Allison WiltzinLEVEL·Sep 26, 2021Member-onlyThe Black Wonder Years is Making White Folks MadSeeing a Black version of a White classic series has some folks flustered. Let's unpack this. — White folks are used to seeing themselves on TV. Let's face it. Back in 1988, when the original Wonder Years series aired, mainstream American television focused on telling the same coming-of-age story. Boy meets girl — scratch that — White boy meets girl was the premise of dozens of series…BlackLivesMatter4 min readBlackLivesMatter4 min read
Allison WiltzinMomentum·Jun 14, 2022Member-onlyWhite Man Claims It's Too Hard For White Men To Get Writing GigsWhy do some White people see diversity as an existential threat? — Diversity is not a personal attack on White people, but good luck convincing award-winning novelist James Patterson of that fact. In an interview in The Times, he expressed concern that it's too hard for old White men to get writing gigs. It's as if he just arrived from an alternative…Racism5 min readRacism5 min read
Medium Staffin3 Min Read·3 days agoBoosted on Medium: The psychology of happiness, ethics in machine learning, and moreA few stories publication editors have selected for a boost — Last month, we introduced a new Boost for top stories on Medium. If you’re a writer who’s had a story Boosted, you’ll probably recognize this alert from your stats page…Medium6 min readMedium6 min read
ZarainThe Matriarchy·Updated Mar 8Member-only42 Rights Women Fought For — And WonAnd How Much We Have Left Still to Do — Women’s History Month is here, and so is International Women’s Day. And with them comes a time to celebrate women, to reflect on our history, and see how far we’ve come. It’s easy to look at the state of the world for women, especially in the West, and think “we’ve…Feminism7 min readFeminism7 min read
Michael Arceneaux·Feb 14Member-onlyIdris Elba is right to want to not be burdened by racism, but…The “I’m not Black, I’m OJ” approach is not wise for any Black man in life, much less Hollywood. Stringer Bell is telling a familiar tale in his Esquire UK cover story. In the now viral interview, Elba shared that he no longer refers to himself as a “Black actor”…Idris Elba4 min readIdris Elba4 min read
Kristina GodinBetter Marketing·Jan 19Member-only7 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About SubstackElon Musk is open to acquiring the platform and within minutes you can become a newsletter entrepreneur. — The traditional media industry has been somewhat disrupted by Substack. 2022 showed that the San Francisco-based tech company definitely is on the rise. According to SimilarWeb data, Substack generated 50.6 million visits in December 2022 and is growing pretty fast.Social Media6 min readSocial Media6 min read
Heather GilliganinTimeline·Feb 23, 2017An entire Manhattan village owned by black people was destroyed to build Central ParkThree churches, a school, and dozens of homes were demolished — When Reverend Christopher Rush laid the cornerstone of the First African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in 1853, he placed in it a time capsule, a box that contained a bible, a hymn book, and copies of two New York papers, The Tribune and The Sun. …BlackLivesMatter5 min readBlackLivesMatter5 min read
Prince Shakur·Feb 9How creators and artists are commemorating James Baldwin in the internet ageOver the past few years, there has been a much-needed resurgence of writer James Baldwin’s significance in the cultural landscape of the U.S. …James Baldwin6 min readJames Baldwin6 min read
Amaya GrahaminAn Injustice!·Sep 19, 2022Why Can’t a Black Ariel Be Part of This World?Years after the cast announcement for the live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid,” some people are still bothered that she is Black — The first trailer for the 2023 live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid” was released on September 9, prompting celebration from some and inciting anger from others. In 2019, Disney announced their decision to have Halle Bailey, one half of the musical duo Chloe x Halle, play the lead role of…Halle Bailey3 min readHalle Bailey3 min read
Medium Staffin3 Min Read·Feb 17What We’re Reading: Love is great, but have you tried friendship?A few Medium stories you may have missed this week — The big holiday this week was all about love. (Please see our list of Staff Picks for Valentine’s Day for some sharp thoughts on romance from Medium writers). Yet an equally powerful, though far less heralded, force in all our lives is friendship. Simple friendship — a thing we learn…What Were Reading4 min readWhat Were Reading4 min read
