By Nyah Marshall Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez may have had the best of intentions when she showed up at the Met Gala in a white mermaid-style gown with “Tax the Rich” on the back in bold red letters. Her motive was to push those who have much, to share more with those who have less. “She wanted…
The Democrat, the Designer, and the Dress: Where’s the Bite?
By Chanel Cain Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s debut at the Met Gala was rocky to say the least. The event’s theme, “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” offered opportunities to critique the nation’s faults. Not one to shy away from a challenge, AOC took a chance. Perhaps she could have taken a lesson from another fashion protestor….
The Democrat, the Designer, and the Dress: Colors of Change?
By Janáe Bradford New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was hoping red, white and green could be colors for change at the Met Gala in September. She wore a custom white gown designed by Aurora James of Brother Vellies. The fashion statement was on its back: “Tax the Rich,” in bold, red letters. Green—lots of it—was…
The Democrat, the Designer, and the Dress: The Other Messenger
By Aaliyah Seabrooks Aurora James wasn’t the one wearing the white gown with “Tax the Rich” in bold red letters on the back that caused such a fuss at September’s big-ticket fashion fundraiser in New York. But she did design the dress, loan it to Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and acknowledge that the dress and its…
The Democrat, the Designer, and the Dress: Protests on the Outside
By Ryan Thomas Fashion’s always been about clothes and style, but also class, culture and politics. That’s the way it was at the Met Gala in September in New York, where Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s appearance in a custom-designed off-the shoulder gown with “Tax the Rich” plastered on the back became a most-discussed item. The optics seemed…
Adding a Black Women’s Touch to Statehouse Power
By Airielle Lowe Last year, her first as Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates, Adrienne A. Jones ushered through legislation to settle a lawsuit ordering the state to compensate its historically Black public colleges for years of inequitable funding. Gov. Larry Hogan refused to sign the measure, saying its price tag was much too…
The Black Lives Matter Feud: Not All About the Benjamins
By Chrisleen Herard The former vice president had barely clinched the Democratic nomination for president, and George Floyd hadn’t been dead a month when Black conservative Candace Owens added her voice to a chorus of accusers. “They are using Breonna Taylor’s face and George Floyd’s death to funnel MILLIONS to support Joe Biden’s campaign. This…
Empowering Black Women, with Poise and Grace
By Naomi Johnson Misty Copeland, the premier ballerina, sees some potential good in the not so good moments. “With George Floyd and with Black Lives Matter,” Copeland said in a recent online interview, “in 20 years as a professional, though I’ve been saying these things very openly and publicly for 20 years, this is the first…
A Winter in the Red for Black-Owned Restaurants
By Kayla Hill Black Restaurant Week in the District of Columbia was supposed to give one more boost to businesses like Open Crumb, a West African-seasoned eatery in a resurgent neighborhood that many in the nation’s capital might describe as, you know, the other side of town. Earlier, when the weather was warm, governments around…
When Facts Don’t Matter the Way Black Lives Do
By Trevon Patterson The facts, they say, don’t lie. These are the facts: Breonna Taylor was killed when Louisville police officers broke down the door of her apartment, her boyfriend fired a shot in their direction, and the police responded with a hail of bullets, one of which ended her life. Kentucky’s attorney general presented…