My Hair (2016) - Solange

39. Formation (2016) - Beyoncé

40. Why Are Black Women So Angry (2016) - Buzzfeed

41. U.N.I.T.Y. (1993) - Queen Latifah

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28. American Horror Story: Coven (2013) - Angela Bassett 

29. American Horror Story: Hotel (2015) - Angela Bassett

30. Queen Latifah - 2016 Hip Hop Honors Speech

31. Dancing with the Stars (2017) - Simone Biles 

32. Uzo Aduba - 2016 SAG Awards Speech 

33. Poetic Justice (2013) - Janet Jackson

34. Black Panther (2018) - Dora Milaje Warriors

35. A Wrinkle in Time (2018) - Oprah Winfrey / Storm Reid

36. Orange is the New Black - Lorraine Toussaint

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18. Hidden Figures (2016) - Janelle Monáe

19. Kerry Washington

20. Viola Davis

21. “Flawless” - Beyoncé ft. Chimamanda Ngozi 

22. “Can’t Hold Us Down” - Christina Aguilera ft. Lil Kim

23. The Help (2011) - Viola Davis

24. Hidden Figures (2016) Cast - 2017 SAG Awards Speech

25. Scandal - Kerry Washington

26. Rihanna - 2016 BET’s “Black Girls Rock” Speech

27. Amandla Stenberg - 2016 BET’s “Black Girls Rock” Speech

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8. Black-ish - Jenifer Lewis

9.  Psych - Dule Hill 

10. Nicki Minaj (2013) Interview

11. Beyoncé

12. How to Get Away With Murder - Billy Brown

13. Orange is the New Black - Danielle Brooks

14. Empire - Taraji P. Henson

15. Viola Davis - 2015 Emmy’s Speech

16. Hidden Figures (2016) - Janelle Monáe

17. Black Lightning - Nafessa Williams

[black-busters]

Academic Sources

1. Kretsedemas, Philip. “‘But She's Not Black!": Viewer Interpretations of ‘Angry Black Women’ on Prime Time Tv.” Journal of African American Studies, vol. 14, no. 2, 2010, pp. 149–170. 

2. Muhammad, Gholnecsar E. and Sherell A. McArthur. "“Styled by Their Perceptions”: Black Adolescent Girls Interpret Representations of Black Females in Popular Culture." Multicultural Perspectives, vol. 17, no. 3, Jul-Sep2015, pp. 133-140. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/15210960.2015.1048340.

3. Hillman, Amy J., et al. “Women and Racial Minorities in the Boardroom: How Do Directors Differ?” Journal of Management , vol. 28, no. 6, Dec. 2002, pp. 747–763.

4. Jones, Sharon L. “From Margin to Centre?: Images of African-American Women in Film.” Social Alternatives, vol. 17, no. 4, 1998, pp. 35–39.

5. Rana A. Emerson. “‘Where My Girls at?’ : Negotiating Black Womanhood in Music Videos.” Gender & Society, vol. 16, no. 1, 2002, pp. 115–135., doi:10.1177/0891243202016001007.

6. Dorestal, Philipp. "DRESSING the BLACK BODY: Mode, Hair Style Und Schwarzsein in Den USA - Von Den 1970Er-Jahren Bis Zu Barack Obama." ["Fashion, Hairstyle and Blackness in the USA - from the 1970s to Barack Obama, in: Zeithistorische Forschungen/Studies in Contemporary History 14 (2017)"]. Zeithistorische Forschungen, vol. 14, no. 2, May 2017, pp. 311-336. EBSCOhost, doi:10.14765/zzf.dok.4.971.

7. Mondé, Geniece Crawford. "#Blackdontcrack: A Content Analysis of the Aging Black Woman in Social Media." Feminist Media Studies, vol. 18, no. 1, Feb. 2018, pp. 47-60. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/14680777.2018.1409972.