Buster Bensonin3 Min Read·Feb 15Become a verified book authorHave you published a book? Would you like to feature it on your Medium profile? Here’s how! — Hello, writers of Medium! Today we’re launching a new program that invites published authors to verify their identity by claiming their books. When verified, your book(s) will be featured on your profile page, alongside your stories, and a new book badge will appear next to your name everywhere on Medium…Books5 min readBooks5 min read
Tim Wise·Feb 12Member-onlyStop Lying About Black Women and FamiliesClaims of an out-of-wedlock birth crisis and “babies having babies” are racist myths. It’s time to tell the truth. — Surely you’ve heard it before. The problem facing Black people isn’t racism; it’s girls and women having babies out of wedlock. Whenever someone mentions the issue of ongoing racial discrimination in America, the answer from conservatives always sounds like this. Bill O’Reilly said it in the early days of the…Racism7 min readRacism7 min read
Allison Wiltz·Feb 5, 2022Member-onlyBlack History Month Isn't Just About Celebrating Firsts. Let's Broaden the ConversationIn our ritualistic adornment of firsts, we fail to provide context — I don't know who needs to hear this, but Black History Month is not all about Black "firsts." We could tell you all about Hiram Revels, who became the first Black senator, Carol Moseley Braun, the first Black woman senator, or Barack Obama, who became America's first Black President—but only…Racism6 min readRacism6 min read
Allison WiltzinMomentum·Aug 2, 2021Member-onlyYes, Black People Need SunscreenDoes dark skin need protection from UV rays? Let’s unpack this. — Every summer, families, friends, and couples hit the beach hoping to catch some rays and have some fun. While spending some time in the sun boosts Vitamin D in the body, people who stay out too long risk damaging their skin. In America, all of us — Black, White and…BlackLivesMatter5 min readBlackLivesMatter5 min read
Jasmine Ann SmithinILLUMINATION·Aug 12, 2022Member-onlyMedium Writers Have a New Option for Royalty-Free ImagesCustom images, no less — This morning I was griping about the difficulty of finding the specific image I needed for a Medium article I was writing where I referenced a robot doing dishes. As one does. “I just want robots in a kitchen.” I wasn’t finding anything on the free photo sites. I puttered…Technology3 min readTechnology3 min read
Arturo DominguezinThe Antagonist Magazine·Apr 4, 2022Member-onlyWhite Refugees Are Welcome, Everyone Else Must Stay AwayThe quick and broad acceptance of Ukrainian refugees exposes the United States’ racism at the highest levels — The quick acceptance of 100,000 Ukrainian refugees into the United States goes far beyond Joe Biden’s unchecked prejudice that came to the surface during the primaries leading up to the 2020 presidential election. It also comes as no surprise after Biden made his views abundantly clear when talking about Black…Immigration4 min readImmigration4 min read
Julia Marsiglio·Jan 4, 2022Member-onlyCreative Writers, Have You Tried This Paid Writing Site?It pays well per view — This is a PSA for all creative writers on Medium. I’ve been introduced to another writing site. I’m new to this writing site, but it pays well: $0.02 per view. …Creative Writing2 min readCreative Writing2 min read
Medium CreatorsinCreators Hub·Feb 15, 2022Welcome To a Faster, Redesigned Medium. Here’s What’s New For YouFebruary 2022 Creator Newsletter — Here’s what Medium’s Creator Support team wants you to know this month: The Medium reading experience — now with way more youNewsletter3 min readNewsletter3 min read
Walter RheininCultured·Feb 14, 2022Member-onlyHow The Medical Industry Exploits Black People for ProfitEveryone knows our system is corrupt, but it’s even more corrupt than you might realize — The modern medical industry was built on the backs of black people who were tortured, stolen from, and otherwise exploited. While the people suffer, the health care industry rakes in record profits. …BlackLivesMatter8 min readBlackLivesMatter8 min read
Medium CreatorsinCreators Hub·Jan 17, 2022The Community CreatorAllison Gaines writes for change — and lifts up other writers as she goes — Every month here at Creators Hub, we’re featuring a creator who is doing something really cool on the platform. So far we’ve profiled management strategist Roger Martin, humor writer Kyrie Gray, and personal development specialist Amardeep Parmar. This month we spoke to Allison Gaines, who helped found WEOC Editors, is…Creator Spotlight5 min readCreator Spotlight5 min read