The Cookout Was Never for You: Black Kinship, Digital Gatekeeping and Cultural Boundaries Online
Once a symbol of Black cultural kinship, the cookout has become a viral litmus test for allyship, exposing tensions around digital gatekeeping, erasure and appropriation as Black communities push back on who gets invited, and why the invite even exists.
Review: How Isaiah Falls’ Night Off Performance Transformed My View on Love
There’s a unique kind of magic that happens in Chicago during the summer. It’s the warmth that fills the air, the electric energy that swells with each evening breeze, and the undeniable sense that something special is just around the corner. That magic was unmistakably present at Isaiah Falls’ Concert for Lovers Only at The Promontory—a performance that felt as intimate as it was electrifying.
Why Are We Still Romanticizing Struggle?
For generations, Black communities have been taught to wear pain like armor. Struggle has been packaged as strength, exhaustion mistaken for ambition and survival celebrated as a success story.
5 Must-Use Tips for Traveling This “Hot Girl and Boy Summer”
Whether you’re jetting overseas or planning a quick getaway with your girls (or boys), summer travel can come with its fair share of stress.
But don’t worry—we’ve got you covered. As an avid traveler and editor-in-chief of Secrets & Legacy Media, I’ve learned a few key tricks to help make traveling smoother and more enjoyable.
Are We Still Watching Reality TV or Just Trauma Bonding?
Reality TV is supposed to be fun, but for Black viewers, it’s often emotional labor.
Streaming promised variety. What we got instead was recycled chaos. “Find Love or Pop the Balloon” began on YouTube as a rarity: a dating show that saw Black love without filters. Created by Arlette Amuli and Bolia “BM” Matundu, it was soft, layered and unapologetically Black.
It felt authentic. Then came Netflix.
Therapy’s Essential, But Is It Helping Us?
Black Gen Z is the most therapy-literate generation the United States has seen. They share appointment updates on TikTok, reference trauma responses in casual conversations and seek healing out loud in ways that once seemed taboo.
But if we ask them if therapy is actually helping them, then the answers get more complicated.